THE VOICE OF CHICAGO’S GAY, LESBIAN, BI AND TRANS COMMUNITY SINCE 1985 Dec. 30, 2009 • vol 25 no 13 www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com Joe.My.God page 4 LGBT Films of 2009 page 16 A variety of events and people shook up the local and national LGBT landscapes in 2009, including (clockwise from top) the National Equality March, President Barack Obama, a national kiss-in (including one in Chicago’s Grant Park), Scarlet’s comeback, a tribute to murder victim Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado and Carrie Prejean. Kiss-in photo by Tracy Baim; Mercado photo by Hal Baim; and Prejean photo by Rex Wockner National news in ‘09: Obama, marriage & more Angie It was a year of setbacks and progress. (Look at Joining in: Openly lesbian law professor Ali- form for America’s Security and Prosperity Act of page 17 the issue of marriage equality alone, with deni- son J. Nathan was appointed as one of 14 at- 2009—failed to include gays and lesbians. Stone als in California, New York and Maine, but ad- torneys to serve as counsel to President Obama Out of Focus: Conservative evangelical leader vances in Iowa, New Hampshire and Vermont.) in the White House. Over the year, Obama would James Dobson resigned as chairman of anti-gay Here is the list of national LGBT highlights and appoint dozens of gay and lesbian individuals to organization Focus on the Family. Dobson con- lowlights for 2009: various positions in his administration, includ- tinues to host the organization’s radio program, Making history: Barack Obama was sworn in ing Jeffrey Crowley, who heads the White House write a monthly newsletter and speak out on as the United States’ 44th president, becom- Office of National AIDS Policy, and John Berry, moral issues. ing the country’s first African-American chief who is director of the Office of Personnel Man- A mad GLAD: The people who brought marriage executive in the process. Openly gay Episcopal agement. equality to Massachusetts and Connecticut—Gay nightspots Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire was Immigration initiative: U.S. Rep. Jerrold & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD)—filed n selected to deliver the invocation at the inau- Nadler re-introduced a bill Feb. 12 that would a lawsuit March 3 in federal court in Boston, pick it up guration’s kick-off event Jan. 18—calming some enable gay Americans to sponsor their foreign seeking to challenge the federal Defense of Mar- December 23, 2009 take it home #1008 riage Act (DOMA). In the case, Gill v. Office of 2009 - The Green Issue LGBT-rights activists, who contested the selec- same-sex partners for legal residency in the Almost 100% recycled material. We’re, like, soooooo sustainable. tion of evangelical minister the Rev. Rick War- United States. Unfortunately, a bill introduced Personnel Management, the plaintiffs sought a ren, who delivered the invocation at the actual Dec. 15 by Rep. Luis Gutierrez (of Illinois)— Turn to page 6 inauguration. known as The Comprehensive Immigration Re- Brought to you by the combined efforts of page 20 2 Dec. 30, 2009 Chicago’s most-trusted LGBT news source... DOWNLOAD THE in the palm of your hands. iPhone app Find it at the iTunes store Dec. 30, 2009 3 index NEWS Interview with Joe.My.God 4 Honduran killed; world news 5 National LGBT news of ‘09 6 Local LGBT news of ‘09 7 LCCP head departing 8 A look at FCAN 8 Gays head state insurance 9 Quotelines 9 Views: Monroe, Kelly 10 ENTERTAINMENT Theater: Best of ‘09 11 A book provides insight about the Knight: Top 10 of ‘09 16 mysterious Robert Allerton—who, among Bring in this Windy City Times ad for a Another look at ‘09 films 16 other things, adopted his life partner as second burger of equal or lesser value. Not valid with any other offer or discount. Exp. 1-31-10. Pop Making Sense: Wrap-up 17 his son in 1960. See page 19. Angie Stone interview 17 Book: Robert Allerton 19 Billy Masters 21 Photo by Elizabeth Leitzell OUTLINES Real estate; classifieds 18 Calendar Q 20 Sports: Antwerp, Wrigley 22 Sports: Top 20 moments 22 Cover photos and credits (from top): Photo of Joe Jervis aka Joe.My.God by Rex Wockner; Promotional photo from the movie A Single Man; Angie Stone PR photo Cat Jefcoat (above) reflects on leaving the Lesbian Community Care Project. Read page 8. Photo by Micki Leventhal Af\%Dp%>f[ ;FNECF8;K?@J >fkfnnn%N`e[p:`kpD\[`X>iflg%Zfdkf[fnecfX[Zfdgc\k\`jjl\jf] C>9K=`cdj f])''0 EXk`feXce\nj`eÊ'01 FYXdX#dXii`X^\dfi\ N`e[p:`kpK`d\jXe[E`^_kjgfkj% 8e^`\ Jkfe\ n K_\eZc`ZbfeXepX[Xe[Y\kXb\e[`i\Zkcpkfk_\X[m\ik`j\iËjN\Yj`k\ www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com nightspotsn ONLINE INDEX 2009: THE HEART-FELT FUN GREEN ISSUE (ALMOST See photos from “Holiday 100% Heart 2009: The 3rd RECYCLED Annual LGBT Youth MATERIAL) Holiday Dinner.” December 23, 2009 #1008 2009 - The Green Issue Almost 100% recycled material. We’re, like, soooooo sustainable. pick it up, 2009’S glbt CELEBRITy Photo courtesy of Phil Esteem stories SHOW# 344 IT’S A NUNN-DERFUL LIFE take it home WCT’s Jerry Nunn (left) weighs on the many celebrity interviews he www.WindyCity conducted in ‘09 Queercast.com Photo of Jerry Nunn and Taylor Dayne courtesy of Nunn MAMA said TVN QueerTVNetwork.com One of WCT’s book crit- ics, Terri Schlichmeyer, December 23, 2009 takes a closer look at #1008 Check OUT OUR Mama Dearest, one of the video CHANNEL for last works by the late E. new videos WEEkLy Lynn Harris (right). 2009 - The Green Issue www.QueerTv Almost 100% recycled material. We’re, like, soooooo sustainable. Network.com 4 Dec. 30, 2009 tion stories about things that had happened to I blog late in the evening after 10 o’clock when ONLINE AT me in my life here and there, going back even to most of the major news organizations have up- my childhood. But once the blog became more dated their sites for the following day and I will WINDYCITYMEDIAGROUP.COM and more widely read, people started seeing write about eight or 10 blog posts for the next NATIONAL NEWS themselves in the stories. Even if I changed Tom day and put them on a timer to go up on the to Tim or Keith to Ken, they knew it was about half-hour. them and it became harder and harder to write Rex: I was just going to ask you about that truthfully knowing that people I was writing because I know that you’re posting in your about were often reading it as it came out. And sleep. after about 300 short stories, towards the end of Joe: Well, I’m not posting in my sleep but I do that run of short stories, I’d been occasionally like to stagger my posts to give sort of a fresh —Peggy Shorey commenting on current events and eventually it and interesting life to the blog. I hope that’s (left) now heads sort of took over to the point where I was only not a dirty little secret—that it’s not entirely Pride at Work writing a short story once a month. And after a live. couple of years of once a month, I pretty much Rex: Is that built into the Blogger soft- —Pro-gay stopped it entirely with the exception of rerun- ware? Vermont ning a handful of chestnuts that I rerun on cer- Joe: It’s in the software. You just set the time Republican dies tain days of the year. you want the blog post to go up. Rex: Your cat is spazzing. Rex: Under “post options”? —Possible new Joe: She’s having the midnight crazies a little Joe: Yes. hate crime in early. Rex: Who knew? Puerto Rico Rex: What’s the most memorable thing that’s Joe: Yup. Joe Jervis aka Joe. My. God. Photo by Rex happened to you as a result of the Joe. My. Joe: And so, yes, people are sometimes baffled Wockner God. blog? Like a story that had some amaz- when I’ve been posting all day and then at the must have put it in places where she can’t get it ing impact, or something that went wrong, or end of the day I’ll say, “By the way, I’m in San back, and then she screams at me. something about being a public figure now? Francisco (now).” “How could you be in San Rex: I think she’s gotten it, or she realizes Talking with What’s the weirdest or strangest thing? Francisco, you’ve been posting every 30 minutes it’s on the other side. Joe: The weirdest as far as being a public fig- for the last eight hours?” That’s how it’s done. Joe: That’s a little radio-controlled mouse I Joe. My. God, ure is people Facebooking my presence in Ber- So, I’ll write most of the morning’s postings the bought for her that worked for about three min- lin when I went to Folsom Europe last year, and night before and then, in mid-afternoon I’ll usu- utes. I finally threw the remote away but she Joe Jervis friends of mine finding out I was in Berlin be- ally devote another couple of hours to it and still likes to play with it. by REX WOCKNER cause strangers were Facebooking having seen write the afternoon posts which typically do Rex: So, given that you sort of have become me, like a celebrity-sighting, and I thought that go up live.