you taken for granted today?
Did you go grocery shopping
with your partner and proudly
purchase your potatoes in
public? Did you dare to walk
down the street with a pair of
zippered pants covering your
lady business? Did you sit down
at a restaurant festooned with
rainbows only to encounter an
equally festooned waiter? Take
a moment to consider, then, all
the amazing strides made by this
city’s gay and lesbian pioneers
that got you to that seemingly
carefree point.
If you have not yet seen it, I
strongly recommend WTTW’s
stunning documentary ‘Out
and Proud In Chicago.’ What
was particularly striking to
me was being able to watch it
right along with several of the
documentary’s subjects at the
viewing party at Sidetrack. I sat
with my friends Robert Castillo
and John Pennycuff-Castillo,
local activists and one of the
first couples to get married in
San Francisco a few years back.
The picture of them in the upper
right-hand corner was snapped
as they fought back the tears
upon viewing the segment of the
documentary which chronicled
their nuptual journey. I was
profoundly touched to share that
moment with them. And if you
ever see them, ask them about
their gay marriage refund check.
It’s an absurd story, but one that
accurately frames our current
point on the timeline of LGBT
equality.
And now for something completely
different…
Lube wrestling was a hit at
Encompass. Both boys and girls
jumped in the pool o’ grease to
entertain the crowd (and, to a lurid
degree, themselves). I spoke
with Lou about the lube. They
purchased it in powdered form
and mixed it with a large drill in
a bucket. Now that’s the kind of
behind-the-scenes dedication it
takes to pull off a night like this.
Luckily, they’ve mixed enough
lube and garnered enough interest
to start doing it on a regular
basis. Stay tuned for further
lube-related updates.
Happy birthday to Rick at Bobby
Love’s. We used to hang back in
the ol’ Grinder days. Grinder was
Homolatte before Homolatte was
Homolatte.
And make sure to stop in to 3160
and catch Alma Mendoza’s spoton
performance. She had somehow
(yeah, somehow) roped
me into doing a duet of Nothing
Compares 2 U. It was certainly a
few notches of class up from my
usual drunken karaoke. Check
chicago3160.com for updates
on Alma and their complete
performer schedule.
kirk@windycitytimes.com
FROM TOP: Robert
and John at Sidetrack,
Birthday boy Rick
and friend at Bobby
Love’s,
Duetting with Alma
Mendoza at 3160.