THE VOICE OF CHICAGO’S GAY, LESBIAN, BI AND TRANS COMMUNITY SINCE 1985 April 22, 2009 • vol 24 no 30 www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com Gays Going Green BY ANDREW DAVIS Mary With April being Earth Month and, more specifi- Morten cally, April 22 being Earth Day, Windy City Times is profiling two members of the LGBT community History Profile who are doing their part to keep Chicagoland page 6 green: Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) of Greater Chicago Commissioner Debra Shore and Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum bi- ologist Doug Taron. Lesson The Shore thing Shore has been interested in the environment for decades. “From a young age I enjoyed being in nature,” Shore said. “My best friend’s family was very ac- tive in the outdoors. We went on camping trips Scott Hall: and, spurred by my friends, I participated in an Outward Bound [wilderness expedition] program New gay when I was in college—hiking and camping.” pol in IL That fascination with the environment has page 5 propelled her to volunteer to assist in restoring the forest preserves along the North Branch of the Chicago River in Cook County for the past 15 years. Shore also is a founding editor of Chicago Wilderness Magazine, and she served on then- President John Stroger’s Community Advisory Council on Land Management from 1997 to 2007 and is a founding board member of Friends of the Forest Preserves. page 5 Hannah Shore decided to run for a MWRD commission- er’s post—and won in 2006, becoming the first Former President Bill Clinton (above) delivered the keynote address at the grand opening Free lesbian to hold a county position. The staff of of the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center in Skokie. Others who spoke (via nine commissioners is in charge of over 2,000 video and in person) included President Barack Obama and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel. Premiere employees and the district serves 5.1 million Photos by Kat Fitzgerald (MysticImagesPhotography.com) in SF page 17 Turn to page 8 Golden years: Couple marks 50 years April 22, 2009 #986 BY SAMUEL WORLEY Though they’ve retired to Palm Springs, Calif.— after decades in San Francisco, where they moved A couple who met outside of Kresge’s dimestore in 1970—the couple has fond memories of the in Evanston celebrated their 50th anniversary Chicago area, where both grew up. As gay men nightspots together April 17. In April 1959, Rob Tackes saw coming of age in the 1950s, Tackes and Moreen n Denis Moreen—at about 9:15 in the evening, he found a supportive, though quiet, community in pick it up Troublemakers Celebrate lucky 13 years with the naughty little boys and girls of Cocktail. said, under a light rain (“I don’t remember that Evanston. When Tackes approached Moreen, it page 6 take it home inSIDE Oh, the Meet Miss Continental Plus shirtlessness at 2009 Coco Van Cartier. page 16 was “just strictly a chance,” he said. “I got the Wild Pug! at all,” said Moreen)—and crossed the street to page 20 talk to him. After a first date that began out- impression there were a lot of gay guys around.” side of the music school at Northwestern Uni- Much of Evanston’s gay social life at the time versity, where Moreen was an undergraduate, the revolved around meetings in public parks and in couple was in a committed relationship within Northwestern’s Deering Library. a month. The two also found community among the “Soon after our first date, we were talking in creative types who thrived in the urbane envi- Rob’s 1953 Studebaker and decided to make our ronment fomented by Northwestern. Moreen, a relationship more permanent,” said Moreen. They pianist, said, “Today’s generation doesn’t have Denis Moreen and Rob Tackes in Evanston in www.WindyCityQueercast.com moved into an attic apartment in Evanston. Turn to page 7 the 1960s. CHICAGO’S BIGGEST GLBT CONTEST! Produced by Windy City Media Group Next round: PRESENT MARY’S ATTIC WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29 See page 2 for more details 2 April 22, 2009 PRESENT Produced by Windy City Media Group * MARY’S ATTIC 5400 N. Clark MARY’S ATTIC WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29 • 8pm sign up/9pm start 5400 N. Clark SOFO 4923 N. Clark THURSDAY, MAY 14 • 7pm sign up/8pm start $100 TO WINNER WITH MOST VOTES WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29 @MOSPHERE 5355 N. Clark WEDNESDAY, MAY 20 • 8pm sign up/9pm start 9:00 PM $5 cover, Singers sign up at 8pm/$10 fee ROSCOE’S 3356 N. Halsted WILD CARD NIGHT THURSDAY, MAY 28 • 9pm sign up/10pm start Enjoy $2 Miller Lites and $3 Skyy drinks Plus, at Mary’s Attic you can win: SIDETRACK 3349 N. Halsted SEMI-FINALS SATURDAY, MAY 30 • 2pm door/4pm start Tickets to RHODA: 3349 N. Halsted FINALS LEGALLY BLONDE: SEASON ONE SIDETRACK SATURDAY, JUNE 13 • 2pm door/4pm start THE MUSICAL on DVD GRAND PRIZE AT FINALS: Over $5000 in cash and prizes! $1000 in cash, American Airlines tickets, Broadway in Chicago tickets, and more For more, visit windycitymediagroup.com or email [email protected] SPONSORED BY: * Windy City Media Group includes Windy City Times, Nightspots and WindyCityQueercast.com index April 22, 2009 3 NEWS Midtown’s patented Tennis in No Time Amazon.com aftershocks Jamaicans oppose boycott to turn beginners into tennis players in just three ® is designed Downstate gay is alderman 4 weeks. You’ll enjoy six lessons with our certified Holocaust museum opens 4 professionals, plus free use of the club throughout Profile of Mary Morten 5 your session. A variety of convenient lesson times Crossroads and LGBT youth 5 Trans aging forum at Center 6 are available, and if you don’t have a racquet Couple marks 50 years 6 we’ll lend you one of ours. Best of all, the entire Gays go green 7 Night of Noise 7 package is only $115. Quotelines 8 View, letters Catina Lowery (left) and John Pennycuff Become a player – learn Tennis in No Time! 9 were among the adults supporting LGBTQ 9 youth at the annual Night of Noise event Midtown membership not required. ENTERTAINMENT 10 April 17. See page 9. Measure for Measure Photo by Andrew Davis To reserve your spot, call today. Theater reviews Knight at the Movies 11 Space is limited. Hannah Free news 14 Billy Masters 17 6 sessions Entertainment news 17 Windy City Gay Idol: Spin 20 $115 Starts May 2 21 OUTLINES 21 Calendar; Pet for adoption Real estate; classifieds Chicago readies for Outgames 18 Chicago Sky profile 19 22 2020 West Fullerton Avenue 22 Alain Villaneuve (above) is one of Chicago, IL 60647 the many Chicagoans competing for 773.235.2300 Outgames gold July 25-Aug. 2 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Find out more on midtown.com/chicago page 22. Photo courtesy of Alain Villaneuve www. Features include: Windy —State Sen. Heather Steans’ City LGBT reception Media —National news —An interview with Group Ray Simpson of the Village People (right) .com —Ian Liberto of ‘A Chorus Line’ Amy & Stephen take in A CHORUS LINE nightspotsn SHOW #WCQ298 TROUBLEMAKERS Celebrate lucky 13 April 22, 2009 years with the bad #986 little boys and girls of www.WindyCity Cocktail. Queercast.com Photo by Ryan Kolodziej Celebrate lucky 13 years withTroublemakers the naughty little boys and girls of Cocktail. THE VOICE OF CHICAGO’S GAY, LESBIAN, BI AND TRANS COMMUNITY SINCE 1985 !02), s6/,./ inSIDE nnn%N`e[p:`kpD\[`X>iflg%Zfd Oh, the shirtlessness at page 6 >Xpj>f`e^>i\\e Wild Pug! Meet Miss Continental Plus page 20 2009 Coco Van Cartier. BY ANDREW DAVIS page 16 DXip With April being Earth Month and, more specifi- Dfik\e cally, April 22 being Earth Day, Windy City Times is profiling two members of the LGBT community ?`jkfip GifÔc\ who are doing their part to keep Chicagoland gX^\- green: Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) of Greater Chicago Commissioner Debra Shore and Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum bi- ologist Doug Taron. C\jjfe The Shore thing ;FNECF8;K?@J Shore has been interested in the environment for decades. “From a young age I enjoyed being in nature,” Shore said. “My best friend’s family was very ac- tive in the outdoors. We went on camping trips JZfkk?Xcc1 and, spurred by my friends, I participated in an Outward Bound [wilderness expedition] program E\n^Xp when I was in college—hiking and camping.” gfc`e@C That fascination with the environment has gX^\, propelled her to volunteer to assist in restoring the forest preserves along the North Branch of the Chicago River in Cook County for the past 15 years. Shore also is a founding editor of Chicago >fkf Wilderness Magazine, and she served on then- President John Stroger’s Community Advisory Council on Land Management from 1997 to 2007 nnn%N`e[p:`kpD\[`X>iflg%Zfdkf and is a founding board member of Friends of the Forest Preserves. gX^\, ?XeeX_ Shore decided to run for a MWRD commission- er’s post—and won in 2006, becoming the first =i\\ lesbian to hold a county position. The staff of Former President Bill Clinton (above) delivered the keynote address at the grand opening nine commissioners is in charge of over 2,000 of the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center in Skokie. Others who spoke (via Gi\d`\i\ employees and the district serves 5.1 million video and in person) included President Barack Obama and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel. [fnecfX[Zfdgc\k\`jjl\jf]N`e[p:`kpK`d\j `eJ= gX^\(. KliekfgX^\/ Photos by Kat Fitzgerald (MysticImagesPhotography.com) nightspotsn >fc[\ep\Xij1:flgc\dXibj,'p\Xij BY SAMUEL WORLEY moved into an attic apartment in Evanston.