50 Chicago Pride Month events you’ll want on your calendar
Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community is celebrating Pride Month with dozens of events across the city—from major street festivals and the flagship parade to parties, sports gatherings, advocacy events and educational programs. Below is Windy City Times’ curated roundup of 50 LGBTQ+ Pride Month events happening across…
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Out of the Office kicks off Pride with summer celebration
Real estate giant Baird and Warner welcomed Pride month with its annual Out of the Office soiree in the rooftop bar of the Godfrey Hotel at 127 W. Huron Street. The event, which took place on May 28, also reached its 25th anniversary as well as 11 years at the hotel. The annual event has become a celebrated social and networking event,…
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Contestants give their all in IML and IMBB contests
The 2026 International Mister Leather (IML) and International Mister Bootblack (IMBB) contests continued at the Riviera Theatre, 4746 N. Racine Ave., with the Preliminary Contest Night. All 68 IML and all 4 IMBB contestants introduced themselves to the judges and the audience, showing off their personalities while modeling their most revealing leather wear. The event was emcee’d…
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
SAVORY news: ‘Father of dinner theater’ dies, Ann Sather’s last date, Glenwood Sunday Market
Death of a giant: William “Bill” Pullinsi—a director/producer widely regarded as the “father of dinner theater”—has passed away at the age of 86 of natural causes. Pullinsi pioneered the concept of dinner theater in the late 1950s and early 1960s, going on to direct or produce more than 400 theatrical productions during a career spanning more…
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
IN BRIEF ‘Don’t Say Trans’ bill passes, endangered sites, Canada’s unions, students’ seats revoked, ‘Something Still,’ Colman Domingo
NATIONAL Warning: There are descriptions of fatal violence against a transgender woman in this column. According to The Advocate, eight Congressional Democrats voted for the so-called “Don’t Say Trans” bill that would force teachers across the country to out trans kids to their parents. The Democrats included Reps. Rep. Henry Cuellar (Texas), Don Davis (North…
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…