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PASSAGES: Visual artist, Chicago nightlife scene drag performer legend and hairdresser Jojo Baby
Visual artist, Chicago nightlife scene drag performer legend, doll-maker and hairdresser Jojo Baby died March 14 of liver, lung and stomach cancer. They were 51. Baby was born April 10, 1971, in Chicago and grew up ...
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World's first transgender MP passes away at 65
On March 6, Georgina Beyer—a pioneering New Zealand politician who, in 1999, became the world's first openly transgender member of Parliament—passed away at the age of 65. Beyer's friends said she died peacefully in hospice care, ...
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Passages: Longtime activist Achebe (Betty) Powell passes away
Veteran social justice organizer and educator Achebe (Betty) Powell passed away Feb. 21, according to multiple reports. Powell died of COVID-19 related complications at New York Presbyterian Hospital in Brooklyn, according to a Feb. 22 statement ...
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PASSAGES: LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS activist, retired business owner Lauren Verdich
Longtime LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS activist and businesswoman Lauren Verdich died Feb. 12 of complications from pancreatic cancer. She was 77. Verdich was born Dec. 30, 1945, in Chicago. She grew up in the Albany Park neighborhood ...
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Famed gay publicist Howard Bragman dies at 66
Howard Bragman—a gay publicist whose clients included Sharon Osbourne and Stevie Wonder, among many others—died at age 66 after privately battling acute monocytic leukemia, Deadline reported. After graduating from ...
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PASSAGES: LGBTQ activist, writer and therapist Dr. Charles Silverstein
New York City-based LGBTQ activist, writer and therapist Dr. Charles Silverstein died Jan. 30 of complications from cancer surrounded by family and friends. He was 87. Silverstein was born April 23, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York ...
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PASSAGES Gene R. Matterer
Gene R. Matterer died on Jan. 16, 2023 of cancer, according to his family. He was 82 years old. Matterer was born on Feb. 17, 1940. Following his school days in Crystal Lake, Illinois, he enlisted ...
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LGBTQ+ police officer remembered as 'wonder woman'
On Dec. 29, the friends and loved ones of LGBTQ+ Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic gathered at the Comfort Inn in Bourbonnais to mark the one-year anniversary of her passing, ABC 7 Chicago reported. The hotel ...
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In memoriam: LGBTQ community obituaries 2022
The LGBTQ community lost many members in 2022, including at least 35 people in incidents of hate violence against individual transgender people and against patrons of the Club Q bar in Colorado. Here are other memorable ...
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Memorial set for Charlotte Newfeld
Memorial set for Charlotte Newfeld Memorial services for LGBTQ+ community ally and Lakeview activist Charlotte Newfeld will be Tuesday, Jan. 24 at Ann Sather's on Belmont, from 6-8 p.m. Newfeld died Nov. 17 due to natural causes. She ...
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PASSAGES: LGBTQ+ ally, activist and artist Charlotte Newfeld passes away
LGBTQ+ ally, activist and artist Charlotte Newfeld died Nov. 17 due to natural causes. She was 91. At the time of her death, Newfeld was living at the Dobson Memory Care facility in Evanston. Newfeld was ...
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Passages: Sexologist and activist Dr. Thomas Gertz passes away
Sexologist and activist Dr. Thomas Gertz died Oct. 28 due to natural causes. He was 77. At the time of his death, Gertz was in an assisted living facility. He had previously lived at Heartland ...
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PASSAGES Singer Aaron Carter dies at 34
Singer Aaron Carter—the brother of Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter—has died after apparently drowning at his L.A. home at age 34, according to media reports. TMZ originally reported the news. The outlet said that he was ...
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Memorial for Urvashi Vaid to be livestreamed Nov. 3
A memorial celebration of the life of Urvashi Vaid will be held on Thursday, Nov. 3, at 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT at B'Nai Jesherun, 258 W. 88th St., New York City. In-person RSVPs are at capacity. However, the event will ...
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'Will & Grace' actor Leslie Jordan dies in car accident
Leslie Jordan—the openly gay actor who rose to fame on Will & Grace as the frenemy of Megan Mullally's Karen Walker and was immediately recognizable by his Southern accent—died in a single-car crash in Hollywood on ...
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SHOWBIZ 'P-Valley,' Dan Levy, trans/non-binary panel, Christina Aguilera, Spirit Day
Video below
Starz has renewed the show P-Valley (the network's most-watched series) for a third season, The Hollywood Reporter noted. The renewal for the series from creator/showrunner Katori Hall arrives more than two months after the sophomore season ...
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PASSAGES Kathleen Joan DeBold
-- From www.kfhpa.com/obituary/Kathleen-DeBold
Kathleen Joan DeBold, celebrated DC LGBT activist, died suddenly on October 9, 2022 in Ocean City, MD. Kathleen was born on November 16, 1955 in Brooklyn, NY, to Francis Charles and Joan Marie DeBold. During childhood, ...
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The life of trans icon Gloria Allen celebrated at event
A celebration of the life of noted transgender activist, mentor and teacher Gloria Allen was held on Oct. 6 at Center on Halsted. Allen—who wasaffectionately called "Mama Gloria" by her friends and colleagues, saw her efforts ...
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Comic and LGBTQ+ ally Judy Tenuta dies at 72
Judy Tenuta—an unconventional stand-up comic who often played the accordion and who guested on numerous TV shows and appeared in two "Weird" Al Yankovic videos—died Oct. 6 of ovarian cancer in Studio City, California at age ...
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Slain LGBTQ+ police officer to be honored in Bradley on Oct. 6
A candlelight vigil will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 6, at the Bradley Police Department to honor Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic's 50th birthday, The Daily Journal reported. "What was supposed to be a day ...
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PASSAGES Timothy Lamar Schannep
Timothy Lamar Schannep, of Evanston, passed away on Aug, 24 at age 71. He was born on July 17, 1951, in Phoenix, and was the youngest of seven children. He was raised in North Manchester, Indiana, ...
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Queen Elizabeth II dies in Scotland at age 96
The Queen died peacefully on the afternoon of Sept. 8, the Royal Family announced on its social media accounts. Elizabeth ascended to the throne in 1952, on the death of her father, King George VI. She ...
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Philadelphia AIDS and housing activist Michael Hinson Jr. dies at 55
Michael Hinson Jr.—a longtime AIDS and housing activist, and leader in Philadelphia's Black LGBTQ+ community—died Aug. 27 of an undisclosed cause at age 55, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. An obituary in the Philadelphia Gay News stated ...
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Families and activists gather to honor Jeffery Pub hit-and-run victims
On Aug. 21, a brief memorial service was held at The Rainbow Beach Field House to honor the three victims of a hit-and-run incident that took place in front of the Black gay bar The Jeffrey Pub, located on Chicago's South ...
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Event for Jeffery Pub crash victims to be held Aug. 21
There will be an event to remember the victims of the Aug. 14 car crash at Black gay nightspot Jeffery Pub on Sunday, Aug. 21, at 3 p.m. at Rainbow Beach Field House, 3111 E. 77th St. The victims were Devonta ...
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PASSAGES Trailblazing lesbian activist Pat Norman dies
Pat Norman, a trailblazing lesbian in San Francisco who became a "first" in some important city appointments, died Aug. 5 at an assisted living facility in Las Vegas, according to The Bay Area Reporter. Norman, born ...
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PASSAGES Singer/actress Olivia Newton-John dead at 73
Olivia Newton-John—the Australian singer who charmed generations of viewers in the 1978 blockbuster movie Grease and had such music hits as "Physical," with both garnering many LGBTQ+ fans—died Aug. 8 at age 73, according to media ...
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Journalist Chuck Colbert passes away at 67
Journalist Charles "Chuck" R. Colbert—who had written for several LGBTQ+ publications, including Windy City Times—passed away June 30. He was 67. He was a freelance journalist based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, according to his biography on ...
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PASSAGES Lesbian writer/activist Elana Dykewomon dies at 72
Tributes have poured in following the death of Oakland-based esteemed lesbian writer/activist Elana Dykewomon, who passed away Aug. 7 at age 72, according to EuroWeekly. She received the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction in 1998 ...
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PASSAGES Chicago Latino Theater Alliance Executive Director Myrna Salazar dies at 75
The Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA) announced that co-founder and Executive Director Myrna Salazar passed away Aug. 3—two weeks after celebrating her 75th birthday. According to a press release, "Salazar ...
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PASSAGES Janan Lindley, wife of longtime activist/former bar owner Marge Summit
Janan Lindley died in hospice at home with her wife, Marge Summit, by her side July 29 of cancer. She was 82. Lindley was born June 20, 1940 and was raised in New Orleans. She studied at Loop College and from ...
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Reports: Chicago trans woman murdered in West Englewood neighborhood
A Chicago trans woman was attacked and died the late evening of July 11/early morning of July 12, according to reports. An individual was found with multiple stab wounds after Chicago Police Department (CPD) answered a ...
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Former Japanese prime minister dies after being shot
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe died on July 8 after being shot while giving a campaign speech on a street in central Japan, CNN reported, citing public broadcaster NHK. Japanese publication Nikkei also reported that ...
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PASSAGES Local trans leader Maritxa Vidal
Maritxa Vidal, a leader in the Chicago trans community, has died at age 64. She passed away June 9. As a child, Vidal immigrated from Cuba with her family hoping to find a better life. Vidal is a longtime advocate for ...
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Dan Wolf, owner of The Bagel, dies at 77
Dan Wolf, the longtime owner of the iconic The Bagel Restaurant & Deli, has died at age 77. According to an obituary at legacy.com, Wolf was of the few child survivors of the infamous Theresienstadt concentration ...
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Clela Rorex, first County Clerk to issue same-sex marriage licences, has died
-- From a press release
BOULDER, CO - Out Boulder County and the family of Clela Rorex are saddened to announce the death of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer pioneering ally, Clela Rorex. On March 27,1975 Clela issued the first ...
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PASSAGES Onetime Gay Chicago publisher Craig Gernhardt
Craig Gernhardt—who once was the publisher of the now-defunct Gay Chicago—has died at age 61, according to Tribute Archive. His father, Gay Chicago Magazine co-founder and Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame inductee Ralph Paul Gernhardt, passed ...
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PASSAGES Legendary Chicago transgender activist, icon, mentor Mama Gloria Allen
Legendary Chicago Black transgender activist, icon and mentor "Mama" Gloria Allen died June 13 in her residence at Chicago's LGBTQ senior living facility Townhall Apartments in Lake View. The cause of death is unknown at this ...
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PASSAGES Transgender icon Mama Gloria dies at 76
-- From a press release
Chicago transgender icon and activist Gloria Allen, who founded and ran a charm school for homeless trans youth and was the subject of the award-winning documentary "Mama Gloria" and the critically acclaimed play "Charm," has died ...
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PASSAGES Former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan dies at 76
Former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan has passed away "peacefully at home" after several lengthy illnesses at age 76, The Chicago Tribune reported. Ryan was the state's attorney general from 1995 to 2003, and was the ...
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Local trans icon June LaTrobe dies
June M. LaTrobe—a Chicago trans icon known for her activism—has passed away. She turned 81 on June 1. Being an advocate for the trans community, LaTrobe participated in many events (such as protests) and often took ...
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Red Stars tie again; Cubs win, White Sox lose; NU softball; ex-Bear dies
The Chicago Red Stars battled the Washington Spirit to a 1-1 tie on June 1 at SeatGeek Stadium. The Red Stars' previous game, against the Portland Thorns, also resulted in a tie (2-2). An early header ...
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Late photographer/leatherman Ed Negron honored with street sign
On May 30, during Memorial Day/International Mr. Leather (IML) weekend, the leather shop 64TEN honored late photographer/leatherman Ed Negron with a tribute and honorary street-naming ceremony. The events were held at the corner of Clark Street ...
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Los Angeles LGBT Center mourns passing of legendary LGBT activist, leader Urvashi Vaid
-- From a press release
LOS ANGELES, May 14, 2022—"The world has lost a giant in the movement for LGBTQ freedom, justice and equality. After a valiant battle with cancer, Urvashi Vaid died today," said Los Angeles LGBT Center CEO Lorri ...
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PASSAGES Urvashi Vaid dies, The National LGBTQ Task Force releases statement
-- From a press release
WASHINGTON, DC……Legendary attorney, LGBTQ activist, and author Urvashi Vaid, known for her extensive career an advocate for LGBTQ rights, women's rights, anti-war efforts, immigration justice and many other social causes ...
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PASSAGES Dr. David Ostrow dies at 74
Longtime researcher Dr. David Gene Ostrow, of Chicago, died unexpectedly on Feb. 16 at home. He was 74. The cause of death was end-stage renal disease, according to the Tribute Archive website. Ostrow was born on ...
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LGBTQ+-rights activist, Steamworks co-founder Rick Stokes dies at 87
Rick Earl Stokes, famously "the other gay candidate" who ran against Harvey Milk for San Francisco supervisor in 1977, died May 3 at age 87, according to the Bay Area Reporter. Stokes died in San Francisco ...
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PASSAGES Playwright/disability-rights activist Susan Nussbaum dies
Susan Nussbaum—a Chicago playwright, novelist and longtime disability-rights activist—died April 28 at age 68. Nussbaum won the 2012 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Social Engaging Fiction for her novel Good Kings Bad ...
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Chicago theater actress Hollis Resnik dies at 66
Chicago theater actress Hollis Resnick, who had a glittering resume, has passed away at age 66. The Chicago Tribune's Chris Jones tweeted, "Sad to report that Father Jim Heneghan tells me that the great Chicago actress ...
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Loved ones mourn loss of Elise Malary
Angelina Nordstrom remembers their close friend Elise Malary through candid photos and videos they loved to surprise her with. "My favorite thing was to catch her off-guard with the camera, to capture random moments of her ...
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Shattered Globe Theatre and Chicago Dramatists to host 'Remembering Joel Drake Johnson' on April 30
-- From a press release
CHICAGO (April 8, 2022) — Shattered Globe Theatre and Chicago Dramatists will celebrate the life and legacy of longtime Chicago playwright Joel Drake Johnson—a member of the LGBTQ+ community—at a ...
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Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright dies
Madeleine Albright, the first female U.S. secretary of state, has died of cancer at age 84, according to media reports. President Bill Clinton chose Albright as the country's top diplomat in 1996, and she served in ...
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Chicago Black trans woman Tatiana Labelle found dead
Chicago Black trans woman Tatiana "Tee Tee" Labelle, 33, was found dead in a trash can at about 12:45 p.m. on Friday, March 18, in the Chatham neighborhood alley located in the 8400 block of South ...
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PASSAGES Behavioral-wellness manager Tony Hollenback
Tony Hollenback—a former Chicagoan who resided in Santa Barbara, California—has passed away. He was 52. Journal & Topics noted that Tim Hollenback said of Tony, "During a dental procedure, my brother Tony ...
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PASSAGES Mogul Marilyn Miglin, wife of Andrew Cunanan murder victim, dies at 83
Marilyn Miglin the Chicago beauty mogul who rose to fame as a saleswoman on the Home Shopping Network and was thrust into the national limelight again in 1997 when her husband, business tycoon/philanthropist Lee Miglin, ...
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Actor William Hurt dies at 71
William Hurt who garnered three consecutive Oscar nominations for Best Actor in his movies for Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), Children of a Lesser God (1986) and Broadcast News (1987), winning for his gay role in ...
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PASSAGES OPALGA member Jan Grillos dies
Jan O. Grillos, a longtime member of the Oak Park LGBTQ+ organization OPALGA+ who was formerly from Denver, passed away March 2. Grillos was a systems programmer for United and Frontier Airlines, Sales Executive for several ...
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PASSAGES Civic leader, LGBTQ+ ally Josephine Minow dies at 95
Josephine Baskin Minow—a civic leader with an interest in social justice and Chicago and Jewish history—has died at age 95, The Chicago Tribune reported. Minow was the past president of the Juvenile Protective Agency and a ...
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PASSAGES Longtime LGBTQ activist, journalist Maxsonn 'Max' Smith
Longtime LGBTQ activist and journalist Maxsonn "Max" Smith died Feb. 9 due to complications from the stroke he suffered in early 2021 and COVID-19. He was 67. Smith was born April 4, 1954, in Hickory, North ...
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French co-discoverer of HIV dies at 89
French researcher Luc Montagnier—who won a Nobel Prize in 2008 for discovering HIV and, more recently, spread false claims about the coronavirus—has died at age 89, ABC News noted. Montagnier died Feb. 8 at the American ...
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Longtime LGBTQ+-rights activist Guy Warner dies at 79
Longtime LGBTQ+-rights activist Guy F. Warner died Feb. 1 of liver-related complications. He was 79. Warner was born Feb. 2, 1942, and grew up in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood; he was the oldest of seven children. ...
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Gay Maryland mayor dies by suicide
The Maryland city of Hyattsville released a statement announcing its city's openly gay mayor, Kevin Ward, had died by an apparent suicide, The Washington Blade reported. On Twitter, the city posted, "It is with great sadness ...
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PASSAGES Renowned author, professor, LGBTQ+-rights activist Arnie Kantrowitz
Renowned author, professor and LGBTQ activist Arnie Kantrowitz died Jan. 21 in New York City's Upper East Side Rehabilitation Center due to complications from COVID-19. He was 81. Kantrowitz was born Nov. 26, 1940, in Newark, ...
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Fashion designer Thierry Mugler dies at 73
Openly gay French fashion designer Thierry Mugler (full name: Manfred Thierry Mugler) has passed away at age 73, according to media reports. Madonna, Lady Gaga and Cardi B are among those who have worn his designs. ...
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Former Iowa Mr. Leather and computer programmer Ken Ballard dies at 43
Former Iowa Mr. Leather, computer programmer and gay Chicagoan Ken Meverick Ballard died Jan. 11 in his Lake View home at the age of 43. The cause of death is currently unknown. Ballard was born July ...
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PASSAGES Pansy Kings performance artist, education advocate Murray McKay
Pansy Kings performance artist, education advocate, curator, designer and LGBTQ activist Edward Murray McKay died Jan. 4 of cancer. He was 53. McKay was born Oct. 2, 1968, in Brussels, Belgium. The family moved to Toronto ...
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Fashion icon Andre Leon Talley dies at 73
Andre Leon Talley—the fashion icon and former creative director of Vogue magazine—died Jan. 18 at age 73. Details were not immediately revealed. In addition to his agent, Talley's Instagram account confirmed Talley's passing, noting that ...
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PASSAGES Allen Anthony Schuh
Allen Schuh loved Christmas, so as a final gift he got to see his beloved lights and ornaments one last time before passing quietly away Dec. 28, 2021. Born July 9, 1940, in Chicago's South Side, ...
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PASSAGES Veronica Drake
Veronica Drake a onetime Chicago resident and longtime LGBTQ+-rights activist recently passed away in October. She was 58. She last resided in Florida. According to an obituary at Marvin C. Zanders Funeral Home, Inc., Drake was born Sept. 15 ...
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PASSAGES Jeffrey Wayne ("Jef") Morgan
Jeffrey Wayne "Jef" Morgan, of Chicago's West Rogers Park neighborhood, passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack while shoveling snow on Jan. 2. He was 58. Jef was the well-loved manager at Little Jim's on ...
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PASSAGES Black trans activist Ke'Yahonna Stone, victim of gun violence, dies
Ke'Yahonna Stone was shot at Castle Run Shopping Center's Epic Ultra Lounge parking lot in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the early morning hours of Dec. 26. She was taken to the hospital and died Dec. 28 after ...
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LGBTQ Illinois police sergeant to be laid to rest Jan. 7
Bradley, Illinois, Police Sergeant Marlene Rittmanic who was killed in the line of duty on Dec. 30, 2021 will be laid to rest Friday, Jan. 7, NewsChannel20.com reported. A visitation will be held for Rittmanic at 2-7 p.m. ...
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Michigan's first out gay man dies at 91
Jim Toy—the person widely considered to be Michigan's first openly gay man and one of its most prominent LGBTQ activists—passed away at age 91, MLive.com reported. Toy died on New Year's Day, said Washtenaw County Commissioner ...
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WORLD Trans model dies, museum exhibit, Tunisia case
April Ashley—reportedly the first Briton to undergo gender-confirmation surgery—has died at 86, according to an Out item that cited The Liverpool Echo. Ashley, who was born in Liverpool, was the first known trans model to appear ...
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LGBTQ travel expert Jeff Guaracino dies at 48
Philadelphia native, author and Visit Philadelphia President/CEO Jeff Guaracino died Dec. 28, following a long battle with cancer. He was 48. Guaracino worked to boost the economies of both his hometown and Atlantic City as head ...
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