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Uprising Bakery to remain open for now, plans eventual move
Uprising Bakery & Cafe, which was slated to close March 31, will be staying open for business, according to owner Corrina Sac. The Lake in the Hills establishment had faced reduced business after a number of ...
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Sasha Velour pulls back the curtain for The Big Reveal
Gender-fluid drag queen Sasha Velour is hitting the road with The Big Reveal Live Show! This 90-minute extravaganza will be staged for two nights at Broadway Playhouse on April 29 and 30, and features an evening ...
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Being BeBe documents life of first RuPaul's Drag Race winner
On the evening of March 9, the Block Museum of Art at Northwestern University presented a screening of Emily Branham's documentary Being BeBe, the story of Nea Marshall Kudi Ngwa, a.k.a. Benet, the first winner of ...
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SHOWBIZ 'Joy Ride,' Cynthia Erivo, David Bowie, March Madness, Kevin Bacon
Video below
The first trailer for the upcoming comedy Joy Ride has been released, Out noted. The movie stars Ashley Park, queer Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once), bisexual comedian Sherry Cola (Good Trouble) and ...
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UpRising Bakery and Cafe could soon close due to revenue losses, ongoing anti-LGBTQ+ harassment
Award-winning UpRising Bakery and Café (UpRising) in Lake in the Hills faces possible closure March 31 after many months of revenue losses and ongoing anti-LGBTQ+ harassment. This stems from the harassment owner Corinna Sac received when ...
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N.Y. attorney general hosts Drag Story Hour
On March 19, New York Attorney General Letitia James—along with a coalition of advocacy organizations and elected leaders—hosted a first-of-its-kind Drag Story Hour Read-A-Thon for families in New York City, per a press release from her ...
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'Spring Fling' at The Baton on Thursday, April 13 to benefit Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame
--From a press release
The Baton Show Lounge (4713 North Broadway, Chicago) has been entertaining folks for 54 years and will host a special "Spring Fling", an all-new show to benefit the Chicago LGBT of Fame on Thursday, April 13 ...
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PASSAGES: Visual artist, Chicago nightlife scene drag performer legend and hairdresser Jojo Baby
Visual artist, Chicago nightlife scene drag performer legend, doll-maker and hairdresser Jojo Baby died March 14 of liver, lung and stomach cancer. They were 51. Baby was born April 10, 1971, in Chicago and grew up ...
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Editorial: In praise of Drag Story Hour
Drag Story Hours have really come to the fore in our political consciousness in the last few years, as the radical right has strategically targeted events raising the visibility of individuals who are gender-nonconforming, transgender or ...
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RuPaul's Drag Race WERQ THE WORLD in Chicago Aug. 4
--From a press release
RuPaul's Drag Race WERQ THE WORLD, the largest drag show on earth, returns in 2023 with a show in Chicago Aug. 4 and in 100+ cities across the United States, Canada, Australia, Asia, Europe and Mexico! ...
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Center on Halsted presents annual Intergenerational Talent Show
On March 2, Center on Halsted hosted its Fifth Annual Intergenerational Talent Show, featuring performances from participants from the Youth and Family Services and the Senior Services programs. Participants in the free event presented a program ...
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NATIONAL Drag shows, LGBTQ+ honors, Bragman memorial, Fred Karger
Video below
Dozens of supporters turned out outside the Crazy Aunt Hellen's restaurant in D.C. in anticipation of a drag show's planned protest by the far-right group Proud Boys—but police said members of the far-right, neo-fascist organization didn' ...
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Tennessee to ban drag shows; governor asked about '77 drag photo
Tennessee will ban some drag performances as well as gender-affirming healthcare for trans minors after state House lawmakers sent both bills to Republican Gov. Bill Lee to sign, The Hill reported. Republican state Senate Majority Leader ...
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Puppy & Handler Contest returns
Joseph Stephens
The Midwest Puppy & Handler Contest took place the weekend of Feb. 17-18 for the first time since 2019. The contest's meet-and-greet was held at Cellblock Feb. 17. The contest itself was hosted by the Leather ...
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CGMC to re-create music videos in drag with 'Lipstick & Lyrics: On MTV'
--From a press release
CHICAGO—Chicago Gay Men's Chorus presents their annual live-singing drag show, Lipstick & Lyrics. This year's theme: On MTV. Come enjoy CGMC's drag performers as they recreate epic music videos. With dancers, costumes and sass, these live ...
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Chicagoans gather for Jackhammer re-opening
Photos by Joseph Stevens
Rogers Park leather and fetish bar Jackhammer held its grand re-opening the evening of Jan. 27 after a long renovation process. The longtime North Side watering hole opened in 1999, taking over the space previously occupied ...
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Billy Masters: George Santos gets to be a real drag, and all the dish you need
"If you're an enemy of drag, you're an enemy of mine." —George Lopez criticizes Ron DeSantis' "War on Drag Queens." There are some stories I try to stay away from, and that includes George Santos—if I ...
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ONYX Midwest forum tackles racist performance at Touche's anniversary party
In a response to the racist performance that took place at the leather, fetish and bear-focused Touche Chicago's 45th anniversary celebration on Nov. 1, 2022, ONYX Midwest hosted a community forum Jan. 21 at The Leather ...
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NATIONAL Indiana's 'Don't Say Gay,' drag show, Citi, new LGBTQ+ terms
GOP lawmakers in Indiana have said that a proposal to restrict discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools—modeled after Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill—will be drafted in the new year, according to INTO. The ...
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Billy Masters: All the retrospective you'll need to show 2022 the door
"He doesn't like gay people. Doesn't want them in Russia. And then he's got the wonderful basketball player and he won't let her out. Make up your mind! He's always acting so butch and strutting around. You know what that ...
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PrideArts, Chicago drag artists co-produce story of a drag family's tribulations
-- From a press release
CHICAGO — PrideArts will celebrate the arrival of the year 2023 by teaming up with the Chicago drag performers Tirrany Reigns and Ramona Mirage to stage Reigns' original Queer Family Dramedy, set just after New Year's ...
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ISU group to host holiday drag show to benefit Club Q supporter Colorado Gives
-- From a press release
Illinois State University is home to one of the state's largest charity drag shows south of Chicago and north of St. Louis. Now, a new student organization at ISU is launching to expand student drag opportunities. Drag ...
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PRCC-VIDA/SIDA event marks World AIDS Day with Vigil and Baton show
On Dec. 1, the Puerto Rican Community Center (PRCC) and Vida/SIDA celebrated World AIDS Day with a candlelight vigil in the afternoon and a commemorative show at The Baton Show Lounge in the evening. The earlier ...
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WORLD Gay governor, Tokyo partnership policy, Daniel Radcliffe, Korean first
On Oct. 30, the first openly gay governor of Brazil was re-elected in a runoff election, The Washington Blade noted. Rio Grande do Sul Gov. Eduardo Leite, a member of the centrist Brazilian Social Democracy Party, ...
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Tulsa business attacked after hosting drag event, HRC responds
-- From a press release
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Oct. 31, news broke that a business based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Donut Hole, was vandalized when someone threw a Molotov cocktail — a hand-thrown incendiary weapon — after hosting an event ...
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Touche Chicago's 45th-anniversary celebration marred by racist performance
Racist performance mires Touche Chicago's 45th anniversary celebration By Carrie Maxwell On Nov. 1, the leather, fetish and bear-focused Touche Chicago celebrated its 45th anniversary with a feature performance by ...
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The Haunted Halsted Halloween Parade turns 25
The legendary Haunted Halsted Halloween Parade returned for the 25th time on Oct. 31. Kicking off at 7:30 p.m. from Halsted Street and Belmont Avenue, the parade route traveled north before looping back to a large ...
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Howard Brown Health's Big Orange Ball has 'Saturday Night Fever' theme
Howard Brown Health's Big Orange Ball was back in-person at Park West on Oct. 22—this time with a big (not orange) disco ball. About 300 people brought their Halloween spirit to the event, dressed in costumes ...
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'Martinis That Matter' to honor former TPAN CEO Jeff Berry on Oct. 30
Marty's Martini Bar, 1511 W. Balmoral Ave., presents "Martinis That Matter," a community giving-back program that funds community groups, charities and organizations. Profits from the sales during these events go to the organizations hosting. On Sunda ...
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Haven hosting 'Rocky Horror Picture Party' on Oct. 29-30
Haven is welcoming back its "Science Fiction/Double Feature: A Rocky Horror Picture Party"—an immersive Rocky Horror-themed Halloween party that brings to life in vivid technicolor the world of the cult-classic film. Hosted by Helena Handbasket, the ...
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SHOWBIZ 'Black Panther,' 'Horror Story,' Beyonce, video game
Video below
I May Destroy You actress Michaela Coel will play Aneka in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, according to Out. In the comics, Aneka is a Wakandan warrior who identifies as queer and has a relationship with Ayo ...
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Yvie Oddly summons sinful drag queens in upcoming 'Night of the Living Drag'
RuPaul's Drag Race: Night of the Living Drag is coming to the Rosemont Theater on Tuesday, Oct. 25, starring Yvie Oddly as The Boogie Man and featuring ...
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UpRising Bakery hosts LGBTQ+ history event; protesters still a constant
A handful of anti-LGBTQ+ protesters regularly stand outside the mall that houses UpRising Bakery and Cafe in Northwest suburban Lake in the Hills. That was the case again Oct. 1, the start of LGBTQ+ History Month, ...
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SHOWBIZ Hallmark film, Oprah, Janelle Monae, 'Dahmer,' Met Gala
As a part of its "Countdown to Christmas" event, Hallmark Channel announced its first holiday movie that focuses on a gay romance, according to Out. The Holiday Sitter will be released on Sunday, Dec. 11, on ...
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TELEVISION Original 'Queer Eye' cast member Thom Filicia reveals his 'Secret'
RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race debuted in 2020 on VH1 as a spinoff of the Emmy Award-winning RuPaul's Drag Race. For its second season this year, there were more episodes and the celebrities' identities were hidden ...
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WORLD Bias claims, Qatar policy, AHF pledge, drag queen dies at 28
People of color have accused several LGBTQ+ venues in the heart of the Gay Village in Manchester, England, of racism and racial prejudice, VICE noted. Ten Black, Asian and Latinx people who identify as lesbian, gay, ...
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Downers Grove library cancels drag event after threats emerge
Another drag-related controversy is taking place in the Chicago suburbs. On Sept. 12, the Downers Grove Public Library announced it has been forced to cancel an October Drag Bingo event for LGBTQ+ teens after threats were ...
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TV 'Dancing with the Stars' has first drag contestant
The show Dancing with the Stars is recording a couple of firsts in its 31st season—including its first-ever drag queen competitor. Actor and Performer D.J. "Shangela" Pierce—the first contestant to compete on three separate seasons of ...
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Texas drag brunch brings out armed defenders, protesters
The attacks against drag brunches and related events continue around the country—resulting in people going to great lengths to allow the shows to take place. A group of people armed with AR-15-style assault rifles stood guard ...
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TPAN bringing back 'Barlesque' starting Sept. 1
Barlesque is back. On Thursday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m. at Northalsted/Boystown nightspot Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted St., Barlesque will kick off. Nightlife figure Khloe Daniels will host introduce this year's bars, performers and choreographers. Attendanc ...
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The Baton's Continental pageants to take place Sept. 2-5
The iconic club known as The Baton—celebrating more than five decades of entertaining with performers who excel in the art of female impersonation, according to the website—will hold its Continental pageants Sept. 2-5 in Chicago. The ...
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WORLD Vietnam's pro-LGBTQ+ move, Grindr kidnappings, Taiwan event
Video below
Vietnam took a major step forward in the recognition of LGBTQ+ rights with the country's Ministry of Health stating that being gay, bisexual or transgender is not a disease and urging medical practitioners to end discrimination ...
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Drag show finally takes place at UpRising Bakery and Cafe
After a series of events that encompassed everything from vandalism to meetings with village officials to a visit from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, LGBTQ+-owned Lake in the Hills business UpRising Bakery and Cafe finally held its ...
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UpRising Bakery allowed to hold drag brunch, other events
UpRising Bakery—a Lake in the Hills business extensively vandalized after scheduling a brunch event featuring drag performers—will be able to host the rescheduled event and other programs after reaching an agreement with Lake in the Hills ...
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'Spiritual DragCon' debuting in Chicago on Oct. 7-9; speakers sought
Bonnie Violet and at least 18 other drag artists, LGBTQIA+ clergy and other allies are curating the first-ever Spiritual DragCon to take place in Chicago on Oct. 7-9. The conference is being advertised as "is a ...
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Man arrested for vandalism of LGBTQ+-owned suburban bakery
Authorities in Lake in the Hills, a suburb of Chicago, have made an arrest in the case of the vandalism of a bakery that had to cancel an all-ages drag show because of the crime, ABC 7 Chicago reported. Joseph I. ...
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Suburban bakery cancels drag event after controversy, vandalism [UPDATE]
After protests, controversy and repeated vandalism, a suburban bakery's planned all-ages drag show/brunch has been canceled, ABC 7 Chicago reported. ...
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Touche holds fundraiser for Windy City Times
Leather bar Touche, 6412 N. Clark St., held its regular Friday fundraiser on July 8—and the fortunate recipient this time was Windy City Times. Approximately $200 were raised during this benefit raffle. Touche has been a ...
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Billy Masters
"I'm not gay. I'm not straight. I don't know what I am. I love people. … I refuse to be anything, really, except for open to it all."—Kesha (without the dollar sign) makes this revelation in ...
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Chicago Pride Fest adds new features to the outdoor celebration
The Chicago Pride Fest outdoor celebration returned June 18-19, as local Pride events lead up to the parade on Sunday, June 26. The festival featured music on three stages and more than 150 vendors running down ...
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States might make having kids at drag events a felony; LGBTQ+ groups respond
Video below
Florida state Rep. Anthony Sabatini wants to make it a felony for any parent to bring a child to a drag event, WFLA reported. MYSA also noted that Republican Texas state Rep. Bryan Slaton announced on ...
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MUSIC Grag doll: Brazilian drag queen makes waves in the U.S.
Chicago Pride Fest 2022 promises to be hotter and more exciting than ever. This popular festival features a wide variety of musical acts on three stages and is surrounded by numerous vendor booths up and down ...
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MUSIC Transgender 'RuPaul Drag Race' alum Peppermint composes 'Letter' to past lovers
Miss Peppermint is a drag artist who made a name for herself while slaying on the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race. Eventually coming in second place, Peppermint made herstory by being the first out trans ...
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Gerber/Hart unveils Pride Month events with 'Drag,' 'Bad Gays,' sneak peek
Gerber/Hart Library has revealed the events it will host for Pride Month. —On Saturday, June 4, at 3 p.m., Gerber/Hart will celebrate the release of Legends of Drag: Queens of a Certain Age with Unabridged Books ...
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FILM 'The Adventures of Priscilla' to show nationwide on June 2
Iconic Events Releasing will kick off Pride Month with a special nationwide rerelease of MGM's classic 1994 Australian film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Screenings will take place in select theaters nationwide on ...
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'Queen of the Universe' winner Grag Queen in Chicago on June 3 and 19
Grag Queen—the Brazilian drag queen who won the reality-competition show Queen of the Universe, and who just released her first English-language single, "You Betta"—will be in Chicago twice next month. ...
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Chicago part of Taco Bell Drag Brunch tour
Starting next month, Taco Bell is launching the Taco Bell Drag Brunch—a five-stop restaurant tour that aims to celebrate drag culture and the LGBTQ+ community, Food and Wine noted. Taking place at five Taco Bell Cantina ...
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Dance Divas return to Baton July 31 and Aug. 1
-- From a press release
Showcasing Chicago dancers in a night of music, dance, and laughter, Chicago Dancers United presents Dance Divas 2022, a party and performance Sunday, July 31 at 6 p.m. and Monday, Aug. 1, at 7 and 9 p.m. at the Baton Show Lounge ...
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THEATER Otherworld hosting sci-fi drag fantasy cabaret 'Hyperfantasia' on May 11
Otherworld Theatre Company, 3914 N. Clark St., has announced a special one-night-only performance of the sci-fi fantasy drag cabaret show Hyperfantasia, to be staged Wed., May 11. Employing original music ...
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Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project showcases 'History of Milwaukee Drag' starting June 27
-- From a press release
Milwaukee, WI. - A History of Milwaukee Drag: Seven Generations of Glamour, by local historians Michail Takach and BJ Daniels, will be released Monday, June 27 by The History Press. For nearly 150 years, Milwaukee has ...
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FILM/TV New 'Drag Race All Stars' to only feature previous winners
In a watershed moment in "RuPaul's Drag Race" history (or herstory), all eight returning queens on season seven of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars have won previous seasons of "Drag Race" or "All Stars," Variety noted. ...
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'RuPaul's Drag Race British Invasion' show in Chicago on May 21
The queens of RuPaul's Drag Race UK are coming to the United States this May for a week of live shows in six major cities. Produced by Voss Events and World of Wonder, RuPaul's Drag Race British Invasion will launch May ...
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LGBTQIA+-focused talent group launches in Orlando, Chicago and Miami
Orlando-based experiential marketing company, 82 South, Inc., has launched MODE (Made on Diversity and Equality) Talent Group this month to promote LGBTQIA+ and other underrepresented talent for bookings in fashion ...
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BenDeLaCreme talks about new tour, 'Drag Race'
Drag artist BenDeLaCreme is racing back into Chicago for a solo tour after postponing due to the COVID pandemic. The openly gay RuPaul's Drag Race All-Star is bringing "BenDeLaCreme is…Ready to be Committed" to Thalia Hall ...
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'Werq the World Tour' at Rosemont July 23 and at Hard Rock Aug. 12
The "RuPaul's Drag Race Werq the World Tour" will stop at the Rosemont Theater on Saturday, July 23, and the Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana on Friday, Aug. 12. ...
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WORLD Singapore ruling, journalist killed, Ukraine items, 'Flee'
Singapore's highest court dismissed a challenge by three LGBTQ+-rights activists against a law criminalizing sex between men ruling that since authorities did not enforce the law, it did not breach plaintiffs' ...
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Hell in a Handbag Productions presents 'The Drag Seed'
-- From a press release
CHICAGO (February 25, 2022) — Hell in a Handbag Productions is pleased to continue its 20th anniversary season with a revival of its popular comedy The Drag Seed, an unauthorized parody of the 1956 psychological horror-thriller ...
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Drag figure Edie coming to Davenport's on March 4
Best known for her role as the emcee in Cirque du Soleil's long-running hit show Zumanity, at the NY-NY Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Edie will be performing at Chicago venue Davenport's, 1383 N. Milwaukee ...
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Ginger Minj paints on 'A Little More Mascara' in La Cage aux Folles
Joshua Allen Eads took the world by storm as drag artist Ginger Minj on the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race. After being the runner-up for that season, Minj returned to the franchise for the second ...
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FireLake Drag Champagne Brunch on Feb. 27
Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel spot FireLake, 221 N. Columbus Dr., will host the Drag Champagne Brunch on Sunday, Feb. 27, now at 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Attendees can sip on mimosas and dine on brunch delicacies while dancing along to ...
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Artifact Events hosting Feb. 26 Golden Girls-themed drag brunch
In remembrance of the late and great Betty White, Artifact Events, 4325 N. Ravenswood Ave., will host a Golden Girls-themed Drag Brunch on Saturday, Feb. 26. Attendees can enjoy bottomless mimosas, musical drag performances, sketches, photo ...
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PASSAGES Jeffrey Wayne ("Jef") Morgan
Jeffrey Wayne "Jef" Morgan, of Chicago's West Rogers Park neighborhood, passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack while shoveling snow on Jan. 2. He was 58. Jef was the well-loved manager at Little Jim's on ...
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SHOWBIZ Kennedy Center, drag series, Bjork, awards, Wil Wheaton
Returning to the Kennedy Center Opera House with an audience for the first time since 2019, the 44th Kennedy Center Honors ceremony recently honored a music-heavy class of Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell, Motown founder Berry Gordy ...
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Kit Kat Lounge hosting Kamayan feast Oct. 24
Kit Kat Lounge & Supper Club, 3700 N. Halsted St., in honor of Filipino American History Month, will host a special "diva-infused" Kamayan feast featuring Chef Jordan Andino on Sunday, Oct. 24. Andino is the creative ...
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DRAG Utica Queen finds a home in Chicago
Ethan Mundt rose to fame as Utica Queen in season 13 of the Emmy-winning show RuPaul's Drag Race. Ultimately placing sixth in the competition, this young, gay 25-year-old showed creativity and personality. Mundt's latest project, Homecoming ...
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