Howard Brown’s annual A Taste for Every Palate event took place at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Simone Koehlinger, director of the Office of LGBT Health in the Chicago Department of Public Health, received the Cornerstone Award.
Howard Brown President Michael Cook introduced Koehlinger at the May 19 event as ‘that rare individual … whom others look to … for inspiration and guidance, but who’s also a foot soldier.’ Koehlinger recalled being an uninsured graduate student in the mid ’90s and wondering, ‘What would a doctor think of me, this punky lesbian?’ She said her fears had made her seek out Howard Brown, and she stressed the importance of ‘places where [LGBTQ people] are treated with dignity and respect.’ Cat Jefcoat, the director of the Lesbian Community Care Project, echoed those words when she spoke to Windy City Times about providing free medical care for uninsured lesbians. She also said, ‘It’s all about your body—whether you’re butch, femme, andro or trans, we want to check your body out and make sure you are healthy.’