Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

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

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Whispers
by Sukie de la Croix
2000-09-27

This article shared 1827 times since Wed Sep 27, 2000
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email


Chicago Knights Motorcycle Club

"That was probably '76, '77. There was an active club scene going on in Chicago at that time. There were four or five MC clubs in existence. There was Chicago Knights, Chicago Pride, there was the Rodeo Riders, there was M.O.B. ( Men of Brotherhood ) . I think the group had already been in existence for at least five years before I got there. I joined the club through people that I knew in the leather bars in Chicago. When I lived in Washington, D.C. I belonged to a club out there, the Scorpions Motorcycle Club. So when I moved to Chicago it made it easier to have a group of people around me. Suddenly, as a new kid on the block, there was a common bond. It helped my way into the gay community here.

"Jim Flint was involved with the Chicago Knights. He was very instrumental in the Toys For Tots program. We would raise money in the holiday season and we chose different organizations and hand delivered the money to those organizations. One year we wanted to give money to Cabrini Green, for toys, and so we went to Jesse White and he had us deliver directly to the families, and that was the one and only time I walked through Cabrini Green. But it was that kind of an organization, where we were directly involved in what we were raising and where the money went. We did try to give money to the Salvation Army and they refused it because of who we were. We got quite a bit of publicity over that, even Mike Royko wrote about it in one of his columns, in terms of 'why wouldn't they take the money, and what about the people that need help?' The general public opinion was very much in our favor. Since then I have never given the Salvation Army a dollar, but that's just my personal thing." — Harley McMillan.

Salvation Army ...

"I was very involved. I was secretary, and I was involved in the Salvation Army scandal. That was 1982, and we used to put on an annual show called Toys For Tots and that year we raised $35,000, when normally we raised about $15,000, so we had a meeting to decide if we were going to give larger amounts to our usual charities, or start adding charities. I said, 'Why don't we give some money to the Salvation Army.' I was joking, of course. The joke was that they take care of drunks and we were all drunks and we might need them some day.

"So we decided to donate $1,400 to the Salvation Army and we sent them a check with a letter, and because it was Toys For Tots we asked that the money be used for one of their youth activities. So the first of the year comes and we're trying to close the books and the check we sent them still hadn't been cashed, so we sent them a letter ... no response, the next month and the next month, no check was cashed. It wasn't until August, we got a letter from them, with the check uncashed, and saying they couldn't accept our money because we were a gay organization.

"Of course, we were furious, and one of the people we contacted was Mike Royko and he did a column about it in the Sun-Times. Anyway, Mike interviewed the Salvation Army and their logic was that if they accepted money from us, that would mean they would have to turn their young boys over to us. That's what they said. Presumably, they have no problem accepting heterosexual money and turning their young girls over.

"It got us a lot of donations, people sending us their money, saying, 'This was earmarked for the Salvation Army, but we can't give it to them in clear conscience, so we're giving it to you.' And, of course, we had a lot of organizations calling and saying, 'We'll take your money, we don't care if you're gay.'

"I have to say, that the Salvation Army don't feel that way now, they're very supportive of gay people, but at the time it was a scandal. It was just one individual in the Salvation Army that created a ripple." — Gene Janowski

[ Actually, the Salvation Army is still known for some anti-gay decisions, including in San Francisco where they pulled out of city contracts rather than comply with the domestic-partner law. ]

Memory Check

The Chicago Knights Motorcycle Club was founded in May 1971. On Nov. 22, 1975, the group sponsored a Toys For Tots Benefit at the Baton. This is believed to be the first instance of a Chicago gay group being involved in this annual charity drive.

On Nov. 28, 1976, the Chicago Knights Motorcycle Club, six other motorcycle clubs plus a group of independent bikers did a show at the Baton to raise funds for Toys For Tots. Numerous acts took to the stage, and as GayLife put it "wigs and gowns found themselves competing with tattoos and mustaches."

The evening raised $1,000 worth of toys and $2,000 in cash. The proceeds went to the Northwestern University Settlement House, an alumni-operated community center for children. Jim Flint was emcee.

1982 Timeline: Jim Piehl, president of the Chicago Knights, delivered the check to the Salvation Army in April, stating that it was a gift from the lesbian and gay community. In June he inquired why the check had not been cleared, and was told that vacationing officials would handle the matter when they returned. On July 22, Piehl returned to Army headquarters and said that by law the Knights must clear their books before they began another fundraiser in October. He was told that he would receive a phone call within a week. They didn't call.

Lt. Col. Earl A. Polsley wrote on Aug. 24 and returned the check. The next day Piehl talked to Polsley who backed down and said he had made an honest mistake in returning the check and wanted to correct it. Piehl demanded an apology to the gay community. None was given and so the Chicago Knights issued a press release on Aug. 27. Mike Royko's column appeared in the Sun-Times Sept. 1, 1982.

Future historians take note: The memory section in this column contains just that—memories—and are only to be used as a starting point for your research. Send your stories to Sukie de la Croix at Windy City Times/ Outlines. He also interviews by phone or e.mail sukiedelacroix@iname.com

What A Difference

A Gay Makes

( Sept 24-30 )

1995: 5 Years Ago

U.S.: PFLAG raise more than $250,000 at its annual convention in Washington. D.C. The money goes to Project Open Mind, a PFLAG multimedia advertising and public relations campaign. — Italy: Italian gays stage a national demonstration in Verona to protest a new City Council resolution that labels homosexuality "depraved behavior" and "obsessive neurosis similar to alcoholism." — Denmark: Eigel Axgil, half of the first legally married gay couple in the world, dies aged 71.

1990: 10 Years Ago

U.S.: A recent survey of lesbian/gay telephone hotlines determines that most hotline volunteers are white males. The survey, conducted by directors of Washington's Whitman-Walker Clinic, collected data from 50 hotlines across the nation. It found that 74 percent of the staff are men and 89 percent are white. Similarly, about three-quarters of the callers were male. — Texas-based television evangelist Larry Lea, who describes himself as a "spiritual warrior," talks about his upcoming prayer session for Halloween: "This area has been the launching pad of a lot of things we consider unbiblical—free sex, the homosexual movement, acid rock. There are strong spirits of perversion and greed."

1985: 15 Years Ago

U.S.: Meeting in Los Angeles, the national convention of the Episcopal church in the United States elects a new presiding bishop. Bishop Edmund Brown of Hawaii is said to be the most progressive and pro-gay of Episcopal Bishops in the country. — Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner's The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe opens on Broadway. — A readership poll conducted by The Advocate says lesbians and gay men are forming monogamous relationships like never before. According to the survey, the couples are spending disposable income on the home, buying VCRs and home furnishings. Going to bars and movies are no longer priorities. — In Cleveland, Ohio, 150 lesbians and gay men gather to show support for a teacher fired from a Catholic High School for engaging in "deliberate homosexual acts and desires." Robert Navis was not fired for being openly gay, but for living openly with his lover. — Hot porno videos include Night Flight starring Mark Miller, Kurt Marshall, Ron Pearson and Buster to name a few, and The Big Switch, a 90-minute long bisexual feast. — Canada: Customs officials seize several magazines and books at the U.S. borders, confiscating six weeks of deliveries directed toward two bookstores. Among the publications taken are: Bad Attitude, a Boston-based lesbian magazine; The Leatherman's Handbook No 2; and "Independence Day" and "Another Runner in the Night," both of which are romance novels. — Ireland: The European Supreme Court, the Court of Human Rights, in Strasbourg, France, agrees to hear a case brought by Dublin English Professor David Norris against the government of Ireland. Norris, a former president of Ireland's National Gay Federation, charges that anti-gay laws in Ireland violate constitutional rights to free association and privacy, as well as the European Convention on Human Rights.

1980: 20 Years Ago

U.S.: Straight Hearts Delight by Allen Ginsberg is in bookstores. — The Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund receive a $5,000 grant from the Playboy Foundation. The grant is in support of Lambda's ongoing litigation efforts, in particular its work in People v. Onofre, which challenges the New York State consensual sodomy law. — Canada: The daughters of Errol Flynn file suit to clear their father's name, after a biography Errol Flynn: The Untold Story by Charles Higham claims the move star was a Nazi spy and a bisexual.


This article shared 1827 times since Wed Sep 27, 2000
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Chicago History Museum announces "Designing for Change: Chicago Protest Art of the 1960s - 70s exhibition 2024-03-14
--From a press release - CHICAGO (March 14, 2024) — The Chicago History Museum is thrilled to announce its upcoming exhibition, "Designing for Change: Chicago Protest Art of the 1960s—70s." Set to open on Saturday, May 18, 2024, this exhibition is ...


Gay News

Women's History Month doesn't do enough to lift up Black lesbians 2024-03-12
- Fifty years ago, in 1974, the Combahee River Collective (CRC) was founded in Boston by several lesbian and feminist women of African descent. As a sisterhood, they understood that their acts of protest were shouldered by ...


Gay News

SAVOR Eldridge Williams talks new concepts, Beyonce, making history 2024-03-08
- One restaurant would be enough for most people to handle. However, this year Eldridge Williams is opening two new concepts—including one that will be the first Black-owned country-and-western bar in the Midwest. Williams, an ally of ...


Gay News

SAVOR Let's Talk Womxn's 'More Than March'; Adobo Grill's tequila dinner 2024-03-06
- I was fortunate enough to be invited to a culinary event that celebrates the achievement of women—and, fittingly, it happened during Women's History Month. On March 1, Let's Talk Womxn Chicago held its annual "More Than ...


Gay News

Without compromise: Holly Baggett explores lives of iconoclasts Margaret Anderson and Jane Heap 2024-03-04
- Jane Heap (1883-1964) and Margaret Anderson (1886-1973), each of them a native Midwesterner, woman of letters and iconoclast, had a profound influence on literary culture in both America and Europe in the early 20th Century. Heap ...


Gay News

Anti-LGBTQ+ Republican McConnell to step down from leading U.S. Senate 2024-02-29
- U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) will step down from Senate leadership in November, having served in that capacity longer than any senator in history, The Advocate noted. McConnell has been a senator since 1985 and has ...


Gay News

ELECTIONS 2024 Raymond Lopez talks congressional run, Chuy Garcia, migrant crisis 2024-02-26
- Chicago Ald. Raymond Lopez has been a member of City Council since 2015, representing the 15th Ward and making history as one of the city's first LGBTQ+ Latine alderman. Now, he is setting his sights on ...


Gay News

Samuel Savoir-Faire Williams's violin stylings help COH mark Black History Month 2024-02-23
- As part of its celebration of Black History Month, Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., presented a solo jazz performance by violinist Samuel Savoir-Faire Williams on Feb. 21. The two-hour long performance presented a showcase ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Raven-Symone, women's sports, Wayne Brady, Jinkx Monsoon, British Vogue 2024-02-09
- In celebration of Black History Month, the LA LGBT Center announced that lesbian entertainer Raven-Symone will be presented with the Center's Bayard Rustin Award at its new event, Highly Favored, per a press release. She joins ...


Gay News

On 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Mayor Brandon Johnson reaffirms commitment to reproductive rights 2024-01-22
--From a press release - CHICAGO — Today marks the 51st anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, which preserved the constitutional right to choose. Chicago has a long history of advocating for women's rights and is considered ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars sign Mallory Swanson to historic contract 2024-01-16
- CHICAGO (January 16, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars have signed Mallory Swanson to a historic long-term contract, making it the most lucrative agreement in the history of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and seeing ...


Gay News

Gay political trailblazer Ken Sherrill passes away at age 81 2023-12-30
- Kenneth Sherrill—a pioneering political scientist who was also the first out gay elected official in New York history—died in early December at age 81 from surgical complications, Gay City News reported. He is survived by his ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Alex Newell, Joe Locke, 'Bad Together,' Raven-Symone, Limelight club 2023-12-14
- Alex Newell—who made history as one of the first two out nonbinary Tony Award winners—was named Time's Breakthrough of the Year for 2023, The Advocate reported. Newell won the Tony this year as Best Featured Actor ...


Gay News

Bradley Cooper conducts a symphony of queer history in Maestro 2023-12-13
- Composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein was one of the most important musicians of his time, receiving many accolades—the Kennedy Center Honor among them, in 1981—before passing away in 1990. Behind the scenes ...


Gay News

Santos voted out of Congress 2023-12-01
- Now-former U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-New York) was voted out of Congress on Dec. 1. Santos is the sixth House member in U.S. history to be booted from Congress, and the third since the Civil War, ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.