Chicago celebrates artist/activist Chilli Pepper at street sign unveiling
The late legendary performance artist and LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS activist Chilli Pepper was celebrated with an “Honorary Chilli Pepper Way” street sign by the City of Chicago on the sunny Fall morning of Oct. 3 (the day after Chilli’s birthday) at the corner of North State and…
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First circuit argues over NEA funding “gender ideology”
A three-judge panel of the federal appeals court in Boston heard arguments Wednesday morning (October 7) in a lawsuit which challenges whether President Trump’s executive order saying “Federal funds shall not be used to promote gender ideology” can be applied to arts funding. Four theatre groups, including two which are LGBTQ-focused, filed a lawsuit last…
Fall Fashion Show offers trans and non-binary Chicagoans a chance at expression
On Oct. 2, FashionBar LLC presented its 9th Annual Fall Trans Media Fashion Show at Water Tower Place, 875 N. Michigan Ave. The presentation was the second of the year and featured clothing and designs from IAMTONYLONG, Out of the Closet, Haley from the Third Period and Brown Elephant and served as a fundraiser for Vernita Gray Council for Philanthropy and Broadway Youth Center. Guests were treated to…
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OPINION Blaming God for corporate malfeasance
On Monday, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on a climate case that could make or break efforts to stop rising temperatures before they reach the point of no return. Our planet is hotter than it has ever been, at any time, in the entire history of modern civilization. The six warmest years on record have all been within…
Nation & World
IN BRIEF Dignity USA leader steps down, Club Q lawsuit, GLAAD Media Awards, Ukrainian law, gay men disappear, Ginger Minj, ‘Rock Out,’ ‘Glee’ reboot
Warning: This column mentions violent activities. NATIONAL Marianne Duddy-Burke has decided to step down from being executive director of the LGBTQ+ Catholic organization Dignity USA. On Facebook, she stated, in part, “The past few years…
Theater / Dance
COMEDY Marsha Warfield talks nostalgia, coming out and ‘It’s Raining Queens’
An evening of music, comedy and storytelling is set to take the stage Oct. 3 at Chicago’s City Winery as legendary vocalist Martha Wash and acclaimed lesbian comedian/actress Marsha Warfield (TV’s Night Court) unite for It’s Raining Queens: Starring Martha Wash and Marsha Warfield. https://tickets.citywinery.com/event/its-raining-queens-starring-martha-wash-marsha-w-rfxypz (The event’s name is a play of “It’s Raining Men,” the ‘80s…
Music
MUSIC Riot Fest went boldly where no punk celebration had gone before
The legendary three-day punk rock music gathering known as Riot Fest returned to Chicago’s historic Douglass Park, 1401 S. Sacramento Dr., where it has been held annually since 2015. From Sept. 18-20, the anti-establishment event embraced raw energy on five stages, each beginning with the letter R: Riot, Roots, Rebel, Rise and Radical. Historically, punk…
Film / TV / Gossip
BUSINESS Yvonne Welbon uplifts Black women and gender-expansive creatives with Sisters in Cinema
When lifelong Chicagoan and Sisters in Cinema Founder and CEO Yvonne Welbon started her Master of Fine Arts in film and video program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1991 she knew the name of only one African American woman director, Julie Dash. “When I asked one of my professors to help me find…
Books / Art
Trans
IN BRIEF Election items, ‘Witt v. Air Force,’ Mount Sinai’s anti-trans move, Switzerland’s government, Freddie Mercury mural, WNBA, Janet Jackson, ‘Tip Toe’
Warning: This column mentions details of killings. NATIONAL In Indiana, six candidates for Owen County township offices in the November election are coming out to voters, introducing themselves on two billboards, WISH noted. The promotion, paid for by the Stonewall Democrats of South Central Indiana, marks the first time the organization has endorsed any candidates…
Lesbian
Chicagoans reflect on Gloria Steinem’s relationship with LGBTQ+ community
Gloria Steinem is being remembered as a feminist leader and icon. But the Chicagoans who interacted with her said she never made the movement about her—it was about all of us. “She treated everyone like a peer,” said Illinois State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, who met Steinem several times, starting when Cassidy worked for the National Organization for Women’s (NOW)…