The May edition of OUTspoken! LGBTQ storyteller series takes place Tuesday, May 2, at Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted St. Doors open at 6 pm, stories begin at 7.
Lihy Epstein has been performing in various media for years. It all started with theater camp as child, speech team in high school, college drag performances as "Dick Then Dyke," and numerous poetry open mics throughout. She is currently working on keeping both of her family businesses' legacies going, and moonlighting as an aspiring poet and storyteller.
Jackie Kaplan-Perkins is a lifelong Chicagoan. She serves as the Director of the Chicago and the Midwest for Human Rights Watch and in the evening drinking scotch and telling stories ( usually in that order ). She lives on the north side with her wife, Ann, their son, David and a menagerie of pets.
Brad Lippitz is an accomplished lawyer, artist andfor the last 24 yearsreal estate broker. He and his husband, Yoni, have been together for nearly 30 years and have two teenaged sons. He and Yoni are active in politics and they have hosted scores of benefits for LGBT organizations and politicians over the years. Brad has served on numerous boards and remains active in political and social service organizations on both the local and national level.
Joshua Oaks has been working on social justice issues affecting queer communities on the local, state and national level for over 10 years. Currently, he is the Digital Policy Manager for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and in 2016 served as a co-chair for the Creating Change Conference. Joshua is a giant Star Trek dork and is prone to bursting out in long phrases of gibberish when he gets excited. Oh yeah, he is also a hugger, so give him one.
Eitan Schechtman-Drayman lives in Evanston with his husband and two children. He is a postdoctoral fellow in Neuroscience at Northwestern University. Eitan was born in Israel and lived there almost all his life. He has volunteered at various Israeli LGBTQ organizations, such as Hoshen, an educational organization, IGY ( Israeli Gay Youth ) and the Jerusalem Open House.
Amy Thompson performs across the country with The Second City Touring Company, and in Chicago with The Annoyance house ensemble, Baby Wine. A California native, Amy graduated from Brandeis University with degrees in English and Acting in 2011.
See www.outspokenchicago.com for more info.