Antonio King named Chicago’s Director of LGBTQ+ Affairs
Mayor Brandon Johnson has appointed Antonio King as Chicago’s Director of LGBTQ+ Affairs. King is a longtime city employee and LGBTQ+ health advocate who previously served as the LGBTQ+ Health and Outreach Liaison at the Chicago Department of Public Health. His appointment comes after years of calls from advocates…
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This Bloody Valentine: Salome returns to Lyric Opera of Chicago
There’s bound to be some controversy tied to the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s North American premiere of gay Scottish director Sir David McVicar’s 2008 London production of Salome. Yet it’s unlikely that this Salome revival will be greeted with the same levels of outrage that erupted when this 1905 opera by German composer Richard Strauss was relatively new. For example, a…
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IN BRIEF Gov. Kathy Hochul, LGBTQ Sports Hall of Fame, African report, Valentino dies, Cavetown
NATIONAL New York state Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal urged Gov. Kathy Hochul to issue emergency guidance to make sure gender-affirming care continues to be delivered at the three private hospital systems where nearly 15,000 nurses have been on strike, Gay City News reported. The nurses are striking at NewYork-Presbyterian, Montefiore and Mount Sinai hospitals, which have…
Nation & World
IN BRIEF Renee Nicole Good, Trevor Project, Internat’l Rebel Dykes Day, Alan Cumming, GALECA nominations
NATIONAL In the two days since Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross on a Minneapolis street, a wave of support has now lifted her family with more than $1.5 million in grassroots donations via GoFundMe, The Advocate noted. (GoFundMe confirmed to The Advocate that the fundraiser is legitimate.) “Thank you…
Theater / Dance
THEATER Ice queens: Handbag’s ‘Housewives’ weather North Polar disorders
Poor Ruth Claus. As Hell in a Handbag’s Christmas 2025 offering The Real Housewives of the North Pole opens, her year-long sobriety gets put to the test. Santa and other North Pole VIPs—Frosty the Snowman and Jack Frost among them—are in jail for racketeering, so Ruth (Honey West) is at the end of her financial and emotional…
Music
Lakeside Pride ensemble performance marks World AIDS Day
On Dec. 1, the Lakeside Pride music ensemble Wilde Cabaret held an intimate concert in observance of World AIDS Day. The event, which took place at Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted St., was a benefit for the organization Season of Concern Chicago, which supports local theater artists in times of need. The evening featured not only music but a wealth…
Film / TV / Gossip
Tonatiuh spins a web in the Windy City for Kiss of the Spider Woman
Multi-hyphenated singer-dancer-actor Tonatiuh brought the story of Luis Molina to life in the movie musical Kiss of the Spider Woman, released in theaters in October of 2025. Spider Woman continues to have legs and brought this talented queer performer to town to host a special fundraising screening at Music Box Theatre on Jan. 13. Proceeds from the event…
Books / Art
Trans
Trans youth sports participation cases at the U.S. Supreme Court focus of Chicago panel discussion
The ACLU, Center on Halsted, Chicago Therapy Collective, Lambda Legal and Trans Up Front Illinois held a Together We Win: Fight for the T in Team Panel and Community Dinner Jan. 13 at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., following oral arguments that took place earlier in the day at the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) on two…
Lesbian
Lesbian couple makes ‘herstory’ as Cook County’s first marriage in 2026
Chicagoans Elizabeth Branske and Melissa Nunez won Cook County’s annual lottery to be the first couple married in the new year. They were the first lesbian couple to ever win the opportunity. “We knew we were going to get married, we just didn’t know how or when, so I saw the opportunity to sign up…