Top of the Line
Find out about GLBT-owned businesses, and shop until you drop ... Saturday, May 6, at the Chicago Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce will hold its first Gay and Lesbian Business Expo in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. More than 60 companies and organizations will present exhibits, entertainment, raffle prizes, and great business information at the Expo, held at the Nettlehorst Elementary School, 3252 N. Broadway, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., free. Awarded every hour, major raffle prizes include two United Airlines domestic air tickets and an IBM Thinkpad computer. Call ( 773 ) 871-4190, www.GLChamber.org .
The THRIVE 2000 HIV/AIDS Expo is Friday, May 12 at the Midland Hotel, 172 W. Adams, 8 a.m.-6 p.m., ( 773 ) 404-8726. It's sponsored by Test Positive Aware Network and Ortho Biotech. Experts on HIV and AIDS will speak, there will be 30+ AIDS groups exhibit, and more. Dr. Luther Virgil and Frank Oldham address Secondary Prevention; there's a program on African American Churches' Response to AIDS, and "Body Composition" will be led by Alison Strawford and Michael Mooney.
Monday, May 15 is the Howard Brown Health Center Women's Program annual A Taste for Every Palate benefit, chaired by Vernita Gray. LA-based singer/songwriter Amy Cook ( one of her songs was recently was on Felicity ) performs. Taste the talents of many Chicago-area women chefs. Presented by Subaru, co-sponsored by Outlines/Nightlines, WGN Radio, Great Lakes Wine Co., American Airlines; call ( 773 ) 388-8993, tickets at Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark. Chefs from Alliance Bakery, Anna Maria, Cafe Absinthe, Cafe 28, Elegant Edge Catering, Fido's Bake Shop, Frontera, Grace, Pepper Lounge, Oo-La-La!, Rita's Catering, She She, Tanzy, Tomboy, Torrefazione, Italia Coffee, Watusi. Artists include Caroline Allison, Tyllie Barbosa, Carrie Beck, Pamela Jo Buchwald, Karena Cawthon, Lora Fosberg, Wendy Mason, Kristin McCarthy, B.J. Negrete, Nancy Palmeri, Stephanie Power, Kate Roth, Ellen Shershow, Jennifer Talbot.
Mixed Media
The May 25 issue of Rolling Stone has a feature on "Pride and Prejudice," the state of gay politics by Robert Dreyfuss. It's a Gay Political Infighting 101 course for the mainstream, showing our true rainbow diversity includes a lot of complaining.
The April 26 Chicago Sun-Times covered the Berwyn United Neighborhood Gay and Lesbian Organization's demand for an investigation into whether Democratic Party leaders were involved with recent anti-gay mailings. Letters sent to more than 8,000 residents of the west suburb days before the March primary election connected a ballot question proposing staggered terms of office for city officials to BUNGALO. Daniel White, a Board of Elections spokesman, told the Sun-Times state law requires campaign literature to include the name of whoever's responsible for it and that the agency is reviewing BINGALO's complaint.
The April 26 Chicago Tribune carried an editorial on Vermont's Civil Unions options: "Even in quirky and progressive Vermont, the move by state legislators to create 'civil unions' in order to legally recognize gay and lesbian relationships—by far the closest thing to same-sex marriage anywhere in the country—was surrounded by controversy and loud protests. ... Civil unions will become a parallel option to marriage and go far beyond 'domestic partnership' arrangements created by localities such as Oak Park. Although not entirely equivalent to heterosexual marriage, civil unions will extend to gay and lesbian partners a wide array of legal benefits now only available to married couples. ... Civil unions are a reasonable compromise between the concerns of those—most notably religious leaders—who want to preserve the institution of traditional marriage, and committed gay and lesbian couples who argue that they are prohibited by the state from marriage, so their relationships are arbitrarily and unfairly denied legal protections. Supporting the compromise was a difficult vote. ... Yet Vermont's bold experiment with civil unions bears close attention by other states. As a minimum it ought to allay fears that giving legal recognition to committed gay and lesbian relationships somehow is incompatible with traditional heterosexual marriages."
That's entertainment
Women & Children First Books hosts a Kimi Hayes CD release mini concert Thursday, May 4, 7:30 p.m., 5233 N. Clark, ( 773 ) 769-9299. She's also featured on the Outlines/LCCP High Risk CD.
The AIDS Foundation of Chicago annual black-tie Not Just Song & Dance gala is Saturday, May 6, featuring pop superstars the B-52's, Hyatt Regency, 151 E. Wacker, $300, ( 312 ) 922-2322.
The 5th Annual Women's Performance Jam is May 5-6, 7 p.m., United Church of Rogers Park, Morse and Ashland. Friday is co-ed ( Ms. Nnag, Anita Dacanay, Take Back the Night Girls, Kate Hershiser, Karine Koret ) , Saturday is women-only ( Salem Collo Julin, karen g. williams, Smokie, Black Sphota Cocoon, Mars ) . Call ( 773 ) 973-1521; kgw43@aol.com
Temptations hosts the band Forbidden Fruit, Friday, May 5, performing the songs of Crow, Love, Etheridge and more, 10235 W. Grand, Franklin Park, ( 847 ) 455-0008.
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Write it down ...
The Andersonville Chamber of Commerce Pink Ribbon Days are May 6-7, to benefit Y-Me National Breast Cancer Org. and Lesbian Community Cancer Project. Call ( 773 ) 728-2995.
Good Shepherd Parish MCC hosts events next week for the 30th anniversary of GSP MCC, May 13-14. Special speaker for the weekend is MCC founder Rev. Dr. Troy Perry. Call ( 773 ) 472-8708.
The annual Dining Out For Life fundraiser for AIDSCare, AIDS Ministry of Illinois, Canticle Place, Community Response and HIVCO is Thursday, May 11, with 100+ city and suburban restaurants, call ( 773 ) 935-4663 ext. 153.
There's a Dyke Political Summit called by Dyke March Planning Committee, Sat., May 6, to dialogue about organizing methods and models. cjj@cfw.org
Dyke March organizers are looking for local Drag Kings to perform at their May 19 benefit at Circuit. Call ( 312 ) 661-9128.
Sidebar:
Silver Images Film Fest includes gay and lesbian entrants
The Silver Images Film Fest is May 1-14, presented by American Assoc. for Retired Persons with gay and lesbian films including Living With Pride: Ruth Ellis at 100 ( May 4, 7 p.m., Howard Brown Health Center, with filmmaker Yvonne Welbon there; also screening May 10, Church of the Open Door, 7 p.m. ) ; Gay and Gray in New York City ( co-director Julie Englander will appear at screenings at Horizons May 5, 6:30 p.m., and Ann Sather's May 12, 8 p.m.; the film will be honored with the award for best student-produced picture May 11 at a gala ) ; Bubbeh Lee and Me ( Horizons May 5, 6:30, Gerber/Hart May 9, 7 p.m., Ann Sather's May 12, 8 p.m. ) . Call ( 312 ) 458-3605.
Celebrating the Past, Introducing the Future is the theme of Bailiwick Repertory's PRIDE 2000, and the series kicks off with a benefit May 15 that recognizes five honorees for their outstanding leadership in areas of sports, arts, journalism, the law, and history. Bella Vista Restaurant, 1001 W Belmont, will provide complimentary dinner, desserts, and beverages. VIP tickets are $75, including a private reception with the honorees Claudia Allen, Larry Bommer, Michael C. Cook, Marie Kuda, and Canadian Olympic gold medal swimmer Mark Tewksbury. General admission tickets are $35. In addition to the awards ceremony, the evening will feature excerpts from Bailiwick's PRIDE 2000 performance series, including Brave Smiles by the 5 Lesbian Brothers, The Trick by Perry Leylon Ojeda, A Real Read in Jeopardy, and Naked Will by Blair Fell. There will also be entertainment by Honey West and Alexandra Billings. The centerpiece is a staged reading of the first play with a homosexual theme published in America and written by a gay person ( 1896 ) , Henry Blake Fuller's At Saint Judas's. Olympic Swimmer Tewksbury, who won gold for Canada in 1992, is honored, not only for his work as an athlete, but for his outreach work and skills as a role model for gay and lesbian athletes and others.