THE VOICE OF CHICAGO’S GAY, LESBIAN, BI AND TRANS COMMUNITY SINCE 1985 May 6, 2009 • vol 24 no 32 www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com Justice Souter’s role in LGBT history
Chicago by Lisa Keen House Keen News Service Brunch page 18 The U.S. Supreme Court is about to lose its only confirmed bachelor. Justice David Souter, who apparently wants to celebrate his 70th birthday in September by not prepping for the start of the court’s 2009-2010 session, confirmed Friday that he is retiring in July, at the end of the 2008-2009 term. President Obama interrupted a routine White House press conference May 1 to make the an- nouncement. President George H.W. Bush appointed Souter in 1990, and the New Hampshire Republican quickly surprised liberals and conservatives alike by voting with the liberal side of the court on NGLTF many cases, including gay ones. National gay groups had opposed his confir- in Chicago page 6 mation, ACT UP protesters disrupted his con- firmation hearing, and U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., voted against him, predicting he would “solidify a 5-4 anti-civil rights, anti-privacy ma- Hello, jority.” And yet, within two years, he had emerged as a ray of hope for gay-rights advocates. “Justice Souter emerged as a thoughtful and Dali dependable vote for gay equality and inclusion,” pages 16-17 Angela said Evan Wolfson, head of the national Freedom to Marry group and, for many years, a key attorney Javier Beltram (left) and Robert Pattinson play artists and lovers Federico Garcia Lorca and Bassett Salvador Dali, respectively, in the Little Ashes. Read an exclusive interview with Beltran Receives Turn to page 4 and a review of the movie on pages 16-17. Award page 14 Vernita Gray: Fighting for 40 years Thank you for being a friend. By Paul Marinkovich At just 20 years old, Gray found that many of your brothers and your doctors and your teach- her friends became homeless when the families ers. It also represents that we are a part of a Vernita Gray has dedicated most of her life to discovered their sexual orientation. Her apart- larger community—that we are a part of the pie the fight for LGBT equality. She is the director of ment became the “crash pad” and quickly trans- and the struggle. There are no ways around that. community relations and special events at the formed into a safe haven for homeless youth We are part of that pie here in Chicago and it is nightspots Cook County State’s Attorney’s office—a post when they had nowhere else to go. Shortly af- great that our mayor acknowledges that.” n she achieved after 16 years of service. ter, Gray became involved with Gay Horizons, an Now in her sixth decade, Gray not only works pick it up take it home But Gray has been working with the LGBT com- LGBT community center that offered services to extensively with LGBT youth, but with the aging munity even before pride parades existed. She the homeless as well as to victims of hate crimes as well. She serves on the Task Force of the Ag- May 6, 2009 #987 came out in the fall of 1969 and immediately and domestic violence. ing, the LGBT advisory committee to the AARP organized a gay and lesbian hotline, and hosted In 1992, Gray was inducted into the Chicago and the National Gay and Lesbian Senior Task support groups from her Chicago apartment. Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame for her resilient Force. “Necessity is the mother of invention,” Gray efforts as an early leader in the gay-liberation “I feel it is imperative to work with both popu- said of her motivation to create change. “When movement. lations because the services didn’t exist 50 years I came out there wasn’t any place that gays and “It is a real acknowledgement of love,” she ago,” said Gray. “And really, when we talk about lesbians could go and be safe. That is really what said of the award. “To be in a city where the seniors, they still don’t exist. I am a product of prompted me to become the community activist mayor acknowledges that gay and lesbian peo- www.WindyCityQueercast.com that I am today.” ple have talent and that we are your sisters and Turn to page 6
CHICAGO’S BIGGEST GLBT CONTEST! Produced by Windy City Media Group Next round: PRESENT SOFO THURSDAY, MAY 14 See page 24 for more details 2 May 6, 2009 Marking Tracy Baim’s 25th anniversary in Chicago LGBT media
“I wanted to mark this 25th anniversary by showing my appreciation for the wide range of non-profits serving our community, many of them for decades. Right now, our community non-profits and businesses are hurting. for It’s time for us to create an economic stimulus package for charity our own community.” -- Tracy Baim, publisher and co-founder of drive Windy City Times, started in LGBT media in 1984 with GayLife newspaper
An Economic Stimulus We’re asking for you to donate some multiplier of 25 ($2.50, $25, $250 ...) to People for the Chicago can write your favorite charity or charities for our their check LGBT Community community. A few charities are suggested, to any registered but feel free to add another qualified non- non-profit serving the profit in the Chicago area. Chicago-area LGBT or $ HIV/AIDS communities. We could have done a pie toss, The suggested charity list is: a roast, or any number of About Face Theatre $ humiliating public displays of Affinity Community Services attention. AIDS Foundation of Chicago But instead, we wanted to create Amigas Latinas an opportunity to support our Asians and Friends/Chicago $ community’s LGBT and HIV groups Association of Latin Men in Action in their time of need. BEHIV: Better Existence with HIV Center on Halsted What to do: Write out a check to your Chicago House favorite charity’s name (Example: AIDS Equality Illinois Foundation of Chicago), and send that Howard Brown Health Center check to: Lambda Legal Defense $ Lesbian Community Care Project Tracy Baim Oak Park Area Lesbian and Gay Association 1900 S. Prairie Avenue PFLAG: Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays Chicago, IL 60616 Test Positive Aware Network We will bundle the checks into “buckets” of bucks and Vital Bridges present the charities their funds during Pride Month.
Simply fill out this form and send along with your check. $ DEADLINE: June 5, 2009 for charity NAME: drive ADDRESS: The charity with the most CITY: STATE: ZIP: donations will receive a EMAIL: PHONE: I am enclosing checks to the following charities in the following amounts: BONUS $ $250
Please mail checks to: Tracy Baim, 1900 S. Prairie Avenue, Chicago, IL 60616. Only checks accepted. Please ensure that check is DONATION made out to the charity of your choice. from an anonymous donor May 6, 2009 3
Midtown’s patented Tennis in No Time® is designed to turn beginners into tennis players in just three index weeks. You’ll enjoy six lessons with our certified professionals, plus free use of the club throughout NEWS your session. A variety of convenient lesson times House passes hate-crimes act 4 Justice Souter and LGBTs 4 are available, and if you don’t have a racquet N.H. approves gay marriage 5 we’ll lend you one of ours. Best of all, the entire White House gay controversy 5 package is only $115. LGBTs in May Day march 6 Task Force in Chicago 6 LGBTs made their presence known Become a player – learn Tennis in No Time! Murder trial goes to jury 6 at the May Day immigration rally in Midtown membership not required. HRC marks 100 days 8 Chicago. Find out more on page 6. Talking Lobby Day 8 To reserve your spot, call today. Photo by Yasmin Nair WCMG’s charity drive 9 Space is limited. Quotelines 9 Wayne Besen; letters 10
ENTERTAINMENT Scottish Play Scott 11 Theater reviews 12 6 sessions $115 Starts June 6 Bassett receives award 14 Pop Making Sense 15 Knight at the Movies 16 Kylie Minogue (above) is one of the Kelly McGillis comes out 16 artists profiled in a very special edition Talk with ‘Ashes’ actor 17 of Pop Making Sense. Read more on Chicago House brunch 18 page 15. Billy Masters 20 Gay Idol: Mary’s Attic 21 2020 West Fullerton Avenue Equality IL wine tasting 23 Chicago, IL 60647 773.235.2300 midtown.com/chicago OUTLINES Calendar 18 Real estate; classifieds 19 Danish mayor & Outgames 22
Kelly McGillis (above) has officially come out of the closet. Read more on page 16.
Features include: www. —National and Windy world news —A review of City Andrew Bird —HRC talk in Media Andersonville (right)
Group Photo by Andrew Davis .com
Director of The Walls megan Thank you for being a friend. n in g h t s p o t s carney SHOW #WCQ301 TROUBLEMAKERS Celebrate lucky 13 years with the bad little boys and girls of Cocktail.
Photo by Ryan Kolodziej
May 6, 2009 www.WindyCityQueercast.com #987
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, LESBIAN, BI AND TRANS COMMUNITY SINCE 1985 GO’S GAY THE VOICE OF CHICA nnn%N`e[p:`kpD\[`X>iflg%Zfd Aljk`Z\Jflk\iËjifc\ `eC>9K_`jkfip ;FNECF8;K?@J BY LISA KEEN KEEN NEWS SERVICE its only ts to :_`ZX^f The U.S. Supreme Court is about to lose ?flj\ gX^\(/ confirmed bachelor. Justice David Souter, who apparently wan 9ileZ_ celebrate his 70th birthday in Septemberretiring by not in prepping for the start of the court’s 2009-2010 session, confirmed Friday that he is July, at the end of the 2008-2009 term.ake the an- President Obama interrupted a routine White >fkfnnn%N`e[p:`kpD\[`X>iflg%Zfdkf House press conference May 1 to m nouncement. President George H.W. Bush appointed Souter in 1990, and the New Hampshire Republican quickly surprised liberals and conservatives alike by voting with the liberal side of the court on many cases, including gay ones. ?\ccf# National gay groups had opposed his confir- mation, ACT UP protesters disrupted his cone would- gX^\- gX^\j(-$(. E>CK= firmation hearing, and U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., voted against him, predicting h ;Xc` [fnecfX[Zfdgc\k\`jjl\jf]N`e[p:`kpK`d\j `e:_`ZX^f erged as “solidify a 5-4 anti-civil rights, anti-privacy ma- and lovers Federico Garcia Lorca and jority.” And yet, within two years, he had em tful and shes. Read an exclusive interview with Beltran a ray of hope for gay-rights advocates.inclusion,” “Justice Souter emerged as a thoughal Freedom Javier Beltram (left) and Robert Pattinson play artists dependable vote for gay equality and Salvador Dali, respectively, in the Little A said Evan Wolfson, head of the nation and a review of the movie on pages 16-17. to Marry group and, for many years,KliekfgX^\+ a key attorney
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Next round: nnn%N`e[p:`kpHl\\iZXjk%Zfd more details k_\X[m\ik`j\iËjN\Yj`k\ SOFO See page 24 for THURSDAY, MAY 14
PRESENT 4 May 6, 2009 SOUTER from cover tiffs fighting the law were gay, and the impetus Hate-crimes law of the law had been the funding of an exhibit passes House for Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. of the work of gay photographer Robert Map- Souter was the first justice to refer to LGBT plethorpe. by BOB ROEHR people as “gay, lesbian and bisexual,” instead Nan Hunter, a longtime gay legal activist and of “homosexuals.” He did so in writing the 1995 now professor of law at Georgetown University The United States House of Representatives opinion in Hurley v. GLIB—a case in which a Law School, said Souter was more a reliably passed hate-crimes legislation April 29. The tally gay Irish group challenged the right of a St. progressive vote than a leader, but she ac- of 249-175 was a modest increase over the 237- Patrick’s Day parade organizer in Boston to knowledged that his “respectful tone” in Hur- 180 vote on the same legislation in May 2007. exclude it from participating as a contingent. ley “signaled a dramatic shift from the casually Officially known as the Local Law Enforcement Souter, for a unanimous court, said the parade contemptuous tone of the Court’s opinion” in Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 (H.R. 1913), organizers had a First Amendment right to ex- the 1986 Bowers v. Hardwick decision uphold- the legislation would add protection for actual clude the gay contingent even though a Massa- ing sodomy laws. or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, chusetts public-accommodations law prohibit- and disability to existing protected categories ed discrimination based on sexual orientation. Joe Solmonese. Photo by Andrew Davis Souter’s successor such as religion, race and ethnicity. Most law But gay legal activists were struck by the tone Speculation over who President Obama will enforcement and civil rights groups support it. of respect Souter demonstrated for gays in the on gay issues, a combination of race and region nominate to fill Souter’s seat began even The bill gives the federal government author- opinion. The opinion said that laws prohibit- trump party affiliation. before Souter officially announced his retire- ity to provide resources and training to state ing discrimination based on sexual orientation What is happening is that much of the Demo- ment. and local officials on these matters. It also lets are “well within” the state’s power “to enact crats gains are coming at the expense of moder- Many political and court observers are saying them directly intervene in limited circumstances when a legislature has reason to believe that a ate Republicans, with little net gain for the gay it will almost certainly be a woman because where those state and local officials are not ad- given group is the target of discrimination….” community. currently only one of the court’s nine members equately performing their jobs. The opinion also characterized as “fact” that That is likely to become even more apparent is a woman. The day before the vote the White House is- “some Irish are gay, lesbian, or bisexual” and as Congress moves beyond “pro-gay” legislation Neither the president nor White House sued a brief statement from President Barack that openly gay marchers “suggest their view such as hate crimes, which is a relatively easy spokespersons offered any hint of names, but Obama urging “members on both sides of the that people of their sexual orientation have as vote, to increasingly controversial issues such as White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs reit- aisle to act on this important civil rights issue much claim to unqualified social acceptance as employment protection, the military, and ulti- erated a commitment candidate Obama made in by passing this legislation to protect all of our heterosexuals.” mately marriage. November 2007—that he would appoint a jus- citizens from violent acts of intolerance—legis- In Hurley, said Wolfson, Souter’s “tone and tice who believes the constitution provides for lation that will enhance civil rights protections, even use of respectful vocabulary helped shift a right to privacy. That right, which many but while also protecting our freedom of speech and Schroer prevails the court to a new path.” In the oral arguments not all judges and justices believe is implicit in association.” vs. library during consideration of Boy Scouts of America the constitution, is implicated in a wide range Human Rights Campaign President Joe Sol- v. Dale, said Wolfson, Souter was “a serious of legal issues involving LGBT people. It was monese said, “Hate crimes are a scourge on our A federal judge ruled that trans veteran Diane and probing questioner that helped articulate key to the overturning of laws prohibiting sod- communities and it’s time we give law enforce- Schroer is entitled to the maximum compensa- the distinctions between Hurley and our case omy, and was the basis of a successful lawsuit ment the tools they need to combat this serious tion for the discrimination she suffered after the against the Boy Scouts discrimination.” When against police officers in a small Pennsylvania problem. All Americans are one step closer to Library of Congress denied her a job, according the 5-4 majority ruled in favor of Boy Scouts town who were blamed for a teenager’s suicide protection from hate violence thanks to today’s to an ACLU press release. The court awarded excluding gays, noted Wolfson, Souter voted when the threatened to tell his family he was vote.” Schroer a total of $491,190, including $300,000 with the dissenters. gay. (In that case, it was not known whether “No one should face violence simply because for emotional pain and suffering. “I served our Souter also dissented against a majority the teen was gay but the 3rd Circuit U.S. Court of who they are,” said Judy Shepard, the mother country because I believed in an America that opinion that the University of Virginia had of Appeals ruled that the constitutional right of Matthew Shepard who was murdered 10 years is committed to ensuring everyone has an equal to provide student fee funding to an anti-gay to privacy “respects not only an individual’s ago, and executive director of the foundation opportunity to have a meaningful life. That be- Christian newspaper on campus. In Rosenberger autonomy in intimate matters, but also an bearing his name. “This bill is a critical step to lief was shaken when I was told I wasn’t worthy v. University of Virginia, he said the Establish- individual’s interest in avoiding divulgence of erasing the hate that has devastated far too to do what I trained my entire life to do because ment Clause of the constitution is meant to bar highly personal information.”) many families.” I happen to be transgender,” said Schroer. “To- the use of public funds “for the direct subsidi- In his remarks in the press room, Obama said The measure now goes to the Senate, where a day’s decision restores my faith in our democ- zation of preaching” religious tenets. he would seek someone who “honors our con- timeline for consideration is uncertain. racy. He voted with the 6-3 majority in the pro- stitutional traditions, who respects the integ- gray ruling—Romer v. Evans— that struck down rity of the judicial process and the appropriate Analysis Specter wants one of many anti-gay initiatives that sought to limits of the judicial role. I will seek somebody While gay-rights advocates applauded the block gays from seeking protection from dis- who shares my respect for constitutional val- outcome, they also had cause for concern from diversity crimination under state law. And he was with ues on which this nation was founded and who analysis of the vote and their implications for the 6 to 3 majority striking down sodomy laws U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter—who made news last brings a thoughtful understanding of how to the future. in 2003, with Lawrence v. Texas. week when he switched from the Republican to apply them in our time.” One assumption has been that increasing In 1994, he wrote the court’s decision in the Democratic Party—expressed his desire on Regardless of who Obama nominates, the Re- Democratic margins in Congress would translate Farmer v. Brennan in favor of a male-to-female national television to have a minority or wom- publicans in the Senate are expected to stage into stronger support for pro-gay legislation. transsexual prisoner who was incarcerated with an appointed to the Supreme Court seat being a big fight. And given that Gay & Lesbian Ad- While the total “yeas” did edge up from 237 to male prisoners. The opinion said a prison war- vacated by Justice David Souter, according to vocates & Defenders recently filed a lawsuit 249 over the two years between consideration, den may have violated the Eighth Amendment United Press International. challenging the federal Defense of Marriage that did not match the net Democratic gain of constitutional guarantee against cruel and un- On CBS’ Face the Nation, Specter said he want- Act (DOMA) in federal court, Republicans are 21 seats in the House in the 2008 election. usual punishment if he deliberately assigned ed more diversity on the nation’s highest court. almost certainly going to quiz the nominee Republican opposition dropped from 166 to the prisoner to a male prison knowing that to Also, he talked about his political change, say- about his or her position concerning laws re- 158; at the same time their support dropped at do so would cause “substantial risk of serious ing that he was “becoming much more comfort- garding same-sex marriage and relevant consti- an even greater rate, from 25 to 18. The later harm” to the prisoner. able” with being a Democrat. tutional clauses. was due to retirement and defeat of moderates. In 1998, he alone dissented from the court’s Several pro-LGBT organizations welcomed ©2009 Keen News Service Democratic opposition to the legislation came opinion, in National Endowment for the Arts v. Specter to the party, including the Stonewall almost exclusively from the South, which repre- Finley, that Congress could prohibit the agency Democrats, who added, “Stonewall Democrats Read world and national news online at www. sented 14 of the 17 “nay” votes. Five of those from using any of its funds to support art that across the country now have a role to help shape WindyCityMediaGroup.com. Among the topics: were freshman representatives. It is difficult to “may be considered obscene,” including art and hold accountable Senator Specter on pro- —Burundi banning gay sex; and find a white Democratic Representative from the with “homoeroticism.” Two of the four plain- equality legislation before the U.S. Senate.” —the new U.S. global AIDS ambassador. South who voted for the bill. It appears that
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The New Hampshire House approved a same-sex marriage bill March Bungled edit or 26. The new version, passed by the Senate, must ‘change’ in policy? now go back to the House for concurrence. That by Lisa Keen vote will likely take place next week. Keen News Service New Hampshire Democratic Gov. John Lynch has said he opposes same-sex marriage but has It’s a little like President Obama’s controversy backed off such statements more recently. If last month over whether he bowed to a Saudi the bill survives, New Hampshire will become king or just “bent over” unusually far to shake the fifth state in the nation to offer marriage this hand. But the latest controversy involves licenses to same-sex couples—and the fourth to whether the White House intentionally removed do so in the past year. pro-gay language from its Web site in order to Just as the New Hampshire Senate began re-couch the president’s intentions on gays in debating the same-sex marriage bill, one key the military. opponent—Senate Judiciary Committee Chair The Obama White House included the presi- Deborah Reynolds—announced she would now dent’s commitment to repealing “Don’t Ask, be supporting the bill, dramatically increasing Don’t Tell” when it first booted up its own ver- the possibility of Senate passage. by sion of whitehouse.gov after the inauguration. Yasmina Reza Reynolds said that concerns she had when she Many gay activists were pleasantly surprised at initially opposed the bill in committee last week translated by that time, in January, to see such a prominent had been addressed in a proposed compromise inclusion of LGBT issues. Christopher Hampton amendment. She asked the Senate to reject the But blogger Joe Jervis of JoeMyGod.com dis- judiciary’s original recommendation against the directed by ensemble member covered last week that the LGBT information bill and take up a newly rewritten proposal. had been pared back significantly and spread The Senate quickly did so on a 13-11 vote. Rick Snyder the word. Soon thereafter, the website put back The legislative body then began debate on some of the information it had cut. But, more featuring ensemble member Ian Barford whether to substitute the new language for troubling, noticed blogger John Aravosis at the original bill. State Sen. Margaret Hassan, with Joe Dempsey and Randall Newsome AmericaBlog.com, was that the language on the D-Exeter, said the amended bill was a compro- “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy had gone from stat- mise that addressed many of the concerns con- ing President Obama’s commitment to “repeal- stituents had about the original bill. She said ing” the policy to saying the President “supports many people have learned that the state’s ex- changing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell in a sensible way isting civil-union option “stigmatizes same-sex that strengthens our armed forces and our na- couples” and further discriminations. She said tional security.” the bill, as reconstituted, “reaffirms the tradi- For a president who clearly chooses his words tion and sanctity of religious marriage.” very carefully, the edit job prompted red flags in The Senate voted 13-11 to substitute the new many quarters. language and then voted 13-11 to approve the Aravosis said many people he talked to saw measure. that as a “backward step” on the president’s The bill, as rewritten, says all citizens have promise. Kevin Nix, communications director a right to a civil marriage or religious marriage for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and that every religious denomination has right TREAT MOM TO A FANCY (SLDN), said that group was “confused” about to decide whether to perform same-sex mar- the change. BRUNCH AND FANTASTIC riages. It says that each applicant for a marriage “Words matter,” wrote Nix on the group’s blog, license can choose how to be designated on the THEATRE! “and these two words [“repealing” and “chang- marriage license—as either a bride, groom or ing”] on this particular subject have dramati- Join us on Mother’s Day Sunday May 10 for a special spouse. cally different implications for gay and lesbian Art matinee & VINCI brunch package for only $40 Other changes in the bill include a specifica- servicemembers.” a person. tion that a person must be at least 18 years old Nix said SLDN Executive Director Aubrey Sarvis to enter into a same-sex marriage. And it pro- Make reservations by calling Audience Services at contacted the White House about the change vides that civil unions from other states will be but got the “standard e-mailed response about 312-335-1650, please mention code 5432. recognized as marriages in New Hampshire; that the site being revamped.” civil unions under current New Hampshire law “If the White House is still in favor of ‘re- will automatically become marriages starting in pealing’ Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, albeit in a ‘sen- 2011; and that no one can be married to more sible way’—and we’re happy to take them at than one person at a time. their word— then say just that,” said Aravois. The bill provides for the law to take effect Jan. “Change ‘change’ to ‘repeal’ and be done with 1, 2010. it.” Prior to the vote in the Senate, the legisla- White House spokesman Shin Inouye told this ture’s joint Judiciary Committee voted against reporter that the administration was simply the same-sex marriage bill 3-2, with Reynolds updating its Web site and that the president is telling the Concord Monitor newspaper that the still committed to repealing the policy. And, as state is “just not there yet.” of Monday, the website was back to saying “re- But that’s not what a statewide survey showed. peal,” instead of change. A poll of 491 voters released April 28 showed 55 To be exact, it says the president “supports re- percent support allowing gay couples to obtain pealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in a sensible way.” marriage licenses, and 39 percent oppose. The Is it a coy way of taking a step back by saying poll was conducted by the University of New steppenwolf “in a sensible way?” Hampshire Survey Center between April 13 and “Like any Web site, there’s periodic changes,” 22 and was commissioned by the New Hampshire said Inouye. The White House “did overhaul” its Freedom to Marry Coalition. buy online at www.steppenwolf.org Web site—every page, not just the page on civil rights, he said. or call . Showdown in Maine 312-335-1650 “But the president hasn’t changed his position More than 3,000 people showed up at a con- at all” on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, said Inouye, “and vention center in the capital of Maine April 22 Production Sponsor for Art: any suggestions otherwise are just wrong.” to register their opinions for and against allow- ©2009 Keen News Service ing same-sex couples obtain marriage licenses. And on Tuesday, the Joint Judiciary Committee voted 11-2-1 to approve the measure. 6 May 6, 2009 ity with the immigrant community. Dyke March ish, the words were, “Esta chueca demanda sus is going to be in Pilsen again this year, and it’s derechos.” Loosely translated as “This crooked Jury deliberating important to show the dominant culture that one demands its rights,” it was also a play on there are queer people among and with immi- words, with “derechos” meaning “go straight” as murder trial grants.” While there were many LGBTQ-identified well as “rights.” BY LORI WEINER participants in the march and several rainbow Several members of Bash Back! were also pres- flags, there was no monolithic “queer agenda.” ent, and the queer anarchist group enlivened The fate of accused killer Nicole Abusharif, Instead, individuals and groups participated the march with its energetic dancing. Member 29, now rests in the hands of a Wheaton jury with distinctive but connected issues in mind. Maggie Block said the group was there to fo- charged with determining whether she murdered Kevin Brown of Gender JUST (Justice United cus attention on immigration in its larger eco- her domestic partner. for Societal Transformation) was among the nomic context: “As anarchists, we’re opposed to On March 15, 2007, Becky Klein, 32, was group’s members collecting signatures for a borders and states. But the mainstream has to found bound, gagged and smothered with a gar- letter to Chicago Department of Public Health think about how the United States created a sit- bage bag in the trunk of the 1966 Mustang that (CDPH) Commissioner Terry Mason to make the uation—with NAFTA and free trade—where the prosecutors described as Abusharif’s “pride and CDPH HIV funding process more transparent. agricultural industry would collapse without the joy.” Abusharif’s DNA was found at the scene, He said that the group wants to highlight the use of exploited labor. Yet, we raid and deport and keys to the Mustang’s trunk were found in need for more prevention strategies to be made the very people who make our cheap prices pos- her possession. accessible in more than a few organizations on sible. We have to end these schizophrenic poli- According to the prosecution, Abusharif mur- the North Side: “Right now, LGBTQ youth on the cies.” Imi Rashid of Akabaka Bangali, a queer dered Klein to collect an estimated $400,000 in Tony Alvarado-Rivera at the May Day rally. south and southwest sides of the city have to Muslim group, said that she felt the march was combined cash and property that would have ac- Photo by Yasmin Nair commute to the North Side for resources, and “a culmination of all disenfranchised folks; un- crued to her in the event of Klein’s death, and they should be able to access them in their own documented people need to be treated fairly.” to be with her new girlfriend, Rose Sodaro. The neighborhoods.” She said that most people aren’t aware that im- defense acknowledges that Abusharif and So- LGBTQs part The issue of immigration touched many people migration can be onerous even for documented daro were romantically linked, but denies that personally. A group of queer-identified Social people, “I’ve been through the process and it this relationship provided motive to kill Klein. of May 1 Justice High School students walked around with sucks. It took me seven years to get my green Specifically, the defense argued that Klein and flags. Among them, freshman Yahtzeni Gonzalez card, and I came up as a documented person.” Abusharif had a polyamorous relationship and immigration rally said they were marching “for all of us. A lot of The march, dotted with colorful signs and gi- that Klein knew her partner was dating Sodaro. During closing arguments, defense attorneys by YASMIN NAIR our friends struggle as immigrants, and many ant puppets, made its way from Union Park to decried the potential tragedy of convicting an have had their parents deported back to Mexico, Federal Plaza. innocent woman, while pointing to alleged po- This year’s May Day celebration came at a time which leaves our friends homeless and without lice incompetence. The prosecution, meanwhile, of both hope and uncertainty for both LGBTQ the support of their families.” reiterated evidence presented at trial showing and straight attendees. With an Obama admin- For many attendees, being at the march meant NGLTF members Abusharif to be a chronic liar who deceived istration in the White House, there is hope for wearing multiple hats that reflected their lives meet Chicagoans at the intersection of LGBTQ and immigrant is- Klein about the nature of her relationship with substantive changes in policy among labor or- by SAMUEL WORLEY sues. Tania Unzueta was attending as a mem- Sodaro. ganizers and immigration activists. But this ber of the Dyke March Committee, but she was Abusharif has denied all charges. Jury delib- year’s rally came in the midst of an outbreak of Members of the Board of Directors of the Na- also there as the director of Radio Arte’s youth eration began at 1:30 p.m. on May 4. “swine flu,” later dubbed A(H1N1) by the World tional Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF), training program and producer of Homofrecuen- Be sure to check www.WindyCityMedia- Health Organization. Since this particular strain which held its rotating meeting in Chicago over cia, a weekly student-produced radio show. As Group.com for updates. is reported to have its origins in Mexico, and the weekend, met with donors and activists at her students bustled about interviewing people because Chicago’s annual May Day march has a private fundraiser and party in Lincoln Park and Tweeting updates about the march, Unzueta effectively become an immigrant-rights march, May 2. Executive Director Rea Carey explained spoke about the tangible ways in which their GRAY from cover concerns about contagion caused initial uncer- the group’s work to the assembled crowd as “the lives are affected by immigration policies. One my time. When I was a youth, I had friends tainty about whether or not the event would grunt work of the movement.” student, Rigo Padilla, who is taking a course at who were homeless. Now I have a friend who even go on. “We train activists, we partner with them, Radio Arte, was brought to the United States as went into a senior residence and when I saw City officials initially tried to get organizers we share expertise,” Carey said, stressing the a 6-year-old by his undocumented parents. He the way that she was being treated in there, to cancel the march. Jorje Mujica, of the March NGLTF’s relationship with local organizations was recently picked up on a DUI charge and saw I was appalled. We still have work ahead of 10 Movement—a group that was key in organiz- such as Equality Illinois, the Center on Halsted the charges escalate into a deportation case; he us because we aren’t all glamorous gays like ing the march—said, “The flu is being wrongly and Howard Brown Health Center, for which the is scheduled for a deportation hearing and faces you see on TV. Every gay man does not have cast as a Mexican disease. The city wanted us NGLTF has worked to secure federal funding for voluntary departure to Mexico even though he a beautiful condo and track lights—let’s face to cancel the event, but we refused. They didn’t services. has lived in the United States all his life. Pa- it. Some of us will age into senior residences issue those orders for the Bulls game. This is not In addition to agitating for same-sex marriage dilla was wearing a court-mandated ankle brace- because we don’t always have someone to about influenza, but about political influence.” in places like California and Maine, Carey said let while reporting. Unzueta said that his case take care of us. So it is just a part of my life Gina Parker, a member of the Dyke March com- that the NGLTF is working to ensure the inclu- pointed to the unfairness of laws, and questioned journey right now.” mittee, was among the LGBTQ people who made sion of a marriage option for same-sex couples whether Chicago could be considered a sanctu- From opening up her home to homeless gay their presence known, along with members of in the 2010 census. Under the Bush administra- ary city given his case, “If you are a citizen and and lesbian youth to working with political Gay Liberation Network who stood near large tion, she said, all same-sex couples who reported stopped for a DUI, you don’t face something and non-profit organizations, Gray says her rainbow flags at the southwest corner of Union themselves as “married” would be automatically like deportation. His DUI should have nothing work with the LGBT community is far from Park. Parker said she was there to “show solidar- “divorced” by the census bureau as it processed to do with his immigration status.” 17-year-old over. data. Similarly, any child of a same-sex couple Hester Rivera, also an undocumented student at “It is a lifelong commitment,” she said. would be re-classified as the child of a single Homofrecuencia, said that he was there to “con- “It’s an incredible family, it is an incredible parent. nect with students without papers. Getting a job love and it is definitely an incredible gift in Deborah A. “It’s an insult to the child,” Carey said. Though is really hard with my status. I’m hoping to get my life that I could have never imagined.” the NGLTF is hopeful about its chances with this Murphy legalization and become a dancer, and keep par- and other issues under the Obama administra- ticipating in this movement.” tion, she said, it will not happen immediately: The issue of solidarity was a common theme CPA “The spigot has been stopped for eight years, for LGBTQ people. Tony Alvarado-Rivera of How- and it’s time to turn it back on. And we’re doing ard Brown Health Center’s Broadway Youth Cen- it.” 773-404-8401 ter said, “I’m here as a Chicano/a and as a queer, Talking with Windy City Times, Carey reaffirmed because I recognize my privilege as a citizen. I the group’s commitment to holding the new ad- feel we are multi-issue people—queers are im- ministration accountable to the LGBT commu- migrants and workers, too. Besides, it’s fun to nity. “We are an organization that is not shy 2155 W. Roscoe be sassy in a non-queer context.” His handmade about calling out elected officials,” she said. 1 South sign demonstrated his philosophy. In Span- Accounting An ATTORNEY who is TOUGH and will FIGHT to PROTECT your RIGHTS Concentrating in the general practice of law for over 40 years.
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ing the most donations by June 5 will receive a WCMG launches $250 bonus. LGBT, AIDS “No black-tie galas, no new outfits, no park- ing, no pie toss, no muss, no fuss,” said As- QUOTELINES charity drive sistant Publisher Terri Klinsky. “We wanted a simple way for our community to recognize BY REX WOCKNER Windy City Media Group is hosting a “25 for 25” Baim’s 25-year milestone, by giving back to charity drive during May to recognize the 25th the charities who need support.” Q anniversary of its publisher, Tracy Baim, in the People can write their check to any regis- “Prop 8’s passage ... revealed that our years, but now far more actively and vividly Chicago LGBT media. tered non-profit serving the Chicago-area LGBT established organizations had lost touch through my Facebook profile (or, to a lesser The charity drive will encourage people to or HIV/AIDS communities. The suggested char- with the grassroots. They had become too fo- extent, my Twitter feed). It’s sort of stunning, donate in multiples of 25 to LGBT or HIV/AIDS ity list is: cused on institution-building and forgotten really. Old girlfriends, lost loves, long-forgot- charities of their choice, and the agency with —About Face Theatre about movement-building. Prop 8 revealed ten friends, high school sweethearts, band the most donations will receive a $250 addi- —Affinity Community Services that our major organizations had become mates, roommates, old nemeses, lots of former tional donation. —AIDS Foundation of Chicago disconnected from the rising tide of poverty cheerleaders turned born-again Christian me- In May 1984, Tracy Baim, at age 21, started —Amigas Latinas and despair that engulfed our natural allies gamoms, and everything in between. All those as a part-time reporter with Chuck Renslow’s —Asians and Friends/Chicago in communities of color. Prop 8 revealed the old connections, those lives and chapters and GayLife newspaper. She graduated that month —Association of Latin Men in Action ugly racism just under the from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, —BEHIV: Better Existence with HIV surface of our successful with a news-editorial journalism degree. She —Center on Halsted movement. Prop 8 revealed soon moved up the ranks to become manag- —Chicago House that our work reaching the ing editor of GayLife by 1985. In the fall of —Equality Illinois hearts and minds of Cali- We continue 1985 she co-founded Windy City Times with —Howard Brown Health Center fornians is far from done. to be a three gay men: Jeff McCourt, Bob Bearden and —Lambda Legal Defense It shocked us. Many of us Drew Badanish. From 1987-2000, Baim ran her —Lesbian Community Care Project were living our lives in passive own newspapers (Outlines and related publi- —Oak Park Area Lesbian and Gay Associa- the false assurance that population. cations), before purchasing back Windy City tion in most Californian eyes —Larry Kramer Times from her co-founder, McCourt, in the fall —Test Positive Aware Network we were equal. We are not. of 2000. —Vital Bridges Our work is not done. We “I wanted to mark this 25th anniversary by For more information e-mail editor@windy- need fresh leadership, new showing my appreciation for the wide range citymediagroup.com. thinking.” — Veteran ac- of non-profits serving our community, many Windy City Media Group produces Windy tivist Torie Osborn address- of them for decades,” Baim said. “Right now, City Times, Nightspots, OUT! Resource Guide, ing Camp Courage San Diego, April 19. periods of my life I thought I’d left behind our community non-profits and businesses are Identity online, WindyCityQueercast.com and so cleanly, so decisively, way back when? Here hurting. It’s time for us to create an economic QueerTVNetwork.com. Windy City Media Group “We continue to be a passive popula- they all are again, like a living scrapbook, con- stimulus package for our own community.” is also the producer of these annual events: tion. It drives me nuts. It has always driven stantly renewing and updating itself. What a Individuals and businesses are encouraged to Windy City Gay Idol, 30 Under 30 and the Windy me nuts. I do not think the gay population thing.” — San Francisco Chronicle columnist send checks written out to the charity of their City Times Theater Series. To download all of has been all that rabid for gay marriage. Note Mark Morford, April 29. choice to: Windy City Times, c/o Tracy Baim, the products visit www.windycitymediagroup. that I do not use the words ‘gay community.’ 1900 S. Prairie Avenue, Chicago, IL 60616. com. Send questions to publisher@windycity- Expunge that expression from your vocabulary. “The video mockeries produced in Those checks will be bundled together in mediagroup.com or call 773-871-7610. We are not a community. There are too many response to (the National Organization for “buckets” for charities, and the charity receiv- —From a press release of us to qualify for that word, which connotes Marriage’s) hysterical, zombie propaganda poo something much smaller and more intimate have made this past week one of the most Out and Proud Brown Elephant than the huge multipeopled grab bag of our fabulous ever on the vast internets. Thank rainbow coalition.” — Activist, author and you, Maggie Gallagher and Brian Brown for signing at leather sale playwright Larry Kramer to The Daily Beast, awakening and entertaining the movement for starts May 18 April 10. marriage equality (with your ‘Gathering Storm’ DePaul May 7 Howard Brown Health Center’s Brown Elephant anti-same-sex marriage ad). Because of your Barnes & Noble DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson, Resale Shop, 3651 N. Halsted, will hold its an- “The hippie in me (my family legacy, Night of the Living Storm Troopers silliness, will host a discussion and signing of Out and nual leather sale May 18-31, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. my parents were hippies) bemoans the the whole world is not only watching, it’s hav- Proud in Chicago: An Overview of the City’s Gay All leather merchandise is on sale in addition fact that we defeated the Iraqi military only ing a good laugh at your expense.” — Blogger Community on Thursday, May 7, at 6 p.m. to the Brown Elephant’s stock of porn, including to help them build an even stronger one that Mike Tidmus, April 12. Windy City Times Publisher Tracy Baim—who VHS tapes, DVDs, books, magazines and more. might one day be used against children and in- edited and co-wrote the book—and several of For more info, see www.howardbrown.org. nocents, as often is the case. When will all the “I’m not sure what the motivation would the contributors, including Marie J. Kuda, Ron killing end? Where have all the flowers gone? be (for choosing to be gay, given that gay Dorfman, Jonathan Abarbanel, Owen Keehnen, And they shall beat their swords into plow- people face discrimination).” — Carrie Pre- senior editor Jorjet Harper, Jeff Berry and se- Health forum shares and they shall study war no more. Alas, jean, Miss California USA, to this column April nior editor William Kelley, will discuss the long at Jeffery Pub the Iraqis are studying war under our all-too- 26 after she failed to win the Miss USA pageant and rich history of the city’s LGBTQA community Brothers Health Collective will present a health capable tutelage.” — Gay U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, because (as she sees it) she told the judges, in Chicago. The book is lavishly illustrated with forum, “Are Black LGBTs In Health Crisis Mode? D-Colo., in an April 8 posting on his house.gov when asked, that “marriage should be between color and black-and-white photographs, and it Get the facts...,” Wed., May 6, at Jeffery Pub, Web site. a man and a woman.” draws on a wealth of scholarly, historical and 7041 S. Jeffery, 6-9 p.m. journalistic sources. Chicago Department of Public Health Commis- “Nearly everyone who’s ever played a “No one wants me to bottom. When they For more information on this event, call sioner Dr. Terry Mason and Illinois Department of reasonably significant role in my life, see my dick, they want to suck it.” — Gay porn 312-362-8792 or visit depaul-loop.bncollege. Public Health Director Dr. Damon Arnold will re- both past and present, has since found and re- star and mogul Michael Lucas to the Village com. ceive awards. For more info, call 312-388-0431. connected with me, initially via email through Voice’s Michael Musto, April 21. the digital reach of this very column over the —Assistance: Bill Kelley
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VIEWPOINTS VOL. 24, No. 32, May 6, 2009 The combined forces of Windy City Times, But, I think that Prejean was more a victim of GLBT people from an institution they consider founded Sept. 1985, and Outlines newspaper, founded May 1987. bad timing. The mindless, “marriage should be essential to their own lives. If marriage is in- WAYNE between a man and a woman”, has become a dispensable for heterosexuals, how could they PUBLISHER & Executive EDITOR standard reply to this question. She had prob- not think it so for homosexuals? There is a real Tracy Baim BESEN ably heard it from politicians—including Dem- disconnect where people want to believe they ocrats—for years and must have presumed that are tolerant—yet demand GLBT Americans stay Assistant Publisher Terri Klinsky MANAGING Editor Andrew Davis this answer was suitable. in their place. Business manager Cynthia Holmes This time, however, something had changed. Unfortunately, Prejean dug a deeper hole by Director of New Media Jean Albright Gay people were finally sick and tired of hearing saying that it was more important for her to ART DIRECTOR Kirk Williamson that they should accept inferior status. When be “biblically correct” than politically correct. account managerS: Amy Matheny, Kirk Beauty queen Williamson, Cynthia Holmes Prejean stated that she hoped not to offend In doing so, she followed in the dubious foot- Promotions director Cynthia Holmes vs. bitchy queen anyone, the truth was she had. For the first time, steps of another beauty queen turned anti-gay NIGHTSPOTS MANAGING Editor Kirk Williamson it was no longer acceptable to repeat this man- activist—Anita Bryant. National Sales Rivendell Media, 212-242-6863 The Miss USA contest began as a beauty con- tra in polite company. After appearing on major talk shows, Prejean SENIOR WRITERS Bob Roehr, Rex Wockner, Marie test and ended up as a mud bath. The theatrics J. Kuda, David Byrne, Tony Peregrin, Lisa Keen, Anti-gay commentators were quick to point out returned to California and immediately hit the Yasmin Nair, Emmanuel Garcia started when celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, who the hypocrisy of gay activists. They wondered church circuit. On the pulpit, she said that pro- TheatER Editor Scott C. Morgan was a pageant judge, asked Miss California, Car- why Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were al- ducers of the state pageant demanded that she Cinema WRITER Richard Knight, Jr. rie Prejean, if she supported marriage equality. lowed to say the exact same thing as Prejean apologize to the gay community and refrain BOOKS WRITER Yasmin Nair “I think it’s great that Americans are able to ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT WRITERS while gay activists kissed their rings. The short from mentioning religion when she appeared on Mary Shen Barnidge, Jim Edminster, Steve Warren, choose one or the other...choose same-sex mar- answer is that Sam Brownback, Mitt Romney and television. Lawrence Ferber, Mel Ferrand, Catey Sullivan, riage or opposite marriage ... (but) I think that Mike Huckabee weren’t in the beauty contest. If But Roger Neal, a San Diego public-relations Zachary Whittenburg, Jonathan Abarbanel I believe that a marriage should be between a they had been, Ms. Prejean may have seemed representative who advised Prejean, said she Columnists/Writers: Yvonne Zipter, Susie man and a woman,” Prejean replied. She then Day, Jorjet Harper, Lee Lynch, Steve Starr, Joe like a pleasant alternative. was untruthful. “She chose to stand up in church Rice, Dan Woog, Marie-Jo Proulx, Lisa Keen, Chris added that she did not wish to offend anyone. But, anti-gay activists do raise a good point. and in front of the media and say something Crain, Charlsie Dewey, Michael Knipp, Mark Corece, As a result, she may have lost the beauty con- In future presidential elections, how can we hold that was a lie,” Neal said. “No one ever said, Sabine Neidhardt, Sam Worley, Billy Masters, John test. Hilton inflamed the issue by calling her a Democrats to a lower standard than Miss Califor- ‘You must apologize to the gay community,’ and Fenoglio “dumb bitch” on his video blog. The catfight PHOTOGRAPHERS Kat Fitzgerald, Mel Ferrand, nia? Has the time come when the GLBT com- no one ever said, ‘Don’t talk about your faith or Steve Becker, Steve Starr, Emmanuel Garcia quickly spiraled into a cultural sensation nearly munity will not support presidential candidates your religion.’ Those two things never came out ARTISTS/CARTOONISTS Alison Bechdel, Mikeoart on par with Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl “ward- that fail to endorse full marriage equality? of anybody’s mouth.” CIRCULATION robe malfunction.” This brouhaha also creates a conundrum for As anyone in showbiz knows, getting typecast Circulation director Jean Albright What could be juicier for the television talk mainstream Americans who consider themselves can be career suicide. As the new Bryant—Pre- Distribution: Ashina, Allan, Dan, John, Renee, Sue and Victor shows than a jilted beauty queen vs. a bitchy pro-gay, but are unwilling to support marriage jean will get her 15 minutes of fame and then be queen spewing venom about the hottest of hot equality. The Miss USA debate effectively elimi- reduced, in a few years, to singing the national button issues? For two dueling airheads, this nates this comfort zone and pushes people to anthem at anti-gay rallies. story has certainly had no shortage of oxygen. make a decision. It says: “you’ve had a decade The real winner, of course, was Perez Hilton, At first blush, the preening Prejean seemed to to consider the issue—so make up your mind who is now as much a household name as Paris give a dumb answer as Hilton suggested. He also and get off the safety of the fence.” Hilton. While he raised an important question, rightfully pointed out that Miss USA is not sup- After I appeared on the O’Reilly Factor on the broader implications of this skirmish have posed to be a divisive figure and is expected to this issue, I received an avalanche of e-mail— yet to be fully answered. Copyright 2009 Lambda Publications Inc./Windy City Media represent all Americans—not just religious con- many from people who did not consider them- Copyright 2009 WayneBesen.com; see www. Group; All rights reserved. Reprint by permission only. servatives. selves bigots, but nonetheless wanted to ban WayneBesen.com. Back issues available for $3 per issue (postage included). 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 photographs sent to Windy City Times will be treated as unconditionally assigned LETTERS 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 in the bachelorette party ruined the experience and do not necessarily reflect the position ofWindy City Bar and away Abstinent-minded Times. Publication of the name, photograph, or likeness of of watching the show for the audience around a person or organization in articles or advertising in Windy them with their boorish and obnoxious behavior. City Times is not to be construed as any indication of the Regarding “Bar none: Gay clubs reject bachelor- Dear Editor: sexual orientation of such person or organization. While ette parties” (WCT, 4/29/09), I have several They were more interested in being the center we encourage readers to support the advertisers who make of attention then watching the performance. I this newspaper possible, Windy City Times cannot accept issues with the news analysis by Yasmin Nair. During these tight fiscal times of the recession, responsibility for advertising claims. Right from the beginning, what is this “stir” she am sure if a single person acted as they did, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has proposed in his bud- that person would have been requested to leave, (773) 871-7610 FAX (773) 871-7609 refers to as a result of the Tribune article she get a funding increase of $1 million in new fund- e-mail: [email protected] quotes? I’ am out and about often and have not but since it was a group of eight or ten they ing for abstinence-only sex-education programs. heard any “stirring” in the gay community re- were allowed to remain without restraint. The Aside from being fiscally irresponsible in these www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com garding this policy of a couple of bars. Granted second bad experience was at the former Baili- lean times, all evidence shows that these pro- radio: WindyCityQueercast.com video: QueerTVNetwork.com I don’t move among the lesbian community but wick Theatre. I was attending a performance of a grams are a failure. Illinois currently faces an play about the telephonic relationship between the gays are not “stirred.” $11.5 billion deficit and wasting $1 million on WINDY CITY MEDIA GROUP, Nair’s assertion that this decision by a couple two gay men, one with AIDS. There was nudity abstinence programs is foolish and lacks careful 5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640 USA of bars calls into question “the relationship of in the play. Throughout the play the women in thought. (MAILING ADDRESS ONLY) gay bars to their neighborhood” is totally in- the bachelorette party made insensitive remarks Every academic study has concluded that and laughed inappropriately. I felt badly for the Windy City Times Deadline every Wednesday. comprehensible. If Nair was ever out on Halsted preaching abstinence does not produce it. In Nightspots Deadline Wednesday prior to street date. Street when these bachelorette parties are on actors, who must have heard the inappropriate April 2007, the Bush administration’s own study, Identity (BLACKlines and En La Vida): Now the prowl, she would be aware that probably remarks and laughter. After the performance I mandated by Congress, affirmed this conclusion. online only Deadline The 10th of month prior. 99% are from outside the neighborhood with a registered my outrage at the inappropriate be- On the other hand, numerous studies show that havior. The response was that it was necessary OUT! Resource Guide ONLINE great many of them coming in from the suburbs. contraceptive access cuts teen pregnancy rates www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com If she had ever observed some of these groups to sell tickets in order to stay in business and and condom education dramatically reduces HIV she would also realize that they come into the they would continue to sell tickets to bachelor- transmission. www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com gay community not out of respect but out of ette parties. That was the last time I attended a Abstinence-mongers speak eloquently to the performance at the venue. www.WindyCityQueercast.com curiosity and amusement. I guess it’s cheaper folly of basing public-health decisions on reli- www.QueerTVNetwork.com to go to gay bars then pay the admission to a Yes, probably because of my personal experi- gious injunctions and fantasies of social control. Chippendale performance. ence with bachelorette parties, I am more sym- Even Sarah Palin’s family cannot be the poster Nair’s choice of quoting University of Illinois at pathetic with the policy of Cocktail and Side- family for abstinence, as the new teen mother Chicago Assistant Professor Brier for the article track and more questioning of Nair’s journalism Bristol Palin was quoted as saying that absti- but Nair’s article, in my opinion, belongs more is also interesting. She uses a feminist source to nence is “not realistic at all.” It’s time for Quinn “Windy City Media Group generated talk about the gay bar lifestyle—what no gay in a feminist newspaper than a gay newspaper. and others to stop this dangerous crusade in Il- Maybe Nair needs to figure out who her audience enormous interest among their readers academics available during her “research” for the linois. in this year’s LGBT Consumer Index is. As a gay man, I am tired of being expected to article? Straight, feminists issues should not be If anything, Quinn needs to allocate this fund- Survey. Out of approximately 100 accommodate everyone and to appreciate being put at the doorstep of the gay community. And ing to comprehensive, age-appropriate, medi- print and online media partners who in the presence of straights who find us amus- what is the link between past racial discrimina- cally accurate sex-education programs, which participated in the survey, Windy ing. tion and the issue being written about? Brier’s have been shown effective in persuading young City was the best performing regional total lack of comprehension of the angst felt by people to delay initial sexual activity and use media in the U.S. Only survey partners some in gay community over being denied the Name withheld by request protections once they become sexually active. with a nationwide footprint were right to marry shows what a poor choice Brier able to generate a greater number of was in being used by Nair for this article. Sincerely, responses.” —David Marshall, Research I personally have had two bad experiences be- Scott G. Burgh Director, Community Marketing, Inc. ing present when a “bachelorette party” was at Chicago the same venue.The first was at the Baton. Those May 6, 2009 11 GOINGS-ON WINDY CITY TIMES’ ENTERTAINMENT SECTION
Photo by Lara Goetsch CLASS ACTION The acclaimed play The History Boys makes its way to Chicago. Read the review on page 12. THEATER MOVIES SPORTS X actor. Hauling ‘Ash.’ Dane event. Page 14. Page 16. Page 22. Photo by Kat Fitzgerald (MysticImagesPhotography.com) Photo by Ross Forman
People can also make donations online by go- du Soleil is teaming with Madison Square Garden Scottish ing to willschutzpancan.chipin.com. Entertainment on the spectacular Vaudeville. It’s playing the Chicago Theatre this holiday season Play Scott Tag, you’re it! before aiming for an extended run at New York’s BY SCOTT C. MORGAN Will Producing theater on a shoestring is hard Beacon Theatre. Schutz. enough, but opera is a whole other matter! E-mail [email protected]. For a good cause, call… Nonetheless, Chicago Opera Vanguard (COV) I’ve been warned about including too many has forged ahead by producing chamber works fundraisers in this space. One theater columnist in unconventional theater spaces. COV recently told me that once you start, soon every cash- produced the Chicago premiere of Orpheus and strapped company will pull out their begging Eurydice by out composer Ricky Ian Gordon CRITICS’ PICS (which famously featured costumes by Project bowls and demand a mention. Diversey Harbor, Theatre Seven at Green- pen Leadership Award. This year it goes to Tracy Runway contestant Steven Rosengard). But this week, I’ll risk the repercussions and house Theater, through May 10. They’re Baim, publisher and executive editor of Windy Up next in June is the Chicago premiere of note some people and public institutions that young, they’re new to the big city and City Media Group (which publishes Windy City Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Greek, a 1980s updating could really use your philanthropy. these young adults roam the Lakeview shore Times, among other items). of the Oedipus myth with lots of swearing, racial with no comfort but each other in Marisa The award marks Baim’s 25th anniversary year violence and mass unemployment to criticize the Wonka, Wonka Wegrzyn’s exquisite 60-minute serenade to in Chicago LGBT journalism. But more impor- former Thatcher government. After a few months of dire news stories about urban romance. MSB tantly, Baim has opted to eschew doing her own To help raise funds, COV is offering contributors About Face Theatre’s struggle to remain afloat, Red Noses, Strawdog Theatre, through anniversary party by launching a “25 for 25” the chance to do a graffiti tag on an online wall the company is still only about halfway in its May 23. Peter Barnes’ extravagant comedy fundraising drive for local LGBT organizations at their Web site. (The digital images will then “Face the Future” fundraising campaign to raise about a touring Medieval clown troupe actu- and HIV/AIDS charities. (See the official news be incorporated into the production.) $300,000. To lose this dynamic theater company ally will make you laugh. And maybe you’ll item on page 9 for more details.) COV is also up for a $12,000 grant, but it must would be a black eye on Chicago’s arts scene— think about the nature of joy, faith, politics, Of course, this makes fiscal sense for Baim to be matched by the company. In these tough and to its LGBT community since it has become fear, life and death, too. The cast is vast piggyback her own anniversary celebration onto economic times, COV artistic director Eric Reda world famous for championing works dealing and capable. JA About Face’s dressy fundraising do which is al- figures it wouldn’t be too extravagant to ask for with gender and sexuality. Rock ‘n’ Roll, Goodman Theatre, through ready honoring her. And in these tough fiscal donations of just $12, albeit from 1,000 peo- So I’m sure hopes are high with About Face’s June 7. Though the Goodman’s production times, I’m sure non-profit charities could use ple. Wonka Ball 2009 to help put them onto a stron- is still in previews, Tom Stoppard’s drama any extra cash brought in by Baim’s “25 for 25” Can they do it? Do the folks at COV have ger path to solvency. It kicks off at 6 p.m. Thurs- of a rock ‘n’ roll-loving Czech man behind drive. enough “six degrees of separation” contacts to day, May 7, with a VIP dinner reception at $250 the Iron Curtain has already won widespread Baim didn’t put out a limit of specific LGBT collect the cash? Find out by visiting www.chi- per person, right before the main party that runs acclaim in London, New York and San Fran- organization you can contribute to, but there cagovanguard.org. 7-11 p.m. (Tickets to this portion are $125 per cisco. So why wait for the reviews before were some suggestions. Among them: Equality person.) It all shakes down at Salvage One, 1840 seeing it? SCM Illinois, BEHIV: Better Existence with HIV and Chi to NY and NY to Chi W. Hubbard. The Tempest, Steppenwolf Theatre, On tap are an open bar (very important), a (how reflexive is this?) About Face Theatre. By now the 2009 Tony Award nominations will be out. It will be interesting to see if the Good- through May 31. “The isle is full of noises/ silent auction (always lots of fun) and loads of Sounds and sweet airs that give delight,” Help! man Theatre’s controversial staging of Eugene entertainment. Guests include the duo of Gay says Caliban of The Tempest’s enchanted This month, two theater companies have bene- O’Neill’s Desire Under the Elms was loved by Agenda, drag performer Dida Ritz and the cast island. He’s right. Jon Michael Hill’s havoc- fit performances for Will Schutz, a Chicago actor nominators on Broadway, or if Shrek The Musical of American Theater Company’s Hedwig and the inducing Ariel, Frank Galati’s mighty Pros- who is battling pancreatic cancer without insur- is in among the four Best Musical nominees. Angry Inch. Call 773-784-8565, ext. 109, or visit pero and, especially, K. Todd Freeman’s Cali- ance. I mention Shrek because this first theatrical www.aboutfacetheatre.com for tickets. ban create something wonderful, rich and On Saturday, May 9, all house proceeds of Sig- venture by Dreamworks recently picked Chicago strange. CS nal Ensemble Theatre’s production of The Prime to launch its upcoming national tour (expect it For whose benefit? —By Abarbanel, Barnidge, of Miss Jean Brodie go to benefit Schutz, while in June 2010). About Face’s 2009 Wonka Ball is also signifi- Morgan and Sullivan cant for its presentation of the 9th Annual Lep- on Friday, May 29, half the house tallies of Babes And in another case of a show testing itself With Blades’ Macbeth will be donated. on Chicagoans before braving New York, Cirque 12 May 6, 2009 THEATER REVIEW memory (as in “Oh, I was there, too!”) constitute an assertion of power? Why do husbands often Old Times grow uneasy upon discovering that their wives Playwright: Harold Pinter had lives before their weddings? (As Oscar Wilde At: Remy Bumppo Theatre at the observed, “Men always want to be a woman’s Greenhouse, 1229 N. Lincoln first love, but women want be a man’s last.”) Phone: 773-404-7336; $35-$45 Are the characters actually as we see them, or is Runs through: May 31 one—maybe more—of them a fantasy, invoked for the amusement or torment of the fantasizer? BY MARY SHEN BARNIDGE Do ghosts dwell only in the minds of their sur- viving comrades, and do these spirits then visit Audiences still pondering the multiple subtexts the living in order to ensure that they are not in the non-Equity production of this play be- forgotten? And how much, really, do you know ing presented at City Lit for one more week can about your sig other, anyway? expand their cogitations with Remy Bumppo’s Individual playgoers will decide the answer ac- freshly-mounted interpretation. Not that further cording to their own satisfaction, but as soon examination will resolve the questions asked in as the curtain rises on the reliable tag team of this three-hander puzzle—this is Pinter, after Nick Sandys and Linda Gillum—Chicago The- all, as frustratingly enigmatic in death as he was atre’s William Powell and Myrna Loy—we know in life. to expect razor-edged repartee swapped with a The dramatic action encompasses a reunion at tension, precision and erotically-charged chem- the remote seaside home of Deeley and Kate, istry so palpable as to throw off sparks. Sandys married for 20 years. The guest is Anna, now and Gillum fulfill their promise (the latter with living a glamorous life in Italy, but who once a delightful hint of a plebeian accent, courtesy shared a London flat with Kate during the hous- The History Boys. Photo by Lara Goetsch of dialect consultant Eve Breneman), but at no ing shortage following World War II. As the time does director James Bohnen allow Dee- THEATER REVIEW phasizes the interrelationships of cultural and women reminisce nostalgically on their romantic ley and Anna’s rapier-like wordplay to reduce historical threads. He is pitted against the bachelorette days, Deeley becomes increasingly Jenny McKnight’s Kate to a mere McGuffin, nor The History Boys much-younger Mr. Irwin, whose task is to land resentful of the sororal bond they still share. the stage picture to talking-heads stasis. Add a Soon he and Anna are engaged in a grimly tena- dribble or two of Victoria DeIorio’s Hitchcockian Playwright: Alan Bennett the boys at prestigious Oxford University. Hector cious conversational duel for the affections of incidental music, and the results make for a riv- At: TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington and Irwin fight for the souls of the bright and the bemused Kate. eting 75 minutes (that’s with an intermission) of Phone: 773-281-8463; $25-$35 outgoing lads, but both have an Achilles’ heel: Does incorporating oneself into someone else’s tantalizing, deceptively commonplace, mystery. Runs through: June 21 they are closeted men deeply attracted to the boys, especially to handsome, self-aware and BY JONATHAN ABARBANEL sexually precocious Dakin. Careless Hector falls while careful Irwin doesn’t, but the details of Old Flamboyantly theatrical, complex and intellectu- Hector’s fall have less to do with the theme than Times. ally rich, The History Boys is by the author of The with playwright Alan Bennett’s cleverness. Photo by Madness of King George and—decades back— Veteran workhorse actor Donald Brearley—in a Johnny Knight Beyond the Fringe. Set in a 1980s Northern Eng- rare plumb leading role—is pitch-perfect as the land boys school, it covers sexuality, spirituality, dedicated but world-weary Hector, a role that class warfare (ethnic and economic) and more. demands great size but also great control and It does so with lightening speed and myriad cul- focus. He is supported by a wonderful ensemble, tural and historic references that will leave you among them Andrew Carter as the emotionally eating dust if you pause to place them. smaller and cagier Irwin. Both are buoyed by But at its heart, The History Boys frames a the young actors who form the brilliant, multi- subject debated since Socrates drank hemlock hued octopus of students. Diverse in ethnicity, for corrupting youth, and still unsettled today: proportions and personality (among them a gay Do we educate our children to succeed or do we boy in love with Dakin), they respond as a unit educate them to think? They aren’t the same to the play’s fast-moving physical and emotion- thing even when they are found together. Put al demands, quite wonderfully staged by Nick another way, do we school our children to pass Bowling on Brian Sidney Bembridge’s fluid and tests and achieve grades? Or do we school our environmental old school scenic design. children to develop independent critical facul- The play is much longer (nearly three hours) ties? Do we teach them facts merely as an end? than it need be to tell its story as Bennett stops Or do we teach them facts as part of a more repeatedly for sketch-like pieces displaying the THEATER REVIEW Lifeline Theatre and thus, no stranger to boat- comprehensive method? boys’ (and Bennett’s) precocity. Their singing in-bottle theatrical technology—is a miracle of Nearing retirement, Douglas Hector is a popu- and reciting is unnecessary material, but it’s The Grapes modular construction, the restrictive dimensions lar teacher who sharpens the critical faculties bloody wonderful and well-done. That’s why of Wrath of the playing area impede its mobility, while of his eight senior students approaching their Bennett is a star writer, and why The History the bare-floor panorama, with its distressed- Playwright: adapted by Frank Galati university entrance exams. Hector encourages Boys has been so highly anticipated. It doesn’t burlap walls and flattened light, make it impos- from the novel by John Steinbeck extravagant intellectual expression and em- disappoint. sible for us to imagine ourselves anywhere but At: Infamous Commonwealth Theatre in a—well, off-loop storefront studio. at the Raven Complex, 6157 N. Clark This classroom ambience could have been Phone: 312-458-9780; $20 mitigated by performances immersing us in our Runs through: May 24 milieu, but Genevieve Thompson’s uncharac- teristically careless direction not only ignores BY MARY SHEN BARNIDGE such useful belief-suspending tools as regional SPOTLIGHT dialects, but elementary details like destitute Nearly two decades after its premiere, the inter- migrants sporting manicured hands and fresh- nationally acclaimed play that established the ly washed hair. Most debilitating on the night Steppenwolf ensemble as more than a band of that I attended, however, was the disregard for rough-housing kids still leaves big footprints to the music of Steinbeck’s language, speech after fill. This is not to dismiss less operatic-scaled speech steeped in insightful eloquence glibly productions of John Steinbeck’s American clas- recited with a haste and animation ill-suited to Evan Guilford-Blake’s world-premiere sic altogether. Nor is it any disgrace for young what we are to believe are itinerant outcasts en- drama Caliban, Dancing tackles the big artists to bite off more than they can chew, as ervated by a plethora of forced contemplation. issues: right-to-die arguments, same-sex Infamous Commonwealth Theatre—a troupe re- Even in 2009, Americans still carry in their marriage and culpability when it comes nowned for its ambitious projects—appears to minds shadows of the Great Depression of the to a child’s tragic death. n.u.f.a.n. en- have done. 1930s. (A rash of advertisements late last year, semble promises a multimedia staging The chief pitfall lies with the play’s staging offering bargains on newly foreclosed homes, of Caliban, Dancing at Chicago Actor’s in the smaller of the spaces at the Raven The- was quickly aborted under protest from citizens Studio, 2040 N. Elston. Performances are atre duplex. Frank Galati’s adaptation mandates uneasy at the prospect of exploiting the misfor- 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. a story-theater scenic design dominated by a tunes of displaced neighbors.) A less indiffer- Sundays until May 24. Tickets are $15; weather-beaten automobile/truck into which ently mounted rendering of The Grapes Of Wrath call 773-282-0344 or visit www.nufan- thirteen people and their worldly possessions could have been Infamous Commonwealth’s up- ensemble.com. Photo of Camille Kuthrell must be laden. Furthermore, this vehicle is to be to-the-minute caveat on our current economic and Mary Czerwinski in Caliban, Dancing maneuvered into a variety of positions to indi- troubles instead of a faded reproduction of im- courtesy of n.u.f.a.n. ensemble. cate passage of time and mileage. But while the ages still vivid in our memories. vessel designed by Alan Donahue—a member of May 6, 2009 13 THEATER REVIEW show-formerly-known-as Snow Romance with re- dundant stage directions, location images, and The Flu Season the playwright’s commentary. Since Prologue is “Breathtakingly imagined… Playwright: Will Eno nurturing, while Epilogue is candid, a dialectic— At: Black Sheep Productions at the ooooh!—is set up between the gently optimistic a wholly wondrous achievement!” Athenaeum, 2936 N. Southport and coldly rational narrative modes. Isn’t this —Chicago Sun-Times Phone: 773-935-6860; $20 thrilling? Runs through: May 31 Eno’s simultaneous semantic analyses will likely draw guffaws from attendant wordsmiths “You won’t have seen a “Tempest” like this one. Guaranteed. BY MARY SHEN BARNIDGE (like me), but what will keep everybody else in So roll in and see what all the fuss is about!” —Chicago Tribune their seats for the two hours that it takes him We are told in the course of the evening that to exhaust his topic is the dream-team cast as- our play was called The Snow Romance before sembled by director Jeremy Wechsler. Not only the author changed the title to The Flu Season. are the six players uniformly well-versed in “Dazzles with its theatricality maintaining straight faces while uttering premi- In fact, we are told a lot of things about the —Daily Herald story set in a—yawn!—mental hospital where um-grade drivel, but they attack their patently and welcome irreverence.” the staff members chatter on about themselves artificial text with a gleeful relish so infectious and allow the patients to roam the grounds un- that we come to enjoy the sheer artistry of their supervised, where one of the latter engages in industry, just as we are convinced they do. sex, gets pregnant, has an abortion and commits Leading the revels are Cory Krebsbach and suicide. Theatergoers should not feel cheated, John Henry Roberts as Prologue and Epilogue, however, since the progress of the sweethearts respectively, whose command of their dryly liter- (identified only as “Man” and “Woman”) is of ary domain never flags, even when it mandates no more consequence than the sample sentences scaling a Fourth Wall barricading, on the night provided in Grammar And Composition school- I attended, only a bare handful of fellow travel- books. ers. William J. Watt and Darrelyn Marx’s Doctor Writing plays is so much fun, you see, that and Nurse likewise acquit themselves with af- sooner or later, every scribbler who has read fable aplomb, as do Alice Wedoff and Matt Holz- Pirandello (or Cliff’s Notes thereof) decides to feind as the lovers forced to speak in a rambling, share the experience with his/her audience. Will vaguely John Ashbery, poetic idiom. Together, Eno accomplishes this goal through the intro- they make this stroll through the inside of Eno’s duction of two chorus boys (the tragic Greek, not skull sufficiently entertaining to wish Black the musical-comedy, kind) dubbed “Prologue” Sheep Productions better material for its next and “Epilogue,” who interrupt the action of the project.
vid Denman’s self-destructing set). But this Alice will probably disappoint Carroll fans since the Wonderland connections are far too oblique. For non-Carroll fans, this show with fitful bursts of violence will be a head-scratch- er. Playwrights Keely Haddad-Null and Laurence Bryan (who also directs) both seem hellbent on upending expectations, both with muddling up the source material and the staging. (No curtain call on opening night left some audience mem- bers wondering if they would have to endure a third act.) Here, Alice (Claire Kander) becomes a scrappy street urchin in 1871 Chicago, as reexamined by her respectably severe older self, named Car- roll (Therin Miller). It seems Alice’s older sister, Grace (Jennifer La Turner), wanted them both to become high-class ladies, even though she also worked as a prostitute. Sometimes the character transformations are obvious. The White Rabbit becomes a tardy Alice in the House of Carroll. charity nun (Noimi Finkelstein), while the Mad Hatter (Shawn Goudie as Madison) and his en- THEATER REVIEW tourage of the March Hare (Phil Canzano as Har- rison) and the Dormouse (Arch Harmon as Dom) Alice in the become schizophrenic tramps. Other connections are anyone’s guess. The The Tempest House of Carroll reminiscing mental case Toval (Christopher Playwright: Keely Haddad-Null K. McMorris) could be the Mock Turtle, while by William Shakespeare and Laurence Bryan Gretta (Dawn Perry) could be the Gryphon or At: Clock Productions with National the Duchess’ cook. As to which Carroll character directed by ensemble member Tina Landau Pastime Theatre, 4139 N. Broadway the butch fireman Francis is supposed to be is Phone: 773-327-7077; $10-$25 unclear, even though Mark Habert gives the fun- Runs through: May 30 niest performance of the evening. NOW PLAYING! The clear-cut villain is the heiress Mary Heart (Allison Black), who holds sway over Jospeh BY SCOTT C. MORGAN Adamczak, as the suave drug dealer Chesire (al- though it was the Duchess who owned the cat in Lewis Carroll’s novels Alice’s Adventures in Won- the Carroll original). derland (1865) and Through the Lookingglass All the actors throw themselves into their roles both physically and emotionally. The fight moves steppenwolf (1871) were initially passed off as kid stuff. But adults would later mine darker undercurrents out by R&D Choreography do look painful, while the of Carroll’s weird characters and trippy situa- stage makeup of bruises and lacerations is im- tions. (Just listen to Jefferson Airplane’s “White pressive. (Of note is the jugular stream of blood buy online at www.steppenwolf.org Rabbit.”) at the end of Act I.) One of the latest appropriations of Carroll’s But Alice in the House of Carroll ultimately or call 312-335-1650. creations can be seen in Alice in the House of fails because Haddad-Null and Bryan’s script is Carroll, a world-premiere collaboration between too ponderously artsy and deviant from the orig- National Pastime Theater and Clock Productions. inal novels. Carroll’s fantastical characters just Production Sponsor of The Tempest 2008-2009 Lighting Sponsor Additional support provided by They’re advertising this Alice take-off as defi- don’t fit too comfortably into a 19th-century nitely not for kids (which is true) and it, too, muckraking drama. has its share of bizarre imagery (particularly Da- 14 May 6, 2009 plays with socio-political themes, presented ‘Milkweed’ at as workshop productions in rotating repertory. Bassett ground Links Hall and NU Stage Left will kick off LeapFest 6 with its First Milkweed—a solo play fusing poetry and the- Night celebration Tuesday, May 12, 7 p.m., at T’s atre that examines three African-American fe- Bar, 5025 N. Clark. male survivors of gender-based violence—will Single tickets for LeapFest performances are run May 8-9 at Links Hall, 3435 N. Sheffield; $12 each. Individual patrons can save by pur- and May 28-29 at Northwestern University, An- chasing a LeapPASS for all five plays for $25. nie Mae Swift Hall, 1920 Campus, Evanston. Call the Stage Left box office at 773-883-8830 Tickets are $7 (students)-$15 for the Links Hall or visit www.stagelefttheatre.com. performances; the Northwestern run is free, but reservations are required. Call 773-281-0824 for Links Hall and 847-491-3171 for Northwestern. ‘Catechism’ sisters reunite May 30 Six of the actresses who have played “Sister” Holly Hughes in the long-running Late Night Catechism— leading workshops currently celebrating its 17th anniversary in a Two-time Obie Award-winning performance new venue, the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. artist/playwright Holly Hughes will lead a short Halsted—will reunite for a special performance dialogue and workshop in “Holly Hughes—In- Saturday, May 30, at 8 p.m. troduction to Come as You Are: Performing iden- Lisa Buscani, Mary Zentmyer, Rosie Newton, tities, real, imagined and surreal” Monday, May Liz Cloud, Lisa Braatz and Margaret Kustermann 25, at Links Hall, 3145 N. Sheffield, 7-9 p.m. will all play “Sister”—three in Act One and three Hughes is best known for work that explores in Act Two. sexuality, gender and other questions of identi- Tickets are $30 each; call 312-988-9000. ty. She will lead a more intense workshop Wed.- Saturday, June 10-13. The May 25 workshop is free; the June work- Dunn replaced in shop registration fee is $175. Register for either ‘Dueling Divas’ Actress Angela Bassett (What’s Love Got to Do with It, Malcolm X, Notorious) was honored at www.brownpapertickets.com. For more infor- Hell in a Handbag Productions will present a at The Theatre School at DePaul University’s 21st Annual Awards for Excellence in the Arts on mation, e-mail Erica Mott at emott@linkshall. benefit staged reading of “Dueling Divas featur- April 28 at the Four Seasons Hotel, 120 E. Delaware. org or call her at 773-281-0824. ing Gloria Swanson” Friday, May 15, at Hydrate, The Oscar-nominated Bassett accepted the 2009 Award for Excellence in the Arts. Director/ 3458 N. Halsted, at 8 p.m. actor Dennis Dugan (I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Big Daddy) received the 2009 LeapFest 6 to Due to unforeseeable circumstances. Nora Dunn Alumni Award for Excellence in the Arts. Academy Award-nominated actor Michael Shannon will not be appearing. However, Scott Bradley of (Revolutionary Road) dedicated his award to his late father, Donald S. Shannon, who was an kick off at T’s Scooty and Jojo (Carpenter’s Halloween and Diva accounting professor at DePaul University, according to BroadwayWorld.com. At the night’s Stage Left Theatre will present LeapFest 6, its Brunch) will be appearing as Swanson’s Norma end, the gala raised over $375,000 for the theatre school’s scholarship fund. Photos by Kat annual new-play festival, May 12–30 at 3408 N. Desmond. Fitzgerald (MysticImagesPhotography.com) Sheffield. Tickets are $25 each; call 800-838-3006, or LeapFest is an annual event featuring five new visit www.brownpapertickets.com/event/60117. CULTURE CLUB Entertainment news
“A play of depth as well as dazzle, Talking about his film Little Ashes—in which intensely moving as well as Javier Beltran and Twilight’s Robert Pattinson thought-provoking and funny.” play artists/lovers Federico Garcia Lorca and Salvador Dali, respectively—director Paul — Daily Telegraph Morrison told the Los Angeles Times that WINNER OF 6 TONY AWARDS INCLUDING BEST PLAY! the actors’ sex scenes “were difficult, but I think all sex scenes are difficult.” Mor- rison added, “I think Rob probably found it harder than Javier, to draw the line between performance and, ah, but that was also in the nature of the part, that Dali’s sexuality was so complicated, complex and mysterious...” CHICAGO PREMIERE | BY ALAN BENNETT Actor Hugh Jackman has said that he stopped dancing when he was younger so others would not think he was gay, accord- 773.281.8463 ing to Bild.de. Jackman, 40, said: “In another timelinetheatre.com world, another life, probably growing up in another country, I might have been more of a dancer. ... I was encouraged to do that, and I remember my brother saying, ‘Ah, you poof,’ so I gave it up. ... I didn’t have the guts of Billy Elliot at the time!” VSReWUO\RbVSO\U`gW\QV Movie director Brett Ratner is reportedly in talks to helm a movie based on the story of BV`]cUV;Og! the ill-fated musical duo Milli Vanilli, ac- cording to a SlashFilm.com item. Rush Hour screenwriter Jeff Nathanson has written the screenplay about “one producer and two lip- syncing male models who sold millions of re- cords and won a Grammy before their scam was revealed.” Lifestyle maven Martha Stewart has set- tled a lawsuit with hand model/magician Patrick Albanese, who filed a complaint over an accident with a faulty patio chair from her furniture line, according to IMDB.com. Alba- nese alleged the top of his index finger was chopped off after he caught it in the frame bWQYSba(%%! " ' " #]`ObQeSP ]`U of the chair. He claimed he lost earnings be- cause of the accident. May 6, 2009 15 for covers; her version of “Gloomy Sunday” is one of Alt Q Festival the best versions out there. May 9 Even Faithfull’s catalog has On Saturday, May 9, Scott Free assembles been remade. The British queer music greats for the Alt Q Festival at the dance act Sunscreem did a Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln. take of her 1979 comeback This annual event features only out LGBTartists, single “Broken English.” but is the right key combination of music and In 2003, Anastacia came storytelling for all. out with having been di- The rainbow of a line-up includes college radio POP agnosed with breast can- darling Jeff Heiskell of The Judybeats, founder MAKING cer. The “I’m Outta Love” of Tomboy Girl Records Tret Fure, “Hollywood singer put her tribulations Ending” songstress Edie Carey, folk-meets-pop SENSE into the hits “Left Outside duo Sweet Hello, Chicago’s very own Gregg Sha- Cyndi Lauper. Alone” and “Sick and Tired” piro and left-of-center acoustic outfit Stella and on her next effort. The the Heatbirds. With hits such as “Time after Time,” “True Col- self-titled set’s fourth sin- The host of the showcase, Free, chronicles ors” and “Girls just Want to Have Fun,” Lauper gle, “Heavy on My Heart,” various episodes of gay history on his latest cemented her position as one of the all-time benefited the newly es- The Pink Album (A Pop Opera). Free is regarded greats. She also has spearheaded the ‘‘True Col- tablished Anastacia Fund, as the godfather of the Chicago queer music ors” tour, which benefited the Human Rights by David Byrne and Tony Peregrin which raises awareness scene. Campaign. of breast cancer to women under 35. In 2007, Proceeds from the show will benefit the Chi- Ever since her 1994 four-time self-titled plati- This Mother’s Day, let’s salute some of great she joined an army of divas for Annie Lennox’s cago-based Gay Liberation Network. Tickets are num debut, Brandy has been a force to be reck- women of music who had breast cancer. “Sing,” which helps raise funds for the African available at oldtownschool.tix.com and more oned with. Late last year, Brandy released her Melissa Etheridge made quite a splash at the AIDS epidemic. I remember first hearing the Chi- info can be found at www.altqfestival.com. fifth full-length studio album, Human. 2005 Grammys—her first public appearance af- cago-born Anastacia on David Morales and the —David Byrne Special VIP reserved seating is available; see ter her battle against breast cancer. With a bald Badyard Club’s house classic house album The www.pridefest.com. head and heavy eyeliner, the out rocker joined Program, singing on “Forever Luv.” Joss Stone for a tribute to Janis Joplin with the Amid her Showgirl: Greatest Hits Tour, Kylie Samantha Ronson medley of “Cry Baby” and “Piece of My Heart.” Minogue found out she had breast cancer. The Submissions wanted Etheridge stole the show and added new mean- Australian pop princess reemerged after chemo- in town May 8 DJ Samantha Ronson—who had made head- for WCT supplement ing to the lines, “but I’m gonna show you, baby, therapy with short hair and more curves. Instead lines because of her relationship with actress Poetry and prose items are being accepted for a woman can be tough” and “each time I tell of returning to the darker place she found her- Lindsay Lohan—will spin at Crimson Lounge, Windy City Times’ sixth annual literary supple- myself that I, well I can’t stand the pain, but self while recording the underrated masterpiece 333 N. Dearborn, on Friday, May 8, at 9 p.m. ment, which will run in the Pride Issue, out June when you hold me in your arms, I’ll sing it once Impossible Princess, Minogue released the ulti- For more info, see www.crimsonchicago.com; 24. This year’s theme is “Stonewall 40: Looking again.” A studio version of “Piece of My Heart” mate feel-good electro album, X. Only closing RSVP at [email protected]. Out.” appears on Etheridge’s retrospective Greatest track “Cosmic” hints to her recent struggles. The Submissions should be no more than 300 Hits: The Road Less Traveled. Etheridge’s Live remix collection, Boombox, followed earlier this words long. A prize of $25 will be awarded to and Alone 2009 Tour comes to Chicagoland on year. Minogue has already been to the studio to Lauper and Brandy at the best prose item and poem. A person may Thursday, June 18, at The Venue, 777 Casino begin recording a successor to X. submit up to three items; those not adhering to Center, Hammond, Ind. To those who do not think they are in need of Milwaukee PrideFest the requirements will be discarded. Her career spans five decades. Her memoirs a history lesson, some of music’s finest voices On June 12, Milwaukee PrideFest will be the E-mail submissions (in Microsoft Word format) spill over into two books. Marianne Faithfull have been silenced because of breast cancer. place to be, as Cyndi Lauper takes to the Miller to [email protected]. The deadline is Wed., details her medical woes with breast cancer and And these women’s contributions are still rel- Main Stage. The following day, Grammy Award- June 10. hepatitis C in Memories, Dreams and Reflections. evant into today’s pop culture. winning singe/actress Brandy will headline. In her previous book, Faithfull, the husky-voiced Chicago-born Minnie Riperton and her five- songbird recounts her life, including experiment- and-a-half octave range were gone too soon, ing with bisexuality and heroin addiction. Faith- once she succumbed to cancer in 1979. Best WORLD PREMIERE MUSICAL full follows up the album Before the Poison, a known for her 1975 chart topper “Lovin’ You,” collaboration with Nick Cave and PJ Harvey, with Riperton’s gifts have carried on to the sounds of the new recording Easy Come, Easy Go. Here, she the next generation, as heard on Mariah Carey’s interprets a handpicked selection including Dolly early material. “Lovin’ You” still surfaces in com- Parton’s “Down from Dover” and Morrissey’s “Dear mercials, TV shows like South Park and in mov- A MINISTER’S WIFE God, Please Help Me.” An assortment of guests ies like Disturbia. Riperton’s daughter is Maya BASED ON CANDIDA BY GEORGE BERNARD SHAW makes cameos, including queer crooners Rufus Rudolph, a Saturday Night Live alumna who ap- MUSIC BY JOSH SCHMIDT LYRICS BY JAN TRANEN ADAPTED BY AUSTIN PENDLETON Wainwright on “Children of Stone” and Antony peared in Prop 8: The Musical. MUSICAL DIRECTION BY RICHARD CARSEY CONCEIVED AND DIRECTED BY MICHAEL HALBERSTAM Hegarty on “Ooh Baby Baby.” She has a knack In the ‘60s, nobody did blue-eyed soul quite May 19 - July 19, 2009 | Performed at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe like Dusty Springfield. The lesbian icon returned to the limelight pairing with the Pet Shop Boys on the 1987 hit “What Have I Done to Deserve This.” Then her gem “Son of a Preacher Man” was featured in Pulp Fiction. Last year Shelby Lynne paid Springfield the ultimate homage with Just From an award-winning creative a Little Lovin’. Here, Lynne strips down Spring- team, A Minister’s Wife explores the field’s classics like “Breakfast in Bed” and “The Look of Love” by adding her own twist on these fires burning beneath the surface beloved favorites. Two films on Springfield are of an ordinary marriage and rumored to be in development. discovers a secret in the heart. When George Michael remakes three of your signature tunes, then you know you have reached a certain godlike status. Such is the case with the late Nina Simone. On “Wild Is the Wind” TICKETS ARE SELLING QUICKLY. and “Feeling Good,” Michael eases up on the big finish Simone is known for. The music legacy left ORDER TODAY! behind by the High Priestess of Soul is magnifi- cent. The activist’s style can be heard in Antony Hegarty’s vocal delivery. Her work has been li- censed to commercials, become the focal point for sampling and been remixed multiple times. Even American Idol contestants like Adam Lam- bert have reached into Simone’s songbook. In 2008 her daughter did the tribute album Simone on Simone, which shines brightest during the big-band numbers “Gal from Joe’s” and “Love Me or Leave Me.” The box set To Be Free is out now. Mary J. Blige is slated to portray Simone in a WRITERSTHEATRE.ORG | 847-242-6000 forthcoming biopic. 2008/09 Season Sponsor: Production Sponsors: Production Corporate Sponsor: Media Sponsor: Kylie Minogue. Mary Winton Green Avy & Marcie Stein Pioneer Press WRITERS’ Mary Pat Studdert THEATRE 16 May 6, 2009 leader into the mix. The real problem is that there is not a single flesh-and-blood character in the overproduced KNIGHT movie and the enormously talented Jackman, who has had to defend playing late gay icon Pe- AT ter Allen on Broadway in The Boy From Oz in just THE about every interview he’s done for the movie (a role for which he won the Tony), is especially MOVIES ill-served. If this is an example of the kind of run-of-the-mill schlock that Hollywood is of- fering Jackman, I suggest he immediately head back to Broadway for more challenging fare. Or perhaps he could produce a screen version of The Boy From Oz himself. Now that would be something to anticipate.
Film notes: —Camp Midnight, the quarterly film series Little Ashes; X-Men Origins: Wolverine. devoted to “the best of the worst” in cinema, returns Sunday, May 10, with the second an- X-Men Origins: Lorca (played by Javier Beltran in his film debut) become an emblem of democracy in Spain—is nual Mother’s Day screening of 1981’s Mommie become fast friends, with each desiring more. taken prisoner and executed by a band of ter- Dearest—the Mount Everest of Mother’s Day Wolverine; film notes Morrison cannily prolongs the skittish, lovesick rorists. The film suggests that part of the reason By Richard Knight, Jr. movies. Dick O’Day (the alter ego of yours truly) courtship of these two budding artistic geniuses for his execution had to do with his sexuality, so hosts the 1:30 p.m. pre-show—which includes until the duo shares a midnight swim underneath here we have another gay martyr for the history The folks at tiny Regent Releasing must be beside a contest, festive prizes and a performance by a thick, liquid moon—culminating in a sensual books. themselves with excitement. With Little Ashes, The Joans, David Cerda’s Joan Crawford rock kiss. Pattinson catches Dali’s strange mix of in- a period drama set in Spain, they suddenly find band—followed by the 2:30 p.m. “interactive” The physical act of love-making, however, is security and giant egotism with finesse while themselves with a movie starring Robert Pattin- screening. Early arrivals will also get a chance too painful, both physically and emotionally, for Beltran, as Lorca, has the fire and passion of a son, the overnight sensation from Twilight. I’m to pose for photos with Joan and Christina Dali. So, even though he has constantly repeat- young Antonio Banderas, Javier Bardem or Andy not sure how the teenage girls squealing over dolled up in their matching pinafores; renowned ed his mantra, “No limit,” to Lorca, that’s ex- Garcia (the latter who actually played the part Pattinson will feel about his first film since he photographer Rick Aguilar will take the photos actly what he places on himself and he takes off in an earlier film version). Marina Gatell, as the set millions of hearts aflame, but the actor’s gay and proceeds will benefit Handbag’s upcom- for Paris, itching for notoriety. The film, based duo’s wealthy best gal pal, is fun, especially fans are in for a big treat. Director Paul Mor- ing production of Poseidon! A few V.I.M. (Very on Phillippa Goslett’s book, suggests that Dali when she gets drunk and morose; Jover also reg- rison’s movie is a pleasurable, old-fashioned Important Mother) $20 tickets (brunch at Blue lacked the courage of his vision—he meant “no isters as the creepy yet fascinating Gala. romance—a gay one—with a good measure of Bayou and preferred seating at the screening) limit” alright—but externally, not internally. Little Ashes follows in the path of other tragic art and politics tossed in between the passion. are still available. Advance tickets and further We then move forward eight years (in Madrid, gay period romance films. With its sumptuous The film begins in Madrid in 1922 when information on all three events are at www.mu- once again), when Lorca has become a celebrity cinematography (in HD no less), gorgeous loca- Pattinson, as surrealist painter Salvador Dali, sicboxtheatre.com. playwright/poet, and has a new lover. The Dali tions, moody story line and nicely shaded per- first walks through the doors of Madrid’s School —Queer Cinema 101, the five week LGBT film that returns to him is the poseur with the icy formances, fans of Maurice and the little-seen of Fine Arts. At 18, with his pageboy haircut, series hosted by local gay film critics, concludes Gala (Arly Jover), his wife, in tow, and Lorca Proteus will find plenty to satisfy their tastes. thigh-high boots and lacy pirate shirts, he’s al- Monday, May 11, with the beloved 1982 gender- rejects their none-too subtle attempt at a mé- Whether or not that includes squealing teenage ready an individual among individuals and the bending musical classic Victor/Victoria starring nage à trois. It’s Dali or the highway, apparently. girls remains to be seen. other students give him a wide berth. However, Julie Andrews and Robert Preston. The screen- Not long after, ignoring the political unrest that soon Dali and poet/playwright Federico Garcia ing, hosted by Gay Chicago editor/film critic would soon erupt into a war, Lorca—who has Unlike the overly complicated Watchmen, the Jonathan Lewis, will be followed by a roundtable last comic book blockbuster to hit theatres, X- Q&A with all the gay film critics participating Men Origins: Wolverine is such a blandly pre- in the series. The series is being partly spon- dictable sci-fi blockbuster that one can focus on sored by Sidetrack and www.HannahFree.com; GIVE MOM A MILLION DOLLAR TREAT! different parts of star Hugh Jackman’s extraor- the trailer for the forthcoming lesbian-themed dinary physique—his spectacular abs, enormous “ film Hannah Free, starring Sharon Gless, will be A HIT! …CAPTURES THE THRILLS biceps, perfectly proportioned ass and even his shown. The screening is at 7 p.m. at Center on perfectly trimmed sideburns—and those of his Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted, in the Hoover-Leppen OF ELVIS PRESLEY, JOHNNY CASH, counterparts (especially Ryan Reynolds) without Theatre. A $5 suggested donation is requested; JERRY LEEEE LEWIS & CARLCAR PERKINS.“ fear of losing out on a single plot point. visit www.centeronhalsted.org or 773-472-6469 CHRIS JONES, CHICAGO TRIBUNE The movie is mildly entertaining, pours on ext. 245. the special effects and tries hard—and fails— Check out my archived reviews at www. to keep the audience involved in the familiar windycitytimes.com or www.knightatthemov- and dumb-dumb plot that pits brother against ies.com. Readers can leave feedback at the brother and tosses Danny Huston as an evil, mad latter Web site.
“THIS QUARTET CAN ROCK! ...ALTOGETHER ROLLICKING 90-MINUTE FANTASIA.” HEDY WEISS, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES APOLLO THEATER 2540 N LINCOLN AVE ( ) Kelly McGillis steps out of the closet 773 935-6100 Actress Kelly McGillis (Top Gun, The Accused, TV’s The L Word) has come out as a lesbian. TICKETMASTER.COM Talking with SheWired’s Girl Rock, McGillis said, “definitely [looking for] a woman...I’m done with GROUPS (312)977-1710 the man thing. I did that. I need to move on in life. That’s another part of being true to yourself,” according to Towleroad.com. Speaking about coming out, the actress said, “It’s been a challenge MILLIONDOLLARQUARTETLIVE.COM for me personally. ... Life is a freaking journey, and it’s about growing and changing, and coming to terms with who and what you are, and loving who and what you are.” The photo above is of ★ ★ TICKETS AS LOW AS $25 ★ ★ McGillis at her annual flag-football tournament this year in Key West, Fla. May 6, 2009 17
hotels, travel packages and theater tickets to Windy City Gay Idol top Chicago theaters and concert venues. adds venues, prizes The winner of the entire event at Sidetrack will win $1,000 in cash, a pair of American Windy City Gay Idol has started its seventh an- Airlines, a Miller Lite iPod Touch, Skyy Vodka nual count-down, with great competitions at basket featuring Skyy Pineapple Infusion, Star Gaze and Jackhammer bars. A new venue Broadway in Chicago tickets, and more, not to has been added to the preliminary rounds: Sofo mention the coveted title of Windy City Gay bar, which will be the site of Gay Idol Thursday, Idol 2009. The event is open to all amateur May 14. Windy City Gay Idol features the best singers age 21 and above, regardless of sexual amateur gay and lesbian singers in the Chicago orientation. There is a $10 signup fee for sing- area. ers, and a $5 fee for audience members at all What started as a fun promotion with Windy preliminary events. There is a $10 cover at the City Media Group has become the largest and semifinals and finals at Sidetrack. most highly anticipated annual competition in Chicago’s LGBT community. And you don’t have The remaining 2009 schedule: to sing to be a part of it. Just come and vote! —Thursday, May 14: Sofo bar, 4923 N. Clark, Windy City Gay Idol 2009 includes preliminary 7 p.m. sign up, 8 p.m. start. competitions one night only at different bars —Wed., May 20: @mosphere, 5355 N. Clark, where as many as 20 participants sing at each 8 p.m. sign up, 9 p.m. start. venue. All contestants compete for the chance —Thursday, May 28: WILD CARD, Roscoe’s, to advance to the Semi-finals Saturday, May 30 3356 N. Halsted, 9 p.m. door opens, 10 p.m. at Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted. Results from ev- start. Invited guests plus open slots for new ery preliminary, semifinal and Final event come singers. Robert Beltran as Federico Garcia Lorca in Little Ashes. from audience votes. Votes from friends, family —Sat., May 30: SEMI-FINALS, Sidetrack, and audience members hopefully land them on 3349 N. Halsted, 2 p.m. door opens, 4 p.m. start. guess. the stage at the finals Saturday, June 13 at —Sat., June 13: FINALS, Sidetrack, 3349 N. WCT: How does it feel to be the envy of mil- Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted. ‘Ashes’ to ashes: Halsted, 2 p.m. door, 4 p.m. start. lions of teenage girls and gay boys, sharing Premium sponsors this year are Miller Lite For more information or photos, contact love scenes with Robert Pattinson? and Skyy Vodka. Other co-sponsors include: Talking with Cynthia Holmes at 773-871-7610, ext. 301 or JB: I don’t know. [laughs] I’m just very happy American Airlines, Broadway in Chicago, [email protected]. Complete to have worked with Robert—to have shared Creaoke, Ravinia, and WCPT AM & FM: Chicago’s Javier Beltran rules and regulations are at www.WindyCityMe- By Richard Knight, Jr. this project with him—and I’m very happy for Progressive Talk and Windy City Media Group. diaGroup.com. him for his success. Each winner collecting the most votes at —From a press release In the indie film Little Ashes, an intense ro- WCT: Can you talk about filming the love a preliminary bar will win $100. Two winners mantic period drama, actor Javier Beltran makes scenes with him? Both of you have said they from each bar will advance to the Semi-finals. his feature debut as revered gay Spanish poet, were painful physically to film—really? Audience members at each bar also have the playwright and slain political activist Federico JB: The scenes were very intense. It was very chance to win great prizes, such as Miller ad Garcia Lorca. Beltran’s startling debut, however, difficult to express since they were very intense Skyy merchandise, Broadway in Chicago and has been slightly overshadowed by his suddenly emotions in these scenes with what was hap- Ravinia tickets and much more. world-famous co-star Robert Pattinson, the pening with the two individuals. But I was very The Finals event includes big prizes for audi- teenage heartthrob familiar to millions as vam- comfortable doing the scenes because the crew ence members as well as the top three con- pire Edward Cullen in Twilight. Pattinson plays and Robert were very supportive. I was happy testants, including weekend stays at downtown surrealist painter Salvador Dali, who meets Lorca how they came out in the movie. at art school at the beginning of his career dur- WCT: In your research did you find a poem ing the 1920s. The two become close friends and of Lorca’s that helped you find the key to his “ ” lovers before a host of complications intervenes, character or his relationship with Dali? IMPRESSIVE, SEDUCTIVE AND EVOCATIVE. including Dali’s intense preoccupation with fame JB: Many, many—all of them, actually. A Poet - Stephen Rebello, PLAYBOY and outrageous behavior. This time out it’s Bel- In New York is my favorite Lorca book. I loved “ ” tran, with his dreamy good looks, who gets to the whole book. It’s very difficult for me to MIND BLOWINGLY BEAUTIFUL. play the moody, sensual hero filled with pas- choose only one. - Gabe Doppelt, W MAGAZINE sionate, unspoken desires. It’s a performance WCT: You’re being compared to Antonio Javier BELTRÁN that finds critics comparing Beltran to another Banderas and Javier Bardem partly because as Federico García Lorca Javier—Bardem. this is your breakout role and, like them, Robert PATTINSON Beltran is busy working on an array of proj- you’re portraying a gay character. How does as Salvador Dalí ects—a wildly popular Spanish soap opera Matthew McNULTY that feel? as Luis Beñuel called Zoo and the Spanish premiere of the play JB: Me being compared to Antonio Banderas Marina GATELL The History Boys, but during a break in rehears- is a pleasure. I love his career; he’s a marvel- as Magdalena als from his home in Barcelona he managed to ous actor, he’s stupendous [and] he’s a perfect give Windy City Times his only Chicago-area example for young actors to follow, as is Javier interview. Beltran speaks beautiful English in Bardem. I get excited over this idea [laughs] Little Ashes but is more comfortable in his first I have to admit. I’m proud to be compared to language so the interview was conducted with these two. They’re great actors both in Spain the help of a translator. and abroad; they have great careers. Windy City Times: You were cast out of col- WCT: Any chance we’ll see you in an Almo- lege in Little Ashes—were your college years dovar film? in any way comparable to those experienced JB: Hopefully! [Laughs] I’d love it, absolutely. by Lorca, Dali and their artistic group? Not at this moment, though. Javier Beltran: More or less, yes. I’m 25 and WCT: Now that you’ve played Lorca, any Lorca was 27 so it was about the same, yes. chance you’ll appear in one of his plays? [Laughs] JB: No, I’m not doing any Lorca plays. I would WCT: Lorca is highly revered, obviously, for like to, though. his writing but do you think are people aware WCT: How do you feel about your success of his gay sexuality? with this movie? JB: Yes; the whole world knew. I don’t think JB: I’m not aware of fame or anything like it was any secret. Everyone in Spain knew that that. I’m just a 25-year-old run-of-the-mill ac- he was gay. It was another thing about whether tor, no more, no less. It makes me very happy people talked about it or not. His secret was out knowing that people are watching the movie— there but what people cared more was his poetry the more, the better. I haven’t changed anything [and still do]—not necessarily if he was gay or in my life. I will keep working and that’s all. A REGENT RELEASE OF A FACTOTUM BARCELONA ARIA FILMS AND MET FILM PRESENTATION IN ASSOCIATION WITH APT FILMS REGENT ENTERTAINMENT AND KATAPULT FILM SALES “LITTLE ASHES” if he wasn’t. WCT: Does all this fuss over same-sex mar- JAVIER BELTRÁN ROBERT PATTINSON MATTHEW McNULTY MARINA GATELL ESTHER NUBIOLA BRUNO ORO WITH SIMÓN ANDREU VICKY PEÑA AND ARLY JOVER AS “GALA” LINE PRODUCER FERNANDO BOFILL SOUND RECORDIST JAUME MELÉNDEZ CASTING BY MERCÈ ESPELLETA MAKE UP & HAIR DESIGN PATRICIA REYES COSTUME DESIGNER ANTONIO BELART PRODUCTION DESIGNER PERE FRANCESCH WCT: Do you think if the climate for gays riage in America seem rather odd to someone ORIGINAL MUSIC BY MIGUEL MERA EDITOR RACHEL TUNNARD DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY ADAM SUSCHITZKY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS STEPHEN P. JARCHOW PAUL COLICHMAN DEBRA STASSON LUKE MONTAGU CO-PRODUCERS PHILIPPA GOSLETT STEWART LE MARÉCHAL PRODUCERS CARLO DUSI JONNY PERSEY JAUME VILALTA WRITTEN BY PHILIPPA GOSLETT A FILM BY PAUL MORRISON in the 20s and 30s when Lorca and Dali were from Spain, where it’s legal? © 2008. FACTOTUM BARCELONA SL / LITTLE ASHES LIMITED. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. intimate friends had been more accepting, JB: I don’t live in the United States, but I SEXUAL CONTENT, LANGUAGE AND A BRIEF DISTURING IMAGE www.littleashes-themovie.com they would have been able to maintain their would hope there wouldn’t be any controversy TH LANDMARK CENTURY CENTRE CINEMA relationship? and everyone should just live and let live. OPENS FRIDAY, MAY 8 ! 2828 N. CLARK ST @ DIVERSEY • (773) 509-4949 JB: That is very hard to say—I wouldn’t like to PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS ONLINE NOW AT WWW.LITTLEASHES-THEMOVIE.COM
Windy City 1/4 Page 4C 18 May 6, 2009 WHAT TO DO? Friday, May 8 Wednesday, May 6 Harper, Jeff Berry and senior editor Art, Chicago’s Target Family Day. Group 4 Women Only hosted by Kat Fitzgerald William Kelley will discuss the long and will meet at 10 a.m. in the MCA’s Kanter Come Out For Change: A Gay-la For Char- and dedicated to new women artists. 9 rich history of the city’s LGBTQA com- Meeting Center. Jan Greenberg, author ity V. 2.0 hosted by The Puterbaugh p.m. Uncommon Ground Devon 1401 W. munity . Barnes and Noble DePaul Cen- of Chuck Close: Up Close, Frank Gehry: Sisters, Chicago’s wacky sister-act. Pro- Devon Ave 773-465-9801 www.uncom- ter, State and Jackson. 312-362-8792 Outside In, and Action Jackson, speaks ceeds to Allied for Equality, as well as monground.com or www.depaul-loop.bncollege.com and signs new book, Side by Side: New PFLAG. Lineup: Carmen Esposito head- Mommy Dearest: A Comedy Tribute to Wonka Ball 2009, About Face Theatre’s Poetry Inspired by Art from Around lining; Recapitulation, musical improv; Mom to those who raised us, and those annual fundraiser. 6-7:30 p.m.: VIP the World. 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Museum of and Dan Telfe, token straight comic. who think they did. 8 p.m. $10 Come- recep 7-11 p.m. main event. Salvage Contemporary Art 220 E. Chicago Ave. 8 p.m. $20 Center on Halsted. www. dySportz Theatre, 929 W. Belmont Ave. One, 1840 W. Hubbard St. RSVP by RSVP at www.hrcactioncenter.org brownpapertickets.com/event/58552 . 773-549-8080 or ComedySportzChi- April 30. www.aboutfacetheatre.com/ Scott Free’s ALT-Q Festival featuring Jeff Legally Blonde Ford Oriental Theatre, cago.com events.html Heiskell of the Judybats, Tret Fure, Edie May 12 through June 7. www.broad- Carey, Stella and the Heat Birds, Sweet wayinchicago.com Thursday, May 7 Friday, May 8 Hello and Gregg Shapiro $20/$18/$16 Small business resources open house SPIN AND OUT AVER (GLBT Veterans) 7 p.m. Center on Caliban, Dancing questions of respon- Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 10 a.m. to noon. Business Department, DJ Samantha Ronson will spin at Crimson sibility and consequence mingle N. Lincoln Ave. Tix at 773-728-6000 or Harold Washington Library 400 S. State Halsted 3656 N. Halsted www.center- Lounge, 333 N. Dearborn. onhalsted.org with sexuality and the right to die. www.oldtownschool.tix.com St. Info at 312-745-3798 or tking@ Out at CHM: Closets are for Clothes. 8 p.m., $15. Through May 24. .Chi- chipublib.org Photo by Jeff Schear The long and storied history of gay, cago Actors Studio 2040 N. Elston Ave. Sunday, May 10 lesbian, bisexual and transgender. Sur- 773-282-0344 or www.nufanensemble. Rachael Sage, pianist, poet, folk-pop- Wednesday, May 13 viving Reagan: From AIDS to Bowers v. com rock, socially aware and eclectic 7 4 Women Only offers the only show in Hardwick, the 1980s were one of the Chicago Chamber Musicians: Strange p.m. show 8 p.m. 21+; $10 Uncommon Chicago dedicated to new women art- harshest decades in history for the gay News and Black Angels multimedia, Ground 1401 W. Devon; 773-465-9801 ists. Uncommon Ground 1401 Devon community. Cocktails 5:30/Program theatrically staged concert, ceremonies Ave. 773-465-9801 6:15 p.m. $12/$10. Chicago History of song and dance used to reintegrate Monday, May 11 Chicago Area Gay and Lesbian Cham- Wed., May 13 Museum, 1601 N. Clark St. www.chica- brutalized children into Uganda and May Meeting, Stonewall Democrats of ber of Commerce, Annual Meeting Mix gohistory.org the Congo society. 7:30 p.m. $25 www. Chicago, Religious Freedom Protection Mingle 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. $10 for non- Diana Block author Arm the Spirit: A mcachicago.org and Civil Union Act Q&A with Repre- members. Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted Woman’s Journey Underground and Jeannie Tanner Quartet 8 p.m. Pete sentative Greg Harris 6:30 p.m. to 8 www.glchamber.org Back 7:30 p.m. Women and Children Miller’s, 1385 N. Meacham Rd. Schaum- p.m. John Merlo (Lakeview) Chicago Dr. Carl Safina, renowned ecologist, on First 5233 N. Clark, www.womenand- burg Public Library 644 W. Belmont how ocean changes change the world. childrenfirst.com Mediation Training: LGBTQ Couple Dis- Town Hall Meeting State Rep. Sandy With newsman Bill Kurtis. 6 p.m. Free. Eva Hoffman, author of Appassionata, putes. For professionals working with Pihos (R-Glen Ellyn) and State Rep. Harold Washington Library, 400 S. explores the way the search for tran- LGBTQ couples. 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Cen- Patti Bellock (R-Westmont) discuss State St. scendence can end in violence or sub- ter on Halsted, 3656 North Halsted the budget and other issues that are Jerry Pritikin’s Streets of San Francisco limity. 7:30 p.m. Women and Children Register www.centeronhalsted.org/ being considered in Springfield. 7 p.m. in the 1970s opening for exhibit of First 5233 N. Clark, www.womenand- lcd_form.html to 9 p.m. Downers Grove Park District iconic photos of San Francisco during childrenfirst.com Queering the Night monthly LGBTQI Recreation Center 4500 Belmont Rd. the 70s,from Harvey Milk’s legacy to Hotel Amerika reading by Author Wayne open mic features Rachel Goldberg. 7-9 Downers Grove. 630-858-8855. the first gay sports leagues. 6-9 p.m. Koestenbaum A Celebration of the pm at the Center for New Possibilities, Victor/Victoria, last night of Cinema Show through June. Scot’s Bar 1829 W. TransGenre Issue 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Free. 1505 W. Morse 101, tonight hosted by Jonathan Lew- Montrose,773-528-3253 Columbia College Chicago, Hokin Hall, Samantha Ronson spins, doors 4 p.m/ is, Gay Chicago. Partially sponsored by 623 S. Wabash Ave. 312-369-8101 show 9 p.m. Crimson Lounge, 333 N. www.HannahFree.com, the forthcom- Thursday, May 14 milkweed, intimate look in poetry/the- Dearborn St. RSVP 312-371-6923 or ing lesbian-themed film shot in Chi- Windy City Gay Idol 7 p.m. sign-in/8 atre at three African-American female [email protected] cago and starring Sharon Gless (trailer p.m. start, Sofo 4923 N. Clark, cyn- survivors of gender-based violence. El- shown before screenings). Roundtable [email protected] or SAN FRANCISCO TREATS len Stone Belic Institute for the Study Saturday, May 9 with critics follows. Center on Halsted, www.windycitymediagroup.com/ of Women and Gender in the Arts and Girlie-Q Productions, produced and di- 3656 N. Halsted. 773-472-6469 www. Idol2009.html Photos of Harvey Milk (above) will be among centeronhalsted.org Media Columbia College Chicago 7 p.m. rected by Ms. Bea Haven. Queer campy NewTown Writers Fortnightly Writing the images shown at Jerry Pritikin’s Streets of sensibility titillates and makes you Workshop 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Ger- $15 / $ 7 Links Hall 3435 N. Sheffield San Francisco in the 1970s exhibit at Scot’s, Out and Proud in Chicago: An Overview think. Uncommon Ground Devon 1401 Tuesday, May 12 ber-Hart Library 1127 W. Granville Ave. of the City’s Gay Community discussion W. Devon Ave 773-465-9801 www.un- Chicago Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber http://www.newtownwriters.org/ 1829 W. Montrose. and signing 6 p.m. with editor Tracy commonground.com www.msbeahaven. of Commerce, Marketing that Works for Baim and contributors, Marie J. Kuda, com/classesworkshops.html Your Business. 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. $10/ Copyright Jerry Pritikin Ron Dorfman, Jonathan Abarbanel, HRC Chicago’s Families with Children $20 Ann Sather’s, 909 W. Belmont. Pre- Owen Keehnen, senior editor Jorjet Group at the Museum of Contemporary register www.glchamber.org
Feeling hot, hot, hot
It was warm outside this past weekend but it was even hotter inside the Winter Garden Room of the Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State, as Chicago House held its Families for Families event Saturday and its 21st Annual Spring Brunch & Fashion Show Sunday—complete with a “Fanta-Sea Island Fashion Splash” theme. Among the sights and activities on hand were a silent auction; a band that played island music; sizzling-hot models; and even a group of people (including Miss Foozie) who were made up like the cast of TV’s Gilligan Island. During Sunday’s event, Chicago House CEO The Rev. Stan Sloan spoke to the audience about Tom Douthett, who came to the agency 21 years ago and volunteered at every brunch until he passed away earlier this year. This year’s awardees included Janet Hasz of the Supportive Housing Provider’s Association (Spirit Award), Daniel M. Stober (Development Volunteer of the Year) and Leonard Baker (Program Volunteer of the Year)—and the weekend grossed approximately $130,000. Text by Andrew Davis and photos by Kat Fitzgerald (MysticImagesPhotography.com); see many more photos online at www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com May 6, 2009 19 REAL ESTATE FOR SALE TOWNHOMES FOR RENT TWO BEDROOM WEST LOOP ROWHOUSE $674,900: Rarely Available HISTORIC BUILDING WEST UIC AREA: Hardwood floors, OUT OF TOWN West Loop Rowhouse in Gated Community - 3 of the STUDIOS vaulted ceilings, spacious rooms, private porch, walk-in DO YOU DREAM OF BEING AN INNKEEPER?: 4 Unit 4 bedrooms are one level, 3.1bath. Very open & wide 1332 W. HOOD AVE. - EDGEWATER STUDIO: Sunny Studio closet, coin laundry in basement. Call 815-744-2743 Elegant B&B in Gay friendly Eureka Springs, Arkansas. floor plan. Kitchen, which overlooks family room, has w/ ALL utilities included. Laundry in building. 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“The best cure for a hangover is something terms with Chris Noth. Less difficult were land- one straight man can’t do for another straight ing Evan Handler and David Eigenberg. What of man.”—Ben Affleck shares one of our little se- Gilles Marini? Although the sexy Frenchman is crets. How does he know it works so well? Only letting anyone who’ll listen know he’s available, Matt Damon knows for sure... I’m told there are no plans for him to have a part—large or small. But that all could change This week, we must start by acknowledging the if someone wins a mirror ball trophy. passing of Bea Arthur. I don’t think my read- We all remember Simon Rex making quite a ers need me to recount her resume—her work splash with that jerk-off video (breaking that 7 17 speaks for itself. I was fortunate to spend sev- story landed me in the tabloids for the first 9 eral memorable evenings with Bea. The first time). Now, the unemployed actor is teaming up 2 time, she told a group of us about doing the pre- with Lance Bass. For what? That’s the question Broadway workshop of the musical “Thoroughly everyone’s asking. All we know is the duo filmed 15 Modern Millie”. I interjected that friends of mine something in West Hollywood, where they were 10 8 1 said she stopped the show. I was then on the re- photographed participating in a bit of “rough
16 ceiving end of one of those legendary Bea Arthur play.” Those snaps will show up on BillyMasters. 11 3 5 18 54 double-takes. After a glare that seemed to go on com. 13 4 14 12 for an eternity, she said one word—“Twice!” Another time, she told me that she never con- 6 sidered herself a star. When she did “Mame” on Broadway, she’d come out for the second-to-last 45 bow wearing a black dress. Then Angela Lansbury 47 46 58 43 came out for the final bow—in a white dress. “I 44 decided then and there that I’d only do Broad- 53 57 way again if I got the final bow—and I’d wear a white dress. Then I’d know I was a star”. Some- 49 51 time later, I saw her do her one-woman show in 24 48 36 NYC—and she was wearing black! When I saw 21 50 23 25 31 her afterwards, I couldn’t help but mention this. “That’s true,” she said before giving me another one of those long, lingering stares. “But I did 32 30 29 55 get the final bow, didn’t I?” She certainly did! 22 52 Speaking of one-woman shows, Carrie Fisher 38 27 37 40 56 35 is bringing hers to Broadway. “Wishful Drinking” 39 28 26 has been hobbling across the country and start- 20 42 41 ing Sept. 22, it will land at famed Studio 54 in
19 33 New York. I believe Carrie spent several memo- rable evenings in that venue during her “wish- Well-hungover: Ben (of “Bennifer” fame) ful” days. 34 shares his no-fail tips for curing those morn- As we went to press, I was grabbed by a pro- ing-after blues. vocative headline: “Top Gun Star Comes Out As Gay”. It’s about time! And then I read further and found out this story was about Kelly McGil- Even more questionable is a photo currently ANDERSONVILLE 17 Touché 32 Little Jim’s THE SOUTHSIDE 1 @mosphere 6412 N. Clark St. 3501 N. Halsted St. 48 Club Escape lis. YAWN! Despite persistent rumors of her sexu- making the rounds of an allegedly nude Chey- 5355 N. Clark St. ToucheChicago.com LittleJimsChicago.com 1530 E. 75th St. ality (she admits to having had same-sex feel- enne Jackson. Unlike that recent Barrowman atmospherebar.com 18 Wild Pug 33 Lucky Horseshoe ClubEscapeChicago.com 2 The Anvil 4810 N. Broadway Ave. 3169 N. Halsted St. 49 Escapades ings from the time she was 12), she makes it shot, this one actually has a head, body, and 1137 W. Granville Ave. WorldsGreatestBar.com 34 Manhandler 6301 S. Harlem Ave. clear that this shift is something new. “I’m done penis (thick with a decidedly upward curve). But 3 Big Chicks 1948 N. Halsted St. 50 InnExile with the man thing. I did that. I need to move is it real? Only a small portion of his face is 5024 N. Sheridan Rd. BOYSTOWN 35 minibar/winebar 5758 W. 65th St. BigChicks.com 19 3160 3341 N. Halsted St. InnExileChicago.com on in life.” shown (looking directly into the camera), the 4 Crew 3160 N. Clark St. minibarchicago.com 51 Jeffrey Pub All sorts of news from the Sex and the City torso looks kinda short, the penis appears out 4804 N. Broadway Ave. Chicago3160.com 36 North End 7041 S. Jeffery Blvd. WorldsGreatestBar.com 20 Berlin 3733 N. Halsted St. folks. First, let’s send congrats out to Sarah of nowhere in the bottom of the screen (he’s 5 Eagle 954 W. Belmont Ave. NorthEndChicago.com THE BURBS Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, who are holding it and it is erect), and said penis is an 5001 N. Clark St. BerlinChicago.com 37 Pie Hole 52 Club Krave expecting twin girls via surrogate. I suppose odd color with a definitely “glow”. Even more ChicagoEagle.com 21 Bobby Love’s 737 W. Roscoe St. 13126 S. Western Ave. 6 El Gato Negro 3729 N. Halsted St. PieHolePizzaJoint.com Blue Island, IL this squelches rumors of a schism between the suspicious is the questionable upholstery on the 1461 Irving Park Rd. BobbyLoves.com 38 Roscoe’s ClubKrave.com couple—or does it? sofa and the tawdry pile of unfolded laundry. All ElGatoNegroBar.com 22 Bucks Saloon 3356 N. Halsted St. 53 Hideaway 7 The Glenwood 3439 N. Halsted St. Roscoes.com 7301 W. Roosevelt Rd. On the professional side, the Sex and the City those reasons make me question its veracity. 6962 N. Glenwood St. BucksSaloonChicago.com 39 Scarlet Forest Park, IL sequel is still scheduled to shoot this summer Here’s a bigger question—why would he have TheGlenwoodbar.com 23 Cell Block 3320 N. Halsted St. 54 Hunters 8 Hamburger 3702 N. Halsted St. ScarletBarChicago.com 1932 E. Higgins Rd. (that’s a lot of S’s for one sentence). Although this photo at all? If he were single, maybe. But Mary’s/Mary’s www.CellBlock-Chicago.com 40 Sidetrack Elk Grove Village, IL we know all of the ladies are on board, the men happily coupled, a nude shot, erect, with his Attic 24 Charlie’s 3349 N. Halsted St. HuntersNightclubs.com have been playing a bit of hardball. After some face? I’m skeptical. But I’m also Billy Masters, 5400 N. Clark St. 3726 N. Broadway Ave. SidetrackChicago.com 55 John L’s Place HamburgerMarysChicago.com CharliesChicago.com 41 Spin 335 154th Pl. tense negotiations, the producers have come to so I’m posting it on my website. After all, it’s 9 Jackhammer 25 Circuit 800 W. Belmont Ave. Calumet City, IL still hot. 6406 N. Clark St. 3641 N. Halsted St. Spin-Nightclub.com 56 Maneuvers Jackhammer-Chicago.com CircuitClub.com 42 Steamworks 118 E. Jefferson St. One picture I can absolutely confirm is real 10 Joie De Vine 26 The Closet 3246 N. Halsted St. (bath) Joliet, IL is that of Ricky Martin posing ala “A Streetcar 1744 W. Balmoral Ave. 3325 N Broadway Ave. SteamworksOnline.com JolietManeuvers.com Named Desire.” I know what you’re thinking— 11 Man’s Country 27 Cocktail 57 Rumors 5017 N. Clark St. (bath) 3359 N. Halsted St. DOWNTOWN 2433 Desplaines Ave. he oozes all the masculinity of a young Vivien MansCountryChicago.com CocktailBarChicago.com 43 The Baton North Riverside, IL Leigh. But he’s playing against type and dressed 12 Scot’s 28 FireFly 436 N. Clark St. RumorsPubOnline.com 1829 W. Montrose Ave. 3335 N. Halsted St. TheBatonShowLounge.com 58 Velvet Rope as Marlon Brando. Shocking! This was for the ChicagoScotsBar.com FireflyOnHalsted.com 44 Second Story Bar 728 W. Lake St. “50 Most Beautiful Men” spread in “People en 13 SoFo 29 Halsted’s Bar & 157 E. Ohio St. Oak Park, IL Español”. For those of you who don’t have a sub- 4923 N. Clark St. Grill VelvetRopeOakPark.com SofoBar.com 3441 N. Halsted St. NEAR NORTH scription to the mag, we’ll post the photo on 14 Spyners HalstedsChicago.com 45 Club 2506 INDIANA BillyMasters.com. 4623 N. Western Ave. 30 Hydrate 2506 N. Clybourn Ave. 59 Dick’s R U Crazee? Spyners.com 3458 N. Halsted St. 46 Crobar 1221 E.150th St. This week’s “Ask Billy” question comes from 15 Star Gaze HydrateChicago.com 1543 N. Kingsbury St. Hammond, IN Marc in D.C.: “I was watching Party Down on 5419 N. Clark St. 31 Kit Kat 47 The Prop House DicksRUCrazee.com Starz and the cater waiter was working an after- StarGazeChicago.com 3700 N. Halsted St. 1675 N. Elston Ave. 60 Encompass 16 T’s KitKatChicago.com 2415 Rush St. party for a porn awards show and was discovered 5025 N. Clark St. Lake Station, IN to have a huge cock. Either actor Ken Marino is TsBarChicago.com EncompassNightclub.com super hung or that was a pretty realistic-looking prosthetic.”
Turn to page 21 May 6, 2009 21
SUNDAYS:
TM present GLASSBAR & SIDEBAR OPEN AT 1PM. Windy City Gay Idol - Mary’s Attic SHOW TUNES: 4-9PM
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it was ladies’ night as Dina (top, left), Nicole (top, right) and Kate (below, right) took the prize as Windy City Gay Idol finalists at Mary’s Attic on Wednesday, April 29. Catch the next preliminary round Thursday, May 14 at Sofo, 4923 N. Clark St. Photos by Kirk Wil- liamson, Kat Fitzgerald
BILLY from page 20 When anyone is watching the Starz network, it’s definitely time to end yet another column. I found the episode in question and it sure I admit it—I’ve been pressured into Tweeting! does look like a real penis—although who My buddy Sherri Shepherd has shamed me into knows. The only thing to do is to post it and joining Twitter, and now my goal is to have let the folks visiting BillyMasters.com decide more followers than any of The View gals. So for themselves. while you’re getting the latest dish from www. Incidentally, another reader (who wrote me BillyMasters.com, head to Twitter (“BillyMas- via my Facebook page) is also watching Party ters”) to keep up with my shenanigans. For Down, but his question was about the first epi- your questions, don’t write me there—instead, sode of the season when Enrico Colantoni ran send an e-mail to [email protected] buck naked through a reception into a pool. and I promise to get back to you before Ricky This reader writes, “He seems to show a rather Martin dresses up as Scarlett O’Hara! So, until impressive appendage. Might be something next time, remember, one man’s filth is another good to show in your column.” Ask and you man’s bible. shall receive ... at BillyMasters.com.
LCCP’s ‘Garden of CGMC’s ‘Big Package’ Eve’ on May 16 at Sidetrack May 16 Lesbian Community Care Project at Howard Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus will hold its up- Brown Health Center will hold its “Garden of coming fundraiser, “The Big Package Auction,” Eve” gala Saturday, May 16, 6-11 p.m., at Saturday, May 16, at Sidetrack, 3349 N. Hal- the Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N. Central sted, 5-8 p.m. Park. This event will be highlighted with a live Organizers describe the event as combining auction of a wide array of exciting, fun-filled “the elegance and dancing from the Coming prize packages presented by some of CGMC’s Out Against Cancer Ball and the food and wine and Boystown’s cutest, most eligible guys, ac- tasting extravaganza from A Taste for Every cording to a press release. Palate.” There will be an open bar, two dance Tickets are $25 pre-event and $30 at the floors and a silent auction. door. Visit www.cgmc.org or phone 773-296- General admission is $100 and VIP tickets 0541. are available for $200. (VIP tickets include the reception and admission to the after-party at The Velvet Rope in nearby Oak Park.) See www. lccp.org. 22 May 6, 2009 SPORTS/RECREATION the tourism, to put Copenhagen on the map and (AFC) will give 100 percent of all money raised show that we don’t accept the fact that people by CommunityDirect teams back to the partici- are different just because they’re homosexual; pating HIV/AIDS service organizations. Danish mayor we want to show that everyone in the LGBT com- munity is as equal as anyone in the world.” behind Outgames City officials rank the World Outgames as the Ride for AIDS By Ross Forman third-biggest event in Copenhagen in 2009, only registration open behind the October meeting of the International Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN) has an- Pia Allerslev has already cancelled her family’s Olympic Committee (IOC) and the United Na- nounced open registration for its sixth annual summer vacation, so she can stay in Copenha- tions Climate Change Conference in December. Ride for AIDS Chicago (RFAC), slated for Satur- gen when the 2009 World Outgames are held “No matter where you walk or drive in Copen- day-Sunday, June 6-7. there July 25-Aug. 2. She’s not sure what she’s hagen during the Outgames, it will be impos- The two-day, 190-mile biking fundraiser will going to participate in, especially after a friend sible to not see that the games are happening,” lead riders on a round-trip journey from Evan- told her that, well, she wasn’t talented enough Allerslev said. “I really want to have the Olym- ston’s Northwestern University to south-central for his handball team. pics held in Copenhagen one day, though a lot Wisconsin. Riders must raise at least $1,000 “Now I’m trying to find another sport,” she of people laugh when I say that. It’s a great goal each to support HIV/AIDS prevention and care said, laughing. “I’m planning on participating in to aim for, and the World Outgames is one step services in the Chicago area. Registration for badminton; I was a local champion many years in that direction—to show that we can host a RFAC is $85, which includes gear transport, ago, but that was years ago.” large sporting event.” route support, meals and overnight accommo- And maybe the Mermaid Swim Team. Or a run- Pia Allersev. Photo by Ross Forman Is Copenhagen doing anything particular to dations. Windy City Media Group is among the ning event. ensure safety at the Outgames, especially near Ultimately, Allerslev will register and partici- event’s sponsors. Allerslev is straight, happily married to Chris- the Tel Aviv square in the OutCities, where you pate, thus becoming one of Denmark’s highest- Visit www.rideforaids.org. tian Simonsen with two children: daughter Fre- will find Jews and gays, thus there certainly is ranking participants in the Outgames. She is, ja, 4; and son Valdemar, 3. Still, she is one of the potential for protests by certain religious, after all, the Mayor for Culture and Leisure for Denmark’s biggest supporters of the Outgames. political and anti-gay groups? the City of Copenhagen, one of six Mayors under Red Stars to However, two of the six mayors in Copenhagen “The organizers for the World Outgames are the highest-ranking Lord Mayor. are openly gay: Klaus Bondam and Jacob Hou- working very close with the police, and we’re broadcast games “I expect a week of happy people,” in Copen- gaard. doing everything possible to prevent any pos- The Chicago Red Stars have announced the hagen during the Outgames, said Allerslev. “I And yes, the city of Copenhagen truly is a sible hate-crimes. I don’t want it to get to the addition of three games to the team’s 2009 think all of the participants will be very good strong supporter of the 2009 World Outgames, point where you cannot go to the Tel Aviv square broadcasting schedule. ambassadors for the World Outgames and also which will be showcased by 38 sports disciplines without seeing 200 policemen standing in line, Two Red Stars games will be televised region- for Copenhagen. The city of Copenhagen is very and a three-day human rights conference. just to protect the area. But of course we have ally on Comcast SportsNet and one will be shown interested in hosting this, and to send a clear The city has spent more money on this event, to send some signals that it’s safe to come here, through the team’s Web site, www.chicagored- signal that we will not tolerate discrimination such as improving venues for the event, than thus there will be police around and I know they stars.com. Comcast SportsNet will televise two because of sexual orientation. We will not toler- any other single event. The city is spending will take extra care of those areas where politi- of the Red Stars’ meetings with FC Gold Pride ate hate crimes. about $4.5 million USD on the Outgames. cal-, religious- and sexual-orientation could be this season: Sunday, June 7, at Santa Clara, Ca- “We want the people of Copenhagen to know “The amount of money we’ve spent on the a problem.” lif., and Sunday, July 12, at the team’s home that this is a great event taking place. We want World Outgames just shows that, yes, the city Were there any politicians in Copenhagen who in Bridgeview. A webcast will be available for the people of Copenhagen to take part in the really wanted to host this event,” Allerslev said. were against hosting the Games? Chicago’s home game against the Washington Outgames, as participants or spectators. We “It was a lot of money and something we had “No. None at all. Every single politician in the Freedom Sunday, July 26. want to send a very strong signal to the world never done before.” City of Copenhagen has supported this event. For tickets, call 866-WPS-2009 or log on to that it’s very important to fight for the rights of So why do it? Even though there may be some politicians www.chicagoredstars.com. the LGBT community. I think the City of Copen- “Because we think it’s important; we think it’s who personally are against homosexuality, none hagen, and Denmark as a country, are very good a great event; we think it’s great for the city, for has expressed [their views publicly,] nor voted in that voice, that matter.” against the event.” Climate Cycle Ride Gays and lesbians can get married in Denmark, in Grant Park May 9 which has been the case since 1989. However, FORWARD Climate Cycle, a non-profit organization dedi- ELLA MASAR the verbiage recited during a gay wedding is cated to installing solar systems in Chicago-area different from that in a traditional man-woman public schools, will hold its inaugural benefit wedding. lakefront bike ride on the Great Lawn, 1410 S. “Why is [the verbiage] different? That’s so stu- Museum Campus, on Saturday May 9, at 9 a.m. pid. When I see a gay couple get married, they A 12-mile and 25-mile course will be available are as in love as my husband and I were when for all cyclists. Riders are asked to raise a mini- we got married. So why is the ritual different, mum of $200. To learn more and register, visit follow just because they are homosexual? So, we’re now www.climatecycle.org. trying to change the law. the “We were, are still are, so proud that the first gay marriage in the world took place in Copenha- ESPN.com wins gen in 1989. I think the people of Denmark are stars pioneers in accepting homosexuals. That said, I GLAAD award think we still have a lot of fights that we still ESPN.com writer LZ Granderson won the award need to fight regarding homosexual rights.” for Outstanding Digital Journalism Article at What is your impression of America, especially the 20th Annual GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance after the passing of Proposition 8 in California Against Defamation) Media Awards in New York. and that there now are only a few states that The event took place March 28. allow civil unions? Granderson won for his article, “Gay Athletes “I was very disappointed when I saw that Cali- Are Making Their Mark.” fornia had passed Proposition 8; I think it was Vanessa Williams, Stockard Channing, Cherry a setback for the state of California. In some Jones, T.R. Knight, Keith Olbermann, Judith ways, I think America is far ahead of us, whereas Light, Clay Aiken and S. Epatha Merkerson were other ways, we’re far ahead of America. I think among the celebrities at the event. Tyra Banks, it’s great that you have a city like San Francisco, Suze Orman and Phil Donahue were among the with all of the things they have, do and offer for other honorees. homosexuals. I’ve never been to Chicago, so I cannot comment about [LGBT life] there.” Center running kids’ sports program AIDS Walk/Run Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted—in col- registration starts laboration with We Got Game—is offering a Online registration for AIDS Run & Walk Chica- comprehensive youth sports program for chil- go 2009 is now open at www.aidsrunwalk.org. dren ages 2-9 through June 12. Class registra- CHICAGO’S WOMEN’S PROFESSIONAL To participate alongside thousands of support- tion is now being accepted. SOCCER TEAM KICKS OFF ers Saturday, Oct. 3, in Grant Park, visit www. For a complete listing of classes, to download APRIL 19TH AT TOYOTA PARK. aidsrunwalk.org and click “Register Now.” E-mail the registration form or to register online, visit [email protected] if there are any ques- www.wegotgamechicago.com. For more informa- SEASON TICKETS AS LOW AS $10 PER GAME! tions. tion, contact Coach Brian Ploof at 773-562-6003 AIDS Run & Walk Chicago 2008 raised more or [email protected]; also, contact Tom Ballentine, the center’s director of commu- CHICAGOREDSTARS.COM 866-WPS-2009 than $500,000. To further support these local organizations, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago nity and cultural programs, at tballentine@cen- teronhalsted.org or 773-472-6469, ext. 245. May 6, 2009 23 One wine day CONNEXIONS MAKE IT YOUR BUSINESS i l o 25% OFF i Custom Framing l o
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