Christian Díaz becomes first openly queer person on Metra board, aims to create more equitable transit
From growing up in a transit-rich community to working in Chicago’s transit network itself, Christian Díaz is all about connecting both people and places. Appointed to the Metra board in April 2026, Díaz is its first openly queer member. He comes with a background of…
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THEATER ‘GAY Soul Food’ is a personal love letter to family
Talking with Anthony Green, a Lambda Literary fellow and the writer-director of the play GAY Soul Food, is like chatting with a long-lost family member who immediately welcomes you into the fold.We lost track of time, talked over each other and had to circle back to previous points because we went on several tangents. His affirming…
PASSAGES James Anthony Perez
James Anthony Perez, 62, passed away unexpectedly at home in Chicago’s Lake View neighborhood on Aug. 1. Born in Miami, James attended Southwest Miami Senior High School and earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami. James served at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) for 41 years. He was the Assistant Director/Chicago Field Office…
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Comedian Jessica Kirson delivers her stand-up act out in the open for Market Days
One out and proud comedian Jessica Kirson, whose act has racked up over a billion views online, is coming to Northalsted Market Days on Aug. 9. Born in New Jersey, Kirson graduated from the University of Maryland and earned a master’s in social work from New York University—she initially wanted to be a therapist like her mother, whose…
Nation & World
IN BRIEF Avoiding Idaho, Baltimore gay bar, partnerships vetoed in Poland, UK prime minister, ‘Barbara Forever,’ Michael Urie
Warning: This column mentions a violent attack. NATIONAL Trans journalist/activist Erin Reed updated her Anti-Trans National Legal Risk Assessment Map, adding Idaho to the list of “Do Not Travel” states for trans people because of…
Theater / Dance
THEATER Wrenching but urgent political drama follows two women with HIV along ‘Continuum’
People working in public- and private-health spaces have long used the term “continuum of care.” Simply put, when a patient receives a diagnosis for a chronic condition, they need to go on a figurative “continuum” ensuring that the condition is both treated and managed so the patient leads a healthy life. So In the Continuum, the…
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
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…
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…