First look: Backbeat hotel planned for Northalsted
The owners of an independent boutique hotel coming to Northalsted have unveiled the business’s name and updated design. Backbeat, set to open in 2028 at 3255 N. Halsted St., will be the first hotel to open on the Northalsted strip. Its name is a nod…
Keep readingRecent News
Poetry Brothel Chicago’s DEVOTION bends poetry, burlesque and intimate readings on Valentine’s Day
On Feb. 14, a sold-out crowd packed Aloft Circus Arts in Logan Square, 3324 W. Wrightwood Ave., to experience DEVOTION, The Poetry Brothel Chicago’s immersive Valentine’s Day spectacle. The two-hour vaudeville show featured stage poetry, aerials by Teatro Zinzanni Chicago circus artist Lindsay Culbert-Olds, burlesque performances by Blazing Belladonna and Vera Sporadica, with Missy St.…
New (and FREE) from Windy City Times!
Subscribe to Chicago Social Butterflies,
News on Q, BLACKlines, and En La Vida.
View All News
Chicago Stars FC announces 2026 match theme nights; Pride Night on Aug. 9
CHICAGO (February 18, 2026) – Following the highly-anticipated 2026 schedule release, Chicago Stars FC today announced the club’s theme nights, giveaways and ticket packages for 2026 home matches. 2026 will see exciting fan-favorite themes like Pride and Nuestra Ciudad return to the match lineup in addition to multiple new themes. Hello Kitty Day will bring the popular feline friend…
Nation & World
IN BRIEF Anti-queer incidents, Don Lemon, prisoners in Cameroon, mayor indicted, queer Grammy party
NATIONAL There were more than 1,000 anti-LGBTQ+ incidents across 47 states and D.C. last year, according to the ALERT Desk, GLAAD’s Anti-LGBTQ Extremism Reporting Tracker, Out noted. This marked a 5% increase from the 984 incidents in 2024. These included 128 acts of vandalism, 76 assaults, 22 threats of mass violence and 15 arson attempts.…
Theater / Dance
THEATER Final ‘Holiday’: Richard Greenberg’s posthumous adaptation of Philip Barry’s 1928 romantic comedy sparkles at the Goodman
It’s bittersweet that Richard Greenberg isn’t around to see the world premiere of his adaptation of Holiday at the Goodman Theatre. The late gay playwright, famed for such Broadway hits like Take Me Out and Three Days of Rain, died of cancer last year long before his commissioned updating of the original 1928 play by Philip Barry (The Philadelphia Story) could…
Music
Queer ‘rapbrarian’ Roy Kinsey talks hip-hop, dandelions and representation
Have you heard of the “Rapbrary?” For those who haven’t, it’s the brainchild of Roy Kinsey, who developed the one-of-a-kind library to preserve rap and hip-hop as culturally significant literary art forms, foster creativity, preserve marginalized voices and fight censorship, among other things. Kinsey hopes that the Rapbrary will lay the groundwork for an expansive…
Film / TV / Gossip
Deconstructing Harrys: ‘Pillion’ star and director open up about their new motorcycle dom-com
Pillion is a Scottish Gaelic word for a seat behind a motorcyclist. It is also the title of a powerful new queer film. Actor Harry Melling plays Colin, the pillion rider sitting behind Alexander Skarsgård’s Ray in a story adapted from the book Box Hill by Adam Mars-Jones. In the film, Colin and Ray explore what it means…
Books / Art
Trans
HRC Foundation takes next step in class action litigation against Trump administration, files complaint with EEOC over prohibition on gender-affirming healthcare coverage for federal employees
WASHINGTON — Today, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF) took the next step in the litigation process against the Trump administration on behalf of federal employees and their families, filing a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) over the Administration’s prohibition on health insurance coverage for gender-affirming care under the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) and…
Lesbian
IN BRIEF Medical group’s update, HRC dinner, ‘Rafiki,’ Algerian boxer, queer gymnast, Super Bowl
NATIONAL The American Medical Association (AMA) has updated its recommendations for gender-affirming care, endorsing certain limitations on surgery for minors, LGBTQ Nation noted. The AMA is now the second major medical organization (following the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, or ASPS) to walk back its total support for whatever gender-affirming treatments a doctor and a…