OPINION Berlin will not diminish our Pride
July 26 began like almost every other Sunday. I woke up, poured my first cup of coffee, and did what I’ve done nearly every morning for the past 50 years in the news business—I started reading the news. I move from source to source to…
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Second Annual Dignity Dash cuts through heat to finish first
On the morning of July 26, Brave Space Alliance (BSA) kicked off its second Annual Dignity Dash under cloudy skies and temperatures climbing toward 90 degrees. The event launched at the AIDS Garden at 3003 N. Lake Shore Drive and trailed along the Chicago lakefront, welcoming over 150 participants who gathered to run, bike or walk…
Chicagoans launch the first Pride Ball
On the evening of July 26, Life is Work and Tony Long joined forces to present the first annual Pride Ball at FashionBar in Water Tower Place at 835 N. Michigan Ave. It was clear that Long—a businessman, designer and influencer—and Life is Work were aiming for something more ambitious than a fashion event. The event was billed…
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The Jeff Awards celebrates 58th anniversary with announcement of the Equity Wing Award nominations
Chicago—In celebration of its 58th anniversary awarding recognition for Equity theater, the Joseph Jefferson Awards announced its nominations for the 2025-26 season. This year’s Equity Jeff Awards feature 209 nominees across 37 categories of excellence in theater production among shows from 27 producing entities. During the most recent season, which ran from July 1, 2025 to…
Nation & World
IN BRIEF Trans ban upheld, bathhouse ban repealed, Stonewall re-enactment, conversion therapy, ‘Broadway Bares,’ ‘X-Men ’97’
NATIONAL In a major development, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld state bans on transgender girls and women competing in girls’ and women’s school sports, The Advocate reported. In a six-to-three decision written by Justice Brett…
Theater / Dance
Chicagoans gather to learn about Black queer dance, expression
As massive crowds, former presidents and other celebrities mingled in Jackson Park for the opening of the Obama Center on June 18, a much smaller group on the North Side came together with an entirely different kind of gathering for the second edition of Welcome Home: A Celebration of Queer Street Dance. The event, which took…
Music
Drag queen and DJ Kevin Aviance looks ahead to Chicago appearance
Kevin Aviance will have an upcoming DJ set as part of the Ladybear party at Smartbar, 3730 N. Clark St., on Aug 8 at 10 p.m. alongside Lucy Stoole, Shaun J Wright, and Rika B. Aviance is a New York City-based drag queen, a part of the iconic House of Aviance, and a DJ and…
Film / TV / Gossip
John Early smells like Maddie’s Secret at the Music Box
Director, writer and actor John Early doesn’t hide who he is as a gay man, but his character struggles with private information in the new Magnolia Pictures movie Maddie’s Secret. On July 2, he brought his latest endeavor to the Music Box Theatre for a sold-out screening accompanied by a post-show question-and-answer portion of the program. Maddie proved so popular…
Books / Art
Trans
“Restroom Rally” held to highlight Illinois’ Equitable Restrooms Act
Pride Action Tank, an AIDS Foundation Chicago(AFC) project and Community Restroom Access Project (CRAP) organizer, and Rainbow Café LGBTQ Center in Carbondale joined forces to hold a Restroom Rally July 18 at both The Hideout in Chicago and Lost Forest Coffeehouse and Pub in Carbondale to raise awareness about Illinois’ Equitable Restrooms Act. The amended act, which was signed into law…
Lesbian
BUSINESS Revolutionary pleasures: Searah Deysach’s on a mission to bring sex positivity to Chicagoans
Twenty-five years ago, Evanston native Searah Deysach was at a crossroads and realized she needed to shake up her professional life. Deysach had done a pastry program and worked in kitchens for a while before she “boomeranged back to working in an office at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC).” She had…