Where you live in Chicago can shape how long you live—especially for LGBTQ+ people
Coming of age as a trans woman on Chicago’s West Side, Zahara Bassett used to spend hours traveling across the city just to access basic services. “It was two trains and a bus,” Bassett said, describing the trip she regularly made from the West Side…
Keep readingRecent News
OPINION Community archives are the antidote to the erasure of LGBTQ+ history
This month, President Trump chose to opt out of acknowledging World AIDS Day. It’s the first time the U.S. has not participated since the World Health Organization created this day in 1988 to raise awareness on HIV/AIDS and to commemorate the lives that have been lost to the deadly virus. From executive orders targeting diversity,…
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NATIONAL Pride nixed in Arlington, Philly anchor retires, Gavin Newsom, Georgetown’s president
In Texas, the Arlington City Council voted five to four to suspend protections for its LGBTQ+ residents that are enshrined in the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance, per The Dallas Morning News. Deputy Mayor Pro TemRaul Gonzalez and council members Mauricio Galante, Rebecca Boxall, Long Pham and Bowie Hogg voted against reinstatement of the protections while Arlington…
Nation & World
WORLD Project Not Alone, Senegal arrests, Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ law, Tasmania’s reparations
Erasing 76 Crimes noted that eight gay men and two lesbians have been set free this year in Cameroon and Nigeria because of readers’ donations to Project Not Alone, which helps victims of African homophobia. Those 10 individuals were the focus of this year’s Project Not Alone, which built on the project’s previous work that…
Theater / Dance
Anthony Rapp makes Chicago his Home for the Holidays
Out and proud performer Anthony Rapp is celebrating his new life in Chicago with Home for the Holidays this season. This December, he presents an intimate show for fans inside the Lookingglass Theatre Company space right on the Magnificent Mile. Accompanied by Rick Bertone and supported by various local talent, Rapp has curated a variety of tracks…
Music
Lakeside Pride ensemble performance marks World AIDS Day
On Dec. 1, the Lakeside Pride music ensemble Wilde Cabaret held an intimate concert in observance of World AIDS Day. The event, which took place at Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted St., was a benefit for the organization Season of Concern Chicago, which supports local theater artists in times of need. The evening featured not only music but a wealth…
Film / TV / Gossip
FILM ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ takes a stab at religion
Debuting in 2019, the comedic thriller Knives Out has spawned two sequels: Glass Onion in 2022 and Wake Up Dead Man in 2025. These celebrity capers have explored deep issues, such as class, race and identity, through zany characters placed in remote areas of the world. The first chapter was set in a faraway mansion, the second on an isolated island…
Books / Art
Trans
Trans Up Front Illinois announces grant from Born This Way Foundation
The organization joins cohort of 55 youth-nominated organizations across eleven countries supporting youth mental health, wellbeing Chicago, IL — DECEMBER 10, 2025 — Today, Trans Up Front Illinois announced its selection as a 2025–2026 Kindness in Community Fund grant recipient by Born This Way Foundation, founded by Lady Gaga. Trans Up Front Illinois will be receiving vital funds from the youth-driven grantmaking program…
Lesbian
New Ravenswood collective aims to create “friendship-forward” sapphic spaces
It takes a lot of work to open a new business as an entrepreneur. It takes even more work to divorce a husband, leave the Mormon church and come out as queer. Founder of Garden Of collective Eden Strader did all of that. The collective, aimed at creating a wholesome sapphic community, boasts a fully furnished and…