THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

From the Catholics-Do-The-Darnedest-Things file: a cartoon in the Chicago Trib ( 2/19 ) to contrast what cartoonists could do to offend Christians as opposed to Muslims—a flock of terrified acolytes being pursued by a hoard of priests titled 'The Running of the Altar Boys.' ( Also, a little guy at the side asks if the bishop has heard about this and is told ' [ h ] e's in the pack.' ) Meanwhile DePaul University, Chicago and the country's largest Catholic University is offering a new minor in queer studies. The classes are somewhat overbooked. ( Chicago Trib, 2/20 ) Simultaneously, the University of Notre Dame is restricting gay events on campus ( with the Queer Film Festival having to change its name to Gay and Lesbian Film ) but '24 of the 28 ... Jesuit universities' have allowed gay and lesbian groups on their campuses. ( NY Times, 2/18 ) Mixed emotions?

Some tidbits from 'A Pop Quiz on Marriage' from the N.Y. Times ( 2/19 ) : Living together unmarried is a break in a long tradition? Nope, it was the norm in England, for example, until the mid-1700s. Strong loving marital commitments are thought to be the backbone of society? Nope, the Romans thought loving your spouse too much was a civic sin; in addition, the Greeks believed pure love could only be between two men and early Christians thought marriage was too tainted by ( ick! ) sex to be the spine of anything. What was the preferred form of marriage throgh the ages? Polygamy, especially in the Bible. And, do born-again Christians have strong marriages? You judge—their divorce rate is virtually the same ( 35 percent ) as the rest of the country. Seems like gay marriage would fit right in.

From the Flamboyant file: Olympic skater Johnny Weir is playing with reporter's, ummm, minds. He refuses to say he's gay so they code-talk him by saying he's flamboyant or flaming or something of that ilk. While he does seem to have a drag queen's approach to costuming, the Chicago Sun-Times ( 2/19 ) —in an article on the 'Gayest Sport in America'—says reporters who insist on going after a public figure's irrelevant sexuality have more of a problem than any closeted celebrity. Amen.