Pride in a political moment: What’s at stake for LGBTQ+ rights in Illinois
Pride Month in Illinois means multiple parades, parties and other celebrations of LGBTQ+ visibility and hard-won progress. But amid this year’s festivities is a growing sense of political urgency that harkens back to Pride’s protest roots. This year’s Pride Month arrives at a moment of…
Keep readingRecent News
Lori Cannon honored at street naming ceremony
Over 200 people gathered just outside of Groceryland Food Pantry headquarters at 5543 N. Broadway Ave. May 22 to honor Lori Cannon—the late longtime HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ activist, Groceryland (formerly Open Hand Chicago) Co-Founder, ACT Up Chicago Co-Founder and Legacy Project Co-Founder. North Broadway Avenue, between Bryn Mawr and Catalpa Avenues, was re-named Honorable Lori Cannon Way on what would have…
New (and FREE) from Windy City Times!
Subscribe to Chicago Social Butterflies,
News on Q, BLACKlines, and En La Vida.
View All News
Chicagoan Zia Varajon reminds trans women they’re not alone in new book
Like many Americans, transgender Chicagoan Zia Varajon despaired when Donald Trump became president again. So she decided to do something about it: write a book to help other trans women on their journey. When Varajon was “pretty down in the dumps” after the second inauguration, she recalled, someone came to her with questions on how…
Nation & World
IN BRIEF Jason Collins, trans student stabbed, Warsaw’s pro-marriage move, Uganda drops bill, INK, Janet Jackson, Sally Field
NATIONAL Jason Collins—the NBA’s first openly gay player, who went on to become a pioneer for inclusion—died at age 47 after an eight-month battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer, according to media reports.…
Theater / Dance
THEATER Playwright McCraney probes the ethics of a ‘Windfall’ at Steppenwolf
Writer Tarell Alvin McCraney’s new drama Windfall, running now at Steppenwolf Theatre through May 31, is billed by its theater company as a story about “the spirit of activism versus money.” The play depicts a Chicago man whose son is killed in a violent police incident. When the father is offered a significant cash settlement, he…
Music
Chicago singers help Belting for Life reach new heights
On May 11, the 11th annual Belting for Life Concert reached a new milestone. The event, a fundraiser for AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) was the most successful Belting for Life event yet, nearly selling out SPACE at 1245 Chicago Ave. in Evanston. Conceived, produced and curated by Christopher Pazdernik—and taking place on his birthday—Belting for…
Film / TV / Gossip
FILM The Chicago Critics Film Festival winds up with a Wilde week in the Windy City
The Chicago Critics Film Festival is curated by the Chicago Film Critics Association and is the only United States film festival programmed exclusively by critics. Founded in 1990, the Chicago Film Critics Association supports filmmaking and is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization. For its 13th edition, the CCFF was held from May 1-7 in 2026, at…
Books / Art
Trans
Transgender Chicagoan turns his gym into a space for fitness and acceptance
As a transgender man, Alex Martinez knows how it feels to be othered—and he knows he’s not alone. That experience has influenced his work as both a fitness trainer and gym owner. “I knew it wasn’t just me and because I’m trans,” said Martinez, owner of the Above the Bar gym, 2000 N. Western Ave., where he…
Lesbian
Owners of beloved lesbian bar ‘Dorothy’ open queer dive bar ‘Fathom’ in Lakeview
The owners of the popular lesbian bar Dorothy opened a new queer bar in Lakeview this week, with a more casual, “classic neighborhood dive bar” feel. Fathom, 1622 W. Belmont Ave., opened April 9 and was quickly at capacity, with a line of people waiting that stretched down the block. The new nautical-themed bar is designed to…