Gay Parents Urged to Be More Visible, Active by AMY WOOTEN on the Issue
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THE VOICE OF CHICAGO’S GAY, LESBIAN, BI AND TRANS COMMUNITY SINCE 1985 April 30, 2008 • vol 23 no 33 www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com Gay parents urged to be more visible, active by AMY WOOTEN on the issue. In the study, over half of parents said they Durbin’s A report released by the Gay, Lesbian and felt excluded or prevented from participating in Given the fact that LGBT parents and their chil- Straight Education Network (GLSEN), Family their child’s education. Over a quarter reported LGBT dren are often mistreated in a school setting, Equality Council and COLAGE in February found mistreatment from fellow parents. how do LGBT families go about choosing a school that although LGBT parents are more involved in In addition, the report showed that children Reception page 6 with a proven track record, or make the most out their children’s education (more likely to attend of LGBT parents are often harassed because of the school their child currently attends? parent-teacher conferences and volunteer), they their parents are LGBT. Key findings from the Knowing where to begin and what resources are also more likely to feel excluded and ignored study show that almost one-fourth of students because the school community doesn’t accept are available to both parents and students is Turn to page 4 crucial given the light a recent study has shed them. SUMMER MOVIE PREVIEW Queer Confabs page 6 Paolo Andino: Among the films/DVDs LGBT audiences can look Sketch Ed forward to are (clockwise from top left): Speed page 19 Racer; Wanted; Sex and the City; The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian; Savage Grace; The Dark Knight; Lars and the Real Girl; and Shelter. April 30, 2008 #942 Kevin Cathcart (left), national executive Lambda talks director of Lambda nightspots Legal, spoke at the local about ‘Revolution’ n branch’s annual Bon BY AMY WOOTEN The Unusual Suspects pick it up Foster event, which took Nightspots rounds up the masterminds behind The First Ward Ball, the new Sunday night at Scarlet. inSIDE page 18 April’s hottest jock at Madonna, Madonna, place April 23 at the “There is a celebration in the struggle,” said Crew. Madonna! take it home page 16 page 10 Chicago History Museum. Lambda Legal Midwest Regional Director Jim Cathcart is pictured Bennett at the organization’s annual Bon Foster with a photo of the late celebration. activist/attorney Robert At the April 23 “Revolution”-themed event, “Bon” Foster. Photo by Lambda Legal Midwest celebrated 15 years of Kat Fitzgerald; see more tackling tough battles in hopes of gaining full on page 5 and at www. Turn to page 5 www.WindyCityQueercast.com WindyCityMediaGroup. com Download full issues of Windy City Times and Nightspots each week at www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com Sal-E and JoJo Baby are thGiving Good Face inSIDE e subjects of Bernard Colber t’s photo show “Getting Into No prouder Marys than Face” those at Bobby Love’s page 14 page 20 Durrrrty Pictures at Mar Ranch’s Polaroid Mondaystini page 8 2 April 30, 2008 Af`ek_\N`e[p:`kpD\[`X>iflg Fec`e\:fddle`kp Dfi\k_Xe (.#'''XiZ_`m\[Xik`Zc\j ^f`e^YXZbdfi\k_XeX[\ZX[\ 9i\Xb`e^e\nj# `eZcl[`e^[li`e^k_`j<c\Zk`feJ\Xjfe ;fnecfX[XYc\G;= Zfg`\jf]\XZ_n\\bËjN`e[p:`kpK`d\j Xe[E`^_kjgfkj C`ebjkfkn`Z\$n\\bcp N`e[p:`kpHl\\iZXjk \ek\ikX`ed\ekXe[e\nj K\ejf]k_fljXe[jf] g_fkfj ?le[i\[jf]Zfddle`kpXe[ Ylj`e\jjc`jk`e^j`ek_\ FLK>l`[\ J`^elg]fi flin\\bcp \$e\njc\kk\ikf n`e^i\Xk gi`q\j :_\Zbfec`e\[X`cpXk nnn%n`e[pZ`kpd\[`X^iflg%Zfd April 30, 2008 3 index News Clinton wins Penn. 4 LGBT parents and schools 4 Night of Noise 4 Luibhéid talks immigration 5 Bon Foster at CHM 5 Queertopia; Gender Fusions 6 Durbin LGBT reception 6 Anti-gay referendum? 7 National news; ADAP 8 King profiled 8 Savage Grace (above) is one of many films OUT AT CHM HRC mobilizes voters 8 profiled in Windy City Times’ summer Burks: Gay N.Y. bishop 9 movie preview. See page 11. Quotelines 9 Lake’s view; Clewer letter 10 SCREAMING MOVIE PREVIEW Summer movie slate 11 Chandler talks Joan, Bette 12 Review of Helen Hunt film 14 QUEENS & Upcoming DVDs 14 Nancy Oliver on ‘Lars’ 15 LAVENDER ENTERTAINMENT Theater reviews 15 Reddy in Chicago; news 18 Paolo Andino of ‘Sketch Show’ 19 PANTHERS Join gay historian Pop Making Sense; Plaid band 20 Windy City Rollers league play involves some exciting (and brutal) roller-derby A HISTORY OF TRANSGENDER ACTIVISM OUTLINES action. See page 22. Real estate; classifieds 18-19 and filmmaker Susan Stryker as she explores the world Calendar; Q&B 21 Photo by Kat Fitzgerald of the drag queen prostitutes who rioted against police in Sports: Dragons, Rollers 22 San Francisco, the collapse of the Lavender Panthers, and other events throughout America since the 1960s. This week’s online-only www. features include: THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2008 Windy —Media Watch Chicago History Museum —Landscaping tips for 1601 North Clark Street City May 5:30 p.m. Cocktail Hour (Open Bar) Media —Theater: Macbeth 6:30 p.m. Program (right); Neverwhere After-Party presented by Newcity Group —World roundup at Scarlet, 3320 North Halsted Street .com $12; $10 for members and students Presenting sponsor Photo by Alix Klingenberg Tickets: www.chicagohistory.org or The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust 312.642.4600 Additional supportUBS Buy now. Get there early. Tickets sell out quickly. And after The Irving Harris Foundation Center on Halsted 6:45 p.m., all remaining seats will be open to standby visitors. DON’T MISS OUT Screaming Queens A screening of www.WindyCityQueercast.com Susan Stryker’s film Sunday, May 4, 2008 THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS Nightspots rounds up the mas- terminds behinds The First Ward Ball, the new Sunday night party at Scarlet. nightspots Photo by John McMullen n Discover the long and storied history of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people through the Out at CHM series, now in its fifth year. 4 April 30, 2008 Carolina, longtime gay activist Mandy Carter Clinton says the LGBT community there “is just like the PARENTS from cover Jones general community in being divided between College Prep Obama and Clinton,” and adds that her sense is that have LGBT parents feel unsafe at school. High School takes Penn., lesbians are “probably” more behind Clinton. Forty-two percent said they had been verbally Principal Don While Pittsburgh’s gay population is not as harassed because their parents are LGBT. They Fraynd. Photo but gays split concentrated as Philadelphia’s, the wards with also reported being harassed because of their by Andrew BY Lisa KEEN some gay visibility—Wards 14 and 15—split, actual or perceived sexual orientation and their Davis KEEN NEWS SERVICE with Ward 14 going 60 percent for Obama and gender expression. One-tenth of the students Ward 15 going 55 percent for Clinton. reported being physically attacked each year. Fraynd said that when he was first hired, the Maybe it was Senator Barack Obama’s refusal to Clinton showed no signs she intends to con- “Many schools are not safe for students of school threw a reception for him. He consid- do an interview with the Philadelphia Gay News; sider withdrawing before the August Democratic LGBT parents,” said COLAGE executive director ered not bringing his partner, but got over his maybe it was Senator Hillary Clinton’s well-orga- convention, a reality that reportedly makes par- Beth Teper. fears and brought him anyway. “You have to do nized LGBT support in and out of Pennsylvania, ty officials anxious. Nearly one-fourth of students also reported it, you have to normalize it,” he said. “You just but in Tuesday’s Pennsylvania primary, Clinton In her victory speech Tuesday night, she did that a teacher, principal or school staff per- do it because it makes things better.” stayed competitive in a part of Philadelphia in not mention gays among various groups that she son discouraged them from talking about their When it comes to a child’s school, knowledge which the Obama campaign had hoped to score highlighted, but Obama did. family at school. Roughly 28 percent said that is power. Parents should ask what a school’s big points. “We can build on the movement that we start- a teacher or school staff person had made neg- policies are revolving around LGBT and gender Clinton won the Keystone State primary Tues- ed in this campaign,” said Obama, “a movement ative comments about LGBT families. identity issues; training for teachers and staff; day by a 55 to 45 percent margin—a margin that’s united Democrats, Independents, Repub- Despite these statistics, there are many ways and more. For example, Chicago Public Schools political pundits agreed give her campaign the licans, young, old, rich, poor, white, black, His- for parents and children to make schools a (CPS) has a non-discrimination policy in place support it needs to continue fighting for the panic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight.” safer and more welcoming place. that includes sexual orientation, although very Democratic presidential nomination. She had The gay Democratic Club in Philadelphia— If a child must attend the neighborhood few people know about it. been expected to win the state, even though Liberty City Democratic Club—endorsed Clinton school, and parents don’t really have a choice “I think they need to know that the policy, as polls suggested her margin of victory had been and two weeks before the primary had a group is where the child goes, there are a number well as common sense and dignity, back up the slipping badly in the waning days of the increas- of members going door to door in the city’s gay of things they can do to ensure the school is idea that schools need to be safe for all kids,” ingly negative battle between the two candi- neighborhood to solicit support.