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

Neil Steinberg, the Sun-Times columnist who could not be much of a better friend to gay folk, suggests ( 5/25 ) that because faith-based hate groups are pressuring Kraft Foods because of the company's sponsorship of Chicago's 2006 Gay Games, and threatening a boycott, that the rest of the world ought to have a 'buyup': 'I suggest those who agree with Kraft have a duty to show our approval by buying Kraft products. The Gay Pride Parade is just around the corner, and I would suggest that those holding parties whip up a batch of Kraft Macaroni and cheese ... or set out a brick of Velveeta in silent tribute.'

Prom time it is and one young man, Frank Paiva, writes in The NY Times ( 5/29 ) the he ( and others ) are 'this century's new answer to the last-minute prom date: the gay best friend.' Paiva has noticed that many 'young gay men make friends with cool girls who fly under the radar because they don't posses conventional good looks and they don't put out.' He is a little sad that while he is going to 3 or 4 proms, none are with a boyfriend.

R.I.P.—there won't be any more of those 'High Culcha' Merchant-Ivory films. Ismail Merchant, the business and personal partner of James Ivory, has died at 68. They were together 44 years and among their films were A Room With A View, Howard's End, and The Remains of the Day.