The October edition of OUTspoken! LGBTQ storyteller series takes place Tuesday, Oct. 3, at Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted St. Doors open at 6 pm, stories begin at 7.
See www.outspokenchicago.com for more info .
Megan Brennan is a Chicago-based comedian who loves a good denim vest and a long denim skirt. She is a producer of The Kiki: A Queer Comedy Show and The Drive, a fundraising show for Chicago homeless. Her willingness to push boundaries, natural stage presence and unique world view color her richly detailed and poignant personal stories. ( Her girlfriend wrote that last part. )
Rodrigo Carrillo is a graduate of East-West University with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Management. He currently serves as Deputy Clerk for the City of Chicago since February 2017. He is a current board member of the Association of Latinos Motivating in Action, which supports advocacy and family acceptance for the LGBTQ community.
Marlaina Eastman has been a tenured English Professor for over 15 years. She spent three of those years directing an LGBTQ Resource Center. Today, she is focusing on important questions, including: How does the expression of identity impact marginalized student empowerment?
Randy L. Estes grew up in Fisher, a small farm town in East-Central Illinois. Randy moved back to Fisher for over three years to help care for his mom with Alzheimer's. He served as an Ambassador with the Illinois Alzheimer's Association, highlighted by lobbying our legislators in Washington, DC, this past March, and has recently become an ambassador with Eastern Iowa Alzheimer's Association.
Kimmy Fleishman used to charge a penny to every person who came over to visit her parents as a kid to watch her perform in a one-woman show. Since then, she's graduated from the Second City Music Conservatory, tells stories throughout the city to anyone who will listen, and secretly hopes she can quit her day job and make a living on stage. She guesses it's not a secret anymore.
Michael Jackson landed in Chicago in 1973 at the age of 30. He had worked in India and the Middle East as a bank VP for a British overseas bank. During that time, he had come out and been an active homosexual. After 30 years of banking, Michael switched to teaching economics and geography at Columbia College Chicago.
Mak Kelm was adopted by a German-American Family at the age of three. He lived in Chicago, Texas ( in various regions of the state ) and then moved back to Chicago in 2013. He was hired by Chicagopride.com as a photographer, and to work in client services, and has loved his job ever since. He is currently working on bringing his own company, MAK Accessories, to where he has envisioned it. Mak is an avid artist who loves to sketch, draw, paint and design new products, and enjoys biking in his free time.