THE FIGHT BEGINS Immigration and Refugee Groups Resist Trump Policies by Matt Simonette
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Gathering of CLASP supporters. Photo by Matt Simonette VOL 32, NO. 20 FEB. 1, 2017 www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com THE FIGHT BEGINS Immigration and refugee groups resist Trump policies BY Matt SIMONETTE Community members held a fundraising event, on Jan. 28, for Chicago LGBT Asylum Support Partners (CLASP) at the Uptown home of activist Andy Thayer and his husband Aldo Hernandez. CLASP provides housing for recently arrived immigrants as well as necessities such as Ventra cards. According to activist Charlotte Lill, who volunteers with the group, “Once folks come and seek asylum, and they don’t have any housing, LOOKING BACK they’re in detention.” The film I Am Not Your Negro is based on an The gathering came at an important moment, just a day after President Thousands of people have been protesting Trump’s unfinished work by James Baldwin. 17 Muslim ban over this past week. See pages 6-7. Turn to page 7 Photo by Mona Noriega KEVIN’S ROOM JESSIE MUELLER MR. CHICAGO LEATHER ARTEMIS SINGERS Local film marks 15th Tony winner talks about working A new titleholder is chosen Group’s concerts are partially anniversary. with Sara Bareilles, Harry Connick Jr. to represent Chicago at IML. a tribute to MichFest. Keith Butler as Kevin in Kevin’s Room; 18 Photo by Nathan Johnson 16 Photo by Verdell Shannon 20 Photo by Jerry Nunn 16 from WCT archives. @windycitytimes1 /windycitymediagroup @windycitytimes www.windycitymediagroup.com Celebrity Run-In Tour l Sat, Feb 18 l 6pm & 9pm Kathy Griffin “There’s nothing like experiencing Kathy Griffin live.” –The Los Angeles Times NORTH SHORE CENTER 847.673.6300 FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS IN SKOKIE YEARS NORTHSHORECENTER.ORG 2 Feb. 1, 2017 WINDY CITY TIMES Raucous, surprising and fearless— experimental playwright Young Jean Lee takes on straight white male identity in this hilarious upheaval of the family drama. Written and directed by Young Jean Lee Featuring ensemble member Alan Wilder with Madison Dirks, Syd Germaine, Ryan Hallahan, Elliott Jenetopulos, Brian Slaten and Will Wilhelm February 2 – March 19, 2017 | Tickets start at just $20 | steppenwolf. org | 312-335-1650 Corporate Production Sponsor 2016/17 Grand Benefactors 2016/17 Benefactors WINDY CITY TIMES Feb. 1, 2017 3 NEWS New anti-trans bill filed in Illinois; column 4 Federal judge, historian pass away 5 EI to honor Cosgrove, Noriega, Lurie 5 Trump’s executive order stirs protests 6 Immigration panel 7 steppenwolf CMSA responds to financial scandal 8 Panel talks about local LGBT bar history 9 LETTERS: Spotlight on hunger 10 ENTERTAINMENT/EVENTS Scottish Play Scott: ‘Bootycandy’ 11 INDEX KAREN DOWNLOAD THIS ISSUE AND BROWSE THE ARCHIVES AT WindyCityTimes www. .com Theater reviews 15 FINLEY Talking with Tony winner Jessie Mueller 16 Artemis Singers salute MichFest 16 ACCLAIMED PERFORMANCE ARTIST Film review: ‘I Am Not Your Negro’ 17 Gathering of CLASP supporters. RETURNS TO CHICAGO Photo by Matt Simonette VOL 32, NO. 20 FEB. 1, 2017 www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com THE FIGHT BEGINS ‘Kevin’s Room’ marks 15th anniversary 18 Immigration and refugee groups resist Trump policies NIGHTSPOTS 20 BY MATT SIMONETTE Community members held a fundraising event, on Jan. 28, for Chicago LGBT Asylum Support Partners (CLASP) at the Uptown home of activist Andy Thayer and his husband Aldo Hernandez. CLASP provides housing for recently arrived immigrants as well as necessities such as Ventra cards. According to activist Charlotte Lill, who volunteers with Classifieds 22 the group, “Once folks come and seek asylum, and they don’t have any housing, LOOKING BACK they’re in detention.” The film I Am Not Your Negro is based on an The gathering came at an important moment, just a day after President Thousands of people have been protesting Trump’s unfinished work by James Baldwin. 17 Turn to page 7 Muslim ban over this past week. See pages 6-7. Photo by Mona Noriega Calendar Q 22 KEVIN’S ROOM JESSIE MUELLER MR. CHICAGO LEATHER ARTEMIS SINGERS Local film marks 15th Tony winner talks about working A new titleholder is chosen Group’s concerts are partially anniversary. with Sara Bareilles, Harry Connick Jr. to represent Chicago at IML. a tribute to MichFest. Above: Jennifer Kim and Ryan Spahn in Gloria. Keith Butler as Kevin in Kevin’s Room; 18 Photo by Nathan Johnson 16 Photo by Verdell Shannon 20 Photo by Jerry Nunn 16 from WCT archives. @windycitytimes1 /windycitymediagroup @windycitytimes www.windycitymediagroup.com Photo by Liz Lauren Celebrity Run-In Tour l Sat, Feb 18 l 6pm & 9pm Kathy Griffin “There’s nothing like experiencing Kathy Griffin live.” –The Los Angeles Times NORTH SHORE CENTER 847.673.6300 FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS IN SKOKIE YEARS NORTHSHORECENTER.ORG online exclusives at www.WindyCityTimes.com ‘wit’ ‘n wild WCT reviews the productions Wit (left) and The Baltimore Waltz. Photo by Scott Nathan ‘POWER’ POINT NIP AND TUC Out actor Tuc Watkins talks about being in the mysterious film Retake. THAT’S SHOW BIZ Find out the latest about Alan Cumming, Eartha Kitt and Charlie FEBRUARY 10–11 AND Carver. FEBRUARY 17–18 $25 The upcoming series The Obama Years: The Power of Words is among plus Five Worth Finding. DAILY BREAKING NEWS Image from The Smithsonian Channel steppenwolf.org 4 Feb. 1, 2017 WINDY CITY TIMES Morrison files new Open To Thinking anti-trans restroom bill by NICK Patricca by Matt SIMONETTE ment and school board. Free the Word Activist Rick Garcia, who was present when the State Rep. Thomas Morrison (R-Palatine), on Jan. bill was introduced, said he was confident that When I was a youngster, I wanted to be a writ- ed, he quipped: “leave it to you in your final 25, again filed a new bathroom bill that would Morrison would not be able to pick up much sup- er for a newspaper, or a U.S. Senator. I avidly days on earth to commit to a dying art.” essentially relegate transgender Illinois students port, since neither leadership in the House or read the papers I delivered to my clients and The art of journalism and of the essay is to using either designated washroom and chang- Senate would be likely to support his bill. passionately participated in the politics of the not dying because of new media. Our art is ing-room facilities or the facilities available for “Truth be told, I don’t think it’s going any- times, reporting on Adlai Stevenson for presi- not being destroyed by technology: it is being their gender-identity assigned at birth. where,” Garcia said. dent rallies for the Kingsley House paper (like killed by dishonest and incompetent writers This is Morrison’s second attempt at such a The bill, HR664, is the second reprise of failed Chicago’s Hull House) in my hood—an Italian and by lazy readers who only want to have bill. His first try, filed in Jan. 2016, stalled in the anti-LGBT legislation in the 2017 legislative ses- and Black ghetto in East Liberty, Pittsburgh. their prejudices reinforced. House Rules Committee after being referred there sion. State Senator Kyle McCarter (R-Lebanon), I wanted to write because I experienced I had been aware of the avalanche of fake the following April. on Jan. 11, filed a bill that would prohibit state how the columnists I read opened up whole news that contributed to the disgrace of our A high school in Morrison’s district was the and local governments from retaliatory action new worlds for me, how they raised issues that presidential campaign, but I had not really center of much controversy in late 2015 when a against an individual or individuals if they act mattered to the well-being of my community, appreciated the sinister depths of the problem transgender student sued to be able to use the under the belief that a marriage is an institution how they allowed me to participate in the until I read this article in the NYTimes: ‘Fake civil life of my country. News Masterpiece,’ Jan. 18, 2017. girls’ locker room facilities. The Obama adminis- reserved for unions between a man and a woman. I wanted to be a U.S. Senator because I tru- According to the article, a young man used tration deemed that the school was in violation He sponsored a similar bill that failed the fol- ly believed that the U.S. Senate was a ‘club’ his writing skills to make money by creating of Title IX regulations, which placed the school’s lowing year. in which principled people discuss matters of fabrications of voter fraud against Hillary federal funding in peril. HR664 can be viewed at bit.ly/2jfOs9v. great import in a rational, dignified way for Clinton. He successfully marketed these false A deal was struck in Dec. 2015. But that result- Related coverage is at WindyCityMediaGroup. the benefit of the entire nation. My favorite accusations to those who wanted to believe ing deal came over the objections of many pupils’ com/lgbt/Legislation-targets-Illinois-trans-stu- senators were Wayne Morse of Oregon and that Clinton could not win a fair election be- dents-statewide-coalition-responds/57924.html. families, some of whom later sued the govern- Margaret Chase Smith of Maine, both Repub- cause they believed Trump’s assertions that licans, who adamantly opposed McCarthyism the election would be rigged. (CNN tally of the popular vote: Clinton @windycitytimes1 /windycitymediagroup = 65,844,954 = 48.2%; Trump = 62,979,879 = “The art of journalism and of the essay is 46.1%) @windycitytimes www.windycitymediagroup.com not dying because of new media. Our art Historically, debasing a nation’s currency foretells is not being destroyed by technology: it is the impending destruc- being killed by dishonest and incompetent tion of its economy.