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First U.S. passport with 'X' gender marker is issued
On Oct. 27, the State Department was expected to issue the first U.S. passport with an "X" gender marker, The Washington Blade reported. Lambda Legal client Dana Zzyym, an intersex and non-binary U.S. Navy veteran, became ...
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SPORTS Blackhawks GM leaves after sexual-misconduct findings revealed
A law firm working for the Chicago Blackhawks completed an independent review of a former player's 2010 sexual-misconduct allegations against then-video coach Brad Aldrich as well as the team's handling of his complaint at the time, ...
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COVID Four more states removed from Chicago's travel advisory
On Oct. 26, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) removed four states from its weekly COVID-19 Travel Advisory. The advisory now includes 41 states and two territories following the removal of Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland and ...
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Ronn Harris: Evanston resident's initiative rewards good deeds
"You've got to accentuate the positive/ Eliminate the negative/ Latch on to the affirmative/ Don't mess with Mister In-Between" The lyrics above may be from the Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters song "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive," ...
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Howard Brown Health unveils new Broadway Youth Center
--From a press release
Howard Brown Health recently unveiled the new permanent home for Broadway Youth Center, its program for LGBTQ people ages 12-24 and young people experiencing homelessness. Located at 1023 W. Irving Park Road, the new space has ...
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410 LGBTQ candidates ran for office in 2021; racial, ethnic diversity up
--From a LGBTQ Victory Fund press release
Washington, DC — Today LGBTQ Victory Fund, the only national organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ leaders to public office, released its 2021 Out on the Trail report, which details the number and diversity of LGBTQ candidates ...
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THEATER 'A Michael Martin Tribute' Nov. 11-28
Curious Theatre Branch will host a three-week celebration of the solo performance monologues of the late Michael Martin, curated by Kelly Anchors. A Michael Martin Tribute will take place Nov. 11-28 at Pride Arts Center, 4139 ...
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Texas governor signs anti-trans sports bill
Texas' transgender student-athletes will be restricted from playing on K-12 school sports teams that align with their gender identity under a bill Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law Oct. 25, The Texas Tribune reported. House Bill ...
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Annie Leibovitz at Chicago Humanities Festival on Dec. 7
On Tuesday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m., influential photographer Annie Leibovitz will come to the Chicago Humanities Festival for an exclusive conversation—her only event in the Midwest to celebrate the publication of her newest collection, Wonderland. ...
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Another John Wayne Gacy victim identified
On Oct. 25, the Cook County sheriff's office announced that another previously unnamed victim of the infamous serial killer John Wayne Gacy has been identified, NBC Chicago reported. Authorities have identified the human remains formerly known ...
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Personal PAC holds virtual annual awards luncheon
Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock was the keynote speaker at Personal PAC's 28th annual awards luncheon Oct. 20. The event was held virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Personal PAC's vision, according to its website, is ...
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THEATER Melissa Gilbert joins 'Rehab' cast with Dan Butler
Melissa Gilbert—an Emmy-winning and Golden Globe-nominated actor, director, producer and New York Times best-selling author known for her role on TV's Little House on the Prairie—will join the cast of the upcoming world premiere of When ...
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MCA to showcase Justin Vivian Bond on Oct. 30
On Saturday, Oct. 30, at 3 p.m., The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 220 E. Chicago Ave., will present "Music Talk: Justin Vivian Bond and Jim Hodges," featuring singer-songwriter, author, painter, performance artist and actor Mx. ...
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Campus Pride releases list of worst anti-LGBTQ schools
Campus Pride officially released its 2021 Worst List, naming 180 campuses across the country as "the absolute worst, most unsafe campuses for LGBTQ youth." The colleges and universities included in this year's list have either received ...
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Billy Masters
"There was talk of Harry Styles, but I think he ran. He was too scared."—Boy George discusses who will play him in a biopic—or, rather, who won't. The frontrunner currently is Yungblud—a young British singer. If ...
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Twitter suspends Indiana politician for misgendering trans official
Twitter suspended the account of U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., after he intentionally misgendered Health and Human Services official, Dr. Rachel Levine—the first transgender person to hold an office that ...
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REVIEW Randy Rainbow tackles politics, shows talent at The Chicago Theatre
YouTube sensation Randy Rainbow brought The Pink Glasses Tour to The Chicago Theatre on Oct. 22. Best known for videos that parody musical numbers with a focus on politics, the heavily curated show began with a ...
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LGBTQ+ activists celebrated at Fahrenheit Chicago Honors, launch of Lorde, Rustin & Bates, inc.
In the beautiful, amber atmosphere of the Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton St., numerous well-known Chicago LGBTQ+ activists gathered to celebrate each other and look toward the community's future. The sixth annual Fahrenheit Honors cocktail reception, ...
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LGBT HISTORY MONTH Angela Davis, revolutionary
By Victoria A. Brownworth
"You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time," said Angela Davis, 78, the country's most famous living revolutionary. She was born ...
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SPORTS Bulls improve to 3-0 for first time since 2016
The Chicago Bulls improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2016, thanks to a 97-82 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Oct. 23. DeMar DeRozan led six Bulls in double figures with 21 points.Nikola Vucevic ...
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SHOWBIZ JoJo Siwa, Haring/Ortiz mural, Jamie Lee Curtis, Billy Porter
Dancing the foxtrot alongside partner Jenna Johnson to Olivia Newton John's "Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee (Reprise)" for Dancing with the Stars' Grease night, 18-year-old social-media star JoJo Siwa received the season's first perfec ...
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NATIONAL Trans women in sports, Grindr crime, 'Berlin Patient,' trans death
Sports icon Billie Jean King, U.S. National Women's Soccer Team Co-Captain and World Cup Champion Megan Rapinoe, and WNBA stars Layshia Clarendon and Brianna Turner joined more than 150 fellow athletes in women's sports to support ...
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WORLD Indian commission, queer royals, MTV, Putin, attack in Jamaica
India's National Medical Commission has ordered publishers and medical schools to edit their textbooks and curricula to exclude discriminatory and unscientific portrayals of LGBTI people, according to Human Rights Watch. ...
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SPORTS Chicago Fire FC defeat Real Salt Lake 1-0
Playing its final home match of the 2021 season, Chicago Fire FC (9-16-7) defeated Real Salt Lake (12-12-6) 1-0 in front of 31,308 fans at Soldier Field on Oct. 23. As the Fire celebrated their supporters ...
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MUSIC Indie band Fleece is queering country
Eight years ago, gay songwriter and lead singer Matt Rogers and his friend, bisexual drummer Ethan Soil, founded Montreal quartet Fleece. A few years later, bisexual vocalist Megan Ennenberg and straight man Jameson Daniel—who are both ...
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llinois Holocaust Museum hosts talk on Stonewall and the LGBTQ-rights movement
On Oct. 17, Skokie's Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center hosted a "Legacy of Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movement" panel discussion to kick off its latest exhibit, "Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movement." ...
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EXCLUSIVE: Family and friends mourn loss of Brianna Hamilton
Janiece Lewis said her older sister Brianna Hamilton was her first best friend. The two oldest of four girls, spending time together was, for them, "a different kind of love." In between playing Barbies and dress-up, ...
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Illinois high schoolers distribute anti-LGBTQ+ survey
At Anna-Jonesboro Community High School in Anna, Illinois, a student group calling itself the "Anti-Queer Association" distributed a survey asking others if they think "queers" should be allowed to use the school restroom with "normal people," ...
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CTA proposes reduced fare changes
During a time when the prices of just about everything seems to increase, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is proposing the opposite, according to The Chicago Sun-Times. The CTA has proposed slashing some fares to boost ...
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Mayor Lightfoot, DCASE reveal more fall, holiday event details
--From a press release
CHICAGO—Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) today announced more details for DCASE fall and holiday traditions as Chicago's vital arts and culture scene continues to safely and fully ...
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MUSIC Elton John's 'The Lockdown Sessions' now out
Elton John's The Lockdown Sessions is now out, courtesy of Interscope Records. An album of collaborations recorded remotely over the last 18 months, The Lockdown Sessions features UK #1 single "Cold Heart (PNAU remix)," with Dua ...
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Mayor Lightfoot: $20M+ in grants will support business, nonprofit recovery
--From a press release
CHICAGO — Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and the City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) announced today a $20M Chi Biz Strong Grant Program for small business and nonprofit relief and a ...
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On Spirit Day, celebrities and others reach LGBTQ+ youth around the world
--From a press release. Video below
New York, NY, Friday, Oct. 22, 2021 - Yesterday, GLAAD celebrated Spirit Day, when participants around the world wear purple or go purple online in a united stand against bullying and show of support for LGBTQ ...
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LGBT Chamber of Commerce holding 25th-anniv. gala Dec. 7
The LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois will come together with sponsors, corporate partners, members and friends to celebrate its 25th anniversary with a gala. The gala (dress code: cocktail chic) will take place Tuesday, Dec. ...
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LGBT History Month: Staten Island museum throws open Austen's closet door
It's been a long time coming, but officials at the Alice Austen House on New York's Staten Island have thrown open the closet door, now fully embracing the lesbian pioneer and photographer who lived in the ...
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ATTRACTIONS Pizza pop-up, WNDR, Wrightwood
—Rewired's pizza pop-up: Rewired Pizza Cafe & Bar, 1102 W. Thorndale Ave., is getting in on the Halloween fun by paying homage to classic restaurant chains and "dressing up" as owner Daniel Barat's favorite pizza chain: ...
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Stage Left Theatre names new artistic director
Stage Left Theatre announced Bobbi Masters as its new artistic director. Masters has directed plays at theaters around the nation such as No Strings Theatre Company in Las Cruces, New Mexico (The Bald Soprano); and Kitchen ...
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THEATER E. Faye Butler to star in 'Fannie' Oct. 25-Nov. 14
Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., will host the run of Cheryl L. West's Fannie (The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer), which will run Oct. 25-Nov. 14. E. Faye Butler stars as U.S. civil-rights ...
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Hubbard Street Dance back on the stage with 'RE/TURN'
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC) will present Fall Series: RE/TURN to herald its return to the stage at the Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph St. The program will feature new premieres as well as audience favorites ...
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MOVIES 'Bolshoi Ballet' series to start locally Nov. 7
The "2021-2022 Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema" series is set to begin Sunday, Nov. 7 with Bolshoi Ballet: Spartacus—LIVE. Spartacus is considered a ballet tour de force, set to Aram Khachaturian's score. Bolshoi Ballet: Spartacus—LIVE is set t ...
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Author Margaret Atwood in anti-trans controversy
The Handmaid's Tale author Margaret Atwood has been called transphobic after she shared an article complaining about gender-neutral language on Twitter. According to PinkNews, the opinion piece—which Toronto Star columnist ...
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More than half of American Indian, Alaskan Native LGBT adults in the U.S. have been attacked
--From a Williams Institute press release
A new study by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law finds that the estimated 285,000 adults in the U.S. that identify as American Indian or Alaskan Native (AIAN) and LGBT report high rates of ...
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Local business gives historic Edgewater storefront new life with holiday pop-up
--From a press release
Oct. 20, 2021 - Chicago, IL - The iconic former Granville Pictures storefront at 6200 Broadway in Edgewater is getting a second life with a holiday pop-up from local business City Grange. For nearly 90 years ...
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Reeling: Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Fest names winners
--From a press release
CHICAGO, Illinois — The 39th Reeling: Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival today announced the winning films from its 2021 program, which included 33 feature films and 54 short films curated in nine programs. This year's submissions ...
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'Out of the Shadows, Into the Streets' LGBTQ+ Representation in the Media' panel Nov. 4
--From a press release
In recent years LGBTQ+ people have increasingly seen representations of themselves, celebrations of their lives and stories, and coverage of LGBTQ+ issues across media channels. This has led to a worldwide rise in understanding, cultural acceptance, ...
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Lyric Opera presenting 'Florencia en el Amazonas' Nov. 13-28
During Nov. 13-28, Lyric Opera of Chicago will run the company premiere of Florencia en el Amazonas—the first Spanish-language work to be presented as part of Lyric's mainstage opera season. There will be evening performances on ...
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SPORTS Chicago Bulls win season opener
On Oct. 20, the Chicago Bulls defeated the Detroit Pistons 94-88 in the Motor City to win the team's first season opener since 2016, according to NBA.com. It's also the first time the team (1-0) has ...
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Celebrities support trans employees in Netflix walkout with video
As the Netflix walkout in response to the company's continued support of Dave Chappelle's special The Closer was underway at the streamer's Los Angeles headquarters Oct. 20, a video that includes activists and Netflix talent alike ...
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SAVOR Lure Fishbar
Recently, I had a biscuit sandwich in the Gold Coast. The item was very good—but I'm not sure it was worth the $11 price tag. This was the same feeling my dining companion and I had after dining at Lure Fishbar, ...
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Black Alphabet returns to host annual film festival in November
By Cris Villalonga-Vivoni
The Black Alphabet Film Festival (BAFF) is returning to Chicago after the pandemic forced the organization to cancel last year's event. On Nov. 5-7, BAFF will showcase 21 films and shorts about the Black queer experience ...
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Alphawood chooses LGBTQ+ individual to head foundation
Alphawood Foundation Chicago announced Chirag G. Badlani as its newest executive director, effective Nov. 8. Badlani succeeds Jim McDonough, who retired this month after leading the foundation since 2012 and who will remain Alphawood's legal counsel ...
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Gov. Pritzker announces campaign to increase COVID-19 booster rates among older Illinoisans
--From a press release
CHICAGO — With 1.5 million Illinoisans currently eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination booster shot and millions more set to become eligible in the coming weeks, Gov. JB Pritzker and Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) ...
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COVID Two more states and D.C. removed from Chicago's travel advisory
The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) removed two states and the District of Columbia from its weekly COVID-19 travel advisory on Oct. 19. The advisory now includes 45 states and two territories following the removal ...
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Portrait series 'Still Searching' highlights missing Black women, children
--From a press release, video below
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE. On Friday, Oct. 22, 2021 from 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., Damon Lamar Reed, Nicole So Random, and 345 Art Gallery will collaborate to present Still Searching Art Exhibition at 345 Art Gallery in Chicago, ...
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LGBT History Project: Tee A. Corinne: Photographer of lesbian sexuality
By Victoria A. Brownworth
Over her decades as a lesbian photographer and artist, Tee Corinne said, "I'm one of the most obscure famous artists." Famous? Yes. Obscure? Certainly not within artistic circles nor within the queer art world where she ...
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EI celebrates Pritzker for increase in LGBTQ leaders appointed to state boards, commissions
--From a Equality Illinois press release
CHICAGO — On October 1, 2021, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker released his 2021 Boards and Commissions Appointment Demographics Report. The bottom line of the report is that a wider cross section of Illinoisans are applying and ...
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Ald. Maria Hadden encourages community to be active participants
By Cris Villalonga-Vivoni
AIt was Chicago Ald. Maria Hadden's friends who convinced her to run for city council as the 49th Ward's alderperson. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Hadden moved to Rogers Park 20 years ago after graduating from The ...
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Lightfoot, Chicago to celebrate WNBA champion Chicago Sky Oct. 19 with parade, rally
--From a press release
CHICAGO — The City of Chicago will celebrate the 2021 WNBA Champion Chicago Sky on Tuesday, Oct. 19, with a downtown parade and rally. The parade will begin at 11AM when the team departs from Wintrust ...
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3Arts awards nearly $1M to women artists, artists of color, Deaf, disabled artists
--From a press release
CHICAGO, IL (OCTOBER 18, 2021)—3Arts, the Chicago-based nonprofit grantmaking organization, will award Chicago artists with nearly $1 million in unrestricted cash grants during the 14th annual 3Arts Awards, taking place ...
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Billy Masters
"But we can curl your hair and put lotion on your face at the same time."—William Shatner's response to Prince William's criticism of space tourism. Are there any people less likely to be discussing hair than ...
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Colin Powell dies from COVID-19 complications
Colin Powell—the first Black U.S. secretary of state, whose leadership in several Republican administrations helped shape the country's foreign policy in the last years of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st—died from ...
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Legacy Walk plaques added for Pauli Murray, Matthew Shepard
The Legacy Project unveiled two bronze plaques recognizing LGBTQ+ historical figures Pauli Murray and Matthew Shepard on Oct. 16. The plaques, part of Northalsted's half-mile Legacy Walk, recognized Murray and ...
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Colorado becomes first state to require trans care as essential health benefit
Colorado has become the first state in the country to include transition-related care for transgender people as part of the requirements for essential healthcare in the state, The Washington Blade reported. As part of the change, ...
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BOOKS Twelfth (and final) 'Boystown' cover revealed
Boystown author Jake Biondi has revealed the cover of the twelfth book of his series—while simultaneously sharing that the next installment will be the final one. Boystown: Season Twelve: The Final Season will be released in ...
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Chicago Sky win their first WNBA championship
The sixth-seeded Chicago Sky defeated the fifth-seeded Phoenix Mercury 80-74 in game four of the 2021 WNBA Finals on Oct. 17 to close the series and secure the franchise's first WNBA championship in front of a ...
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NATIONAL Foster-parent case, stars speak out, Texas youth, 'Queer Eye,' HIV
Americans United for Separation of Church and State and Lambda Legal, together with the law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), along ...
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WORLD Plus magazine, The Guardian, Dutch princess, anti-trans ruling
The largest circulated HIV publication in the country, Plus, unveiled its 25 Amazing People of the Year, per a press release. Just a few of the individuals are actor Billy Porter; Mandisa Nikita Dukashe: South African ...
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SHOWBIZ Superman, TheWrap, Oscar Wilde, Billy Porter, Cher, 'Dragula'
The ongoing comic Superman: Son of Kal-El, by writer Tom Taylor and artist John Timms, launched in July and saw Jon Kent officially take up the mantle of the Man of Steel now that his father, ...
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SPORTS Red Stars top KC 2-1 on Fan Appreciation Night
On the team's Fan Appreciation Night (Oct. 16) at SeatGeek Stadium, the Chicago Red Stars (10-8-5) defeated Kansas City (3-13-6) 2-1 in NWSL action. The Red Stars scored behind an own-goal from Kansas City's Kristen Edmonds ...
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Wizard World Comic Con returns to Chicago
After being canceled last year because of the COVID pandemic, Wizard World Comic Con Chicago returned to Rosemont's Donald E. Stephens Convention Center on Oct. 15-17—and thousands of people attended. People ranging from attendees to vendors ...
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Theater review: This Wide Night
Title: This Wide Night. Playwright: Chloe Moss At: Shattered Globe Theatre/Interrobang Theatre Project at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. Tickets: $25-$45; SGTheatre.org. Runs through: Nov. 13 The landlord calls ...
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SPORTS Sky one win from first WNBA title after routing Phoenix
On Oct. 15 at Wintrust Arena, the Chicago Sky defeated the Phoenix Mercury by 36 points (86-50)—the largest margin of victory in a WNBA Finals game—to take a two-to-one series lead in the best-of-five series. The ...
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Jury selection in Smollett trial starts Nov. 29
The Jussie Smollett saga continues. Almost three years since out actor Jussie Smollett (TV's Empire; the film Alien: Covenant) was allegedly attacked in Chicago's Streeterville neighborhood, Cook County Judge James ...
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LGBT History Month: '40s and '50s instant photography gave LGBT people 'Safe/Haven'
Two men dressed in drag for a tea party, and two women cuddled up at the beach. Today these might be benign photographs but, in the early 1950s, they were memories shuttered away from public view. ...
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SPORTS Sky's Vandersloot named to All-WNBA Second Team
Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot has been named to the 2021 All-WNBA Second Team, per a team press release. This is the fourth consecutive season and fifth time overall Vandersloot is an All-WNBA honoree. It also ...
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