THE VOICE OF CHICAGO’S GAY, LESBIAN, BI AND TRANS COMMUNITY SINCE 1985 Nov. 12, 2008 • vol 24 No 8 www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com Dobson protesters picket Radio ‘Hall of Shame’ BY AMY WOOTEN Obama’s Hundreds of LGBT activists and their allies braved the bitter cold Nov. 8 to demonstrate downtown against Focus on the Family’s James Victory page 7 Dobson. An estimated 500 people, many of them young and new faces, gath- ered outside of Chicago’s Renaissance Hotel, where Dobson was being awarded by the Chicago-based Museum of Broadcast Communications. For months, local and national LGBT activists planned to demonstrate against the museum’s induction of Dobson into the National Radio Hall of Fame. Although the protest was initially going to be focused on the museum awarding Dobson, who has preached anti-gay hate over the airwaves for decades, many people also marched in solidarity against the passage of California’s Proposition 8 that evening. Dob- son played a pivotal role in Proposition 8’s passage, and his group, Focus on the Family, donated $800,000 to the anti-gay-marriage measure. Proposition 8 banned same-sex marriage in California, and Sharon invalidated the marriages of thousands of gay and lesbian couples who wed during the time it was legal. Gless page 21 Chicago’s Gay Liberation Network (GLN) and the New York-based organization Truth Wins Out (TWO) initiated the protest. Although the demonstration had a large turnout, not all members of the LGBT community supported the protest. GLN co-founder Andy Thayer said that while some people did not understand why activists would want to bother protesting Dobson, brushed off as just another far-right bigot, he reminded those present that the Focus on the Fam- ily founder donated money to Proposition 8 and helped jump start the effort. LGBT activists and their allies picketed outside Chicago’s Renaissance Hotel Turn to page 5 Nov. 8, where Focus on the Family’s James Dobson was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame. Photo by Amy Wooten Lady page 22 Prop 8 Gaga fallout November 12, 2008 #970 BY LISA KEEN KEEN NEWS SERVICE In the days since 52 percent of California voters nightspots apparently passed an amendment to their state n constitution to “eliminate the right of same-sex Kissing Sarah Palin Goodbye pick it up Making history happen at the Election Night party at Crew. couples to marry,” thousands of LGBT people inSIDE pgs. 6, 17 Reign on me. Eleven Minutes with Jay page 8 McCarroll. Between at least 7,000 (police estimate) and 10,000 people marched against Proposition 8 page 18 take it home have poured into the streets to protest, three on Nov. 8 in San Diego, from Hillcrest, the primary gayborhood, to North Park, the secondary lawsuits have been filed, at least two calls have gayborhood—a distance of about two miles. The protest was organized “virally”—via e-mail been made for boycotts—including one on state and, primarily, text messages. Another virally organized anti-Prop 8 demo the Saturday before taxes—the state’s attorney general has vowed the election drew similar numbers. Gay street actions of this size are unheard-of in San Diego, that existing same-sex marriages are safe, and apart from Pride, which draws around 150,000 people to Hillcrest each July. Big anti-Prop 8 3,000 miles away, the movement has announced protests are taking place across the state, suggesting the gay masses have been awakened. Prop its determination to push even harder for equal- 8, passed by voters Nov. 4, amended the state constitution to negate the state Supreme Court ity in marriage in other states. www.WindyCityQueercast.com decision that legalized same-sex marriage, which had been legal since June 16. Wockner News photo by Fergal O’Doherty Turn to page 4 2 Nov. 12, 2008 FINAL DAYS! ENDS NOV. 16 CLOSING NIGHT EXTRAVAGANZA 11 WITH DAYS PROJECT RUNWAY’S 66 JAY MCCARROLL! SCREENINGS SUNDAY 7:00 PM 8 PIPER’S SPECIAL ALLEY EVENTS SEE ALL THAT YOU CAN SEE! Visit www.reelingfilmfestival.org or call 773-293-1447 for more information. Brought to you by Sponsors index Nov. 12, 2008 NEWS 3 Obama’s win & the gay vote Prop 8 fallout The local gay vote 4 Mell running for Congress? 4 Dobson protest 5 Chicago gay ordinance talk 5 SLDN talk/concert 5 Obama victory pics 6 Local news items 6 J.C. Carter interview 7 National roundup 7 World news; Quotelines 8 Baim; letters 8 Friends & Lovers: The 9 is one of the movies beingSki Trip shown 2 (above) during ENTERTAINMENT 10 the second week of Harvey Milk’s friend in film more on page 18. Reeling 2008 Dancin’ Feats . See Theater reviews 11 Knight at the Movies 14 Reeling opening 15 Pop Making Sense 18 Sharon Gless at the Center 18 SOFA expo pics 20 Lady Gaga interview 21 Review of Lily Tomlin’s show 21 22 OUTLINES 21 Real estate; classifieds Pets Mel Ferrand reviews Lily Tomlin’s Nov. 1 Calendar 19 Sports briefs show at the 20 22. Rosemont Theatre. 21 See page 21 www. Features include: Windy —Mombian article on homophobia City —Herndon Davis’ Media (right) op-ed on Blacks and Group Prop 8 —Media Watch .com —Book review: Labor of Love nightspotsn KISSING SARAH www.WindyCity GOODBYE November 12, 2008 Making history #970 Queercast.com happen at Crew’s Election Night party. Photos by Kirk Williamson Kissing Sarah Palin Goodbye THE VOICE OF CHICAGO’S GAY, LESBIAN, BI AND TRANS COMMUNITY SINCE 1985 3%04 s6/,./ inSIDE Making history happen at the Election Night party at Crew. nnn%N`e[p:`kpD\[`X>iflg%Zfd Reign on me. page 8 pgs. 6, 17 FYXdXkXcbj# Eleven Minutes with Jay McCarroll. page 18 FlkXe[ DZ:X`eYXcbj EXCLUSIVE IN CHICAGO Once it became clear that McCain would not tinuing to evolve. I think people are becoming Gifl[ gX^\/ TO WINDY CITY TIMES participate, Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign put more and more aware of the need to treat all BY MARK SEGAL no conditions on the interview. Obama spoke to people equally regardless of sexual orientation. GAY HISTORY PROJECT Mark Segal by phone Sept. 16; an audio version There are some people who disagree with that, of the interview will be posted at www.epgn. but frankly those folks—many of them—proba- In this election season, the Gay History Project com. In his first interview with the gay press bly have already made their minds up about this attempted to bring you the views of both the since he officially took the Democratic nomina- election earlier. Democratic and Republican candidates for presi- tion, here’s what Obama had to say. Segal: You’ve talked about your many gay ;FNECF8;K?@J dent —just as we attempted to bring you the Mark Segal: You are the most LGBT-friendly friends. Would you and Michelle be comfort- views of the top two candidates for the Demo- candidate running for president in history. able attending their commitment ceremo- cratic presidential nomination for the spring pri- Are you concerned that John McCain and the nies? mary. The format for both candidates was to be Republicans might use this as a divisive issue Obama: We would. But I’ll be honest with you the same: the same questions, with no follow-up as they did in 2004? that, these days, I can’t go anywhere. questions and the same time limit. And since Barack Obama: No. I think they can try, but I Segal: The current President Bush has used April, we have repeatedly reached out to Repub- don’t think it will work for a couple of reasons. KliekfgX^\+ ;i`m\ lican Sen. John McCain’s press representative Jill Number one, I think that the American peoples’ Hazelbaker by phone, letter and e-mail. attitudes with respect to LGBT issues are con- Fe gX^\(. gX^\)) C>9KH8jZ_ffc >fkf d\\k`e^Zfm\ij nnn%N`e[p:`kpD\[`X>iflg%Zfdkf dXep`jjl\j BY AMY WOOTEN Although many people had specific questions about the proposed LGBTQA Chicago public high school at a recent community forum, most present appeared to support the idea of such a [fnecfX[Zfdgc\k\`jjl\jf]N`e[p:`kpK`d\j C`cpKfdc`e# school. On Sept. 18, Chicago Public Schools’ (CPS) Of- nightspotsKXb\Knf gX^\(( n fice of New Schools held a community forum at the Center on Halsted regarding the proposed Social Justice High School—Pride Campus, a public school for LGBTQA students. Roughly 150 people, including politicians, local LGBT activ- ists, teachers and students were present. There, CPS officials, as well as the proposed LGBTQA high school’s design team, discussed the pro- Xe[E`^_kjgfkj% :fd\ cess, presented details and answered questions. The Pride Campus, if approved, would open in g`Zb`klg the fall of 2010. A location has not been chosen. kXb\`k_fd\ The school would, in many ways, replicate the successful components of the Greater Lawndale Kf^\k_\i Little Village School for Social Justice, which was born out of a community hunger strike. Like the School for Social Justice, the Pride A group including AIDS Foundation of Chicago’s David Munar and Mark Ishaug (far left and far Campus would implement college preparatory right, respectively); State Rep. Greg Harris (second from left) and activist Michael O’ Connor curriculum. The overall goal is to provide LGBTQA (third from right) was among those at a record-setting AIDS Run & Walk held Sept. 20 in Grant KliekfgX^\.