vol 30, no. 34 May 20, 2015 www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com

William B. Kelley in 2007. Photo by Hal Baim William B. Kelley, gay pioneer, dies

By Tracy Baim State Rep. Greg Harris said he was “totally shocked to hear the sad news. Bill always had the most amazing perspective William B. Kelley, 72, who in 2015 was marking 50 years as a and guidance on events of the day because of his deep grasp gay activist, passed away peacefully in his sleep the morning of our community’s written and lived history combined with of May 17, according to Chen K. Ooi, his partner since 1979. his legal knowledge and his kind, gentle way. What a loss for There were very few LGBT Chicago activists who stayed as us all.” consistently engaged in community activism as Kelley. He was “The LBGTQ community lost a life-long activist and great part of the Mattachine Midwest chapter and wrote for and ed- legal/political mind,” longtime businessman Chuck Renslow ited its newsletter. He helped organize the first national gay said. “We all owe him for decades of service in the cause of and lesbian conference—the North American Conference of equal rights. I loved him a lot and I will miss him terribly. I Homophile Organizations—in 1966, co-founded the Chicago really don’t have the words to describe the loss we’ve collec- Gay Crusader newspaper, and attended the first White House tively suffered. My heart goes out to Chen.” gay-rights meeting, in 1977, under the Carter administration. “An extraordinary individual,” wrote historian and author In Chicago, he was a critical player in numerous organiza- John D’Emilio. “There were so few who had the courage in tions as a founder, member and sometimes leader. He chaired those pre-gay liberation years to be ‘out there’—and there the Cook County Commission on Human Relations for its first were even fewer who made the transition as activist from pre- 10 years. He co-chaired Illinois Gays for Legislative Action in Stonewall to post-Stonewall. In his quiet and unassuming way, the early 1970s, the Illinois Gay Rights Task Force in the late Bill was extraordinary.” LEATHER LIFE 1970s, and was inducted into the first class of the Chicago Gay “He was the face and voice of gay liberation in Chicago for and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 1991. so long,” said Chris Riddiough. “I first met Bill about 40 years Meet Mr. Chicago Leather 2015 Luis Tipantasig. This summer, he was planning to attend the 50th anniver- ago—in the midst of a controversy over gay marriage—as al- ways he spoke with reason and thoughtfulness in the midst Photo by Chester Munro 13 sary of the Philadelphia Reminder Days for gay rights; he had marched there during the 1960s. Turn to page 8

THE ROSE AFC @ 30 {she crew} Knight at the Movies takes a look AIDS Foundation of Chicago marks thirty years with gala. Helpings to empower Chicago girls. at the Bette Midler classic. Photo by Gretchen Rachel Hammond Photo of Jessica London-Shields 18 26 12 2 May 20, 2015 WINDY CITY TIMES

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WINDY CITY TIMES May 20, 2015 3 WINDY CITY TIMES When A Great Deal Matters, Shop Rob Paddor’s... INDEX Evanston Subaru in Skokie Truly E xceptional NEWS National news; column 4 download E Customer Service TRUE LOV E Obits: Rashan, Nixon 5 this issue Inauguration; trans woman found 6 and browse the archives at Gay history: Bill Kelley dies 8 Affinity marks 20 years: Part two 10 www.WindyCitytimes.com PROUD SUPPORTER FOR NEARLY 2 DECADES! SAGE initative 11 In the Life: Mr. Chicago Leather 13 Letters 14 MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND ENTERTAINMENT/EVENTS Scottish Play Scott 15 Y Knight: The Rose 18 OPEN MONDA vol 30, no. 34 May 20, 2015 www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com Kenny Porpora’s memoir 20

Gay, HIV-positive singer 21 William B. Kelley in 2007. AM PM Photo by Hal Baim W 10 -4 Olympian battles addiction 22 William B. Kelley, gay pioneer, dies

By Tracy Baim State Rep. Greg Harris said he was “totally shocked to hear the sad news. Bill always had the most amazing perspective William B. Kelley, 72, who in 2015 was marking 50 years as a and guidance on events of the day because of his deep grasp OUTLINES gay activist, passed away peacefully in his sleep the morning of our community’s written and lived history combined with of May 17, according to Chen K. Ooi, his partner since 1979. his legal knowledge and his kind, gentle way. What a loss for There were very few LGBT Chicago activists who stayed as us all.” Classifieds; Dish (Wood) 27 consistently engaged in community activism as Kelley. He was “The LBGTQ community lost a life-long activist and great part of the Mattachine Midwest chapter and wrote for and ed- legal/political mind,” longtime businessman Chuck Renslow ited its newsletter. He helped organize the first national gay said. “We all owe him for decades of service in the cause of and lesbian conference in 1966—the North American Confer- equal rights. I loved him a lot and I will miss him terribly. I ence of Homophile Organizations, co-founded the Chicago Gay really don’t have the words to describe the loss we’ve collec- Calendar Q 28 Crusader newspaper, and attended the first White House gay- tively suffered. My heart goes out to Chen.” rights meeting, in 1977, under the Carter administration. “An extraordinary individual,” wrote historian and author In Chicago, he was a critical player in numerous organiza- John D’Emilio. “There were so few who had the courage in tions as a founder, member and sometimes leader. He chaired those pre-gay liberation years to be ‘out there’—and there the Cook County Commission on Human Relations for its first were even fewer who made the transition as activist from pre- 10 years. He co-chaired Illinois Gays for Legislative Action in Stonewall to post-Stonewall. In his quiet and unassuming way, Billy Masters 29 the early 1970s, the Illinois Gay Rights Task Force in the late Bill was extraordinary.” LEATHER LIFE 1970s, and was inducted into the first class of the Chicago Gay “He was the face and voice of gay liberation in Chicago for and Lesbian Hall of Fame, in 1991. so long,” said Chris Riddiough. “I first met Bill about 40 years meet mr. chicago Leather 2015 Luis Tipantasig. This summer, he was planning to attend the 50th anniversary ago—in the midst of a controversy over gay marriage—as al- ways he spoke with reason and thoughtfulness in the midst Photo by Chester Munro 13 of the Philadelphia Reminder Days for gay rights -- he had Queer Prom celebrates 10 years 30 marched there during the 1960s. URGERS RATS OT OGS Turn to page 8 •B •B •H D FRIDAY, SATURDAY & MONDAY 11-2 FREE BBQ

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4 May 20, 2015 WINDY CITY TIMES Missouri HIV case Reproductive Justice gets national attention at the Intersections citizens or our communities. It is not a victory by Gaylon B. Alcaraz for public health policy or for Missourians who potentially are living with HIV but have yet to seek testing or treatment. “This case highlights the need for improved sex education as well as access to that educa- Homeless youth and tion, increased testing for sexually transmitted diseases, and the availability of prevention reproductive justice tools.” Catherine Hanssens, executive director of The In the early ’90s a group of women of nomic, and social well-being of women Center for HIV Law and Policy, said in a sepa- color came together to caucus at a pri- and girls, and will be achieved when rate statement, “Michael Johnson’s conviction marily white pro-choice conference here women and girls have the economic, so- for exposing one of his sex partners to HIV and in Chicago. Obviously abortion was the cial, and political power and resources to ‘attempting to expose’ four others to the virus theme and primary agenda. make healthy decisions about our bodies, reinforces both an ‘ignorance is bliss’ approach Abortion legalized in 1973 ensured sexuality, and reproduction for ourselves, to sexual health and personal responsibility, that a woman had the right to determine our families, and our communities in all and public hysteria and misconceptions about whether she wanted to parent or not. Yet, areas of our lives.” HIV.“ in the ’90s most women impacted by the This is why youth homelessness is a Dr. Wendy Armstrong—professor of medi- restrictive reproductive laws were some reproductive justice issue and why re- cine at Emory University School of Medicine, of the most vulnerable and marginalized productive justice is an important frame- Michael Johnson. vice chair of the HIV Medical Association and in society. Clearly the fight to keep abor- work. It encompasses all individuals as a member of CHLP’s Positive Justice Project— tion legal was not working for many. Be- they demand their right to full autonomy. said, “Failure to disclose, or outright lies, In Missouri, a former college student has ing legal did not ensure that poor women You cannot have full autonomy if you do about one’s sexually transmitted infections or been found guilty of exposing one of his sex could access this right. not have your basic needs met. You can- sexual past is extremely common. ... But the partners to HIV as well as attempting to expose This is why those forward-thinking not control the body you live in if you are hang-them-high response seems to be reserved four others to the virus. women activists took it upon themselves homeless on the street. Affordable and Prosecutors said ex-Lindenwood University for discoveries of HIV non-disclosure and is to step outside the silo of the pro-choice accessible housing is crucial to healthy student Michael Johnson, 23, allegedly contin- based on misguided and outdated information movement. These women knew even then and fulfilling lives. ued to hook up with various men, and even about HIV and treatment.” that focusing on a single-frame issue was It is in this ideology that we, as a so- reportedly lied to them when asked about his Isaiah Wilson, external affairs manager for not the answer to the underlying ques- ciety, should not only believe but fight HIV status. Felony charges state that John- the National Black Justice Coalition, said, tions and concerns of many women’s for the basic rights for all human beings. son—who won the 2012 National Junior Col- “Michael testified that he did in fact disclose lives. Fighting for one’s right to have an The lack of housing, food, quality edu- lege championship before transferring to Lin- to his partners, but under this law it doesn’t abortion yet ignoring the systemic and cation, safety, healthcare and choice are denwood—infected two men and endangered matter because the word of his accusers su- structural issues that intersect and con- injustices that are ignored. Without these four others before his October 2013 arrest. persedes his. This is beyond offensive and all Johnson was found not guilty on a sixth people of good will should be able to recognize tribute to a poor person’s inability to pay basic needs many fall thru the cracks and charge of exposing another man to the virus. the alarming problem with the enforcement of for a legal procedure was an injustice. It are exposed to the dangerous elements Medical experts as well as several HIV and these discriminatory laws that disproportion- is a privileged mindset at work. Needless that lurk around the most vulnerable. All LGBT groups condemned the development. The ately impact Black men.” to say that meeting in the ’90s was sorely these injustices affect a person’s repro- Missouri HIV Criminalization Task Force issued The St. Charles County jury suggested a 30- needed. ductive health. a statement saying, in part, “Today is not a year prison term for Johnson, whose sentenc- Anytime a young victory for Missouri. It is not a victory for our ing hearing is scheduled for July 13. person finds themselves “You cannot have full autonomy if without stable housing they are in danger of being you do not have your basic needs victimized or sexually as- activism, of which this effort certainly was a saulted. Without adequate Laramie OKs tremendous example.” met. You cannot control the body support and stability it is —Andrew Davis ordinance 17 years you live in if you are homeless on hard to have a healthy life. the street. Affordable and accessible That is why being homeless after Shepard’s death Gay engineer involved is a reproductive justice is- In Wyoming, the Laramie City Council ap- housing is crucial to healthy and sue. When we broaden our proved a local anti-discrimination ordi- in Amtrak crash view of how so many injus- nance—17 years after gay student Matthew fulfilling lives.” The engineer involved in the May 12 Amtrak tices impact the lives we Shepard’s death took place in the same town, train crash in Pennsylvania has been identified live, we can see and under- The Chicago Tribune noted. as gay activist Brandon Bostian, Gay Star News stand why the fight for re- The council voted seven to two in favor of noted. What they came away with was Repro- productive justice is a critical component the measure that bans discrimination based on Bostian, 32, has told authorities he can’t re- ductive Rights + Social Justice. This idea to changing the systems. Dismantling the sexual orientation and gender identity in hous- member what happened when the train jumped merged the Human Rights Declaration, problem at the core is the only way to go. ing, employment and access to public facilities the tracks, killing at least eight people and in- Help a young person with stable hous- such as restaurants. Wyoming Equality Execu- social justice principles and reproductive juring more than 200. rights into a framework that recognizes ing today. Their reproductive lives are at tive Director Jeran Artery said, “What a day for The engineer has been vocal in his support Wyoming—and what a day for the city that be- these basic tenements: stake. Support The 750 Club Apartment of gay rights, even being interviewed at a mar- — The ability to terminate a pregnancy Adoption Project. It seeks to provide pri- came synonymous with Matthew Shepard’s mur- riage-equality protest in 2012. — The ability to carry a pregnancy to vate apartments for youth moving out of der—to now step up and do this right thing.” His LinkedIn profile says that Bostian has term; and transition housing. We have a responsi- Shepard’s death was considered a watershed worked at Amtrak since 2006, first as a passen- — The ability to parent the children bility to give back and make the world a in the gay-rights movement, resulting in a na- ger conductor for four years and an engineer you have without governmental interfer- better place for us all. tional hate-crimes measure. for almost five years. The train was traveling at ence See tinyurl.com/ApartmentAdopt . In a statement to Windy City Times, Matthew 106 mph shortly before the crash—twice the However, there is much more to this Wikipedia: Reproductive Justice Shepard Foundation Executive Director Jason limit for the section of curved track north of framework than meets the eye. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repro- Marsden said, “The people of Laramie deserve Philadelphia where the accident occurred. congratulations for their defiance of hatred and The original article is at http://www.gay- “Reproductive Justice is the complete ductive_justice . their embrace of diversity in the wake of trag- starnews.com/article/engineer-who-caused- physical, mental, spiritual, political, eco- edy and under the world’s scrutiny. amtrak-crash-identified-gay-activist-brandon- “This is a community that looked inward and bostian140515. Gaylon B. Alcaraz is the former Executive Director of the Chicago Abortion Fund, found that it values all of its people regardless a community organizer and staunch reproductive justice advocate. You can fol- of difference. What happened in 1998 could low her on twitter @gaylonalcaraz and contact her at [email protected]. have happened anywhere. What’s happened since then is what Laramie is all about. We ap- Brandon plaud the city for showing Wyoming and the Bastian. world what they’re made of.” LinkedIn photo On a personal note, Marsden added, “I can add that Matt was a friend of mine and I am truly touched by the council’s vote. It is very much in line with Matt’s own interest in equal /windycitymediagroup rights and, particularly, his belief in grassroots WINDY CITY TIMES May 20, 2015 5 cousin and lifelong friend. “This world has lost a beautiful daughter, mother, sister, wife, cous- Author Nikki Rashan Jenkins dies in, friend and author but gained a sweet, sweet BY CARRIE MAXWELL She came out publicly on The Oprah Winfrey angel. Rest in heaven my cousin.” Show in 2004 and was featured in Milwaukee “It’s not often that people come into my life Lesbian author Nikki Rashan Jenkins, 42, died Magazine, Swerv Magazine, Studs Magazine and and immediately catch me off guard with their May 4 of complications from breast cancer. on the Fab Femme website. She also took part beauty, sincerity, intelligence and humility, She wrote four novels; Double Pleasure Dou- in the GayNeighbor.org campaign highlighting but Nikki did just that when I met her back in ble Pain, You Make Me Wanna, Cyber Case and LGBT families in Southeastern Wisconsin. 2008,” said Tamara Allen, friend and B.BLYSS! The EXchange. She also wrote Sugar on the Rashan Jenkins is survived by her wife co-founder. “She was not only an amazing au- Side, which was included in Carl Weber’s Full Brandy Jenkins and three daughters; Courtney thor, but she was also a loving mother and Figure series and Crossing Layne which was Ward, Jasmine Ward and Brianna Jenkins. She wife. She was an activist in her own right and featured in the anthology Les Tales: Tempted is also survived by her mother Patricia Evans, helped to open doors that she may not even to Touch book. father George Pumphrey and a sister, Bonita know that she opened for so many people in Rashan Jenkins was born Aug. 18, 1972, in Rodriguez. the community. She was a great role model for Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and spent her childhood “Nikki always gave of herself. Even while women, especially women of color who might there. She graduated from North Division High battling her own illness and pain, she talked, be struggling with self-acceptance or balanc- School in Milwaukee and went on to take writ- encouraged and comforted so many who were ing motherhood with a career and a relation- ing courses at Concordia University Wisconsin going through similar illnesses or life’s hard- ship. Michael Nixon. and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. ships,” said Shenay P. McCrary, Rashan Jenkins’ “Just knowing that she has written her last Photo from AVER (Chicago chapter) newsletter line is difficult to accept, but I know that she left me and so many others with a clear under- PASSAGES standing of what it means to be a lover and a fighter. She and her wife shared their love Michael Nixon story before and during Nikki’s battle with can- Army Specialist Michael Nixon died April 7 in cer, and I have to assume it was because they Fort Knox, Kentucky. He was 27. wanted us to know that if we ever lost hope Nixon was born March 5, 1988, in Park Ridge, in love, we could always look at them and see Illinois. He had been stationed in Korea from that it’s possible. I thank God for bringing her February 2014 to March 10, 2015. into my life and into the B.BLYSS! family. We Nixon had been featured in the October 2014 miss her dearly and we will continue to honor newsletter of the Chicago Chapter of the Ameri- her memory whenever and however we can.” can Veterans for Equal Rights. “Nikki’s fight was admirable and she touched He wrote, “After the repeal of DADT, I first the hearts of the masses,” said Monique Chan- came out to my then unit at Fort Benning, dler, Rashan Jenkin’s publicist and friend. “Al- then my family. I have been open ever since. beit her physical presence will be truly missed In my free time I enjoy building and creating but her delightful spirit will forever reside in new things with legos, writing and watching our hearts.” good movies. I guess you can say that I’m a A public visitation took place on May 15 at kid at heart. I have future plans to join the Northwest Funeral Chapel in Milwaukee. Army National Guard and to get a degree in In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that Photography. Nikki Rashan. all monies be directed to a fund (which is in He was the son of Julianna Nixon-Handy and Photo courtesy of Brandy Jenkins the process of being set up) for her daughters. NaVerris (Jean) Nixon. Funeral Mass was held Fund information can be accessed at www.face- April 14 at St. Zachary Catholic Church 567 W. book.com/authornrashan. Algonquin Rd., Des Plaines. HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

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Mayor Rahm Emanuel. At inauguration, Photo by Gretchen Rachel Hammond. See more photos online at www. Emanuel pledges future WindyCityMediaGroup.com for Chicago’s lost youth

By Gretchen Rachel Hammond many have been on their own from early on.” While extolling the invaluable work of youth Inclusion was a theme of Mayor Rahm Eman- programs such as Becoming a Man (BAM) and uel’s inauguration to a second term held at Working on Womanhood (WOW), Emanuel as- the Chicago Theatre May 18. The invocation, serted that they only reach a fraction of the prayer for guidance, prayer for peace, blessing city’s disaffected youth “who remain invisible and benediction were provided by Monsignor until we see them in a mug shot as the victim Kenneth Velo, Pastor John Hannah, Professor or perpetrator of a senseless crime. Inamul Haq, Pastor Lynette Santiago and Rabbi “Their existence is avoided rather than con- David Wolkenfeld, respectively. fronted,” Emanuel added. “They live in the Former Mayor Richard M. Daley, former Presi- shadows of our cities—and in the recesses of dent Bill Clinton and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin our minds. But we must make them ever-pres- were included on the guest list. Chicago poet ent in our conversation. They may have been Harold Green III provided a stirring rendition born in poverty, but poverty was not born in of his piece Something to Live For, Lyric Opera them.” Creative Consultant Renée Fleming sang “Amer- In an acknowledgement of forgotten neigh- ica the Beautiful,” and the Apostolic Church of borhoods on the South and West sides, Emanuel God Praise Team and Chicago Children’s Choir noted that “years of silence and inaction have lent their energetic music to the program. walled off a portion of our city. It is time for Chief Judge Tim Evans swearing in (L-R) Richard M. Daley, Dick Durbin, Pres. Bill The Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus were also in- each of us to start breaking down those walls.” Emanuel. Clinton. corporated into the agenda as prelude enter- After vowing that over the next four years “I tainment for people while they were taking will do everything in my power to spark hope in Renée Fleming. Harold Green III. their seats in the packed auditorium. the eyes of every Chicagoan” through increased City Clerk Susana A. Mendoza administered wages, employment opportunities, safer streets the oath of office to the 50 incoming and re- and stringer schools, Emanuel challenged the turning aldermen—10 percent of whom iden- city to “be a role model for the young people tify as LGBT. in your life. Give an adolescent who was born Emanuel’s inaugural address centered upon without a prayer his first prayer at getting the inclusion of what he termed a “lost genera- ahead. tion of our city’s youth.” “A generation of children needs our city to “We all know who they are,” he said, “al- stand up for them,” Emanuel concluded. “For though it is easier and sometimes more con- those children, and for our city, let us today venient to ignore them. Many are born into answer that call.” poverty. Many come from broken homes. And

the CPD that Berry is a transgender woman. The CPD report issued and then reprinted by the Missing Chicago Chicago Sun-Times May 7 listed her as male. He noted that he is also angry with the Sun- Times. “The reporter did not contact us as to trans woman located who Sherry is instead of just writing this sam- By Gretchen Rachel Hammond also believes that whomever initiated the at- ple,” he said. “I’m upset about it. The police tack on Berry still presents a grave threat to wanted to put the picture of her in the paper A 28-year-old Chicago transgender woman her safety. of Sherry in the hospital with a bald head.” named Sherry Berry who had been missing In an earlier interview with Windy City Times Banks confirmed Nicholas’s story of what oc- since May 6, 2015 has been located, according Nicholas detailed Berry’s life—one fraught curred between April 27 and May 6 at Rush. He to her father Jerry Nicholas Sr. with challenges that began when she was 6. added that when Berry was in the hospital she However Nicholas believes she remains in an “She was taken from school and arrested by had begun to slowly remember details of what extremely dangerous situation both medically the CPD when she was 6,” he said. “They took had happened to her. “She told me somebody and in terms of her surroundings. her and put handcuffs on her. They took all six threw her down the stairs,” Banks said. Nicholas and family friend Derek Banks said of our children away with juvenile arrest war- “I don’t think anybody should be leaving the that Berry had undergone brain surgery at Rush rants.” hospital a week after brain surgery,” he assert- University Medical Center April 27. The surgery The arrest reports Nicholas provided Windy ed. “Even as an adult a family member should followed an incident which Banks said Berry City Times were issued on July 26, 1993, for be contacted from the hospital for you to be vaguely remembered as being pushed down a each of the six children, and listed neglect as able to sign out and they should have to come flight of stairs. the offense. and pick you up.” Nicholas told Windy City Times that the fam- It would be 10 years before Nicholas and Sherry Berry. Ald. Leslie Hairston (5th Ward) and Affinity ily noted multiple injuries and lacerations to his wife saw her again. “She was 16, going to Facebook photo Community Services had released fliers appeal- his daughter’s face and body when visiting her school, working at Burger King and as a life ing for the community’s help in locating Sherry. denied her low-income housing. Workplaces following surgery. He stated that on May 6 an guard,” he said. “When she first saw us, she “The system has failed Sherry completely— were mistreating her. She was treated like she individual who was not a family member vis- couldn’t believe it. Then she told us what had from childhood to this very day,” Affinity Exec- didn’t deserve to be equally protected. The ited his daughter at Rush. Shortly after, she happened to her.” utive Director Kim Hunt told Windy City Times. streets just took her over. She turned to alco- was permitted to sign herself out and left the Nicholas said that, as a child, Berry was “I talked to her father and he did go into the hol, smoking, cocaine. She became homeless. hospital. placed in the home of a relative. “How they DCFS stuff but also talked about how when But she never came to us. Our daughter would On May 15, Nicholas told Windy City Times obtained custody, we don’t know. [She was Sherry made her transition she was not able write us off saying ‘we don’t love her.’ I kept that the individual who accompanied Berry allegedly raped], Sherry got chlamydia and a to find resources to support her. Even though saying ‘We do. We accept you. We don’t accept out of the hospital had seen fliers and reports respiratory infection. The Children’s Advocacy she apparently has a very loving family they what happened to you. We don’t like it.’ She about her disappearance and immediately con- Center knew about this and they did nothing.” couldn’t find resources either. Because of this, didn’t want to stay with us.” tacted the family to inform them that she was According to Nicholas, Berry was instead ad- there was no role model for her.” Nicholas said that Berry survived by engaging alive and currently staying with a relative. mitted to Michael Reese Hospital on Chicago’s Windy City Times reached out to Rush Univer- in the sex trade. However Nicholas remains extremely concerned South Side. “She was in the psychiatric facil- sity Medical Center in order to determine why a On April 25, 2015, Berry left her sister Caro- because he maintains his daughter has refused ity,” he said. “Sherry told us they restrained woman was allowed to sign herself out a little line’s home at 4 a.m. “We don’t know why,” to return to the hospital for treatment for what her and she got electroshock therapy. But she more than a week after having brain surgery, in Nicholas said. he characterized as a “life threatening prob- didn’t have psychotic episodes. Never tried to her condition and with a stranger despite the Two days later, she was admitted into Saint lem.” kill herself. She just kept saying ‘my parents are visitation restrictions Nicholas said were sup- Bernard Hospital on the South Side. At 3 p.m., “According to Rush as of May 15 x-rays [of going to save me’.” posed to be enforced. Their only response to she was transferred to Rush where she under- Berry] determined blood clots in her lungs that At 16, Sherry began her transition. “She was these questions was “the patient was medically went brain surgery the same day. have spread to her stomach,” he said. Nicholas discriminated against,” Nicholas said. “They cleared for discharge.” Nicholas stressed that he was very clear to WINDY CITY TIMES May 20, 2015 7

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VD: FY15 FP4C Pridefest Safety: 10 x 13.5 9094 Pub puts a .75” border all around Windy City Times 5/20 8 May 20, 2015 WINDY CITY TIMES KELLEY from cover of swirling arguments over the impact on the movement for gay rights and women’s rights of an attempt by two women to obtain a marriage license from Cook County. After that I worked with Bill on many campaigns ranging from the opposition to Anita Bryant to the effort to pass a gay rights bill in the Chicago City Council. “Working with the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Metropolitan Chicago, Bill was able to draw many diverse parts of the gay and lesbian com- munity from bar owners to lesbian-feminist activists like myself. His work with the Illi- nois Gay and Lesbian Task Force was paramount in the move to pass legal protections for gay men and lesbians. Bill, of course, was in the fight before I was … . His courage in step- ping forward at a time when so few of us were willing to be identified as gay, led the way to the movement and victories we see today. … His droll wit, interesting posts [on Facebook], comments about Chicago always brought back those heady days in the 1970s when we were forging a new era for the gay and lesbian com- munity.” “For the final 10 years of my syndicated gay- press career, Bill was my editor, my proofreader, my fact-checker, and my all-around advisor. In both English and Spanish,” said journalist Rex Wockner. “I don’t think I know anyone else who knew so much about everything, includ- Kelley (third from left) at the first White House meeting on gay issues, in 1977. Midge Costanza (back to camera) hosted the meeting. ing the entire history of our movement. One More photos and video with the online edition of this story at www.windycitymediagroup.com of the most remarkable, amazing people I ever have known, and a dear friend. He would do well. the board of Friends of the Chicago Gay and tion of the New York [branch], which gave them things like spend two hours reading the con- “Bill and Gary Chichester are the reason that Lesbian Hall of Fame. Bill was certainly ‘one- my name. ... I got interested because of my stitution of Trinidad and Tobago, at midnight, the structure and sustainability of the Chicago of-a-kind’—an intelligent, kind, and generous consciousness regarding sexual discrimination in order to tweak one sentence in one of my Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame exist today. He man, and extremely competent in all matters and progressive laws. I remember when I had international news briefs. As gay news became would often say in the last year he was look- legal. He was unequaled when it came to writ- to read about [these issues] in the Rare Books more complex and more intertwined with legal ing forward to the day he could relax from all ing technical opinions and responses.” Room at the University of Chicago; that’s where things, I couldn’t have continued as long as I of the efforts he was expending. Well, Bill the In the 1990s, Kelley was a law clerk to Jus- they kept gay books, or at least the first one I did without him. This is a huge loss—for me, heavens just opened again for a real angel to tice William S. White of the Appellate Court of read, The Homosexual in America.” for Chicago, and for brainiac first-hand memory take his place among the stars. Illinois. He was on the board of directors of In 1964 in the Chicago area, there was a se- of LGBT history nationwide and beyond.” “Bill and Chen were a world-traveled couple the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois ries of very public police raids on gay bars that “I loved and admired Bill Kelley, and I will who often shared their adventures on Face- and was a board member and officer of the Chi- resulted in peoples’ names and addresses being miss him and his wry smile and his quiet book. I was often in wonderment of the gar- cago Access Corporation. He was a founder of put in the front pages of newspapers. “That re- grace,” said writer and editor Jorjet Harper. dens in the back of their house and how much the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association ally made me think that something should be “The old saying that ‘when an elder dies, a li- dedication they devoted to being caretakers of and a member of the Lesbian and Gay Bar As- done. It took me getting this mailing [about brary burns to the ground’ is more true of Bill nature.” sociation of Chicago, Asians and Friends Chi- the meeting] to get me in contact with others Kelley’s passing than of anyone else I know. “This news is devastating,” Gary Chichester cago, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Task who were involved in activism,” Kelley said. “I His deep and finely detailed knowledge of LGBT said. “I have known Bill for over 45 years and Force on Gay and Lesbian Issues, the City of was about 22 or 23. That’s not as young as history was rooted in his personal experiences have always found him to be someone who Chicago’s Advisory Council on Gay and Lesbian people have started since then. It just seemed as a creator of and a witness to that history. would have great insight regarding the issues Issues, and the National Committee for Sexual like the thing to do. I had always been a little “Bill and I worked closely together as co-edi- that have faced our communities. He was a Civil Liberties, according to the Hall of Fame. outspoken, politically. Even back in the 1950s, tors on a number of Tracy Baim’s books, includ- wonderful friend and mentor. We have lost a In a 2005 interview with Windy City Times, I wrote letters to the editor—about segrega- ing Obama and the Gays; Out and Proud in Chi- great leader and one of the most important in- Kelley discussed growing up in Southeast Mis- tion, not gayness.” cago; Gay Press, Gay Power; the Chuck Renslow dividuals creating change in the fight for equal souri in the 1950s. “It was legally segregated Kelley was involved with Mattachine Mid- biography Leatherman, Jim Flint’s biography rights for LGBT people. and practically segregated, for the most part. west from 1965 to roughly 1970. “By that The Boy From Peoria, and Vernita Gray’s biog- “Bill Kelley was incredibly generous with his When I entered high school, it was the first time, I found Mattachine to be too lethargic raphy From Woodstock to the White House (the time and insights and so helpful to me in my year it had been desegregated,” Kelley said, and the personalities to be too irritating; we last three co-written with Owen Keehnen). At work for Windy City Times and beyond,” said adding that reading influenced his view on also had arguments about various issues. So the time of Bill’s death we had just finished ed- writer Chuck Colbert. “Just this morning [May civil rights. “The consciousness of rights was I got together with another friend who was in iting the first biography of gay activist Barbara 17] I received an email from him that came grounded because it was the McCarthy era. I Mattachine; we formed an organization to do Gittings. I thought we made a great editing through at roughly 4 a.m. on my end. His pass- was reading books about free speech, [about] a political-questionnaire project for political team; I have always enjoyed working with him, ing is a great loss for our community.” not accepting the religiosity of the day, and candidates—that became HOPE (Homosexuals and I relied on his expertise, his eye, and his As the Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame website about racial justice. It was a combination of Organized for Political Education),” Kelley said. impeccable mastery of Associated Press style. states: “His influence behind the scenes can- those three types of readings that began to “About that time, Chicago Gay Liberation had Bill’s vast knowledge of people and events in not be overestimated. His knowledge, intellect, make me rights-conscious. In fact, I was an come onto the scene after Stonewall; shortly, the community was often astonishing to me, and steady, reasoned approach have earned ACLU member when I was in high school.” Chicago Gay Alliance came out of that. CGA was and he would tease out fine points of historical him the trust and respect of community activ- Kelley moved to Chicago in 1959 to attend more to my liking than CGL, so I went there accuracy that I would never even have been ists on all sides of issues. the University of Chicago. “As far as gayness and stayed until it evaporated. We lobbied aware of. “Kelley has been an initiator of a large num- was concerned, it gave me a chance to see Democrats, City Council and the Illinois Fair “He truly has been a Chicago icon for decades ber of community projects; his involvement whether being sexual in a different environ- Employment Practices Commission, which has in the struggle for LGBT equality, yet his man- has included Mattachine Midwest, the Chicago ment [would still result in me] being gay,” he been superseded by the Human Rights Commis- ner was softspoken and unassuming. I am still Gay Alliance, Homosexuals Organized for Politi- said. “I needed to check things out; I didn’t sion. in shock that he’s gone, along with that part of cal Education, the Gay and Lesbian Pride Week know if my gayness was a function of social “When CGA dissolved in about 1973, I met a our living history that has gone with him.” Planning Committee, Illinois Gays for Legisla- vectors in high school or my orientation. It lover. He was an energetic CGA person [Mike Israel Wright, a longtime friend and fellow tive Action, the Illinois Gay and Lesbian Task turned out to be [the latter]. ... That was two Bergeron] who organized a newspaper [Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame board member, Force, the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Met- years before Illinois officially abolished its law Gay Crusader] and community center; I helped was among activists who had just spent time ropolitan Chicago, the North American Con- against same-sex activity and, even after that, him with that for a few years. At that time, with Kelley at the Hall of Fame’s bowling event ference of Homophile Organizations, and the it was quite a while before authorities stopped so many organizations were being formed to May 9. National Gay (now Gay and Lesbian) Task Force. trying to enforce laws that did not exist or en- accomplish various goals. In 1976, I started “I am so at a loss for exact words to express ... He has represented lesbian and gay concerns force other laws that did exist in a discrimina- working with Chuck Renslow in his office, how important Bill Kelley has been to me and while actively participating in such groups as tory way.” which was an opportunity to really stay in- believed in all that I have done with the Chi- the 1980 White House Conference on Families Kelley went to the first public meeting of volved. I [wasn’t] a professional gay activist as cago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame and other- and the implementation committee for the Mattachine Midwest, in August 1965. “I was we’ve had since then—but that was the closest wise,” Wright said. “At times when it seemed 1980 startup of the Illinois Human Rights Com- interested in finding such a group for a couple I came to being one. That pattern persisted there was no one in my corner I could always mission. In 1987, after many years of concern of years but didn’t know how,” he said. “I wrote throughout the ‘70s. I was involved in orga- count on Bill to be my great support. The last with lesbian and gay legal rights, he realized the Mattachine Society in New York, which I nizations that did anything that was political time we were together was at our most recent his personal dream of becoming a lawyer.” read about, and they apparently kept me on and activistic. Social service groups were not Celebrity Bowl and once again he provided in- Dick Uyvari said he had “the distinct plea- their contact list. When some people started my cup of tea.” valuable support to make sure the event went sure of serving with Bill the last four years, on a group in Chicago, they enlisted the coopera- See page 9 WINDY CITY TIMES May 20, 2015 9 KELLEY from page 8 was invited because I had been acquainted with Bruce. I was asked to write a paper, and “One day he walked in to my office and the I did. It was about tax-exemption problems of next thing I knew he was the smartest legal gay groups; that was one of the issues that we TM assistant who had not yet gone to law school wanted to bring to the Carter administration’s that I could ever find,” said longtime attor- attention. So, basically I went to Washington ney Ralla Klepak. “After years of nagging—a one day, lugging my IBM typewriter. I finished talent of mine—he went to law school. Histo- writing the paper in the hotel and went over to rian, lawyer, administrative judge, intellectual, the White House.” warrior, chronicler, Solomon-like attributes, Asked his advice for younger activists, Kelley the world is diminished by his loss and we are said this in 2005: “Patience ... which is always greater by his life, cut too short. We collec- hard for young people to accept. Also, they tively mourn.” should learn from history; I always did. When In 1987, while still working for Renslow, he I was a child, I related better to older people; received his law degree from Chicago-Kent Law I was interested in what had happened before. School. History is such a useful tool for activism; you “I’m personally deeply grateful that even learn what to expect in terms of opposition presents: then [in the 1960s], when the movement’s and opportunity. Lastly, don’t write off older prospects looked so bleak, Bill had the fore- people. They still can be very helpful, not only sight to hold on to so many obscure scraps of in terms of intellectual resources but in terms of ideas.” OUT of the OFFICE paper,” said historian Timothy Stewart-Winter. “He soon became a national leader in the ho- Kelley said if it had not been for his partner mophile movement. My heart goes out to his Ooi, “I wouldn’t have been able to do a lot of dear partner of many years, Chen Ooi, who tol- things, such as attend law school (because of Please join us to kick off the support he offered me). Also, I can bounce erated the weeks I spent going through Bill’s Pride Month at a festive papers on the living room. Rest in power, sir.” a lot of things off of him; he’s much better Mark Segal, founder and publisher of Phila- at understanding human nature than I am. In after-work LGBTQ addition, since he’s a little more conservative delphia Gay News, said he knew Kelley since client appreciation mixer the early 1970s, when Segal came to Chicago to than I am, he can offer different viewpoints speak at Gay Pride. “Bill was passionate about that I would never consider. Overall, the rela- benefiting: LGBT history, and was humble about his part tionship has benefited my activist involvement as a pioneer,” Segal said. “He marched when more than my activist involvement has benefit- few would, he spoke up when few would, for ted my relationship.” all this he was to be honored in Philadelphia Visitation will be Wed., May 20, 3-9 p.m. this July 4th on the 50th anniversary of the Drake & Son Funeral Home, 5303 N. West- 1965-’69 Independence Hall ‘Equality for ho- ern Ave. On Thursday, visitation will be at mosexual’s’ picket line, [among] the first LGBT the same location 9 a.m., with procession public demonstrations in the nation. Today’s to Wunder Cemetery at noon, 3963 N. Clark, LGBT activists for equality should honor and Chicago. equal his passion and bravery.” Kelley spoke to Windy City Times about his See Kelley’s interview with the Chicago participation in the historic White House meet- Gay History Project here: chicagogayhistory. ing. “The National Gay Task Force was behind org/biography.html . getting it set up. That was done through con- See interview with Kelley and Chen here: tacts cultivated between Jean O’Leary, the co- www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Bill- Kelley-and-Chen-Ooi-on-their-lives-and-vol- executive director of NGTF, and Midge Costan- nd za, President Jimmy Carter’s assistant. Bruce unteer-work/38019.html . Tuesday, June 2 Voeller, the other co-executive director, had also see this 2005 interview with Kelley: 5:30 to 8 pm become familiar with Chuck Renslow, because www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Talk- Chuck was considered a mover and shaker and ing-History-with-Longtime-Activist-Bill- THE GODFREY HOTEL Kelley/8607.html . Bruce kept in contact with [those people]. I 127 W. Huron at LaSalle, Chicago

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Sedgwick Chicago, IL 60614 | dreamtown.com/lgbt | 312.373.8900 10 May 20, 2015 WINDY CITY TIMES Affinity marks 20 years of grassroots accomplishments PART TWO OF TWO involved with this organization on the South DeShawn said she credits Affinity’s com- By Gretchen Rachel Hammond Side working with Black women in particular munity as among those who have helped the was intriguing.” organization navigate through a difficult phil- When Affinity began work in 1995, at its helm After Hunt finished grad school, Smith and anthropic world with priorities that seem to be was a group of true idealists determined to do Pickens took her out to dinner. “[They] put the in a constant state of change. “We have people whatever it took to ensure than an under-rep- moves on me to be on the board,” Hunt recalled who continue to give their five dollars every resented Black LGBTQ community on Chicago’s with a laugh. “They kept asking so eventually month,” she said, adding that Hunt’s ability South Side was given a voice and the confi- I said ‘yes’ and was on the board for a couple to build relationships and find new sources of dence to express it in a challenging political, of years before I became executive director.” funding has been just as invaluable. social and philanthropic world. Ten years ago, DeShawn was an undergradu- However, 2012 proved to be a year when Af- For the next 20 years the women who led Af- ate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa—a finity ran a perilous gauntlet. “Ironically that’s finity took it from an all-volunteer grassroots place she referred to as a PWI (predominantly the time when we were growing,” Hunt said. organization that had to fight for recognition white institution). “I was looking for people “[It] was a weird year. It started out on a really and precious donor dollars to one that is now that looked like me and they just don’t exist in high note, and then, towards the middle of the forging partnerships and initiatives that span Des Moines,” she said. “I was following Affin- year, it became apparent that some of the new LGBTQ issues across the city and nationwide. ity’s website for quite some time. I had come foundation donors we were cultivating were They don’t have a massive staff or an inordi- home for a break and I was like, ‘I’m going to going through some changes in interest areas nately large budget. A great deal of the work go’.” and leadership, and it all happened at once. Affinity accomplishes is still completed day- She showed up to Affinity’s XPU youth lead- Money that we anticipated even conservatively Kim Hunt. by-over-12-hour-day through its volunteers, ership institute and was encouraged to join just disappeared.” Photo by Matt Simonette board and small number of employees. Yet Af- despite an initial reluctance. “Major peer pres- Affinity’s leadership was left with a heart- finity continues to expand its reach. sure, good old Affinity style,” DeShawn said. breaking but inescapable decision. place where we can do so much work.” Two of the organization’s leaders—Executive “I started doing the drop-ins and found com- “At our high we had three full-time and two “There’s also a desire to connect the dots Director Kim Hunt and Board Vice-President munity. When I first started working with Affin- part-time staff,” Hunt said. “By the time we around the Midwest when it comes to LGBT Anna DeShawn—sat down with Windy City ity there was no full-time staff. Everything was laid people off, there were two of us left and organizations,” Hunt added. “I’ve talked to Times late one Wednesday evening to discuss run by board members. Everything was a vol- we were paid part-time but continued to work several organizations in different parts of the Affinity’s work both present and future. unteer-based system. The capacity has grown like before because there was so much to do.” Midwest who want to come together to do Hunt was an independent grant-writer when exponentially over the past 10 years.” “Affinity is always [operating under the pre- something bigger. Those are seeds that we’ve she discovered Affinity during an INCITE Col- For Hunt, the challenge was to broaden Af- tense that], ‘We’re going to get through this,’” been planting for the last three or four years or of Violence conference in Chicago—Chris finity’s initial focus on community building DeShawn said, referring to the board.“We’re all now.” Smith was a panelist at that conference. “I had and providing a safe space. “That was hugely a strong-minded, opinionated group of people When Affinity’s first co-chairs Chris Smith important and very attractive to funders,” she but at the end of the day the main goal is and Lisa Marie Pickens planted the seeds of the said. “Over the years focusing on that alone what’s best for the organization. That’s what organization in 1995 they could not have dared wasn’t enough to bring funding in and it really we all agree on.” to imagine it would become so critical to the wasn’t meeting the needs of the community Neither the board nor Hunt allowed the som- community. either.” ber days of 2012 to consume Affinity. Three Yet according to Smith one of the reasons While those communities and spaces still ex- years on, they now boast an operating reserve that has occurred is because then and now Af- ist in the form of Affinity’s volunteer-led pro- and an auditor, which is very rare for an orga- finity’s leadership stayed true to the founding grams such as Trail Blazers, 40 +, Proud Parents nization of its size. vision and mission of the organization. and Chi T* among others, Hunt recognized the Today it is difficult to find an LGBT fight in “I’m proud of them,” Smith said referring to need to have more structured programming which Affinity has not played a significant role, Hunt and the current board. “I mean, they not over a longer period of time. Born from that whether in marriage equality or the myriad of only moved beyond the challenges [of 2012] need, the three-year Youth Scholars Program issues faced by the transgender community, but they doubled the budget. They’ve done was developed by DeShawn and her fellow XPU those living with HIV, homeless youth, immi- an outstanding job and they always reached members. “We have 12 alum from that group grants — all people which the organization back to ask about the principles specific to the who are out doing amazing things,” Hunt said. proudly calls “constituents.” To further its structure of the organization and how to carry She added that peer-to-peer education and reach it has forged partnerships with organiza- those philosophical pillars forward in their advocacy has become a quintessential element tions from the Chicago Urban League to the work. They are some powerful sisters.” of Affinity’s work in social justice, direct ser- AIDS Foundation of Chicago. Note: Affinity Community Services, Chicago, vices and programming such as HIV prevention. “We’ve been working closely with Affinity will benefit from the Saturday, June 13, Ar- In 2010 Affinity began a dramatic shift to- probably for the last five years,” AFC President temis Singers Pride concert/dance at Beverly ward public policy efforts. “By that time a lot and CEO John Peller told Windy City Times. Unitarian Church, 10244 S. Longwood Dr., at 7 of the organizations across the country that “When we say, ‘Hey, we need your help with p.m. The nonprofit chorus, celebrating its 35th were created around the same time as Affinity something’ the answer’s always ‘Yes’. The level anniversary, specializes in performing music were dying, they were just starved for fund- of grassroots engagement that Affinity is able written or arranged by women. Visit http:// artemisproudbeverly.brownpapertickets.com. Anna DeShawn. ing,” Hunt recalled. “We knew that we needed to bring is incredible. It’s an organization that Photo courtesy of Affinity to step up our game in certain areas.” is deeply rooted in the community and excep- Nevertheless in terms of funding and support tionally well run. Kim and the board have done recently come out and I had walked past Affin- DeShawn said that a great divide still exists a phenomenal job in making Affinity a small State rep lauds ity many times and never went in,” Hunt said. between the North and South sides of Chicago. but incredibly mighty organization.” “So when I saw [Chris] at the conference I was “Inherently larger non-profits that have According to Hunt, a person can travel any- Scout for like ‘let me just introduce myself and make my million-dollar funders can of course serve more where in the country and will find someone services available’.” people,” she said. “And often times when you who knows about Affinity or has been affected LGBT project Hunt’s work with the committee to bring have grants based on the number of people you by the organization’s work. State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, the 2006 Gay Games to Chicago had provided serve, then they automatically get more fund- “I remember talking to one constituent who praised David Fite, a soon-to-be decorat- her with plenty of contacts, “folks who were ing than smaller nonprofits like ourselves, even said that Affinity saved her life,” Hunt said. ed Eagle Scout, on the completion of his on the front line across the city in the LGBT though we have proven to be financially stable “She had gone to a health forum on breast Eagle rank assignment. Fite tied the last movement,” she said. “But to know someone [with] pages and pages of good work.” cancer and one of the things they had talked fabric strip onto the colorful fence outside about was self-examination. She went home of Nettelhorst Elementary School in Lake and did that for the first time ever and I saw View. on Facebook that she has been cancer free for Feigenholtz said in a statement, “David five years.” chose this as his Eagle Scout assignment On July 18, Affinity will hold Jazz ‘n July at after successfully lobbying the Boy Scouts Gallery Guichard on the South Side. Jazz ‘n July of America to accept openly gay members. is an event that hasn’t been seen since 2009. I couldn’t be prouder to know this amazing Hunt and DeShawn said that it will be a mo- young man.” ment for nostalgia but also one which looks Nettelhorst students have completed the forward to accomplishing new goals. Fence Project for the past seven years. “The biggest thing that we all would like to An article about Fite and his contribu- see happen really soon is a community cen- tion is on the Windy City Times website ter on the South Side where we can provide at http://www.windycitymediagroup.com/ even more direct services and have even more lgbt/Teen-Eagle-Scouts-projects-focuses- programs available,” DeShawn said. “A starting on-LGBT-community-/51470.html. WINDY CITY TIMES May 20, 2015 11 and share their experiences, which will lead into the conference. SAGE takes initiative SAGE’s policy recommendations for the 2015 White House Conference on Aging fit into four themes of the conference; so far they have had retirement security, healthy aging, long-term on LGBT elder services and supports and elder justice. “The Obama administration has indicated that they intend this year’s White House Con- housing, policy ference on Aging to announce some policy breakthroughs, which is different from past By Melissa Wasserman facility, including receiving less information conferences, which have only been about con- about additional available units and receive versation and talking about the things we’re Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexu- advice with additional fees, higher costs and a going to do over the next 10 years,” Adams al and Transgender Elders (SAGE) has an active more extensive application process.” said. “The Obama administration says, ‘Yes, year planned, starting with the launch of its Also, as detailed in SAGE’s 2014 report Out we’ll do all that, we’re going to talk about national LGBT elder-housing initiative. and Visible: The Experiences and Attitudes of what’s going to happen in the next 10 years, “It is very safe to say there is a housing crisis Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) but we also want to talk about what we’re go- among LGBT older adults in the country, but we Older Adults, Ages 45-75, when searching for ing to do now.’ So we’re hopeful one or more cannot build our way out of this crisis,” said housing, 13 percent of LGBT older people re- of those policy announcements will be about SAGE Executive Director Michael Adams during port they have been discriminated against LGBT older adults.” a recent visit to Chicago for the national con- based on sexual orientation, while 25 percent For more information on SAGE and the Na- ference Aging in America. “The crisis is of a of transgender older people report discrimina- tional LGBT Elder Housing Initiative, visit scale that’s enormous.” tion based on their gender identities. http://sageusa.org/lgbthousing/#overview. SAGE was established in New York City in Due to the statistics caused by problems SAGE Executive Director Michael Adams. 1978. Today, it serves as the country’s oldest such as economic insecurity, housing discrimi- Photo by Tracy Baim and largest organization dedicated to improv- nation, lack of legal protections and racial and ing the lives of LGBT older adults and their ag- gender disparities, SAGE’s LGBT Elder Housing on Halsted’s Town Hall Apartments is the new- Sidetrack hosting ing experience. Initiative is a national strategy to address est. SAGE is now preparing to build the next Adams has been at the head of SAGE for the issues within LGBT elder housing, ensur- facility, which will also stand as New York City’s OUTspoken! June 2 Nightspot Sidetrack will again host the about nine years. He gained a personal lens ing a welcoming housing option for LGBT older first LGBT-inclusive older adult housing. The LGBTQ storytelling event OUTspoken!—this into the challenges of aging when he and his people. housing will be located in the Bronx and is still time on Tuesday, June 2, at 7 p.m. David partner witnessed close elder family members “There are a lot of issues—lack of cultural in the preliminary stages. Fink curates the event. aging and having health issues. He recalls be- competence, a lack of welcoming environ- “One of the elements that is very important The storytellers will be Lyric tenor John ing drawn to the work he does as he saw how ments. Some of that is about the program de- is that they’re all designed to provide services Concepcion, Chicago Public Media’s Tyler aging and being LGBT intersect. signs, staff, etc. Some of that is unfortunately on-site for people who are struggling with fi- Greene, writer Re’Lynn Hansen, writer/per- “I’m seeing the significance of this work and about other older adults programs,” said Ad- nancial security, health issues etc.,” said Ad- former Holly Hughes, University of Illinois, how the country is graying, so to speak,” Ad- ams. ams. “You can’t just build a building. It’s got Urbana-Champaign Associate Professor of ams said. “It’s just as true in the LGBT com- SAGE’s initiative is made up of five steps to to be a community. There have to be services English and Latina/Latino Studies Ricky munity and yet historically we’ve paid very increased and improved LGBT housing for older available.” Rodriguez, writer/designer Denise Ruiz and little attention to older people. We have a lot people: building housing, training providers, Along with the new housing project, SAGE interfaith chaplain Zac Willette. of catching up to do.” changing policy, educating consumers and ex- also looks forward to the 2015 White House Visit http://outspokenchicago.com/. Adams pinpoints isolation, health disparities panding services. Conference on Aging happening later this year. and lack of financial security in the later years, “I think perhaps the most important compo- The conference, which happens once every 10 as causes for a greater need for LGBT older nent is the training component,” Adams said. years, focuses on key issues and determines Corrections adult services, supports and greater reliance on “So, we have made a commitment to build a federal aging policy for the next decade. Ad- In the May 13 article about the LGBT what he calls the so-called safety net within national training program to provide cultural ams said this year’s conference is a dramati- veterans’ memorial, one individual should the federal government. competency training to senior housing pro- cally different experience from the 2005 con- have been identified as Ronald E. Walters, A big emphasis for SAGE’s work, Adams said, viders across the country. The focus there will ference, when no LGBT content was included. interim undersecretary for memorial af- is collaborating with various organizations be working with senior housing providers to Adams said that 10 years ago, SAGE secured fairs. In addition, the Chicago Gay Men’s across the country as the small organization equip them to do a much better job in cre- just one official delegate slot and they were Chorus is slated to perform, not Windy City has what he details as an ambitious national ating environments for older members of the the only LGBT representation at that confer- Gay Chorus. Also, an RSVP is needed for the agenda. One of its partners is the Equal Rights LGBT community that are welcoming. Our be- ence of 3,000 delegates. bus. A free bus will be provided, boarding Center. lief in this national initiative is that if we can Adams explained SAGE was invited to the at 11:30 a.m. at the Center on Halsted on According to the Equal Right Center’s 2014 provide good quality training, we can provide table to the planning process for the 2015 con- a first-come, first-served basis. Those wish- report, “In a recent national investigation, 48 senior housing facilities with the information ference, so far having had multiple meetings ing to ride may RSVP to jamesdarby@aol. percent of older same-sex couples experienced and skills they need to do a better job working and conversations with the staff organizing the com or (773)752-0058. No RSVP is needed at least one form of adverse differential treat- with LGBT older adults.” White House Conference on Aging. to attend the ceremony. ment (as compared to heterosexual couples) In the United States, there are four afford- According to Adams, LGBT elders will be pres- Windy City Times regrets the errors. when inquiring about housing in a senior living able LGBT older adult housing facilities; Center ent at five summits across the country to speak 12 May 20, 2015 WINDY CITY TIMES Chicago couple builds arts-enpowerment program for girls

By Ross Forman the past 10 years, said such a program defi- nitely would have helped her. Meredith Montgomery has been working as a “We were total weirdos [growing up] and now teaching artist for almost five years—first in we’re theatre people,” she said. “At that age, Austin, Texas, and now in Chicago—which is being different, or weird, or fun can often land both incredible and challenging, she said. you with a lot of isolation or the subject of “I created my own method of devised theater harassment and bullying. We wanted to create as a junior in college; I call it a ‘journaling to a positive, creative, and empowering space for performance method.’ It values the art of jour- girls that would make them value what makes nal writing and original self-expression, while them unique, while respecting the uniqueness From left: Jessica London-Shields and Meredith Montgomery of {she crew}. honoring collaboration, and teaches how to of others.” Photo from London-Shields translate an original journal piece into some- Montgomery, now 26, said when she was thing that can be put on stage,” Montgomery growing up that she was “lucky enough” to bodied individuals. And ‘Crew’ to imply com- traits because those are things that everyone said. have speech and debate teams, coached by the munity.” should be able to find value in. We also dis- In Chicago, she has used the method mostly theatre teachers, “so we were basically a com- London-Shields said the program “is obvious- cuss how diversity, or a lack thereof, can affect for teens. petitive theatrical bunch of misfits.” ly queer inclusive, but not exclusively queer.” our communities. We encourage togetherness “I have worked for a number of organizations That was her salvation. “We talk an awful lot about gender in the through respect and understanding, not as- in [Chicago], and there are some awesome and “Though this was a creative and structured class, breaking it down to what it means to similation.” necessary artistic educational programs out outlet for me, I was still left feeling in the dark us, what it means to other people, how gen- The relationship of Montgomery and London- there, but I felt that my method would be bet- about a lot of things surrounding my gender der factors into our own expectations for our- Shields is not discussed in the {she crew} ter suited for a smaller class size,” she said. and my identity,” Montgomery said. “The dis- selves, and most importantly, how to be kind of classroom—because that’s when they are in- “After teaching in several classrooms and set- cussion surrounding gender and identity were ourselves,” she said. “This is very important to structor and facilitator. tings, I saw that there was one constant in all few and far between before I attended college. queer-identified youth and straight-identified “One of our long-term goals is to really flesh of them: negativity around the female gender. But these are not things that can just be stud- [cisgender] youth alike, because gender roles out our student-to-intern growth program,” That is when I decided that I wanted to use my ied in high learning; it makes us who we are. are absorbed so thoroughly at this age. It is Montgomery said. “We want {she crew} to ex- method to address this negativity by creating “We wanted to give girls a safe and positive important to have a place to discuss them, so pand organically and from within. We eventu- something empowering, artistic, and communi- space for them to discuss and explore their as not to internalize damaging gender expec- ally want to turn the instruction of {she crew} ty-based, all for a demographic that is so often identities at the age when these questions tations upon oneself. This is important for all over to the girls who went through the pro- forgotten about: adolescent girls.” arise.” people, no matter who you are.” gram. The longevity of {she crew} will only be In the fall of 2013, Montgomery and her {she crew} this past summer offered three Montgomery added, “Adolescents are ex- possible if the instructors stay young, current, partner, Jessica London-Shields, started cre- performances of devised theatre, written and tremely insightful. They understand a lot more and knowledgeable of the specific needs of the ating their concept, and they soon launched performed by the 2014 inaugural class—and than I feel our society gives them credit for. girls. And the young women who will be the {she crew}—an arts empowerment program for its five performers, ranging in age from 12-15, Though our female-positive message is a ma- most capable of teaching this method will be Chicago girls, ages 12-14. completed the {she crew} Summer Intensive. jor factor that brings us together, it is the di- the girls who grew up with it and benefitted Montgomery added, “Our empowerment mes- The performances were held at three venues in versity that makes us a community. We value from it.” late July and performers came from such neigh- sage is meant to be preventative; to give girls each other’s differences because that is basic For more information about {she crew}, borhoods as Woodlawn, Avondale, Englewood tools, artistic outlets, and a grounding sense respect. Girls enjoy talking about their fami- visit shecrew.org. of self as they move from childhood into young and Pilsen. lies, their lineage, and their unique personality adulthood. Adolescent girls are at an age where London-Shields said {she crew} is now of- they are instantly objectified, questioning fering programming all year. For instance, an their own identities, and having to deal with after-school programming by {she crew} was at major transitions. Talk about stress. We are Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center in Hermosa here to give them a safe, artistic, and empow- this past fall, and is currently at Melody STEM ering space to throw everything about identity School in Garfield Park. against the wall and see what sticks for them. “{she crew} began as a dream of mine, and “We provide a six-week summer intensive when I told Jess about it, she said, ‘Well, let’s [June 23-Aug. 1], which included transit cards do it!.’ Everything from its conception, to the and one free meal a day prepared and shared as girls’ playwriting together in the classroom, to a community, fall and spring after school pro- the late-night grant-writing are all reflections gramming, one day workshops, and a student- of women working together,” Montgomery said. to-intern growth program, all of which have London-Shields added, “I think any job that accessible tuition for participants. We feel that is something you started and something that is by-donation only tuition is crucial, so girls in connected to the change that you want to see all communities, affluent or not, are guaran- in the world is going to be more emotionally teed equal accessibility. Therefore, admission charged than a day-job. And it should.” is decided through a short online application, So what’s with the name, {she crew}? not an ability or inability to pay tuition. This “We wanted a title that gave a glimpse to- ensures a diverse group of girls who become wards our priorities,” London-Shields said. a part of a greater community through {she ‘She’ to imply anyone who identifies as ‘she,’ a crew} programming.” feminine word that we both felt had a greater London-Shields, 28, who grew up in San potential for diversity than say ‘woman’ or ‘girl’ Girls in {she crew}. Francisco and has been living in Chicago for and wouldn’t be exclusively applied to female Photo courtesy of Jessica London-Shields WINDY CITY TIMES May 20, 2015 13

Being named Mr. Chicago Leather this past January 24 at The Leather Archives & Museum was extra special for Luis Tipantasig— that also was his birthday. “I went into the competition ready to open up and be myself, [which] sometimes can be scary,” Tipantasig said. “It means a lot to be selected to serve a community that embraced me with open arms and hearts.” His leather approach is simple: “Be true to yourself and feel comfortable in your own skin,” he said. Tipantasig will be front and center when the leather world makes its annual pilgrimage to Chicago for IML over the extended Memorial Day weekend. “I am looking forward to going through this experience with amazing men from all over the world. I have heard this experience can be life- changing,” he said. “I just keep telling myself, ‘Do not in the LIFE trip and fall of the stage.’” Luis Tipantasig Tipantasig’s goals for IML are simply to “have fun and enjoy the TEXT BY ROSS FORMAN weekend.” PHOTOS BY CHESTER MUNRO, Tipantasig’s leather-less work ANTHONY MEADE AND KIRK WILLIAMSON involves trouble-shooting databases and helping to maintain a stable • Age litigation software platform that is 37 used for e-discovery. • Neighborhood He said the best part of the Andersonville being Mr. Chicago Leather is the interaction with others, many of • Roots whom have reached out to him Originally from Bronx, New York; has lived simply to talk about the community. in Chicago for five years “The worst part [of being Mr. • Relationship status Chicago Leather] would be not Single having enough time to attend all the community events that I would • Job title like to support,” he said. Senior software snalyst for a software Tipantasig is, for instance, a hosting provider volunteer for Mr. Friendly, an • Hobbies organization that fights to end the Bowling, concerts, movies, traveling and stigma associated with HIV. cooking • Favorite TV shows “American Horror Story, Orange is the New Black and anything that will make me laugh.” • Favorite pizza topping Mr. Leather64TEN also to compete for IML Sausage Michael Pacas has been A resident of Chicago, Pa- enjoys being able to travel • Favorite drink chosen as the first Mr. Leath- cas is a founding member of extensively to promote the Vodka and sugar-free Red Bull er64TEN. Pacas will represent BLUFChicago, Chicago’s pre- leather community and orga- • Orientation Leather 64TEN, Chicago’s miere social club for men who nizations in which he is active. Michael Pacas. Gay custom-made leather shop. He are into wearing breeches and Leather64TEN will launch Photo by Israel will be entered into Interna- leather uniform. He is a volun- its new website (www.leath- Wright • Little-known fact tional Mr. Leather 2015, to be teer for the Leather Archives er64TEN.com) and mark the “I am a big country music fan. I used held Friday, May 22, through & Museum; The Lakeview Food store’s eighth anniversary in to live in the South and that’s the only Monday, May 25, 2015 (Memo- Pantry; The Windy City Empire Chicago on Thursday, May 21, thing that would be playing on the radio rial Day weekend), in Chicago. and The Night Ministry. He from 5 to 8 p.m. … plus I have a thing for cowboys.” Just a few International Mr. Leather 2015 weekend events download Wed., May 20 bears, and YOU! OH MY! With DJ $20 at the door. 11:30 pm, Metro Monday, May 25 nightspots nightspots #1143 • May 13, 2015 IML Best of Chicago Welcome Par- Dennis Murray and David Charles. Chicago, 3730 N. Clark St. The Black and Blue Ball Presented the official ty Hosted by Mr. Chicago Leather $15 with an IML or Bear Pride pass, Sunday, May 24 by IML in conjunction with Spit- guide to 2015 Luis Tipantasig. Berghoff $20 without. $1 from each ticket International Mr. Leather Contest shine Promotions. DJs Barry Harris beer tastings, free Chicago Red sold will go to Leather Archives See who takes the sash as Interna- and Steve Henderson, and host INTERNATIONAL Hots (those are hot dogs). 9 pm, & Museum. 9 pm, The Bottom tional Mr. Leather 37. Sponsored Mr. Chicago Leather 2014 Miguel MR. LEATHER Touche, 6412 N. Clark St., www. Lounge, 1375 W. Lake St. by Miller Lite. 6-9 p, Harris Theater Torres. Purchase tickets at Full Kit touchechicago.com Saturday, May 23 for Music and Dance, 205 E. Ran- Leather, 5025 N. Clark St. 8 pm, 2015 Sound-Bar, 226 W. Ontario Furball Chicago Celebrate IML/Bear dolph Dr., www.imrl.com GUIDE TO Friday, May 22 THE OFFICIAL MACHO Dance Party Come out and Pride weekend with DJs Hifi Sean dance the night away with the and Ron Geronimo. $16 advance hottest men in Chicago! DJs, go-go tickets at www.metrochicago.com; See more calendar events on page 28 www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com 14 May 20, 2015 WINDY CITY TIMES letters A plea to the pope Wir sind Kirche Österreich Dr. Martha Heizer, Chair WINDY An open letter to Pope Francis AUSTRALIA Australian Catholic Coalition for CITY Pope Francis, you need vibrant parishes and the parishes need you! Church Renewal Pope Francis, your vision of the Church moves Marilyn Hatton, Convenor us: a Church following the path and the spir- Catholics for Ministry TIMES it of Jesus; united in respect and candor, as Paul Collins, Convenor Catholics for Renewal VOL. 30, No. 34, May 20, 2015 equals, as true fellow travelers—squarely fac- The combined forces of Windy City Times, ing those who are marginalized and most in Peter Johnstone, President founded Sept. 1985, and Outlines newspaper, need of solidarity. Instead of deepening rifts, Cyber Christian Community founded May 1987. you bring us together. Instead of judging, you Helen Oxenburgh-Lowe, Convenor seek to understand. Instead of closing doors, Women and the Australian Church Bernice Moore, Convenor PUBLISHER & EXECUTIVE EDITOR you open hearts. Here, the original model of Tracy Baim the Church, as Jesus has shown us through his own life, is finally perceived again. ENGLAND ASSISTANT PUBLISHER Terri Klinsky MANAGING EDITOR Andrew Davis Countless people throughout the world cheer ACTA—A Call to Action Eileen Fitzpatrick, Chair BUSINESS MANAGER Ripley Caine you on because they share this vision, very DIRECTOR OF NEW MEDIA Jean Albright much in line with the Second Vatican Coun- Jean Riordan, Delegate ART DIRECTOR Kirk Williamson cil. Even more, they live up to it as well as SENIOR REPORTER Matt Simonette Senior Account Executives Terri Klinsky, Kirk they can—at home, in the local parishes at the GERMANY Deutsche Pfarrer-Initiative Williamson, Amy Matheny, Chris Cheuvront, Gretchen grassroots basis of the Church. Here, in the ev- Rachel Hammond, Rafael Alanis eryday life of the people, the Church exists—or Fr. Christian Ammersbach, Spokesman NATIONAL SALES Rivendell Media, 212-242-6863 not. Here, and only here, the Church experi- Wir sind Kirche Deutschland SENIOR WRITERS Bob Roehr, Tony Peregrin, Lisa Christian Weisner, Steering Committee Keen, Yasmin Nair ences its day-to-day raison d’être. THEATER EDITOR Scott C. Morgan Pope Francis, you need the parishes to bring CINEMA WRITER Richard Knight Jr. Francis DeBernardo, one of those signing an INDIA your vision of the Church to life. Without ac- open letter to Pope Francis. BOOKS WRITER Yasmin Nair tive parishes, your vision lacks the foundation Fr. Shaji George Kochuthara SPORTS WRITER Ross Forman Photo from DeBernardo ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT WRITERS and the necessary strength to overcome op- Moral Theologian and Priest, Carmelites of Mary Immaculate Mary Shen Barnidge, Steve Warren, Lawrence Ferber, position. Our parishes are the future of Jesus’ Mel Ferrand, Jerry Nunn, Jonathan Abarbanel Satyashodhak, Mumbai church, but it is exactly the future of these There are women and men, married couples, COLUMNISTS/WRITERS: Yvonne Zipter, Jorjet Dr. Astrid Lobo Gajiwala, parishes that is massively threatened. divorced and remarried, homosexual and het- Harper, Charlsie Dewey, Carrie Maxwell, Billy Masters, Theologian, Co-ordinator Sarah Toce, Dana Rudolph, Sally Parsons, Melissa Around the world, our bishops increasingly erosexual partners, young and old, those in the Wasserman, Joe Franco, Nick Patricca, Liz Baudler, respond to the priest shortage by merging ac- center and those who have been pushed to the Rex Wockner, Marie J. Kuda, Kate Sosin, Angelique IRELAND tive and vibrant parishes into anonymous and side—there are dedicated people who want to Smith, Meghan Streit Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) unmanageable superstructures. Merging seems put an end to the merger of their parishes into SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERS Mel Ferrand, Hal Baim, Fr. Brendan Hoban and Emmanuel Garcia, Tim Carroll, Ed Negron, Susan to be the formula of the hour. But in the new ever larger units. By their personal dedication, Fr. Seán McDonagh, Leadership Team Mattes mega-parishes, personal contact between peo- by the strength of their baptismal calling, they Fr. Tony Flannery, Host CIRCULATION ple and ministers is lost. The sacraments and assist in relieving the priests of their increas- CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Jean Albright of Limerick Conference 2015 the priests are removed ever further from the ing responsibilities in order to continue offer- DISTRIBUTION: Ashina, Allan, Dan, John, Renee, Sue Association of Catholics in Ireland (ACI) everyday life of church citizens. And where the ing vital services to the people. In parishes and Victor Noel McCann, Steering Group Chair WEB HOSTING: LoveYourWebsite.com (lead wellspring of the community, the celebration of that no longer have priests, they are develop- Dr. Patricia Fitzsimons, Steering Group Member programmer: Martie Marro) the Eucharist, is celebrated less and less often, ing creative solutions to ensure the cohesion We are Church Ireland communion falls by the wayside. Instead of and the day-to-day management of their par- Copyright 2015 Lambda Publications Inc./Windy City Media Brendan Butler, joint Co-Ordinator Group; All rights reserved. Reprint by permission only. Back caring for souls, priests are busy with coordi- ishes. In many cases, this has resulted in sus- issues (if available) for $5 per issue (postage included). Seeds of Hope nation and administration. While they are sup- tainable structures and models for the future Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, Kathleen McDonnell, Rita O’Brien, Margaret Lee, and photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and posed to be everywhere, they find themselves from which we can learn. There is still much Core Group Members no responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials. nowhere fully at home. In such parishes, the motivation at the base to strive for a renewed All rights to letters, art and photographs sent to Windy City Times will be treated as unconditionally assigned living breath of Jesus cannot be found; in- Church in the spirit of Jesus. ITALY for publication purposes and as such, subject to editing stead, God’s people feel alienated, unsettled Pope Francis, we—priests and deacons, min- and comment. The opinions expressed by the columnists, Noi Siamo Chiesa Italia and insecure. Here, the Church is no longer isters and Church citizens, women and men— cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are their own Vittorio Bellavite, Spokesman and do not necessarily reflect the position ofWindy City close to the people, but consciously removes need you! We appeal to you to clear the way Times. Publication of the name, photograph, or likeness of itself from its base. Fr. Carmine Miccoli, Priest a person or organization in articles or advertising in Windy for new forms of parish life, their ministry and City Times is not to be construed as any indication of the We, concerned priests and deacons, ministers management. Let us open the priestly office to sexual orientation of such person or organization. While SLOVAKIA and committed Church citizens in the parishes everyone who has the charisma. Let us develop we encourage readers to support the advertisers who make ok21—Society for Open Christianity for the 21st this newspaper possible, Windy City Times cannot accept of this world are no longer willing to walk this new management models and forms of pastoral Century responsibility for advertising claims. path. Together, we seek new paths to a future ministry so that parishioners can participate (773) 871-7610 FAX (773) 871-7609 Peter Križan, Chairman of our Church with vibrant parishes; parishes according to their charisms. Let us establish a e-mail: [email protected] or where everyone is welcome—without excep- new culture of co-responsibility and joint deci- [email protected] SWITZERLAND tion. And such ways exist! Many parishes have sion-making in all structures of our Church. Let Pfarrei-Initiative Schweiz www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com long shown by example how things can be done us remember how Jesus understood and lived Dr. Markus Heil, Deacon, Chairman podcast: WindyCityQueercast.com differently. community. God’s spirit compels us. Let us be Susanne A. Birke, Leadership team courageous and tackle this together! WINDY CITY MEDIA GROUP, Pope Francis, you need vibrant parishes for 5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL, 60640 U.S.A UNITED STATES (MAILING ADDRESS ONLY) your vision of Church to come to life. And the National Coalition of American Nuns parishes need you. We—the priests and dea- Sr. Jeannine Gramick S.L., National Coordinator Windy City Times Deadline every Wednesday. cons, ministers and many engaged Church citi- Nightspots Deadline Wednesday prior to street date. New Ways Ministry zens in parishes around the world—stand ready OUT! Resource Guide ONLINE Francis DeBernardo, Executive Director www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com to share our experiences and ideas and actively FutureChurch www.WindyCityQueercast.com support you and the bishops in realizing your Deborah Rose-Milavec, Executive Director vision at the base. Women’s Ordination Conference “Windy City Media Group generated enormous interest among their readers in this year’s LGBT Kate McElwee, Co-Executive Director Signed Consumer Index Survey. Out of approximately 100 print and online media partners who participated AUSTRIA INTERNATIONAL in the survey, Windy City was the best performing Pfarrer-Initiative Österreich International Movement We are Church (IMWAC) regional media in the U.S. Only survey partners Fr. Helmut Schüller, Spokesman with a nationwide footprint were able to generate Sigrid Grabmeier, Chair a greater number of responses.” ­­—David Marshall, Research Director, Community Marketing, Inc.

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Pope Francis on the cover of The Advocate.

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FOUNDING MEMBER WINDY CITY TIMES May 20, 2015 15 WINDY CITY TIMES DIVERSIONS THEATER • FILM • ENTERTAINMENT • SPORTS

‘Girl,’ interrupted 16 WCT reviews the disturbing production Our New Girl. 19 27 Photo by Michael Brosilow

SCOTTISH PLAY SCOTT Coming soon: More ‘Sweet Tea’ BY SCOTT C. MORGAN “In this version, sugar takes on a more sym- bolic role connecting to all the different ways A lot of Southerners will argue about the per- that sugar is connected to African Americans fect recipe or the proper method for making in this country from historically working on sweet tea. In a similar vein, professor/play- sugar cane plantations to sugar being a part wright/performer Dr. E. Patrick Johnson has of folklore,” Johnson said. “Also sugar being made many adjustments in his pursuit of find- a euphemism for diabetes which also plagues ing the right formula for his stage play based African-American communities to sugar being upon his award-winning 2008 scholarly book part of all of the rituals that happen in the titled Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South. play. It’s not sugar for sugar’s sake, it is sugar “We’ve had various permutations of the show with a purpose—and of course some of the and it has really grown,” said Johnson, who is terms that are used to describe gay people like bringing Sweet Tea back to the Chicago area for ‘sugar in the tank.’” a run at Northwestern University in Evanston Not only is Project& helming the Evanston at the end of May. “One of the ways that it has return of Sweet Tea, but also its upcoming tour grown is that my own story as a gay Black man to the National Black Theatre Festival this Au- has framed the play now such that my story is gust in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Saks sort of the conceit of the show.” said this engagement is particularly impor- “Patrick’s work is so rich. But when you read tant, since queer works haven’t typically been his scholarly book, none of the men are talking staged at the festival. to each other, so I thought in performance it Although Johnson has his hands full with could actually be a conversation between the touring Sweet Tea, he’s also in the midst of men because they are all part of a community,” creating a companion text called Honey Pot, said Jane M. Saks, the president and artistic di- which is about the lives of Southern Black les- rector of the socially conscious non-profit col- bians. It’s a subject that Johnson didn’t feel lective known as Project&. “And then of course qualified to tackle as a man. Johnson also adding the richness of Patrick’s story and nar- thought that once his Sweet Tea book was rative to make an even deeper conversation.” published, another colleague would pick up the Johnson originally intended Sweet Tea just mantle for her own scholarly book on lesbians. to be a printed collection of narratives from “But it didn’t happen,” Johnson said. “I Southern Black men. But along with the en- kept having women come to see Sweet Tea and couragement of Saks, Johnson refashioned his during the Q&A session saying, ‘When are you E. Patrick Johnson in Sweet Tea. book so that the stories could come alive by going to write our stories?’ or ‘When are you Photo courtesy of Keisha McClellan being performed aloud. Saks has continued to going to do Pink Lemonade?’—which I did con- champion Sweet Tea because it is one of those sider for a title.” for her company in collaboration with archi- rare instances where a scholar is actually stag- Johnson was understandably nervous about Harris Theatre tect Steven Holl. ing his research. But finding that right mix for being able to get women to open up to him Hamburg Ballet will perform Tuesday-Wed., the stage has been a continuous adjustment. with their life stories—particularly if there unveils 2015-16 Feb. 23-24, at 7:30 p.m. with its interpre- An early adaptation was titled Pouring Tea were histories of sexual violence perpetrated tation of William Shakespeare’s Othello. The and was simply performed in the manner of by men. dance season company will also perform Third Symphony reader’s theater. Later, the retitled Sweet Tea “I did 77 interviews for Sweet Tea, but I The Harris Theater for Music and Dance of Gustav Mahler on Friday-Saturday, Feb. 26- became a more fully realized staging in a 2010 did 81 for Honey Pot,” Johnson said. “So they President and Managing Director Michael Tik- 27, at 7:30 p.m. Chicago co-production by About Face Theatre outtalked the men. So my plan this summer is nis announced the dance performances for Lucky Plush Productions will present “Trip at the former Viaduct Theatre complete with to finish the book and to really start to think the 2015–16 “Harris Theater Presents” sea- the Light Fantastic: The Making of Super- an onstage tree coated in Spanish moss and about a script.” son. Strip” on Thursday, March 3, at 7:30 p.m. hanging illuminated jars. This production later Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South The 2015–2016 season at the Harris will Mark Morris Dance Group will perform Mor- played the Tony Award-winning Signature The- plays May 28-June 7 at Northwestern Uni- begin with the Harris debut of AXIS Dance ris’ masterwork Dido and Aeneas on Tuesday- atre in Arlington, Va. versity’s Hal and Martha Hyer Wallis Theatre, Company on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 6 p.m. and Wed., April 5-6, at 7:30 p.m. Lastly, Miami Understandably, Sweet Tea has had to be- 1949 Campus Dr., Evanston. Performances Saturday, Oct. 10, at 2 p.m. AXIS Dance Com- City Ballet will make its Harris Theatre debut come more simplified scenically as Johnson are at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Satur- pany has become one of the world’s most Friday-Saturday, April 29-30, at 7:30 p.m. and Saks have toured the show extensively days with 2 p.m. matinees Sundays (no show acclaimed and innovative ensembles of per- Visit HarrisTheaterChicago.org. throughout the country, most recently in Los Saturday, May 30). Tickets are $15; $10 for formers with and without disabilities. Northern Trust Company is the season Angeles. But Johnson feels Sweet Tea digs a seniors and students. Visit www.projectand. Jessica Lang Dance will perform Wed., Nov. sponsor. lot deeper now, especially since he says there org or www.communication.northwestern. 6, at 7:30 p.m. Lang will create a new dance is much more sugar in the show’s recipe now. edu/wirtz/special_events. 16 May 20, 2015 WINDY CITY TIMES THEATER REVIEW nie without any spousal consultation. But you can see why Richard thought he was Our New Girl helping as the self-admittedly hormonal Playwright: Nancy Harris Hazel is run off her feet by simultaneously At: Profiles Theatre’s The Main starting a home business selling Sicilian ol- Stage, 4139 N. Broadway ive oil and dealing with her willfully disobe- Tickets: 773-549-1815; dient son. www.profilestheatre.org; $35-$40 Things don’t get any better when Richard Runs through: June 28 arrives home, with Annie becoming an added complication by alternating as both an ally BY SCOTT C. MORGAN and foe to the family’s already heated fac- tional battles. Just whose side you’re sup- Irish playwright Nancy Harris knows how to posed to take continually shifts, as Harris grasp an audience’s attention in her 2012 makes vigilantly sure to point out how her play Our New Girl, now making a powerful characters are all filled with very human Midwest debut courtesy of Profiles Theatre. flaws. Harris also gives her characters a Harris’ modern-day drama opens with an un- chance to elaborate on their own personal settling sequence of an 8-year-old boy pre- unhappiness (particularly Hazel, who gave paring to cut off his own ear. up a high-powered career as an attorney to The rest of Our New Girl flashes back to become a stay-at-home mother). the fractured family dynamics to potentially Director Joe Jahraus and his fine quartet of explain why this moody boy, named Daniel actors keep the tension simmering through- (in a calculated and creepy performance by out Our New Girl. So the boiling-over out- Killian Hughes), would even consider this bursts are expected, but still also very dis- shocking act of self-mutilation. In the pro- turbing. My one quibble is that Jahraus and cess, Harris uncovers a lot of ambivalence his cast don’t capitalize on the (very) few and outright hostility by characters who are moments in Harris’ script that offer any sort deeply unsatisfied at how their lives have of comic relief, so there is almost no escape don’t measure up to societal templates of from the play’s relentless unease. traditional, happy family lives. Now some might try to write off Our New Daniel’s pregnant mother, Hazel (a believ- Girl as just a domestic drama involving over- ably harried and constantly agitated Sarah ly privileged people. But Harris incisively Chalcroft), is thrown for a loop when an explores the different kinds of scarring that Irish nanny named Annie (an initially pleas- can occur when parental instincts stubbornly ant Miriam Canfield) shows up unannounced refuse to kick in and how difficult it is to be in her posh London kitchen. It seems that caught up in all that. If anything, Our New Demetrios Troy in Inana. Hazel’s jet-setting humanitarian plastic- Girl should make anyone rethink the risks Photo by Lara Goetsch surgeon husband, Richard (an appropriately when it comes to starting a new family, no full-of-himself Layne Manzer), has hired An- matter how poor or privileged you may be. THEATER REVIEW Lowe combines elements of all three genres to present playgoers with their choice of narra- Inana tive entryways onto paths all ultimately lead- Playwright: Michele Lowe ing to wonder and admiration at the sacrifices THEATER REVIEW At: Timeline Theatre Company at undertaken by humble citizens to ascertain the Baird Hall, 615 W. Wellington Ave. perpetuity of their culture. Twisted Melodies Playwright: Kelvin Roston, Jr. Tickets: 773-281-8463; These multiple dimensions—did I mention www.timelinetheatre.com; $39-$52 the flashbacks and the double-casting?—could At: Congo Square Theatre at Athenaeum Runs through: July 26 easily descend into vertigo-inducing chaos, but Studio 2, 2936 N. Southport director Kimberly Senior ensures that all transi- Tickets: 773-935-6875; BY MARY SHEN BARNIDGE tions are executed cleanly and crisply. She is www.congosquaretheatre.org; $19.50-$37 assisted by the precision reflected in the envi- Runs through: June 14 Technically, the McGuffin driving our plot is ronmental design, and by an ensemble deliver- a graven idol, but this is no Maltese falcon, ing unexaggerated, immediately sympathetic, BY JONATHAN ABARBANEL coveted by its pursuers solely for its material portrayals of lone individuals caught up in ex- value. Instead, Michele Lowe’s play opens in traordinary circumstances demanding courage, The reel-to-reel tape recorders, the old radio 2003, in a London hotel room where Mosul mu- however microcosmic the range of its expres- and the hero wearing modified Superfly clothes seum curator Yasin Shalid and his new spouse sion. were sufficient evidence that Twisted Melodies have arrived for their honeymoon. Our first was set in the ‘70s. Then the hero began to clue that something is amiss is the husband sing and it was clear that it was Donny Hatha- way, a titan of soul whose music was part of my recounting to his bride (who has barricaded c herself into the bathroom), how his boyhood young adulthood, but whose voice and name chum had his fingers amputated as punishment CRITICS’ I’d not conjured in several decades. Eventu- for gathering the shards of artifacts ubiquitous ally the play reminded me that Hathaway died to ancient civilizations. PICKS young in 1979, only 33 and at the peak of his success as a Grammy-winning composer, ar- Kelvin Roston Jr. in Twisted Melodies. The significance of the mysterious suit- Billy Elliot, Drury Lane Theatre, Oakbrook ranger, singer and producer. What I didn’t know Photo by Sam Roberson case mingled with the couple’s luggage, and Terrace, through June 7. Director/choreogra- the secret behind his wife’s reluctance to re- is that Hathaway was a paranoid schizophrenic pher Rachel Rockwell works wonders at staging Each cycle of attack and recovery becomes a move her wedding dress, are also forthcom- who committed suicide. Elton John and Lee Hall’s 2005 musical adapta- cue—perhaps merely an excuse—for Roston to ing, but only after we have learned that the This world premiere hopes to bring attention tion of the acclaimed 2000 British film. SCM perform another song. Also, Hathaway was not statue precipitating international intrigue is a to issues of mental health, and to dispel the Three Sisters, The Hypocrites at Den The- the first artist who had to choose between tak- 3,000-year-old stone representation of Iraq’s social taint still far too often associated with atre, through June 6. The stage picture may be ing his meds and losing his muse through dras- Mesopotamian mother goddess Inana, the twin emotional illnesses. Instead of being about gilded-age Russia—albeit with an expression- tic personality change, or skipping the meds to of another effigy destroyed centuries earlier by mental health, however, it’s a one-man portrait ist palette—but Chekhov’s frivolous aristocrats remain a creative and productive artist. It’s a Mongol invaders. Faced with thuggish religious of Hathaway as patient and victim of an in- speak a briskly modern idiom in Geoff Button’s horrendous choice, to be sure, but not entirely zealots determined to eradicate purveyors of sidious illness. It’s written and performed by radical interpretation of this classic. MSB unique. Roston and director Samuel G. Rober- “decadent’ art, as well as the imminent threat musical-theater veteran Kelvin Roston Jr., and Twisted Melodies, Congo Square Theatre at son Jr. need to be severe with themselves in of war between the United States and Saddam one couldn’t find a more outstanding actor and Athenaeum Theatre, through June 14. It takes order to make Twisted Melodies as effective as Hussein, Shalid has vowed to protect his coun- singer to channel Donny Hathaway. Roston a brave actor to put himself into the mind of it might be. try’s precious icon from the hostile factions more than has the musical and dramatic chops a frightened man preparing to commit suicide, My mother had a close first cousin who was a and rapacious looters associated with foreign to ignite Hathaway’s musical hits and sug- but Kelvin Roston Jr. does it for 90 minutes pioneering psychiatrist and hypnotherapist in occupation. gest his difficult personality. He’s assisted by in his solo portrayal of R&B musician Donny Chicago. Because of him, I grew up in a home So is this a political drama designed to elicit a wonderful multi-media production pulled off Hathaway. MSB that understood emotional illnesses were not horror at the atrocities of Middle Eastern dicta- in a tiny, tiny theatre (lighting, scenery, pro- The White Road, Irish Theatre of Chicago signs of weakness or cowardice or self-indul- tors—a bookseller whose fingernails are ripped jections, video and dance by Richard Norwood, at Den Theatre, through June 13. True story: gence, and that they could be as terrifying as out by vigilantes offended at his displaying a Andrei Onegin, Paul Deziel, Dre Robinson and Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton snatches they sometimes are inexplicable. Indeed, my nude Botticelli cherub in his store window, for esteemed choreographer Joel Hall). It’s rich, triumph from the failure of his 1914-1916 ex- grandfather committed suicide. A wise man example? Is it a romance of lovers on the lam, complex, beautiful. pedition by overcoming natural catastrophe once said to me that it takes a brave individual and a father’s desperate scheme to secure the Despite these strengths, the show feels long and bringing every man home alive! It’s a tad to confront his/her emotional issues and seek safety of his daughter? Or is it a heist thriller at about 100 minutes straight through. The long but good, manly stuff. JA help for them. Twisted Melodies serves as a po- of smuggled treasure, meant to keep us guess- symptoms of Hathaway’s illness—researched —By Abarbanel, Barnidge tent reminder of this as we ride Donny Hatha- ing the extent of each character’s involvement by Roston and accurate, according to the ac- and Morgan way’s roller-coaster. in the subterfuge? In a mere ninety minutes, counts we have—quickly become repetitive. WINDY CITY TIMES May 20, 2015 17

TheHerd BY RORY KINNEAR The Little Foxes. Photo by Liz Lauren DIRECTED BY ENSEMBLE MEMBER FRANK GALATI

THEATER REVIEW in depressed economies will expedite process- EXTENDED ing of the raw product. The catch is that the The Little Foxes prospective outsourcer demands a deposit to By Popular Demand! Playwright: Lillian Hellman seal the deal, but Regina’s husband Horace is At: Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St. less enthusiastic than his in-laws regarding the Tickets: 312-443-3800; potential profit-making venture. www.goodmantheatre.org; $25-$81 These are not anemic Prozorovs and Ranevskys “ 4 stars ” Runs through: June 7 lamenting a genteel past, but ruthless upstarts – Chicago Tribune who could give the Borgias a run for their mon- BY MARY SHEN BARNIDGE ey—especially for their money, the undisputed focus of Henry Wishcamper’s direction for this “ ” Lillian Hellman never pulled her punches, in- Goodman Theatre production. Though its emo- Buoyantly entertaining stead calling out advocates of injustice and tional level may border on operatic, when the – The New York Times inhumanity with a ferocity that made produc- conversation turns to pecuniary matters, the ers nervous, hence the frequent bowdlerization voices of the Hubbard sibs abruptly assume the of her more candid dramatic themes (e.g., les- intractability of cold steel (sometimes in mid- bianism in The Children’s Hour). The standard sentence), while the abuse they inflict on oth- “Vividly Acted ” formula for rendering “safe” her microcosmic ers, whether recounted after the fact or occur- – Chicago Sun-Times excoriation of post-bellum morality and greed ring right before our eyes, is located full-front has been to reduce its heroine to a fairy-tale or far downstage where we can’t pretend to wicked queen, or to muffle its ethical argu- ignore it, however we may look to Todd Rosen- ments under a haze of Chekhovian nostalgia. thal’s museum-accurate deep-south decor for To be sure, Hellman’s play set at the end of comforting stereotypes. an age—1900, when the former confederate Wishcamper’s dream-team cast is led by Shan- states were chafing under, not only the hu- non Cochran as a seductively calculating Re- miliation of having lost a war, but the devas- gina who taunts Ben with her superior height tation of seeing their lands seized and work- and playfully smacks Oscar on his bald head force decimated. The Hubbard clan, though, as (echoing the latter’s mistreatment of his alco- befitting a family of merchants, see in their holic wife), despite the Macchiavellian menace neighbors’ misfortune an opportunity to ex- that veteran villains Larry Yando and Steve pand their dry-goods business. Younger brother Pickering exude. John Judd’s Horace provides Oscar marries the heiress to a cotton planta- our moral compass, as do Cherene Snow and tion, while sister Regina weds a gentleman Dexter Zellicoffer’s wise servants and Rae Gray’s with his fortune salted away in investments. remarkably mature Alexandra. One-percenters The latest scheme involves elder brother Ben might want to exercise caution departing the inviting a Yankee industrialist to open a textile theater. mill nearby, where the cheap labor often found

“Funny ” SPOTLIGHT – Reader

e The company that launched the ac- “ ” claimed Stonewall Riots drama Hit Emotionally searing the Wall is getting experimental – Daily Herald with their latest world premiere called The Salts. The Inconve- nience debuts an experimental “Pitch-perfect ” “Brilliant ” contemporary dance project by – Stage & Cinema – Chicagoland Theater Reviews collaborators Erin Kilmurray and Molly Brennan that also features pre- and post-show entertainment by a roster of local bands. The In- Tickets going fast. Must close June 14. convenience’s The Salts continues through Sunday, May 24, in Room steppenwolf. org | 312-335-1650 300 of the Flat Iron Arts Building, 1579 W. Milwaukee Ave. Tickets are $10 for the preview and $25 for the regular run; visit www.theinconve- Official 2014/15 Season nience.org. Corporate Presenting Sponsor Corporate Production Sponsor Lighting Sponsor Photo by Matthew Gregory Hollis/ The Inconvenience 18 May 20, 2015 WINDY CITY TIMES KNIGHT at the movies

By Richard Knight, Jr.

The Rose is still THE Rose

Mary Rose Foster aka The Rose (Bette Midler) gives a tour de force performance in Mark Rydell’s 1979 movie of the same name, which the Criterion Collection has just released in a new, remastered version. The Rose—a fictional Bette Midler in The Rose. queen of rock loosely based on Janis Joplin—is Photo by Frank Masi/HBO a cyclone of conflicted feelings as she embarks on what will prove to be her final concert tour, ending up in her hometown. Joplin often cited not just the command- ing presence and blues wail of Bessie Smith as an inspiration but also her hard-living, take-no-prisoners lifestyle. Smith’s stormy life is chronicled in Dee Rees’ biopic Bessie (now playing on HBO), starring Queen Latfiah, who is tremendous in the title role. Smith’s forth- right bisexuality was also embraced by Joplin (Going Down with Janis, by her female lover Peggy Caserta, was a must-read for Our People was on the screen more than 35 years ago for will convince everyone else to attend and in Upcoming movie calendar back in the day.) The Rose, too, has her own all the world to see—the exhilaration of a gay the process elevate his own popularity. What Highlights from films opening in Chicago, lady-in-waiting—a prim, English lass who uses drag bar in all its unapologetic glory. That’s ensues is a bromance that goes beyond bro- May 22 and May 29 (or available digitally) a sensual shampoo as an attempt at seduction one of the reasons why The Rose remains such mance when, after a drug-fueled night on the Beautiful Boxer (5/21)—The fifth annual and turns her nose up at The Rose’s latest male a singular movie. town, Black and Marsden hook up. Cinema Q film series continues at the Chicago conquest when he walks in on the women. The first and foremost reason, of course, is The movie has gotten a fair amount of critical Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington ST., with a That scene, Midler reveals in a new interview Midler’s sensational, powerhouse performance drubbing for not being laugh-out-loud funny— rare screening of 2023’s Beautiful Boxer, the included among the special features in Crite- (which, as I’ve stated in print at least a dozen a valid criticism—but that view doesn’t take jaw-dropping true story of the transgender Thai rion’s Blu-ray of the film, was unfamiliar terri- times, should have netted her the Best Actress into consideration the film’s fascinating cen- kickboxer Nong Toom. The Queer Film Society, tory for her. It was also one of the few aspects Oscar for which she was nominated). The mov- tral focus on Black’s discovery that his sexual Reeling, the Legacy Project and the Chicago of the character that didn’t harken back to her ie, directed with a tremendous feel for the rock boundaries aren’t what he always assumed and Cultural Center are presenting the film. http:// own life, so closely does Bo Goldman’s rewrite ‘n’ roll mileu it artfully captures, was helmed by that the hook up is presented without the usu- www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/ job on the script weave in aspects of Midler’s Mark Rydell. He guided Midler to what remains al gay panic. The movie, from IFC Films, is now supp_info/cinema_q.html curious path to fame. For example, when The her crowning movie achievement (and in 1991 in theaters. http://www.d-trainmovie.com/ I’ll See You In My Dreams (5/22)—Blythe Rose and her new beau—a down-to-earth he would guide her to her second-best perfor- Danner takes center stage in this story of a chauffeur (a marvelously understated Frederic mance in the underrated For the Boys). This The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name widow who improbably finds herself choosing Forrest) who is AWOL from the Army—visit a remastered edition looks spectacular. For the That’s the name of a new film series devot- between two suitors—her young pool boy and drag bar, Midler’s rise to prominence via her uninitiated, familiar only with Midler’s com- ed to Victorian era queer themed movies. The a courtly gentleman she meets at the retire- gay bathhouse and bar gigs can’t help but un- edies and delightful onstage antics, it will be a Queer Film Society (of which I’m president) ment center home of her best friends. Sam El- derscore the scene. revelation. It’s available now. and the Chicago Public Library are presenting liott, Mary Kay Place, Rhea Perlman and June This segment is just one of the film’s many a quartet of movies the first four Mondays in Squibb costar. electrifying sequences. (It offers a rare glimpse Speaking of bisexuality… June at the Bezazian branch, 1226 W. Argyle Tomorrowland (5/22)—This sci-fi mystery of disco singer Sylvester, who imperson- Jack Black and James Marsden play a nebbish Ave., at 6 p.m. as a celebration of Pride month. from Disney Studios is purportedly based on ates Diana Ross.) And in a movie filled with loser and the dreamy object of his obsession The screenings include 1945’s classic The Pic- their same-named theme park area. George more than its share of melodramatic ups and in Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel’s very dark ture of Dorian Gray; the 2009 Italian lesbian Clooney, Britt Robertson, Hugh Laurie and downs—mostly downs—it’s blissfully joyful. As comedy The D Train. romance Purple Sea; 1995’s Total Eclipse, with Kathryn Hahn co-star. the camera whirls around the room, capturing Taking charge of his 20-year high school Leonardo DiCaprio and David Thewlis as lovers; Poltergeist (5/22)—“They’re here…” said both the performers and the patrons (a delight- reunion, Black and his cohorts aren’t having and 1997’s Wilde with Stephen Fry as author little Carol Ann in Tobe Hooper’s 1982 para- ful collection of freaks and geeks) galvanized much luck convincing their former classmates (and gay icon) Oscar Wilde and Jude Law as normal suburban mystery thriller that Steven by the music and the shared camaraderie, the to join. But when Black spots Marsden (who his petulant lover. The screenings are free. Spielberg produced. Now, they’ve been reimag- feeling of outsiders united in a fabulous and was the class jock) in a suntan lotion commer- http://queerfilmsociety.org/pages/events. ined in what is reportedly a much darker vi- shared secret underworld is palpable. There it cial, he decides that getting him to the reunion html#event2 sion of the original. Sam Rockwell, Jared Harris and Rosemarie Witt co-star. Zelda Rubinstein’s character, the diminutive psychic Tangina, has morphed into several different characters. CULTURECULTURE CLUBCLUB San Andreas (5/29)—The disaster epic, one of my favorite guilty pleasure genres, strikes “A truthful, deeply engaged production. again with this man-vs.-the-elements big-bud- get schlock. Dwayne Johnson and Carla Gugino Extraordinary in the telling.” head the cast. — Chicago Tribune Saint Laurent (5/29)—It’s a biopic (the second in the past year) of the young gay de- sign wunderkind Yves Saint Laurent, who took the fashion world by storm and whose sexual and drug indulgences later threatened to en- gulf him and the relationship with his business partner and lover. THE DIARY OF Unfreedom (5/29)—Director Raj Amit Ku- ANNE FRANK mars’s debut, which features a lesbian love

PICTURED: SOPHIE THATCHER. PHOTO BY SAVERIO TRUGLIA. PHOTO BY SAVERIO PICTURED: SOPHIE THATCHER. story set against the background of a terrorist BY FRANCES GOODRICH AND ALBERT HACKETT plot, has been banned in India, Kumars’s home NEWLY ADAPTED BY WENDY KESSELMAN DIRECTED BY KIMBERLY SENIOR country, so that it won’t “ignite unnatural pas- sions.” The film plays in theaters and will be NOW THROUGH AUG. 2 available VOD. The movie’s website contains a link to a Kickstarter campaign and a petition to WRITERSTHEATRE.ORG | 847-242-6000 George Clooney in Tomorrowland. lift the ban and show the film in India. http:// Photo from Walt Disney Studios www.unfreedommovie.com/ WINDY CITY TIMES May 20, 2015 19 with their curriculum. The new STEM learning Theater at 7558 S. South Chicago Ave. and is film Death in Venice (May 28). lab is hands on and the first of its kind.” scheduled to run thru July 12, with a possible The Queer Film Society (QFS) is presenting Mayor Rahm Emanuel attended the meeting two-week extension. in partnership with the Chicago Department of reenforcing the goal by saying, “Touching the Performances are 8 p.m. Fridays and Satur- Cultural Affairs and Special Events, and in asso- lives of the community will give students a days, and 3 p.m. Sundays. General admission ciation with Chicago Filmmakers (the present- complete education. This facility will complete tickets are $20 each; call 773-752-3955 or visit ing organization of Reeling: The Chicago LGBT the Goodman’s mission. Continued donations www.etacreativearts.org. International Film Festival) and The Legacy will provide opportunities to reach deeper into Project. our neighborhoods.” This series contains mature subject matter; Executive Director Roche Schulfer said, viewer discretion is advised. Email qfsociety1@ “Learning how theater is made helps learning yahoo.com or visit www.ChicagoCulturalCenter. in general” and Artistic Director Robert Falls org for more information. explained that how the arts can transform chil- dren’s lives. The following Saturday, the Goodman Theatre ‘Faster! Monsanto Gala had Broadway singer Sutton Foster per- forming her Tony Award-winning hits from her Die! Die’ May 23 The Guild Literary Complex will host New York catalog. With a ‘20s theme, there was a lively City-based performance and activist collective cocktail hour and an elegant sit-down dinner. Reverend Billy and The Stop Shopping Choir for A live band Gentlemen of Leisure played a vari- “Faster! Monsanto Die! Die!” Saturday, May 23, ety of music and had the crowd jumping to it’s Willa J. Taylor at 8 p.m. at Preston Bradley Center, 941 W. feet for a cover of the radio hit “Uptown Funk.” Photo by Jerry Nunn Lawrence Ave. Fundraisers like this one help establish new Tickets are a suggested $10-12 donation at programs including partnerships with schools the door, or $8 in advance at www.GuildCom- and teacher training throughout the year. Goodman expands plex.org. For more information on the expansion proj- Reverend Billy and The Stop Shopping Choir on education ect and current productions visit www.goodma- will also join the March Against Monsanto May The group at Goodman Theatre had a stellar ntheatre.org. 23 at 1 p.m. at Federal Plaza, 50 W. Adams St. week in May with Lillian Hellman’s The Little — Jerry Nunn Foxes opening, a new education center an- nouncement and a “Puttin’ on the Glitz” fund- raiser. eta to reopen June 5 Pride Fest set After turning 90 this year the Goodman shows for June 20-21 no signs of slowing down. A $15-million proj- with ‘Liberty City’ Chicago Pride Fest returns to Boystown June eta Creative Arts Foundation—Chicago’s old- ect was announced on May 12 with the Alice B. 20-21 with a mix of national headliners and est African-American theater production com- The movie Beautiful Boxer. Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement festival favorites. pany—will officially reopen Friday, June 5, that will connect the current facility at 170 The annual event, which the Northalsted with the Chicago premiere of the off-Broadway N. Dearborn St. with an adjacent upper-level Cinema Q V Film Business Alliance hosts, is debuting the “Keep hit play Liberty City, written by Tony Award- space. Working with Wheeler Kearns Architects Pride Proud” catch phrase. winning producer/actor April Yvette Thompson there will be 7,800 square feet of new class- Series through May On Saturday (June 20), Deb Gibson, Jessica and actor/writer/director Jessica Blank. The free film series Cinema Q returns (and room area. Sutta and The Veronicas take to the Main Stage. The one-woman play tells a story of Miami in celebrates five years) with four film screenings Director of Education and Community En- Sunday (June 21) will feature Big Freedia, Crys- the 1980s, where race, politics and police bru- Thursdays throughout May at 6:30 p.m. at the gagement Willa J. Taylor has inspired major tal Waters, Estelle, Cazwell and St. Lucia. tality spark a community on edge and ignite a Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. donations by being such a champion for the The event will take place on Halsted Street city-wide riot. In the midst of it, a 10-year-old The movies slated to be shown are Beautiful program. At a press conference she stated, from Addison to Grace streets, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. girl must get her young brother home safely. Boxer (May 21), the true story of trans female “This space will allow teachers to link theater There is a $10 suggested donation. The production will be staged in eta’s Gallery kickboxer Parinya Charoenphol; and the 1971

Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus Presents

A modern love story to the songs of Stephen Sondheim

2 Shows This Weekend! Saturday, May 23 @ 8PM Harris Theater for Music & Dance Henry Maier Festival Park Sunday, May 24 @ 3PM Wentz Concert Hall TICKETS ON SALE NOW! www.pridefest.com TICKETS www.cgmc.org | 773-296-0541 Get $5 off, use code “SONDHEIM” 20 May 20, 2015 WINDY CITY TIMES Truly, the book was therapeutic for the au- thor. Kenny Porpora And also trying. There were times, for in- stance, he’d have to stop writing after 20 min- utes, succumb by emotions. writes emotionally “My brother and I had a conversation after the book was published, and he said that there was not enough in there about Mommy—as we wrenching memoir still call her—[who would] wear terrible shoes, so I could wear nicer jeans. Or, the fact that By Ross Forman Every autumn Porpora watched his mom she sacrificed so much to give us the best pos- scribble messages on balloons and release sible life,” he said. “I tried my very best to Kenny Porpora was often told that he should them into the sky above his native Long Is- make sure that her efforts to give us the best write his memoirs, that his life would be a land—one for each family member who died possible life were seen, despite some of the hard-to-believe, gripping book—and probably from addiction. things that we had gone through.” a movie, too. Despite the dysfunction, Porpora and his Porpora said he is receiving regular responses He’s only 28, yet lived a life few can com- family is filled with love—and it certainly rings from readers that are very personal, be it by prehend. through in his 295-page hardcover book, which email or social media. “I’m very grateful that He grew up in a down-on-their luck, frac- already has received many favorable reviews people who read the book, and see that I have tured family, riddled with addiction and chron- from mainstream media. Take, for instance, openly shared my story, and they now feel that ic heartache and heartbreak—from many fam- USA TODAY, which, in late February, tagged the they can openly share their story.” ily members. Many have died. book among its “Weekend Picks for Book Lov- Porpora was living with his brother in Flag- His mom was an alcoholic during his child- ers!” staff, Arizona, when he was about 17—and it hood, and her passion was television, particu- Porpora—who has been an associate editor led to his first-ever trip to Chicago, and cer- larly Regis Philbin. at Man About World, a gay travel magazine for tainly one of the funnier moments for Porpora. There’s the beloved dog, his passion for the iPad, for about four years, and has had a Porpora, you see, was hooked on the writing professional wrestling, his dream of making a partner, Jesse Cheever, for about two years—is of Roger Ebert, who offered his movie reviews life for himself, amid a survival-mode life with celebrating the positive responses and already for the Sun-Times. such jobs as stints at Sizzler and Home Depot. working on a somewhat hush-hush second Ebert was Porpora’s writing hero. There’s a trip to Chicago to meet his idol, Roger book, which will shift to the fiction genre, he Kenny Porpora. So Porpora reached out to him—by email, as Ebert, built on the guise that Porpora was pro- admitted. Photo courtesy of Porpora he did with many other celebrities, just looking ducing a documentary, yet he had no money, Plenty of Porpora’s past comes to light in for a chance, maybe some guidance. no equipment or really anything that would The Autumn Balloon, which he started writ- Porpora told Ebert that he was making a doc- the book from scratch. That took me about a make a documentary come to fruition, other ing while in San Francisco in September 2011. umentary about the Motion Picture Association year, and that’s the book I have now. I didn’t than a dream. He had nine chapters completed by February of America. end up using all of the original [material], but Porpora also is openly gay. 2012, and by that June was shopping it around “I thought he was just going to ignore me,” most of the original is in part two.” He “never considered” writing a memoir, Por- to agents. Porpora said. When he first started writing, Porpora said pora said in March during a phone interview Porpora had a book deal by that August. In reality, Ebert replied the next day—and things started to appear more episodically from his home in Los Angeles, where he has “The original book that I wrote [comprised told Porpora he’d give him 15 minutes. than they had before, for whatever reason. “I been living since October 2013. of] those nine chapters started around where Problem was, Porpora was no more producing just started thinking … I wanted to write and But, in February, Grand Central Publishing part two of the book starts, when [he’s] about a documentary than he was a world champion spend time [that way] with family members released Porpora’s memoir, his first book: The 14 and a lot of [his] family is already gone,” pro wrestler—the sport that was Porpora’s es- who weren’t with me anymore,” he said. Autumn Balloon. It is a witty, emotional, raw Porpora said. “My editor wanted to know a cape, salvation. After writing his first two chapters, Porpora book about Porpora, for Porpora, who takes little bit more about the people who had Despite the financial hardship, Porpora flew emailed essayist Poe Ballantine, who he didn’t readers in meticulous detail back to his child- passed—the balloons, so to speak—so I went to Chicago and was set to film the interview on even know. Porpora simply wanted feedback. hood, to his struggle, to his survival. back and rewrote for about a year, rewriting the set where Ebert and Richard Roeper filmed Ballantine replied that what he had read was their show. really special, and that Porpora should contin- “He was this gentle, sweet, grandfatherly ue writing. “That was the inspiration to keep type of man—everything [favorable] that you going, and the thought that, yes, maybe I had would image,” Porpora said. “It’s often said, 2015 SCHEDULE something,” Porpora said. ‘Don’t meet your heroes,’ but he more than Porpora admitted that, at times, the book lived up to his reputation.” was hard to write and, surprisingly, fun at At the end of their meeting, Ebert told Por- times, too—due to the intensely personal pora that another filmmaker was making a memories, moments and family members. movie about the MPAA. “There’s a lot of love in the book because I Nonetheless, he encouraged Porpora to keep have a lot of love for the people who died, but going, “which echoed through the words of my they died so young that I didn’t get to spend father and the words of this [inspirational] Co- a lot of time with them,” he said. “There have lumbia University professor. been millions of times when, ugh, something “[He said that] not everything is going to go funny would happen and I wished I could have the way it should, but you still have to keep told my uncle—but he’s not here anymore. So going—and you’ll find out later why it had to [writing this book] was sort of a way to remi- go this way. And I certainly have.” nisce with them, remember them. It was a way for me to think about things—as an adult.”

Grunt dating app to be redesigned for watch The people behind gay-dating app Grunt plan to capitalize on the new Apple Watch toward the end of this year as part of a plan to “reshape the dating landscape for men,” TICKET PACKAGES according to a statement. START AS LOW AS $52 “I couldn’t stand all the junk apps out there, that didn’t care how the user expe- HOME OF THE CHICAGO SKY rienced meeting and dating other guys on their app” said Grunt co-founder Mike Men- doza in a statement. “I am the frustrated consumer, I am the guy that didn’t just want a random hook up, but a meaningful interac- tion with other users.” Mendoza and some others have completely Rendering of Grunt on Apple Watch. redesigned Grunt for the iPhone and plan to Photo courtesy of Grunt introduce a new, straightforward, simple de- sign for the Apple Watch. VISIT CHICAGOSKY.NET OR CALL 866.SKY.WNBA Visit www.gruntapp.com. WINDY CITY TIMES May 20, 2015 21 liked me and I liked them. My dad had been a quartet singer and I was in a choir in high Gay HIV-positive singer school so I knew about group singing. WCT: You are now known for being a house- music artist. BN-D: I love it. It’s a very difficult genre of lives life out loud music because there is so much of it. I’ve got- ten to work with Deadmau5 and some other BY TERRI-LYNNE WALDRON nine ways and to this day—I am who I am. amazing people. But right now, I want to go WCT: You moved to Toronto in 1980 to be back to my R&B roots and put a bit of EDM As a back-up vocalist, out singer/songwriter part of the revue, Eubie! and you released in it. Billy Newton-Davis has worked with Gloria two records in Canada in 1986 (Love Is a WCT: Have you ever been to Chicago? Gaynor. As a Broadway performer, he has ap- Contact Sport) and 1989 (Spellbound). Were BN-D: Chicago is a hot city and I have per- peared in shows such as Eubie! and Bubbling you out during that time? formed there many times in the past. They are Brown Sugar. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, the BN-D: My manager knew but my record peo- very forward with the LGBTQ community. My Canadian resident is a four-time Juno Award- ple didn’t know. hopes are to keep recording and get my music winning—Canada’s version of the Grammys— WCT: In 1986, your doctor told you that out there. I would love to work in the Chicago R&B and house music artist. Diagnosed with you were HIV-positive. Is that something dance scene. HIV in 1986, Newton-Davis lives his life on his you kept close to the vest? Keep up with Newton-Davis on Facebook own terms. BN-D: That was kept close to the vest. I did at https://www.facebook.com/billynewton- Windy City Times: Tell me about being in this documentary called Centre Stage Chroni- davis. your first music group, The Illusions. cles and I was interviewed by Olympian Sylvia Billy Newton-Davis: I was one of the vocal- Sweeney. We had discussions about disclosure ists, but I was really the meat of the organiza- and everything had to be approved after it was tion. It was a band with piano, bass, drums filmed and scripted. In the middle of filming Billy Newton-Davis. Midler touring, in and guitar. she asked me about my HIV status and it caught WCT: While working on Broadway in the my breath, and I came out with it. There was the cause because I can be that person. Chicago June 18 Grammy-winning singer and legendary musical Bubbling Brown Sugar, you were told a tearful shocking moment, because—on one WCT: Did you see the Bruce Jenner inter- performer Bette Midler’s first major tour to hide your orientation onstage? hand she just outed me. view with Diane Sawyer? in a decade, “Divine Intervention,” has BN-D: It was really odd because I was told, We just kept rolling with it and it was at the BN-D: I missed it and I’m very unhappy that launched. “You’re just too gay for the audience—leave end of the filming. She sent my partner and me I missed it. There needs to be more celebration She started her tour with shows in the that backstage. When you’re on stage, you’re footage and we looked at it and we thought, around it and he needs 150-percent support on Florida cities of Hollywood and Tampa, and a man.” I have always been rebellious against “How beautiful is that?” If I can let go of that all his decisions. He is saying things that we’ve she’s slated to stop by Chicago’s United things like that, and it bothered me. and express my feelings about it, then maybe heard before—I was a woman living in a man’s Center on Thursday, June 18. WCT: How did you handle it? I can change somebody’s life and thoughts body, and I don’t want to stay there anymore. I Accompanied on stage by a 12-piece BN-D: You can only be who you are. These about what they are going through as one that truly understand it. I am fascinated by this new band as well as backing vocals by the Har- kinds of things lead you to hiding and having has been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. acceptance of transgender. It’s really amazing. lettes, the show features a stage production secrets. That was the interesting thing about WCT: Tell me about some of your activism. WCT: What was it like being a part of the courtesy of stage designer Michael Cotton. HIV/AIDS—because at that time, that’s what BN-D: When Sylvia and I did have that con- Canadian a capella group The Nylons in the Midler counterbalances the two-hour set of was going on. We guys were going out and versation, it opened the door for me to come early ‘90s after being a solo artist? songs with a skewering of social media, in people didn’t know it and it wasn’t so talked out and really talk about it and be a part of dif- BN-D: It was a great moment in my life. which Midler mocks Facebook and Twitter about. I hung out in the club atmosphere more ferent events. I became very active with ACT— When I left Broadway—even though I was a with commentary and punchlines. than I did the bar atmosphere because I didn’t a Canadian organization that empowers adults principle—I was a member of the ensemble. For complete tour and ticket informa- want to associate myself—for some odd and and young people living with HIV—and the Being in The Nylons was a good opportunity; tion, visit bettemidler.com and www.liv- strange reason—with those types of people. Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto. I [ex-member] Marc Connors had died, I was enation.com. People were always concerned about my femi- have helped to raised thousands of dollars for with the management company and the group CMI_Full_Page_v4_Final_Print.pdf 1 3/3/15 9:20 AM Memorial Day-dedication for LGBT vet monument AVER, Chicago, IL -- The first federally approved monument honoring lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) veterans will be dedicated at 2 p.m. Memorial Day, Monday, May 25 at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, GGrraabb aa ccooffffeee,e Illinois, one hour southwest of Chicago. The monument was made possible by the ttaakkee aa ssuurrvvey,ey, Chicago Chapter American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER). It is intended to redress the history of disregard and disrespect for LGBT change the world. veterans with a lasting symbol of recognition. Artist’s rendering by Tod Tatsui LGBT service members have served through- C Making a Difference is Easy. out the history of the U.S. military, some of Equal Rights ‘AVER’ ( … with liberty and justice M that time under an outright ban supported by for all ).” Y regulation and some under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell CM The monument design and approval was MY (DADT), a policy supported by law. Take the 9th Annual spearheaded over several years by Stanley J. CY ® DADT was instituted by President Bill Clin- Jenczyk, junior board member of the ChicagoCMY LGBT Community Survey ton in late 1993, after the long-time anti-gay chapter of the American Veteran’s for Equal K policy was challenged and became an issue Rights ( AVER ) and was approved late last year of public debate. Before the Don’t Ask, Don’t by Ronald E. Walters, interim undersecretary Tell Repeal Act of 2010 was signed into law for memorial affairs. LGBTsurvey.com by President Barack Obama, nearly 14,000 ser- The ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. along vices members were discharged. Work on open and within the Memorial Walkway and will fea- trans inclusion continues today as does work to ture music by the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus; reexamine and upgrade discharges made under blessings from Rabbi Cindy Enger, Fr. Chris DADT. Myers and Rev. Wayne Bradley; remarks from The monument will consist of a black granite elected officials, including former Governor Pat center block holding a pink granite triangle, Quinn and U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, and a Flag centered in a pink granite wall displaying, in Line led by members of Organized Chaos Chi- bronze, the service seals of the Army, Marines, cago ( OCC ), some of whom are active duty or Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Ma- veterans of the military. rines. It will read: “Gay, lesbian, bisexual and A free bus will be provided, boarding at transgender people have served honorably and 11:30 a.m. at the Center on Halsted on a admirably in America’s armed forces. In their Proudly LGBT-owned and -operated first-come, first-served basis. Those wishing A pioneer in LGBT research, founded in 1992 memory and appreciation of their selfless ser- Your information is confidential, used for research purposes only. to ride may RSVP to [email protected] or You will not be contacted for marketing purposes. NGLCC-Certified LGBT Owned Business Enterprise vice and sacrifice, this monument was dedicat- (773)752-0058. No RSVP is needed to attend ed by Chicago Chapter American Veterans for the ceremony. 22 May 20, 2015 WINDY CITY TIMES he got violent and thus the police were called. “Being gay did not cause my addiction, but And when he phoned his parents, from a pay made it worse.” The wild life of Joe phone, they’d hang up on him. “That is the However, recovery is possible, he said, “no worst thing in the world; talk about feeling matter how far down the scale you’ve gone, unloved,” he said. how low you’ve hit.” That’s his message, espe- Putignano—Olympic Putignano said his drug addiction was not cially for the crystal-meth users, abusers and impacted by being gay. “Addiction is greater addicted, which is so prominent in the gay than sexuality; addiction does not discriminate community, he said. [based on sexual orientation],” he said. Putignano hit his eighth year of sobriety dreams, drug addiction Putignano was bullied for being gay while March 25. growing up, which he now says “definitely had He is now in school full-time, pursuing a ca- By Ross Forman a huge impact on the way I saw myself [and] reer as a physician’s assistant, and he also is the world … it changes almost every decision writing a second book, though it’s not about Joe Putignano is a talented performing artist that you make; it’s almost as if you feel alien- him, rather, in the horror genre. He said the and contortionist who has toured with Cirque ated from the planet. That really destroyed my book will be released in 2016. du Soleil. He was, in fact, the main character self-esteem and my self-worth. (Crystal Man) in the touring Cirque show Totem and has performed in more than 1,000 shows. Putignano also has performed in a number of stage productions with the Metropolitan Opera, and his gymnastics resume is nothing short Chicago Force receiver of impressive. Dating back to 1987, he won numerous state and regional championships featured in new and was on the fast track to Olympic stardom through the U.S. Olympic Training Center. But that’s only the tip of the Putignano sto- football cards ry—the awe-inspiring portion. Putignano also has been homeless, a cocaine By Ross Forman user, a heroin addict, disowned by his parents and twice has been declared dead. And, he’s Thanks to her productivity on the field, gay and was bullied while growing up. He also Jeanette Gray has landed her a pretty cool has attempted suicide. perk off the field: she is one of the select The Putignano story certainly sounds like it Women’s Football Alliance (WFA) players to should be a script written in Hollywood … but be featured in the inaugural 2015 trading it’s the real deal. card series. Gray appears on card No. 4 in the “My life … it’s somewhat exhausting,” he 18-card base set and one of four WFA players said, pausing to reflect, before breaking into to also have an authentic autograph card, laughter. “There was an immense amount of numbered to 100. work to hit the highs and the lows—and to get WFA cards are produced by the Nebraska- out of them. But when I look back, I wouldn’t based Doji Malo Trading Card company, named after the owner’s family. change it because the road has definitely hum- Joe Putignano. Gray was the team MVP for the Chicago bled me and gave me compassion, which I feel Photo by Thomas Synnamon is now one of my bigger strengths. Force in 2014 and the 2014 WFA Conference Player of the Year. “With a deeper sense of suffering and pain The 370-page book, published by Las Vegas- [that I endured], it now allows me to better “The Women’s Football Alliance was a based Central Recovery Press, took him about league we were interested in as fans,” said connect with people, more on a soul level, four years to write. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the chief which is really amazing. And there was a time the company president, who requested to be medical correspondent for CNN, issued a state- identified simply as Doji Malo. “As collectors, when I didn’t have that; I know I was an ar- ment when the book was released, calling it we searched for cards to buy. When we could Jeanette Gray on a WFA card. rogant gymnast teenager.” the most candid book of the year. So what’s the high point for this 37-year-old, not find a WFA set, we contacted the league “Prepare to be frightened and taken to the to see if we could work with them to create muscle-filled New York resident? The plan is to have the 2016 set in process depths of despair and then lifted up trium- one. The WFA was open to the idea and the He doesn’t hesitate with his answer: Just the day after the season ends in 2015, which phantly,” Gupta stated. “It is never too late to relationship is very positive.” getting sober. is in early August. hit the reset button on your life—that is what The 2015 WFA cards, the first-ever cards “I know that might not look like the [high The next cards in the works are players you are about to learn from Joe Putignano. He for the tackle league, which operates on the point in my life], if you look at some of the from the Everett Reign, Minnesota Machine is equally adept at taking you through the re- same rules as the NCAA, will be an ongo- things I’ve done on paper. But I never, ever and Portland Fighting Fillies. There also will markable journey of his own terrible addiction ing project. “The league gave us permission thought I could get sober—and was never able be autograph cards for the Seattle Majestics, as he is in the world of acrobatics, descending to work directly with the teams, but it is a to, from age 19 to 30, [regardless of what] I Orlando Anarchy, and West Michigan Mayhem from the Cirque du Soleil big top as a human daily process to find the right people to talk tried, and I tried everything, including four that need to be reissued. mirror ball—the figurative spark of change in with on each team, decide on the players to rehab [stints], [time in] homeless shelters, a “New cards for 2015 are just going to be humanity ... It is proof that with hard work, include, get the images lined up, player bios, 12-step [recovery] program, addiction special- ready when they are ready. The nature of this anything is possible.” stats edited, etc. Our hope is to have play- ists,” and more. year’s process means we don’t have a strict Putignano said that one of the biggest woes ers from each team in the set this year, and Putignano was an elite, competitive gym- release schedule,” he said. in his life was quitting gymnastics, and he did have the 2016 set mapped out in advance,” nast, training for the Olympics. But he stopped The Hamlin and Gray cards have generated so because drugs were getting in the way. “I Doji Malo said. and simply quit the sport due to his drug ad- the most interest so far, Doji Malo said. basically wanted to party all of the time,” he “The players [in the initial 2015 release] diction. He didn’t return to gymnastics until The base set is limited to 500 cards per said. “I was trying to do both when I was in are selected based on input from the teams. he was in his late 20s because he was trying player, and autograph cards to no more than college, but was hooked on cocaine, among Since we are funding this 100 percent up- to get sober and thought going back to some- 100 hand-numbered cards. Some players may other drugs.” front ourselves, we can’t include every play- thing that he once loved would help. have an ultra-limited run of less than 50 au- Consequently, he was getting injured often. er; it would cost too much to create a set “All of those years in between [after quitting tograph cards and 100 base cards, Doji Malo He was, admittedly, at a “very dangerous from scratch that way. So, we ask the teams gymnastics], I wasn’t exercising; I was basi- said. level.” to give us a list of a few players they believe cally smoking cigarettes and shooting heroin,” Robin Lee runs the Girl-Jocks.com website, So he simply stepped away from the sport, should be included and go with that. Next he said. which specializes in sports memorabilia for which he now tags as “one of the lowest year, we hope to be funded, so that we can “When I look back in retrospect, I can’t be- female athletes. She purchased the entire points” in his life. After all, gymnastics was create a more inclusive set.” lieve I did that—and knowing what I know first set of WFA cards—and was impressed. his passion, his church, “what kept me alive.” Gray is the lone Chicago player featured in now, I probably wouldn’t do it again because it “The new WFA cards are pretty nice look- But he had fallen in love with the drugs. the initial release. was so much harder than I thought.” ing and are of good quality card stock. I re- “That was truly sad,” he said. Kate Sowers, the quarterback for the Kan- Putignano’s wild, roller coaster life is chron- ally like the action shots on the front and Putignano’s drug-fueled spiral landed him in sas City Titans, is card No. 1 in the series— icled in his can’t-put-down addiction memoir, the head shots on the back with the players and out of homeless shelters in the Northeast and she also has a separate authentic auto- Acrobaddict, which tells of his truly amazing stats,” said Lee, who lives in Northern Cali- for two years. There also were times he stayed graph card, also numbered to 100. Her twin odyssey—amazing that he’s still alive to share fornia. “It’s a good start—the players, fans, at the home of his drug dealer. sister, Liz, who plays wide receiver, also has his story, that is. friends and family will be very happy with “It’s a real terrible thing, sleeping outside a base card and an autograph card. “Writing a book and actually getting it pub- the cards. with no one to call [for help]. That was the “The most important thing for the WFA set lished was a personal high and definitely an “I don’t think they’re going to be a huge absolute worst,” he said. is to get cards in the hands of collectors and important part of my life. Writing this book seller outside of that group, but I’d like to be Putignano also had stays in mental institu- fans,” Doji Malo said. “The WFA needs ex- made my past not so much in vain and was pleasantly surprised.” tions. posure, and these cards are a time-tested able to help people through that,” he said. “It For more information about the WFA And this was before he discovered heroin. way to create a buzz. Whatever we can do to certainly was tough to write all of these ter- cards, the company can be reached at Putignano said his parents disowned him be- get WFA cards into the hands of collectors is rible things that I’ve done for the public [to [email protected]. cause, when he was home, he’d be strung out the top priority. read and know].” on drugs, thus paramedics had to be called, or, WINDY CITY TIMES May 20, 2015 23 Chicago Youth Storage Initiative issues report, recommendations CHICAGO — Health outcomes, safety, the nected. ability to access needed services, and social — Storage programs youth can trust is of up- well-being are all influenced by the inability most importance. to safely store belongings, according to the — It can be unsafe for young people to carry final report of the Chicago Youth Storage Ini- their belongings with them. tiative for youth experiencing homelessness in — Constant worry impacts mental health, pro- the Chicago area. The report was released May ductivity, and goal completion. 19 to Chicago-area youth agencies and funders. — Lack of storage means taking steps back, The needs assessment and recommendations even when youth are trying to move for- were written by research leader Lara Brooks ward. with youth advocates Ka’Riel Gaiter, Gregory — Loss of belongings is a setback with ripple Slater and Daphnie Williams. effects. The Chicago Youth Storage Initiative is sup- — Emerging, “mini” youth networks exist geo- Chicago Youth Storage Initiative Research Team. From left to right: Daphnie Williams, Ka’Riel ported with the leadership of The Pierce Fam- graphically across Chicago and present new Gaiter, Lara Brooks, and Gregory Slater. ily Foundation and Polk Bros Foundation, and opportunities for service coordination. Photo by Pidgeon Pagonis participation of other foundations including The Knight Family Foundation. The project was recommended actions include: in clean clothes, manage medicines, books, tically, but will be used as an opportunity to coordinated by Tracy Baim, publisher of Windy — Satellite storage program in close proximity paperwork or daily needs, when you have no- engage youth who are not currently accessing City Times. to a youth drop-in center. where to keep your things?” asked Brooks. services.” Currently, storage access for individuals and — Storage program within or in close proxim- “This study gives a path forward for the city of Far from being a trivial issue, homeless youth families experiencing homelessness is extreme- ity to a high school or several high schools Chicago to be a true innovator on services to have identified solving the storage problem as ly limited in Chicago. In the U.S., no models with large numbers of unaccompanied stu- these youth.” one of the most important ways to alleviate of community-coordinated or citywide efforts dents experiencing homelessness. “The Pierce Foundation likes to move quickly, day-to-day suffering and improve the immedi- exist to support young people around storage — Web-based documentation project, possibly and is often able to step up and make invest- ate quality of life for individuals in unpredict- of personal belongings. Looking to adult stor- through a partnership with Google, piloted ments at the front end of new projects. This able and temporary living situations. age models in Vancouver, San Diego, Los Ange- within an organization with existing case effort is something we believe can generate The youth storage project addressed issues les, Seattle, Salt Lake City, and New York, many management services and experience en- results that matter, within a relatively short impacting all youth, even though the impetus models were explored for feasibility. Chicago gaging young people experiencing home- period of time,” said Marianne Philbin, Pierce came from the LGBTQ Youth Summit hosted by would be the first U.S. city to coordinate such lessness. Family Foundation Executive Director. “We are Windy City Times in 2014. an effort for young people. — Dedicated storage program located or in excited about the findings of this report and Heather Parish, program director with the close proximity to Chicago’s Loop with look forward to working with other foundations Pierce Foundation, Flora Koppel, executive di- Key Findings: clearly defined, capacity-informed service in helping address this issue.” rector of Unity Parenting, and community vol- — Familial support sometimes extends to stor- offerings. “People who don’t have a stable place to unteer Michael Mock of Lincoln Financial Ad- age of belongings but not housing. — Program similar to the Commuter Student live often don’t have anyplace to store their visors also served on the advisory committee — Many young people trust at least one youth Resource Center (CSRC) at the University of belongings, which leaves them open to loss with Baim, Philbin and Reznick. worker with their belongings and docu- Illinois- Chicago in other post-secondary in- or theft of documents, medications, clothing, The full report is available here: www. ments. stitutions, such as City Colleges of Chicago. books and other personal items,” said Debbie windycitymediagroup.com/pdf/CYSI-Report- — Violence prevention and preventing the loss Reznick, Senior Program Officer with Polk Bros Digital-05-15-15.pdf . or theft of personal belongings are con- “How do you get to school or job interviews Foundation. “Storage will not only help prac-

From the Chicago Youth Storage Initiative report. 24 May 20, 2015 WINDY CITY TIMES PRIDE MONTH CALENDAR as of Mon., May 18 compiled by PRIDEChicago www.ChicagoPrideCalendar.org • [email protected] • 773-348-8243

MAY 30 (pre-Pride Month)- CONCERT & CD that portrays the importance of the church lovingly DJ Gemini Jones, DJ Kirby, DJ Kristin, DJ Rhated and RELEASE PARTY - w/ Namoli Brennet, one of the first embracing the whole family of God. “Reconciling in DJ Sandra Suave competing for the crown of the BWFW JUNE 19 - COMEDY SHOW - “The Women of GayCo 100 Trans People to Know in America at Grace Lutheran Christ Sunday” at Grace Lutheran Church, 1430 South Hottest DJ. Price: $30 (before June 10); $45 (after June at Stage 773 for the 4th Annual Chicago Women’s Church, 1430 South Blvd. in Evanston, IL. Benefits Blvd., Evanston, IL. 10 a.m. www.graceevanston.org 10). Prices include admission, one drink ticket and Funny Festival at 1225 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago. 9 Triumph Hall (senior housing for LGBTQA) 7:30 p.m. 847-475-2211. hors d’oeuvres. https://community.centeronhalsted.org/ p.m. Tickets: $15. “The females of GayCo Productions, $10. www.graceevanston.org BWFW, [email protected] Chicago’s premier LGBT sketch comedy company, JUNE 7 - PUBLIC JAZZ CONCERT - “Let’s Fall In perform some of their best-of lady sketches. www. JUNE (various dates) - CENTER ON HALSTED - Love” by Lakeside Pride Music Ensembles at Uptown JUNE 13 - PLAY - “Abraham Lincoln was a F*gg*t” chicagowomensfunnyfestival.com or www.gayco.com During June Pride Month, the center will be hosting a Underground, 8-10 p.m. Songs of romance performed by Bixby Elliot, directed by Andrew Volkoff. At Chicago variety of different LGBTQIA events. Location: 3656 N. by shhh...OUT Jazz Ensemble; The Strayhorns Jazz Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave. in Chicago. 7:30 JUNE 19 - SHOW - “Drag Queens” by Uptown Halsted St. in Chicago. www.centeronhalsted.org Combo; and Wilde Cabaret Singers. www.lakesidepride. p.m. Tickets: $10. Part of About Face Theatre’s Pride Underground and Muffy Fishbasket at Uptown org 805-503-8933 (Patrick). Performance Series. www.aboutfacetheatre.com Underground, 4707 N. Broadway in Chicago. JUNE (various dates) - COMEDY SHOW - “Daughters Seating: 8 p.m. Show: 8:30 p.m. Cost: $20. www. of Pridezilla.” GayCo Productions, Chicago’s premier JUNE 7 - TELEVISION SHOW - Independent Lens JUNE 13 - CONCERT - “Proud To Be ... Me!” by the uptownunderground.net, chris@uptownunderground. LGBT sketch comedy company, presents a beautiful “Love Free or Die” 10 p.m. on 11.2 WTTW Prime. Artemis Singers (repeat performance of June 6 concert) net, 773-867-1946. monster of improv comedy, gay pride, and stories from This feature follows Gene Robinson, first openly gay However, different location: Beverly Unitarian Church, local gay-lebrities ! at the Playground Theater, 3109 N. person to become a bishop in historic traditions of 10244 S. Longwood Dr. in Chicago. 7 p.m. www. JUNE 19 - TELEVISION SHOW - “Facing Fear” 10 Halsted St. in Chicago. 10 p.m., Friday and Saturdays Christiandom. His consecration in 2003, to which he artemissingers.org, 773-764-4465. p.m. on 11.1 WTTW HD. This documentary follows (6/19, 6/20, 6/26, 6/27) Tickets: $13. www.gayco.com worw a bullet-proof vest, caused an international stir. the unlikely reconciliation between a former neo-Nazi (First aired in 2012.) This is one of several LGBT-related JUNE 14 - TELEVISION SHOW - “The Day it skinhead and the gay man he brutally assaulted. Twenty- JUNE (various dates) - GUIDED MEDITATION & shows on WTTW HD and WTTW Prime during June Snowed in Miami” 10 p.m. on 11.2 WTTW Prime. This five years after the white supremacist beat the homeless BOOK/BIBLE STUDY - at Broadway UMC, 3338 Pride Month. www.wttw.com feature covers Miami’s famed battle for LGBT rights teenager nearly to death, the two men met by chance and N. Broadway in Chicago. WEDNESDAYS: 6 p.m. during the 1970s Anita Bryant era. This is one of several began a journey toward forgiveness and understanding. (Guided Meditation); 7 p.m. (Book/Bible Study). www. JUNE 7 - WORKSHOP - “Truthful Touch Cuddle Party” LGBT-related shows on WTTW HD and WTTW Prime (Repeated June 25 at 10 p.m.) This is one of several broadwaychurchchicago.org by Cuddle Party- Location upon registration (Chicago during June Pride Month. www.wttw.com LGBT-related shows on WTTW HD and WTTW Prime north side ). 3-7:30 p.m. $30 per person. (also on June during June Pride Month. www.wttw.com JUNE (various dates) - PRIDE PERFORMANCE 26). www.cuddleparty.com or www.truthfultouch.com JUNE 15 - TELEVISION SHOW - Independent Lens SERIES - About Face Theatre Celebrates June Pride [email protected], 773-320-7571. “Limited Partnership” 10 p.m. on 11.1 WTTW HD. This JUNE 20 - CHICAGO PRIDE FEST - A street Month with a line-up of readings, performances and show chronicles the 40-year love story between Filipino festival with vendors and entertainers by the Northalsted special events celebrating the LGBTQIA experience. JUNE 7 - WORSHIP SERVICE - “Northwest American Richard Adams and his Australian husband Business Alliance (NBA). (Two-day fest continues on Events include: June 2: a reading of the comedy “The Suburban Pride Worship Service” w/Picnic/BBQ Tony Sullivan who, in 1975, were one of the first same June 21). More information TBA (to be announced). Last Sunday in June” starring real life couple Michael following service (bring food and chair), co-sponsored sex couples in the world to be legally married (thanks www.northalsted.com Urie (of TV’s Ugly Betty) and his partner Ryan Spahn; by Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches and a to a courageous county clerk in Boulder, Colorado). June 10: a panel of Chicago artists through an exploration number of suburban member congregations, including After that, Richard was denied a green card and the JUNE 20 - CHORAL CONCERT - “When You of “Lesbians & Literature”; June 13 & 14: a reading of host Congregational United Church of Christ, 1001 W. Immigration and Naturalization Service sent a letter Believe” by Windy City Gay Chorus & Windy City the play “Abraham Lincoln was a F*gg*t”; June 17: a Kirchoff, Arlington Heights, IL. 4 p.m. RSVP or more stating, “You have failed to establish that a bona fide Treble Quire at Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 1650 W. reading of the play “Methtacular.” For locations, times, info: www.CongUCC.org; 847-392-6650. marital relationship can exist between two faggots.” Foster in Chicago. 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets: Advance: ticket prices, etc.: www.aboutfacetheatre.com Outraged at the tone, tenor and politics of the letter— $30 reserved seating; $18 general admission. At the door: JUNE 7 - WORSHIP SERVICE - “Pride Celebration and to prevent Tony’s deportation—they embarked on $20 general admission; $15 seniors 65 and over, students JUNE - (various dates) - PLAY - “Late Nite Catechism” Service - 8th Anniversary of being Open and Affirming” a journey that included bringing a lawsuit against the with ID or children 5 or under. www.windycitysings.org by Nuns 4 Fun Entertainment at Royal George Theatre, at Congregational UCC, 1001 W. Kirchoff Rd., Arlington federal government. This is one of several LGBT-related 1641 N. Halsted in Chicago. Saturdays at 5 p.m.; Heights, IL. 10:30 a.m. All are welcome, no matter who shows on WTTW HD and WTTW Prime during June JUNE 20 - STORYTELLING SHOW - “You’re Sundays at 2 p.m. $30 ticket at half-price ($15) by you are or where you may be on life’s journey. www. Pride Month. www.wttw.com Being Ridiculous” presents Pride. A very special using code word, “PRIDE” www.nuns4fun.com info@ CongUCC.org 847-392-6650. LGBTQ Pride edition of YBR at Women and Children nuns4fun.com 312-988-9000. JUNE 17 - READING - “Methtacular!” play written First Books, 5233 N. Clark St. in Chicago. 7-9 p.m. JUNE 9 - PERFORMANCES & OPEN FORUM - by and starring Steven Strafford; directed by Adam Admission: $7-$10 (sliding scale) includes a delicious JUNE (various dates) - SPIRITUALITY SESSIONS “Sappho’s Salon” - during Pride Month at Women and Fitzgerald at American Theater Company, 1909 W. spread of Mediterranean food. (BYOB). Questions: - “Proud in Prayer” at aChurch4Me, 7366 N. Clark St. in Children First Books, 5233 N. Clark St. in Chicago. Byron in Chicago. 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $15. Part of [email protected] Chicago. The spirituality sessions examine the wounding There will be one or two featured performers and About Face Theatre’s Pride Performance Series. www. of traditional prayer language, ways to “inclucify” and then open forum for anyone with any kind of work to aboutfacetheatre.com JUNE 20 - TELEVISION SHOW - “Dave Geffen: create new language for LGBTQI and Allies. www. present. A performance salon featuring expressions of American Masters” 10 p.m. on 11.1 WTTW HD. Geffen achurch4me.org 773-951-4268. “queerness, gender and feminism.” Doors open 7 p.m. JUNE 17 - TELEVISION SHOW - Independent Lens is an agent, manager, record industry mogul, Hollywood Performances: 7:30 p.m. For information: sapphoswcf@ “The New Black” 10 p.m. on 11.1 WTTW HD. This and Broadway producer and billionaire philanthropist JUNE (various dates) - SUMMER FILM FESTIVAL gmail.com; facebook.com/sapphossalon is a documentary about how the African-American who helped shape American pop culture for the past four - “Queer Bits” by Pride Films and Plays at The community is dealing with the gay rights issue in light decades. He donated to numerous LGBT organizations Public House Theatre, 3914 N. Clark. Tickets: www. JUNE 9 - WORKSHOP - “What Do You Want To Be of the recent gay marriage movement and the fight over and causes. This is one of several LGBT-related shows pridefilmsandplays.com/kick-off-pride2015-with- When You Grow Up ?”- a small group workshop for civil rights. (Repeated at 10 p.m. on June 21 on 11.2 on WTTW HD and WTTW Prime during June Pride queer-bits-film-fest/. The festival will provide “..the people who are considering or who are working on a new WTTW Prime). This is one of several LGBT-related Month. www.wttw.com best LGBT short films with their Chicago premieres.” career. We will talk about career change and defining shows on WTTW HD and WTTW Prime during June Opening night (June 1). Screening will be preceded by a career directions. Facilitated by Judith Lansky of Pride Month. www.wttw.com JUNE 21 - CELEBRATION - “5th Anniversary Pride panel discussion about filmmaking in Chicago followed Lansky Career Consultants at 115 S. LaSalle St., #2600 Sunday Celebration” at Northbrook United Methodist by a brief talk back with filmmakers. Bar open 6:30 in Chicago. 6:30 -8:30 p.m. Reservations required, no JUNE 17 - WORKSHOP - “Too Young To Retire-- Church, 190 Western Ave., Northbrook, IL. 10 a.m. p.m. Starts: 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $10. (VIP $15 includes cost. www.lanskycareerconsultants.com, jlansky@ Now What?” If you are recently retired or thinking about www.northbrookumc.org prime seating). Students/Seniors: $5. Tickets: www. lanskycareerconsultants.com, 312-494-0022. retiring, this workshop will help you sort out what you brownpapertickets.com 800-838-3006. want to do next: new career; part-time work; volunteering; JUNE 21 -CHICAGO PRIDE FEST - A street festival JUNE 10 - PANEL - “Lesbians and Literature” hosted travel or something else. Facilitated by Judith Lansky of with vendors and entertainers by the Northalsted JUNE (various dates) - GAY LIBERATION by Paul Oakley Stovall. Part of Pivot Arts Festival at Lansky Career Consultants at 115 S. LaSalle St. #2600 Business Alliance (NBA). (Second day of a two-day NETWORK - Various events during June Pride month Uncommon Ground, 1401 W. Devon in Chicago. 7 in Chicago. 6:30-8:30 p.m. Reservations required, no fest). More information TBA (to be announced). www. including: A demonstration in front of the Center on p.m. Tickets: $10. Part of About Face Theatre’s Pride cost. www.lanskycareerconsultants.com, jlansky@ northalsted.com Halsted on the day that the Supreme Court decides the Performance Series. Panel discussion and performance lanskycareerconsultants.com, 312-494-0022. current marriage cases, 7 p.m. (Date: TBD); 6/3 and 7/1: exploring gay women in literature including Sappho, the JUNE 21 - TELEVISION SHOW - “Vicious: Season 1 Direct action organizing meeting at 6205 N. Sheridan couple behind James Joyce’s Ulysses and more. Event JUNE 18 - TELEVISION SHOW - American Masters marathon begins at 11 a.m. on 11.2 WTTW Prime. This Rd., 7 p.m.; 6/12: Live call-in show, channel 21 on includes playwright Marilyn Campbell, Elizabeth Ledo “Billie Jean King” 8 p.m. on 11.1 WTTW HD. The story comedy series tells the story of two gay men who have Cable TV Chicago, 6:30 p.m. www.gayliberation.net, (AFT), playwright and actress Pat Kane, and others. of athlete and activist Billie Jean King. This is one of been a couple for nearly 50 years. Based in London, the [email protected], 773-209-1187 www.aboutfacetheatre.com several LGBT-related shows on WTTW HD and WTTW series deals with their ups and downs (including their Prime during June Pride Month. www.wttw.com co-dependent fighting), but underneath they have a deep JUNE 2 - READING - “The Last Sunday in June” by JUNE 12 - BOOK DISCUSSION - “June Genre Fiction love for one another. This is one of several LGBT-related Jonathan Tolins; directed by Andrew Volkoff. Starring Discussion Group” during Pride Month by Gerber/Hart JUNE 18 - TELEVISION SHOW - Independent Lens shows on WTTW HD and WTTW Prime during June real life couple Michael Urie (of TV’s Ugly Betty) and Library and Archives, 6500 N. Clark St. in Chicago. 6:30 “God Loves Uganda” 9:30 p.m. on 11.1 WTTW HD. Pride Month. www.wttw.com his partner Ryan Spahn at the Greenhouse Theater Center, -8:30 p.m. Book: Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner. www. The show explores the role of the American evangelical 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. in Chicago. 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $20. gerberhart.org, [email protected], 773-381-8030. movement in Uganda, where American missionaries JUNE 21 - TELEVISION SHOW - Independent Lens Part of About Face Theatre’s Pride Performance Series. have been credited with creating schools and hospitals. “The New Black” 10 p.m. on 11.2 WTTW Prime. This www.aboutfacetheatre.com JUNE 13 - BBQ - “Annual Flag Day BBQ” benefit for But they have also been blamed for promoting dangerous is a documentary about how the African-American the American Veterans for Equal Rights at Replay Bar, religious bigotry, including their interpretation of the community is dealing with the gay rights issue in light JUNE 6 - CONCERT & DANCE - “Proud To Be ... Me!” 3439 N. Halsted in Chicago. 3-7 p.m. $10 door donation. Bible that includes teachings about homosexuality that of the recent gay marriage movement and the fight over by the Artemis Singers at Broadway United Methodist www.averchicago.org, [email protected], 773-752- becomes part of a culture of intolerance and hatred civil rights. This is one of several LGBT-related shows Church, 3338 N. Broadway in Chicago. 7:00 p.m. Ticket 0058. toward Uganda’s LGBT communities. This is one of on WTTW HD and WTTW Prime during June Pride donation includes concert and dance. $15 advance several LGBT-related shows on WTTW HD and WTTW Month. www.wttw.com from chorus members or via BrownPaperTickets; Door JUNE 13 - PARTY - “Everything Old is New Again: Prime during June Pride Month. www.wttw.com donation: $20 or pay-what-you-can. $10 for those 65 and By Women For Women” by the Center on Halsted JUNE 22 - CABARET - “Gay Today - A Pride Cabaret”- over or 12 and under. (Second performance of concert Women’s Action Committee at the Center on Halsted, JUNE 19 - BOOK DISCUSSION - “June BTQ Book by the stars of Pride Films And Plays who sing songs on June 13 at Beverly Unitarian Church, 7PM). www. 3656 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. Cocktail Reception: 5-9 Discussion Group” during Pride Month by Gerber/Hart of modern romance and self-discovery. Arrangements artemissingers.org 773-764-4465. p.m. DJ Competition: 7-9 p.m. Bring cash/singles/fives Library and Archives, 6500 N. Clark St. in Chicago. 7-9 and music direction by Robert Ollis. Doors open 6:30 or whatever your heart desires to the DJ competition p.m. Book: “The Left Hand of Darkness” by Ursala K. p.m. Show starts 7 p.m. General admission: $15 (VIP JUNE 7 - CHORAL PRESENTATION - Choir if you plan to vote on the hottest DJ. Proceeds benefit Le Guin. www.gerberhart.org, [email protected], tickets $25 and include reserved cabaret seating; Two- presents selections from an original musical, HOME, community organizations. DJs include DJ All the Way, 773-381-8030. some tickets: $45 and include admission for two w/ WINDY CITY TIMES May 20, 2015 25 reserved seats). Location: Mary’s Attic, 5400 N. Clark JUNE 28 - BLACK PRIDE - various events scheduled JUNE 28 - PRIDE FESTIVAL - “Pride North,” JUNE 28 - WORSHIP SERVICE - “Pride Sunday St. in Chicago. Tickets: www.brownpapertickets. this coming week for the LGBTQQIA Black Pride celebrating pride on the North side. Details TBA. Held Worship” w/ featured preacher M. Barclay of com/event/1409967 or 1-800-838-3006. www. celebration. www.windycityblackpride.info along Glenwood Ave. between Lunt and Farwell in the Reconciling Ministries Network and liaison to United pridefilmsandplays.com Rogers Park neighborhood in Chicago. Methodist Alliance for Transgender Inclusion (UMATI) JUNE 27 - PRIDE PARTY - “12th Annual Back Lot at Broadway UMC, 3338 N. Broadway in Chicago. 10 JUNE 22 - TELEVISION SHOW - POV “Out in the Bash” women’s festival (continues on June 28). More JUNE 28 - TELEVISION SHOW - “Anyone & a.m. Night” 10 p.m. on 11.1 WTTW HD. This show deals information TBA. www.backlotbashchicago.com, Everyone” 10 p.m. on 11.2 WTTW Prime. The show with an incident in 2009 in a gay-friendly neighborhood [email protected] features parents who have a child who is gay. It depicts JUNE 30 - CEREMONY - “Salute to LGBT Veterans” in New York City wherein a group of African-American families from all walks of life. Individuals from such by the American Veterans for Equal Rights at Daley lesbians were violently threatened by a man on the JUNE 28 - PRIDE PARTY - “12th Annual Back diverse backgrounds as Japanese, Bolivian and Cherokee, Plaza in downtown Chicago. Noon. www.averchicago. street. The women fought back and were later charged Lot Bash.” women’s festival. More information TBA as well as from various religious denominations such org, [email protected], 773-752-0058. with gang assault and attempted murder. The tabloids (to be announced). www.backlotbashchicago.com, as Mormon, Jewish, Roman Catholic, Hindu and quickly dubbed them a gang of “Killer Lesbians” and a [email protected] Southern Baptist share intimate accounts of how their JUNE 30 - TELEVISION SHOW - “Growing Up “Wolf Pack.” Three pleaded guilty to avoid a trial, but children revealed their sexual orientation and discuss Trans” 10 p.m. on 11.1 WTTW HD. The struggles and the remaining four maintained their innocence. This JUNE 28 - PRIDE PARADE - Chicago 46th Annual the responses. (First aired in 2007, it also shows PFLAG choices facing transgender kids and their parents are feature examines the sensational case and the women’s Pride Parade, coordinated by PRIDEChicago. More meetings). This is one of several LGBT-related shows on explored. This is one of several LGBT-related shows on uphill battle, revealing the role that race, gender identity information TBA. www.ChicagoPrideCalendar.org, WTTW HD and WTTW Prime during June Pride Month. WTTW HD and WTTW Prime during June Pride Month. and sexuality play in our criminal justice system. This is [email protected], 773-348-8243. www.wttw.com www.wttw.com. one of several LGBT-friendly shows on WTTW HD and WTTW Prime during June Pride Month. www.wttw.com

JUNE 24 - AWARDS CEREMONY - “30 Under 30 Awards”- 16th Annual event by Windy City Media For travel to the parade and other pride events Group, co-sponsored with AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Chicago House and the Center on Halsted at the Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted in Chicago. 5:30 ride the CTA/PACE/METRA. p.m. The awards honor 30 outstanding young (under 30 years old) LGBT individuals and Allies. www. www.transitchicago.com (1-312-836-7000) windycitymediagroup.com 773-871-7609. or www.metrarail.com (1-312-322-6900) JUNE 25 - PRIDE PARTY - “12th Annual Back Lot Bash.” women’s festival (continues on June 26, 27, and 28). More information TBA. www.backlotbashchicago. com, [email protected]

JUNE 25 - RACE & PARTY - A Lakefront night 5K (+1) run/walk and post- party. Second annual event by Star Events at Fullerton and Cannon Drive in Chicago. Benefit for Center on Halsted Senior Housing Center. Registration: 6 p.m.; Start: 7:00 p.m. (party immediately Wind Cit Times following race near Diversey Harbor until 10 p.m.). www.iloveruns.com/pride-5k.

JUNE 25 - TELEVISION SHOW - “Out & Proud in Chicago” 8 p.m. on 11.1 WTTW HD. Encore presentation of the critically acclaimed show featuring historical coverage of LGBTs in Chicago. Narrated by actress and Chicago native Jane Lynch. This is one of several LGBT-related shows on WTTW HD and WTTW Prime during June pride Month. www.wttw.com TT hheeaattrr JUNE 25 - TELEVISION SHOW - “Schoolboy to 65%65% Showgirl: The Alexandra Billings Story” 10:30 p.m. on 2015-16 11.1 WTTW HD. The life of the former Chicagoan who Sold!Sold! is an educator, actress and activist. This is one of several THE BOY FROM OZ LGBT- related shows on WTTW HD and WTTW Prime By Martin Sherman and Nick Enright Series during June Pride Month. www.wttw.com Series WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015 JUNE 25 - TOURNAMENT - “Pride Classic Ice Hockey PRIDE FILMS & PLAYS @ STAGE 773 Tournament” by Chicago Gay Hockey Association at The Award-winning musical about the THE GLASS MENAGERIE 3843 N. California (Chicago Park District’s McFetridge dazzling life and talents of Peter Allen. By Tennessee Williams Sports Center) in Chicago. (Continues through June 28 with social events, etc.) www.chicagogayhockey.org, SATURDAY, JANUARY 23, 2016 [email protected] THE (curious case of the) THE HYPOCRITES @ DEN THEATRE Hans Fleischman directs and re-imagines his critically JUNE 26 - BBQ & BEACH SERVICE - “LGBTQ WATSON INTELLIGENCE Jewish Pride BBQ & Beach Service” by Congregation acclaimed and compelling revival. Or Chadash, 5959 N. Sheridan Rd,. in Chicago. 6 p.m. By Madeleine George Free. www.orchadash.org, [email protected], 773- THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015 870-5921. THEATER WIT COCKED By Sarah Gubbins A Chicago Premiere comedy from the lesbian JUNE 26 - PRIDE PARTY - “12th Annual Back Lot FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2016 writer of Seven Mammoths Wander New England. Bash” women’s festival (continues on June 27 and 28). VICTORY GARDENS THEATRE More information TBA. www.backlotbashchicago.com, [email protected] A World Premiere thriller from the 104th REVUE lesbian playwright of The Kid Thing. JUNE 26 - RECEPTION - “Pride & Joy Reception” by Center on Halsted/Friends of the Chicago Gay and OF SECOND CITY Lesbian Hall of Fame at Center on Halsted, Richard M. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2015 DREAMGIRLS Daley Rooftop Terrace, 3656 N. Halsted in Chicago. SECOND CITY By Henry Krieger & Tom Eyen 5:30-9:30 p.m. Tickets: $20 (includes 3 drinks, light Hilariously smart comedy from THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016 hors d’oeuvres, dancing) available at the door or from members of the Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame. www. the outstanding Second City! PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE @ STAGE 773 glhalloffame.org, [email protected], 773-281- The Tony and Academy Award-winning musical 5095. THE LISBON TRAVIATA from the Jeff Award-winning Porchlight JUNE 26 - WORKSHOP - “Truthful Touch Cuddle By Terrence McNally Party” Location upon registration (Chicago north side). THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2015 COMPANY 7-11 p.m. $30 per person. www.cuddleparty.com or ECLIPSE THEATRE @ ATHENAEUM By George Furth and Stephen Sondheim www.truthfultouch.com, [email protected], 773-320-7571. An extremely funny and deeply moving play of an opera WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2016 queen’s devotion to the divine Callas. WRITERS THEATRE JUNE 27 - LITURGY - “Annual Pride Liturgy” by Experience this brilliant and beloved Dignity/Chicago at Broadway United Methodist Church, 3338 N. Broadway in Chicago. 5 p.m. All are welcome. musical in the brand new Writers Theatre.

JUNE 27 - WALK & RUN - “Proud To Run”- 34th annual event includes a 10K run & 5K run/walk presented in association with Frontrunners/Frontwalkers Chicago (the area’s LGBTQIA running and walking club). Location: just north of Montrose Harbor in Chicago. ACT NOW! Benefit for Affinity Community Services, AIDS Legal Council of Chicago, and Chicago House. The races are a LIMITED AVAILABILITY Chicago Area Runners Association and USA Track and Field certified event. An awards ceremony follows the fo all 8 hows! runs. For times, fees, etc.: www.proudtorun.org EMAIL$265$265 [email protected] FOR AN ORDER FORM JUNE 27 - CHICAGO DYKE MARCH - For more Shows, locations, dates/times subject to change. No requests for alternate dates will be guaranteed. info: www.facebook.com/groups/dykemarchchicago/, [email protected] 26 May 20, 2015 WINDY CITY TIMES

AFC marks thirty years of action

Photos by Gretchen Rachel Hammond

By Gretchen Rachel Hammond

The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) trans- formed the ballrooms of the Chicago Hilton into a crimson Arcadia on May 16 as the organization’s gala celebrated thirty years of relentless action which has led to once believed as impossible dreams realized and the ability to look ahead to the most coveted goal of all—the eradication of Amy Landecker. the spread of HIV/AIDS in Chicago and worldwide. Flanked by a massive number 30 that had been completely covered on all sides with the signatures in red of AFC’s supporters, star of the Amazon Prime Series Transparent and former AFC employee Amy Landecker served as both Master of Ceremonies and keynote speaker for the black- Ernie Rodriguez. tie evening which was attended by the AFC’s past board Chairs, staff members, CEOs and an array of LGBTQ political leaders including United States Ambassador to the Dominican Republic James “Wally” Brewster and Ald. Tom Tunney. “This is a moment that that sees fewer than 1,100 new cases [of HIV] in Chicago each year,” AFC Board Chair J. Ben Stringfellow said in his opening remarks. “I’m proud of what we have ac- complished so far and the lives the AFC’s work has saved. I believe we’re inspired by the impossibil- Rev. Charles Straight ity of this moment.” AFC President and CEO John Peller admitted to being “astounded by the progress we’ve made in the HIV epidemic. New cases have been cut in Chicago by forty percent in the last decade,” he said to resounding applause. However, in looking ahead, Peller was funda- mentally clear that “AIDS is still a problem. Our challenges are huge. “ High among those challenges is the dispropor- tionate impact of the disease among the trans- gender population. The discrimination that trans- gender individuals face in almost every area of their daily lives was the focal point of Landecker’s address after she was proudly introduced by her father John. “The statistics of murders, suicides and HIV/ Thomas Kehoe. AIDs is extremely high,” she said adding that it wasn’t just cultural understanding of the trans- gender community that is needed but “real finan- cial help.” Landecker noted Transparent’s hiring of trans- gender individuals in almost every facet of the show’s production both in front of and behind the camera. “Employment is key to the trans com- Lori Kaufman. munity and as a society we have to do more,” she said. Two AFC champions were honored during the gala. Over two-decade long volunteer and HIV/ AIDS educator Ernie Rodriguez received the Lori Kaufman Volunteer Award while designer Thomas Kehoe was presented with the Community Impact Award. WINDY CITY TIMES May 20, 2015 27 the DISH Weekly Dining Guide in WINDY CITY TIMES SAVOR: Brunch at Wood BY ANDREW DAVIS

The website for Boystown restaurant Wood (3335 N. Halsted St.; http://woodchicago. com/) boasts that the site has noted for three consecutive years as a Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient, which identifies eateries that offer two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for a maximum of $40, not including tax or gratuity. (A few of the other local restaurants that are Johnny Cakes (left) and corned beef hash at Wood. 2015 Bib Gourman selections are Ceres’ Table, Photos by Andrew Davis avec, Hopleaf, Girl & the Goat, Slurping Turtle and bellyQ.) the gate with its cinnamon roll. Our telege- I loved the corned beef hash, complete with Indeed, the prices are quite reasonable at the nic server said raved about it, correctly say- large cubes of Slagel Farms brisket along with REAL ESTATE understated Wood, with main items at brunch ing that one would satisfy both of us diners. caramelized onion, fried eggs and breakfast costing $10-$13. And, after eating there, I can It was, fortunately, not too gooey; however, potatoes. Arron went with the fried chicken CASH BACK HOME PURCHASE say diners are truly getting a bargain. my friend, Arron, and I both noticed a slightly Benedict; a self-proclaimed foodie, he loved Top Chicago Gay Realtors Represent You FREE. Choose Feel free to order a cocktail. (As the saying stale quality with the bread that dampened the the chicken, although he said the biscuit was your Perfect Agent On-Line & Receive up to $2500 goes, it’s five o’clock somewhere.) Offerings experience. However, our other appetizer—the slightly dense. VISA Gift Card! No Cost / Obligation. WWW.GAYREALESTATE.COM/PERK (9/9/15-26) include a delicious mimosa (not bottomless), Johnny Cakes—was fantastic. The very tasty Would I return for brunch? Absolutely. While Bloody Mary, Poinsettia (which seems to be an cakes worked excellently with the maple pork I might skip the roll next time, there were MULTI-UNIT PROPERTY - FOR SALE odd choice for this time of the year) and the belly, spinach and chive creme fraiche. (Other enough pleasant surprises and other items of Corpse Reviver #2 (gin, lillet, combier, lemon appetizers include Greek yogurt parfait, soft interest on the menu (country ham flatbrad, and pernod rinse). pretzels, Belgian frites, French toast bites and Texas shrimp and Belgian waffles) to warrant a As for the food, it’s pretty compelling— fried cheese curds.) return visit. overall. Unfortunately, Wood stumbled out of The main items were also seriously good.

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Saturday, May 23 imagine ... and some you can’t. Weekend 78 E. Washington St. Chicago http://www. COMMUNITY Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance Package/Day Pass wristband is required cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/ (LGBTQ) Support meeting to talk about ill- and must be 21+ for admission. Photo supp_info/moveyourbody.html?utm_sourc nesses, symptoms, treatment, doctors, and ID required. Suggested donation $10. e=Move+Your+Body+Exhibit+Preview+2015 CALENDAR personal issues such as dating, relation- 11:00am - 5:00pm Congress Plaza Hotel, &utm_campaign=Move+Your+Body+Exhibit ships and work. Center on Halsted 3656 N 520 S. Michigan Ave. http://www.imrl. +Preview+2015&utm_medium=email Halsted 11:00am - 12:30pm Center on com Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South Wed., May 20 Halsted 3656 N Halsted Chicago http:// International Court System Honors IML A play exploring blackness, sexuality and Best of Chicago Welcome Party Hosted by dbsa-glbt-chicago.com Honoring and recounting the close rela- Southern hospitality. Based on his award- Mr. Chicago Leather 2015 Luis Tipantasig. Farmer’s Market: Chicago Nettelhorst tionship the ICS has had with the Leather winning book, Dr. E. Patrick Johnson stars Berghoff beer tastings, free Chicago Red French Market Through Nov. 7. A French community both in the past and now. Pre- in this one-man exploration into the Hots (those are hot dogs). 9:00pm - Market brings sense of community like the senting selected Leather Men and Women Southern black gay community. 7:30pm 4:00am Touche 6412 N Clark St Chicago markets of France, a place to gather, so- with the ICS’s Mr. Marcus Award. 11:30am Hal and Martha Hyer Wallis Theatre, North- http://www.touchechicago.com cialize and purchase fresh produce, flow- - 1:30pm Congress Plaza Hotel, 520 S. western University, Evanston, IL http:// Burly Beautiful Very floral evening featur- ers, artisanal oils and vinegars, fresh baked Michigan Ave. www.projectand.org Tickets: https://www. ing guest DJ Generous Dennis and resident croissants. 8:00am - 2:00pm Nettelhorst Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus: “We’re Still communication.northwestern.edu/wirtz/ DJ Josie Bush and accompanying visuals School, Broadway & Melrose, Chicago Here” 85 years of Sondheim CGMC show- special_events of beauty and grandeur. 9:00pm - 1:45am Film Screening: In My Own Image 40 same- cases its new artistic director James J. The Apollo Cabaret The last Thursday of ev- Burlington Bar, 3425 W. Fullerton Chicago, gender-loving (SGL) Black men of diverse Morehead with the music catalogue of ery month. $10, $5 with seat reservation. Illinois Tickets: http://www.Facebook. backgrounds, locations and ages convened infamous lyricist and composer Stephen Reservations via Facebook “Jason Apollo” com for a historic gathering to discuss trauma, Sondheim 3:00pm Wentz Concert Hall or by email, TheApolloCabaret@gmail. Lost In The White City screening An emo- healing, political power and advancing the 171 E. Chicago Ave Naperville, IL 6040 com. Doors 9:30pm 10:00pm Hamburger tionally charged love triangle set in the state of Black men. 10:00am - 12:00pm 773-296-0541 http://www.cgmc.org Mary’s 5400 N Clark St. hot political climate of modern Tel Aviv. Chicago Cultural Center 78 E. Washing- International Mr. Leather Contest See who 7:00 pm 9:00pm Facets Multi-Media ton St. Chicago http://www.prairie.org/ takes the sash as International Mr. Leath- Sunday, May 31 1517 W Fullerton Ave events/29346/screening-my-own-image er 37. Sponsored by Miller Lite. 6:00pm DASH for Detection 5K walk/run to sup- IML Leather Market Experience the sights - 9:00pm Harris Theater for Music and port pancreatic cancer research. Register Thursday, May 21 and sounds of IML weekend and shop for Dance 205 E Randolph St. http://www. online. Sponsors include NBC Chicago and Leather 64TEN 9th Anniversary Party Mi- all the leather/kink/fetish wares you can imrl.com Windy City Times. 9:00am Grant Park, chael and Eric invite you to a special gath- imagine ... and some you can’t. Weekend IML Victory Party Celebrate the new Inter- Chicago Tickets: http://RolfeFoundation. ering commemorating the opening of the Package/Day Pass wristband is required national Mr. Leather with DJ Nick Bertossi org current location of Leather64TEN. Light and must be 21+ for admission. Photo and hot leather studs from all over the Walk to End Lupus Now Raise money and refreshments provided. See their new look ID required. Suggested donation $10. world. Tickets available at www.imrl.com. awareness for Lupus research and educa- and celebrate. 5:00pm - 8:00pm Leather 11:00am - 7:00pm Congress Plaza Hotel, 9:00pm - 4:00am House of Blues 329 tion. Supports Lupus Foundation of Amer- 64TEN 6410 N. Clark St. Chicago http:// 520 S. Michigan Ave. http://www.imrl. N Dearborn Chicago http://www.imrl.com ica. 5:00pm - 8:00pm Montrose Avenue www.leather64ten.com com Beach 4400 N Lakeshore Dr Chicago 202- Beautiful Boxer free screening True story winner time 31st annual Belmont-Sheffield Music Fest Monday, May 25 349-1155 http://lupus.donorpages.com/ of transgender female Parinya Charoen- May 21-25 Tribute bands, food (and food trucks), TransSafe Drop In Resource Center Trans chicagowalk2015/ Tickets: http://lupus. phol, better known as Nong Toom, the beer, wine and artisans. Gate donation and gender non-conforming. Hang out, donorpages.com/chicagowalk2015/ boy who fought like a man in the male International Mr. Leather of $5. Click on the heading for more info. socialize, enjoy some food. Access medi- Poppy Champlin Follow me to the Funny! dominated sport of kickboxing in order to 2014 Ramien Pierre will be 12:15pm In the shadow of the Belmont El cal, hormones, legal, housing, social, em- With Queer Queens of Qomedy 5:00pm become a woman. Hosted by The Legacy stop on Sheffield between Belmont (3200 ployment New day and location. 1:00pm The Laugh Factory Chicago 3175 N Broad- Project co-sponsored by the Royal Thai part of the action at IML N) and Roscoe (3400 N) 773-868-3010 - 4:00pm Center on Halsted 3656 N Hal- way Chicago 773-327-3175 http://www. Consulate-General for Chicago. 6:30pm 2015. http://www.chicagoevents.com sted Chicago http://www.chicagohouse. poppychamplin.com Tickets: http://www. Chicago Cultural Center 78 E. Washington Photo by Verdell Shannon IML Cigar Party Join your smoke and fetish org/?post_causes=translife-center laughfactory.com/clubs/chicago/3 St. Chicago Tickets: https://www.dropbox. brothers for great cigars, snacks and drink, IML Leather Market Experience the sights The Legacy Walk Foliies A benefit for the com/s/vcoghh02idk3cjv/Cinema%20Q%20 as well as a discounts for IML attendees on and sounds of IML weekend and shop for Legacy Walk. Host Angelique Munro, DJ only. Call 773-281-3355, ext. 7 or email -%20V.pdf?dl=0 select cigars, humidors, lighters, accesso- all the leather/kink/fetish wares you can David performances by Miss Sassy Trade, [email protected]. $10 Cover after 9 Boylesque w/ Ben D. Mann The premiere ries and more. $5 cover. 8th annual event. imagine ... and some you can’t. Weekend Bianca Chablis, Cee Cee LaRouge, Nata- pm. 5:00pm - 7:00pm Roscoe’s Tavern of a new boy-lesque show featuring an 2:00pm - 6:00pm Blue Havana, 3240 N. Package/Day Pass wristband is required sha Douglas, Angel LeBare plus hot male 3356 N Halsted St Chicago http://www. all-male cast of very talented performers Clark St. and must be 21+ for admission. Photo cancers. $5 suggested donation. Doors 7 roscoes.com bringing you sexy acts of all sorts in a Eurovision Song Contest Viewing Party The ID required. Suggested donation $10. pm. 8:00pm @mosphere, 5355 N. Clark, Cocky Boys Meet & Greet Party Meet the professionally-produced cabaret-style bur- contest will be streamed live from Vienna, 11:00am - 4:00pm Congress Plaza Hotel, Chicago https://www.legacyprojectchi- Cocky Boys 6-9 pm. Then, Turn Up the Heat lesque show. Featuring Ben D. Mann and Austria. Cash bar and full menu avail- 520 S. Michigan Ave. http://www.imrl. cago.org until 2 am. Upper deck open. 6:00pm - many other boylesque performers showing able. RSVP not required, but appreciated com 2:00am Sidetrack 3349 N Halsted St you all their best stuff. Each show will 2:00pm - 5:30pm Moe’s Cantina River AVER LGBT Veterans Monument Dedica- Monday, June 1 Chicago http://www.sidetrackchicago.com feature a group performance as well as in- North, Mezzanine Level, 155 W. Kinzie St., tion Ceremony Dedication ceremony for Take a Swing at Breast Cancer In memory Christian Owen’s Porn Star Special guest dividual acts. Two shows at 6:30 and 9. Chicago Tickets: http://www.ChicagoSis- monument dedicated solely to honor LGBT of Jinks Jervey-Page. A tournament fo- appearances by Rocco Steel, Alexander 6:30pm - 10:30pm Stage 773 1225 W terCities.com veterans. 2:00pm - 4:00pm Abraham Lin- cused on funding research to save live. Gustavo, Armond, Rizzo, Dakota Wolfe, Belmont Chicago We’re Still Here: Chicago Gay Mens Chorus coln National Cemetery, 20953 W Hoff Rd., Registration Fee of $180. applied towards Seth Santoro and many more. Hosted by Move Your Body: The Evolution of House Celebrates Sondheim Meet new Artistic Elwood, Illinois https://www.facebook. fundraising amount. Suggested goal: raise Christian Owen and Debbie Fox. Guest DJ Music Exhibition in the Chicago Rooms Director and celebrate the 85th birthday of com/events/776444249095065/ $324.00 to win prizes and goodie bags. Harry Cross. $5 suggested donation ben- celebrating more than 30 years of a home- Stephen Sondheim 8:00pm Harris The- Bear BQ (Bear Pride) Everyone is welcome Eats, drinks, prizes, spirit. 1:00pm High- efits Fred Says. Underwear auction and grown art form that is now heard around ater for Music and Dance 205 E Randolph to this BBQ blowout with Wrigley BBQ. land Park Country Club , 1201 Park Ave., body shots off your favorite porn stars. the world. Through August 16, 2015 Dr Chicago http://tinyurl.com/p2xffnm Open at 1 pm. Followed by showtunes until Highland Park Tickets: http://www.asis- 7:00pm - 10:00pm Progress Bar 3359 N 7:00pm - 9:30pm Chicago Cultural Center Look, we are breathing Chicago playwright 2 am. 2:00pm - 2:00am Sidetrack 3349 N tershope.org/eventpageUS.php?eid=34 Halsted Chicago http://www.progressbar- 78 E. Washington St. Chicago http://www. Laura Jacqmin turns her unblinking eye on Halsted St Chicago http://www.sidetrack- TransSafe Drop In Resource Center Trans chicago.com cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dca/ the grieving process, as three women in a chicago.com and gender non-conforming. Hang out, Melancholy Play: a chamber musical by supp_info/moveyourbody.html?utm_sourc young man’s life realize that in order to The Black and Blue Ball Presented by IML socialize, enjoy some food. Access medi- Sarah Ruhl Bank teller Tilly’s melancholy e=Move+Your+Body+Exhibit+Preview+2015 move on, they first have to confront some in conjunction with Spitshine Promotions. cal, hormones, legal, housing, social, em- is of an exquisite quality. She turns her &utm_campaign=Move+Your+Body+Exhibit hard truths about themselves. Followed by Expend what hot energy you have left at ployment New day and location. 1:00pm melancholy into a sexy thing, and every +Preview+2015&utm_medium=email a reception. 8:00pm Rivendell Theatre this annual Monday-night blowout with - 4:00pm Center on Halsted 3656 N Hal- stranger she meets falls in love with her. Roast International Mr. Leather 2014 Ra- 5779 North Ridge Chicago Tickets: http:// DJs Barry Harris and Steve Henderson, sted Chicago http://www.chicagohouse. One day she becomes happy and havoc mien Pierre, International Mr. Bootblack www.rivendelltheatre.org and host Mr. Chicago Leather 2014 Miguel org/?post_causes=translife-center reigns. Thru June 7, 2015. $20-35 7:30pm 2014 Scout Reserved seating $10-$25 IML Pecs and Personality IML contestants Torres. Purchase tickets at Full Kit Leath- Queer Bits Summer Film Festival Pride Piven Theatre Workshop, 927 Noyes St., reservations online. Limited free seating is are judged on their appearance and stage er, 5025 N. Clark St. 8:00pm - 4:00am Films and Plays’. Providing the best LGBT Evanston 847-866-8049 Tickets: http:// available without a reservation first come, presence. Doors open at 8 p.m., contest Sound-Bar 226 W Ontario Chicago http:// short films with their Chicago premieres. www.piventheatre.org first served. Doors 8pm. 9:00pm Leather begins at 9 p.m. Sponsored by Orbitz. www.imrl.com Followed by a brief talkback with filmmak- Doubt: A Parable Pulitzer Prize-winning Archives & Museum 6418 N Greenview Single tickets available ONLY at 1st floor ers. Bar open 6:30pm. $10. VIP $15 and play about authority, suspicion, ambiguity Ave Chicago http://leatherarchives.org Ticket Sales Desk of the Congress Plaza Ho- Tuesday, May 26 include prime seating. Student/Senior $5. and religion: a progressive young priest’s Tickets: http://leatherarchives.org/admin- tel. 8:00pm - 11:00pm Park West Chicago Charles M. Blow: Mechanisms and Mythol- On sale starting May 1. 7:30pm The Pub- conduct comes under question. Writers ticket.html 322 W Armitage Ave Chicago http://www. ogies Conspiring against the Marginalized lic House Theatre 3914 N. Clark St. Chi- Theatre presents through The show runs Bear Pride Early Bird Party Hosted by the imrl.com New York Times columnist and CNN com- cago Tickets: http://pridefilmsandplays. July 19. Tuesdays & Wednesdays: 7:30pm Great Lakes Bears. Midnight pizza panic IML Onyx Party ONYX continues to celebrate mentator. 6:00pm Harold Washington com/kick-off-pride-2015-with-queer-bits- (with select 2 0pm Wednesday matinees). and DJ Freddie Bain. 10:00pm - 4:00am 20 years of DOMINANCE Saturday night College 30 E. Lake St. Chicago http:// film-fest/ Thursdays & Fridays: 8 pm, Saturdays: Touche 6412 N Clark St Chicago http:// steamy with the internationally recognized thechicagourbanleague.org 4:00pm and 8 pm, Sundays: 2 pm and 6 www.touchechicago.com ONYX Old School Dance. Smokin’ house mu- Pride Idol: Audition Round An ongoing Tuesday, June 2 pm 8:00pm Glencoe Union Church, 263 sic from DJ Andre Hatchett and hot men talent competition for the ultimate prize OUT of the Office LGBT Pride reception Park Ave, Glencoe Friday, May 22 in fetish gear! Energize your weekend and of a $1000 prize package. Open to all tal- This year’s event is hosted by DreamTown IML Opening Ceremonies Event includes IML Leather Market Experience the sights work up a sweat at the hottest dance party ent. If your act can fit in a bar and you Realty, Fifth Third Bank, The Godfrey Hotel the introduction of contestants and judg- and sounds of IML weekend and shop for in town. All for $15 admission! Windsor think you have what it takes, then give it and Constellation Brands. Suggested $10 es. Doors open at 8 p.m., show begins at all the leather/kink/fetish wares you can Ballroom. 10:00pm - 2:00am Congress a try. Audition rounds through May. Finals donation at the door benefits the Chicago 9 p.m. Sponsored by ID Lube. 8:00pm - imagine ... and some you can’t. Weekend Plaza Hotel, 520 S. Michigan Ave. http:// in late June when the top three finalists Area Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. 11:00pm Park West Chicago 322 W Ar- Package/Day Pass wristband is required www.imrl.com perform at Pride North onstage. 7:00pm - RSVP online. 5:30pm - 8:30pm I/O mitage Ave Chicago http://www.imrl.com and must be 21+ for admission. Photo Furball Chicago Celebrate IML/Bear Pride 12:00pm The Glenwood Bar 6962 N Glen- Roofdeck Lounge, The Godfrey, 127 W. Hu- MACHO Dance Party Come out and dance ID required. Suggested donation $10. weekend with DJs Hifi Sean and Ron wood Ave Chicago http://www.facebook. ron, Chicago Tickets: http://www.dream- the night away with the hottest men in 12:00pm - 7:00pm Congress Plaza Hotel, Geronimo. $16 advance tickets at www.me- com/theglenwoodbar town.com/gay-chicago-realtor/ Chicago! DJs, go-go bears, and YOU! OH 520 S. Michigan Ave. http://www.imrl. trochicago.com; $20 at the door. 11:30pm OUTspoken LGBTQ storytelling Hosts Art MY! With DJ Dennis Murray and David com - 4:00am Metro Chicago 3730 N Clark Thursday, May 28 Johnston and Kim L. Hunt. Storytellers: Charles on the decks. $15 with an IML or I Look F*#king Cool w/ Adore Delano and Chicago http://www.metrochicago.com Move Your Body: The Evolution of House John Concepcion, Tyler Greene, Re’Lynn Bear Pride pass, $20 without. $1 from each Alaska 5000 Kick off your Memorial Day Music Exhibition in the Chicago Rooms Hansen, Holly Hughes, Ricky Rodriguez, Weekend with RuPaul’s Drag Race Stars ticket sold will go to the Howard Brown Sunday, May 24 celebrating more than 30 years of a home- Denise Ruiz, Zac M Willette. Doors open at Health Center and the Leather Archives Alaska Thunderfvck & Adore Delano per- IML Leather Market Experience the sights grown art form that is now heard around 6 pm 7:00pm Sidetrack 3349 N Halsted and Museum. 9:00pm - 2:00am The Bot- forming LIVE. $25 for the Meet & Greet and sounds of IML weekend and shop for the world. Through August 16, 2015 St Chicago http://www.sidetrackchicago. tom Lounge 1375 W. Lake St tickets, which are advance purchase all the leather/kink/fetish wares you can 7:00pm - 9:30pm Chicago Cultural Center com WINDY CITY TIMES May 20, 2015 29 made quite a splash with Grace and Frankie. the only one. It’s very interesting. And I lived Alas, stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin are not for two years with a guy who was trying to be- so thrilled with how things have been handled come heterosexual. I’m intimately acquainted behind the scenes. The ladies may play the with that.” I think it was the “Barbarella” cos- BILLY MASTERS titular stars, but they happen to be getting the tumes. I mean, the boots alone... same salary as Martin Sheen and Sam Water- Could it be that the sexy star of a now-de- with Cristela Alfonso, who was up for the same ston. Jane spoke out to the press: “Lily found funct second-generation show is inching out of job. Rounding out the cast may be another fa- out Sam and Martin are getting the same salary the closet? That’s the scoop from people who miliar face. The brass are quite eager to get that we are. That doesn’t make us happy.” Lily say the stud showed up at a charity event with Joy Behar back onboard. Despite what you may added, “The show is not Sol and Robert—it’s his beau in tow. Ironically, this event was per- have heard, she didn’t leave of her own accord Grace and Frankie!” Although there are some fectly in tune with his most famous character. two years ago. She was jettisoned along with cases where the supporting actors do as much The couple was clearly on the downlow, but it Elisabeth Hasselbeck. But with the subsequent of the heavy lifting as the leads (as in, say, Will was still a step up for this closeted cutie. De- departure of Sherri Shepherd, the show lost a & Grace), Grace and Frankie has clearly given spite being in the fast lane, our boy is still as bit of life and spark. Guest spots by Behar have the brunt of the burden to the ladies. And the skittish as an unbroken filly. proven popular with fans, and ABC believes her ladies have surprising allies in Sheen and Wa- When our blind item is desperately seeking return could help the show find its way. terston. The men sat down with Kathie Lee privacy, it’s time to end yet another column. Fox is getting into bed with Rob Lowe and and Hoda Kotb and said Jane and Lily should Come to think of it, we actually had three John Stamos—who could blame them? Lowe be given a raise. “They carry the show,” said blind items in this column. All in a day’s work appears on Grindr .... er, I mean a show called Sheen. Waterston added, “I think they’re being at www.BillyMasters.com, the site that never “ The Grinder” , which is about a famous ac- cheated.” sleeps. Alas, we didn’t have room for an “Ask tor who moves back to his hometown once his Jane Fonda is full of revelations this week. Billy” question. But you can always write to show about a lawyer ends. For those of you Elsewhere, she admitted to having dated her me at [email protected], and I promise who’ve had daddy fantasies about Stamos, he fair share of gay men—and could have even to get back to you before Jane Fonda reveals stars in Grandfathered as a longtime bachelor married one. “When I was young, I was the fe- she made a risque exercise video with Rich- who finds out that he’s not only a father, but male that gay guys wanted to try to become ard Simmons! Until next time, remember, one a grandfather. And, I bet, eats Greek yogurt. heterosexual with. A very famous actor who’s man’s filth is another man’s bible. gay—and I will not name names—asked me Jane Fonda has a lot going on, Billy says. Obviously, new television shows are not lim- ited to television. Online services are working to marry him. I was very flattered, but I said, Still from This Is Where I Leave You by Jessica ‘Why?’ This was 1964. And I mean, he wasn’t Miglio overtime to crack that nut, and Netflix has

“It wasn’t a match on a lot of levels. My big- gest complaint was the feeling that she kinda shit all over my mother’s legacy in her statement on leaving.”—Melissa Rivers speaks frankly about Kathy Griffin’s disastrous run on Fashion FFrrii,, MMaayy 2222 •• OOppeenn 33ppmm Police. The Wall Street Journal recently published SShhooww TTuunneess 55--99ppmm MMaaiinnBBaarr the findings of a survey showing that 61 per- cent of Americans would favor a gay president, MMeeeett && GGrreeeett while only 52 percent would consider an evan- gelical. Does this mean gays are more popu- PPaarrttyy 66--99ppmm lar than Christians? Perhaps. There have been Turn up the heat Party reports that fewer and fewer Americans are Turn up the heat Party identifying themselves as Christian—roughly 99ppmm--22aamm 10 percent less than a decade ago. Leave it to Rush Limbaugh to find a way to blame the gays for this, asking, “How is it pos- sible that [fewer] than 1 million gay activists are able to bully and steamroll an entire coun- try on the subject of marriage? By the same to- ken, how is it that 70 percent of the population can be bullied and silenced and coerced into accepting societal evolution with which they disagree because of their religious beliefs?” I’m always fascinated in the private lives of people who espouse the sanctity of marriage—espe- cially since there are far more Biblical passages SAt, May 23 • Open 1pm about divorce than often ascribed to homosex- SAt, May 23 • Open 1pm uality. I’m no scholar, but I think the thrice- PPllaayy oonn oouurr BBiigg DDEEcckk divorced Limbaugh should really be focused on the salvation of his own soul. ##SSiiddeettrraacckkSSAAttuurrddaayy ‘‘ttiill 33aamm NBC revealed some details about their up- coming live presentation of The Wiz. First, the network will partner with Cirque du Soleil to add a new dimension to the show. Second, Har- SSuunn,, MMaayy 2244 •• OOppeenn 11ppmm vey Fierstein will punch up the book. And third, the TV production will be the first step towards RRooooff DDeecckk OOppeenn wwiitthh PPaarrttyy MMuussiicc!! a major Broadway revival, which will take place in 2016-17. While the search continues for a SSuuppeerr SSiizzeedd SShhooww TTuunneess 44--1100ppmm newcomer to play Dorothy, the show’s original star has joined this new cast. If any of you think I am talking about Miss Ross, stop read- ing this column immediately. Nope—Stephanie MMoonn,, MMaayy 2255 •• OOppeenn 11ppmm Mills was the original Dorothy on Broadway. For • 2pm Everyone welcome! the television version, she’ll play Auntie Em. BBeeaarr BBQQ • 2pm Everyone welcome! I’m told that she was originally asked to play ffeeaattuurriinngg WWrriigglleeyy BBBBQQ Glinda, but she felt too intimidated by the long shadow cast by the great Lena Horne. SShhooww TTuunneess 99ppmm--22aamm Elsewhere on ABC, we have the much-lauded Dan Savage sitcom, The Real O’Neals. There will be a mockumentary series featuring the home life of the Muppets. And the network even #NoCover@Sidetrack plans to bring us both Don Johnson and the Bible—although, happily, not together. News at ABC is not limited to primetime. The View (perennial fodder for this column) 3349 N Halsted is poised to undergo even more changes. As I SidetrackChicago.com revealed a few weeks ago, serious negotiations are underway for Raven-Symone to join the cast full-time next season—thus ending talks 30 May 20, 2015 WINDY CITY TIMES Queer Prom marks 10th anniversary On May 15, The National Museum of Mexican Art hosted “Queer Prom 2015,” a celebratory 10th-anniversary event aimed at LGBTQ youth of color. The event featured a buffet dinner, live performances, a tabling section for orga- nizations that serve and support LGBTQ youth, onsite HIV testing and a dance party. The dry event played host to LGBTQ youth who are cur- rently in middle school, high school and col- lege. Queer Prom began a decade ago as an off- shoot of Radio Arte, a public-radio station pre- sented by the museum to fill the need for a safe space for LGBTQ youth. In 2005, it was common for LGBTQ youth to be denied the opportunity to enjoy prom night with there same sex partners and as a result the event was started. Tania Unzueta, one of the founders of the original prom, attended this year, saying, “There were few options for LGBTQ youth, Queer Prom 2015 attendees. particularly in the Latino community at that Photos by Vern Hester time. Things have changed considerably since then, but there will always be a need for safe tional champion Boston May 30 at Evanston spaces.” Township High School. Among the groups who had tables at the —Ross Forman event were Bitch to Quit, QYes, and Fed Up Fest. Photos and text by Vern Hester Emmanuel Garcia. Griner, Johnson under seven-game suspension The WNBA has suspended All-Stars and married couple Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson for seven games each after their do- mestic violence arrests in April. The two were arrested on suspicion of as- sault after a fight in the home they recently bought. They were married recently in Phoe- nix. Brandy Hatcher (L) and Sarah Rogers. WNBA President Laurel J. Richie said in a Photo by Ross Forman statement issued May 15, “The WNBA takes all acts of violence extremely seriously. It Force wins 74-8 is our strong belief that violence has abso- lutely no place in society, in sports or in this over Kansas City league. The Chicago Force improved its record to “As president, it is my responsibility to pro- 5-0 on May 16 with a dominant 74-8 win over tect the league and uphold its values. Our the Kansas City Titans at Lane Stadium. athletes represent the WNBA, and they all Kelsey Casey led the Force with 4 touch- must abide by the league’s standards of con- downs, while Brandy Hatcher had 109 yards duct. In this case, Brittney and Glory failed rushing, 39 yards receiving and one touch- to do so, and that is unacceptable.” down—and was named the Game Day Of- Richie also said that Griner pled guilty April fensive MVP. Sarah Rogers (six tackles, four 28 in Goodyear City Court to misdemeanor sacks) earned Game Day Defensive MVP disorderly conduct; Griner has to complete honors. Both awards are sponsored by Spin a 26-week course and, upon doing so, the Nightclub and DLG Management. disorder-conduct charge will be dismissed. About 30 members of the Chicago Spirit Johnson’s case (transferred to county court) Brigade performed a lengthy halftime per- Venus Carangi performing is pending. at the queer prom. formance. The Force will host defending na-

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