Jason Collins, first openly gay player in NBA, dies at 47
WASHINGTON, D.C. — NBA star Jason Collins, the first player to come out as gay while playing in a major American professional men’s sports league, has died from brain cancer, his family announced Tuesday. When Collins came out as gay in 2013, more than a decade…
Keep readingRecent News
Congregation Or Chadash celebrates 50 years at Lake View event
The LGBTQ+ members and allies Congregation Or Chadash (New Light) celebrated its 50th anniversary May 13 at the Reform Jewish Congregation Temple Sholom, 3480 N. DuSable Lake Shore Dr. Or Chadash was originally founded in 1975 as a social and support group of gay Jewish men. The group quickly grew into a full-service Reform congregation focused on the LGBTQ+…
New (and FREE) from Windy City Times!
Subscribe to Chicago Social Butterflies,
News on Q, BLACKlines, and En La Vida.
View All News
Queer wedding traditions come alive at Chicago fair
On May 12, Rebecca Pope’s Something Profound Wedding Services and Mei Lin Photography restarted a tradition of holding a wedding show for LGBTQ+ couples headed down the aisle. The Chicago Queer Wedding Show, which took place at The Joinery at 2533 W. Homer St., is the first such wedding show centering queer in several years.…
Nation & World
IN BRIEF Trans students, syphilis diagnoses, Egypt’s pro-trans ruling, New Zealand blood donation, Nathan Lane, Madonna
NATIONAL The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association voted on an amendment that would have restricted girls’ sports participation to cis individuals—but the measure failed to achieve the supermajority needed to pass, KXLY noted. The vote was…
Theater / Dance
Jeff Rodriguez jumps into the lake of Eelpout!
Shattered Globe Theatre reels in a fishy tale titled Eelpout! for its 35th-season finale at Theater Wit. Playwright Paul William Kruse serves up a story about society and queer identity set in the wilderness. Longtime friends Sven Svensen and Ole Olson are ice fishing and celebrating Ole’s upcoming wedding at Lake Mille Lacs. The duo swims into…
Music
BOOKS Queer country singer Ty Herndon discusses ‘What Mattered Most’
As everyone knows, life is a combination of sometimes stratospheric highs and devastating lows. In What Mattered Most: A Memoir, openly gay country singer Ty Herndon discusses meeting people in various capacities (personal and professional) and his rise to fame, including appearances on the TV show Star Search. However, this book is also an account of battles…
Film / TV / Gossip
Drag Racer LaGanja Estranja jump-starts a new cannabis line at Sway
There’s a new fruity cannabis strain coming to the Lakeview area of Chicago on May 16 at Sway Cannabis Dispensary, 3340 N. Halsted St. Sway is the first recreational dispensary in Illinois to be Black and Latino co-owned by José Pepe Peña and Art Johnston, who also own the massive queer bar Sidetrack Chicago across the street. Illinois…
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…