OPINION The unapologetic queer history at the new Obama Presidential Center
Walking onto the 19.3-acre campus of the Obama Presidential Center on Chicago’s South Side was a respite, and a revelation. As a proud Chicagoan and an inductee into the Chicago LGBTQ Hall of Fame, I didn’t step onto the grounds expecting to experience all of…
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Queer happening rocks Chicago Riverfront
As hordes descended on Grant Park for day one of Lollapalooza 2026, a much smaller, quieter, more colorful throng gathered in the elegant Ping Tom Memorial Park just west of Chinatown. The Sixth Annual Queer Radical Fair bloomed on July 30th by celebrating queer/trans/non-binary youth and their creativity, and came packed with music, DIY fashion,…
Chicago physician Maya Green reflects on why health care is about more than treating disease
The COVID-19 pandemic changed Maya Green’s (MD/MPH) perspective as a physician and person, and reminded her how short life is. Green, who identifies as queer, decided to strike out on her own three years ago and create Onyx Medical Wellness so she could provide communities like South Shore, Austin and Roseland with high quality health care without…
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PASSAGES Ron Fritsch
Ron Fritsch, age 87, a Chicago, resident for many years, died on July 22. Ron was born on May 8, 1939, in a farmhouse in Glen Ellyn. He grew up on a rental farm near Big Rock, Illinois. He is a graduate of both University of Illinois, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history…
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IN BRIEF Trans ban upheld, bathhouse ban repealed, Stonewall re-enactment, conversion therapy, ‘Broadway Bares,’ ‘X-Men ’97’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
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…
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…