PAGE 4 Tom Bachtell (center) and his illustrations of Donald Trump (left) and Ruth Bader Ginsberg. VOL 34, NO. 12 DEC. 12, 2018 Photos from Bachtell www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com LALA THOMAS Trans woman subject of In the Life. Photo from Thomas DRAWING 7 CONCLUSIONS ‘SANTA,’ BABY Illustrator Tom Bachtell talks Sidetrack hosts annual Santa Speedo Run for Center on Halsted. Joseph Stevens Photography about art, late partner 28 WINDY CITY TIMES’ HOLIDAY HULLABALOO EXPANDED WITH CHICAGO GAY MEN’S CHORUS AND OTHER LGBTQ ARTS PERFORMANCE PAGE 21 GROUPS COVERAGE WINTER MOVIE EVERY WEEK PREVIEW PAGE 25 Photo by John Stadelman Brie Larson in Captain Marvel. www.artsandtheaterweekly.com Photo by Marvel Studios @windycitytimes /windycitymediagroup @windycitytimes www.windycitymediagroup.com 2 Dec. 12, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES LGBT CRUISES & TOUR EVENTS cruises from $699 pp from Mediterranean $939pp June 29, 2019 7-day Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona on MSC Seaview from GAY PRIDE - Rhine River Cruise $1499 July 27, 2019 7-Night Rhine Cruise CELEBRATE GAY PRIDE POST CRUISE IN AMSTERDAMPP Canada - New England from October 8, 2019 $699pp 10-Night Canada Cruise on MSC Meraviglia from Halloween Western Caribbean Cruise $899pp October 27th - November 3, 2019 FREE drinks & Tips 18th Annual Halloween Western Caribbean on Norwegian Breakaway African Safari from November 30, 2019 $4899pp 10-Night African Safari with A&K (800) 592-9058 - AquafestCruises.com WINDY CITY TIMES Dec. 12, 2018 3 NEWS Local artist Tom Bachtell 4 CTA to pay for trans man’s surgery 5 Whether you’re upsizing, downsizing, Thrift shop’s AIDS art exhibit 6 In the Life: Lala Thomas 7 Trans author Jordy Rosenberg 8 rightsizing, or staying put, we wish Viewpoint: LGBT rights in age of Kavanaugh 10 Wrightwood 659 profile 11 you and your family... Mombian: LGBTQ books as gifts 12 ENTERTAINMENT/EVENTS Theater reviews 14 INDEX Theater feature: Hyde Park’s ‘Nutcracker’ 16 Theater feature: T.R. Knight 18 John Barrowman goes graphic-novel route 20 Winter movie preview 21 DOWNLOAD Zubro excerpts 22 THIS ISSUE Sports spotlight: Drew Ladochi 24 Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus’ holiday shows 25 AND BROWSE THE ARCHIVES AT Music: Carlo Chappelle 26 www.WindyCityTimes.com NIGHTSPOTS 27 Classifieds 29 Calendar 30 PAGE 4 Tom Bachtell (center) and his illustrations of Donald Trump (left) and Ruth Bader Ginsberg. VOL 34, NO. 12 DEC. 12, 2018 Photos from Bachtell www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com LALA Peace, Health, THOMAS Trans woman subject of In the Life. Photo from Thomas DRAWING 7 CONCLUSIONS ‘SANTA,’ BABY Illustrator Tom Bachtell talks Sidetrack hosts annual Santa Speedo Run for Center on Halsted. Joseph Stevens Photography about art, late partner 28 WINDY CITY TIMES’ HOLIDAY HULLABALOO EXPANDED WITH CHICAGO GAY MEN’S CHORUS AND OTHER LGBTQ & Happiness in ARTS PERFORMANCE PAGE 21 GROUPS COVERAGE WINTER MOVIE EVERY WEEK PREVIEW PAGE 25 Photo by John Stadelman Brie Larson in Captain Marvel. www.artsandtheaterweekly.com Photo by Marvel Studios @windycitytimes /windycitymediagroup @windycitytimes www.windycitymediagroup.com the New Year! online exclusives at www.WindyCityTimes.com ‘WRONG’ WAY WCT reviews The Play That Goes Wrong. Photo by Jeremy Daniel ACT TWO BRAD LIPPITZ GROUP MIDLIFE CRISIS? Phyllis Cohen writes about coming 773.404.1144 out to your kids in midlife. [email protected] bradlippitz.com 3323 N. Broadway, Chicago , IL THAT’S SHOW BIZ Find out the latest about Chloe Grace 900 N Michigan, Suite 800, Chicago IL Moretz, Elton John and Lena Waithe. 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DAILY BREAKING NEWS Photo courtesy of Harlan Boll And everything in between. 4 Dec. 12, 2018 WINDY CITY TIMES tain, inform and work with text—incorporating caricature and expressing ideas. I work mostly in Artist Tom Bachtell brush and ink and do them by hand. They sug- gest earlier styles of cartooning and illustration; artists such as Peter Arno, James Thurber, Saul on exhibit and late Steinberg and Japanese ink drawings. I work un- der tight deadlines, and usually have just a day or two to complete a drawing.” partner Andrew Patner Of the numerous other publications where Bachtell’s work has been featured, he said the BY CARRIE MAXWELL work—Abraham Lincoln to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, best experiences have been with Entertainment Jackie Kennedy to Donald Trump, Pablo Picasso Weekly, GQ, Town & Country, L’Uomo Vogue, the Self-taught artist Tom Bachtell’s work is currently to Lou Reed and Mark Zuckerberg. Most of the Chicago Tribune and the Boston Globe. featured in a exhibit, “Tom Bachtell in Adven- work was done for the New Yorker. I have created Bachtell’s illustrations can also be found in the tureLand,” at AdventureLand Gallery, 1513 N. limited edition prints of the images.” Robert Trachtenberg book When I Knew. Western Ave. The free exhibit opened Dec. 7 with This is the culmination of a lifelong career “Robert and I also recently completed a new an evening reception and will run through Satur- as an artist that began as a child sitting at the Mahjong set, the Trach/Bach, for the Crisloid day, Dec. 29. kitchen table drawing with his siblings after trips board game company,” said Bachtell. “The show consists of 20 years of my caricature to museums. Bachtell recently drew his late partner Andrew work,” said Bachtell. “There are 30 portraits that “I never had much interest in art classes at Patner’s portrait for the frontispiece of a new cover politics, art, music, dance, writing, pop and school, but I loved drawing,” said Bachtell. book that will be released next spring, A Portrait history. Mostly black and white, with some color “My childhood kitchen table is still a place I in Four Movements: The Chicago Symphony un- der Barenboim, Boulez, Haitink and Muti. (Patner passed away in 2015.) The book features interviews Patner did with Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s conductors/music directors—Barenboim, Boulez, Haitink and Muti. “I drew Andrew as I pictured him interview- ing someone—engaged, curious, chasing ideas, thinking critically and always on the cusp of a brilliant and funny story,” said Bachtell. Bachtell explained that he met Patner in an unlikely setting, at a party in the ‘80s where ev- eryone was wearing black. “Except for Andrew, who was in a colorful bow- tie,” said Bachtell. “He had barely opened his mouth when I fell in love with him. I had a sense of him in an instant. Andrew and I were together for 25 lively years and our interests were very Tom Bachtell. much in sync, so it is hard to pinpoint any par- Photo by Jennifer Greenberg ticular moment that was the most meaningful or memorable. We both loved observing, laughing constantly return to in my mind. I was also ob- and thinking about people and the world. sessed with cartoons in the New Yorker, and was “Andrew was always traveling, whether he was swept away by the atmosphere they conjured and rummaging around China or stopping into J.J. evoked. After I graduated from college, I realized Peppers to pick up newspapers. I do not know what an essential part of my life drawing was, that I ever mastered his ability to act like he and I instinctively knew I could make a career owned the joint, but he did teach me that art of it. That is when the hard work started. I have and conversation can be passports to absolutely been learning my craft and art ever since.” anywhere. Thanks to Andrew, I met people from Bachtell explained that he double-majored all over the world and through all walks of life.” in music and English as an undergrad at Cleve- In recognition of his impact on the community land’s Case Western Reserve University. He said a Bachtell was inducted into Chicago’s LGBT Hall liberal-arts education was valued more when he of Fame in 2016—an event he called a “great was going to school so he was able to pursue it, honor.” whereas today college costs make it harder for “The Chicago LGBTQ community is very good people to do so. Bachtell said his broad educa- about celebrating its own, in all our variety,” said tion has contributed to his success as a cartoon- Bachtell. “There is a lot of support here. I also ist. love the unique civic spirit of the Center on Hal- “I was academically engaged, and loved math, sted which, along with the Hall of Fame, is very science, music and writing,” said Bachtell. “I Chicago and American. I am grateful to be a part studied piano, played tennis and danced. I was a of the community.” beautiful little nerd.” Outside of working on his illustrations, Bachtell Bachtell’s first illustration job was for the Chi- can be found swing dancing and playing chamber cago Tribune and since then his work has been music. When asked what advice he would give featured in numerous publications, most notably others, Bachtell said, “Eat right but also treat the New Yorker’s Talk of the Town and other sec- yourself to pie occasionally.