‘She loved all of us’: Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community remembers Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton’s flamboyance, acceptance and support for LGBTQ+ rights made her an enduring queer icon and inspired Chicago artists, performers and generations of LGBTQ+ fans.
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PASSAGES Scott Allred
Scott Allred, 67, of Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood, passed away on Aug. 22, at Illinois Masonic Hospital, just three weeks after being diagnosed with lymphoma. Scott was born on Feb. 14, 1959, in Lynwood, California, and grew up in Norwalk. After graduating from John Glenn High School, he attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where…
OPINION Raping and pillaging our national parks
On Aug. 6, a date that’s been called ‘a day of infamy,’ construction began on Trump’s border wall through Big Bend National Park. Under a $1.7 billion federal contract strongly opposed by Texas locals regardless of party affiliation, Southwest Valley started bulldozing for profit at 8 a.m., razing habitats of threatened species and destroying native vegetation. Running along parts of the Rio…
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OPINION The call you have to make over and over again
A client told me recently, “I didn’t expect how many times I would have to say that my husband died.”When my mother died, I remember looking at the “To Do” list and thinking, “I can do this.” Then I was confronted with notifying dozens of people or institutions that my mother had died.You make the…
Nation & World
IN BRIEF Breast cancer risk, Lavender folds, bathhouse measure, Ghana’s anti-queer bill, Alysa Liu, Meshell Ndegeocello, Ken Jennings
Warning: This column mentions suicide, self-harm and child sexual abuse. NATIONAL A new study concluded that transgender individuals undergoing “top surgery” aren’t being provided adequate counseling about their future risk of breast cancer, U.S. News…
Theater / Dance
BUSINESS ‘Punk, intense and all-encompassing’: Chicagoan Dawn Heilung brings trans artists into focus
Gender Fucked Productions (Gender Fucked) Founder and former Executive Director and Artistic Director Dawn Heilung uses many labels to describe themselves— queer, bisexual, pansexual, polyamorous, trans, non-binary, transfleminine—because “I don’t think one can fully encompass my experience.” “I started [the trans, enby and queer arts and event production focused nonprofit] Gender Fucked Productions in 2022 because…
Music
Chicago’s House scene shaped global culture. But some of its artists face housing instability
For some artists, the community sustaining Chicago’s House culture has also become an informal safety net.
Film / TV / Gossip
FILM ‘Castaway’ seeks to create intergenerational dialogue for Latinx audiences through storytelling
An upcoming short film, “Castaway” by director and writer Nathan Marquez, shines a spotlight on the intersectionality between being queer, growing up Latinx and Catholic and learning to find community. The film is currently in pre-production with Z Marc Productions both producing and supporting funding for the short film by hosting the Queer Creative Lounge…
Books / Art
Trans
Higher grades and belonging: Trans students thrive when their teachers support them
Actions as simple as asking for and affirming a student’s name and pronouns can make trans students feel substantially safer and more likely to succeed in the classroom, a new report shows.
Lesbian
Meet the new chair of Chicago’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Council
Starr De Los Santos is stepping into leadership of Chicago’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Council with the goal of strengthening the body’s connections with the community. De Los Santos was appointed chair after outgoing chair Jin-Soo Huh stepped down in February. Her rise to leadership coincides with six new members joining the council and Antonio King recently taking…