Weekly news from the GLBT world http://www.windycitytimes.com/windycitytimes.html 2008-07-19T19:57:34-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://www.windycitytimes.com/images/publications/wct/2008-07-16/current.jpg text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Liz Granger http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18901 Tim Miller is a writer, teacher and performance artist based in Venice Beach, Calif. He deals with queer identity and memory, producing work that resonates with humor and progressive politics. To get a sense of Miller's stage energy, imagine drinking six espresso shots at Disney World … and then running into Dubya in mouse ears. YouTube him: He's charged. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18937 The inaugural Sappho's Salon: A Night of Provocative Lesbian Diversions took place June 21 at Women and Children First, 5233 N. Clark. The event included provocative readings by Jolie du Pre Iridescence and Bergquist A Field Guide to Gay and Lesbian Chicago ; live music by Carrie Lydon and Kate Rickenbacker; and a DJ set by DJ SpinNikki. Sappho's Salon will take place 7-9 p.m. on the third Saturday of every month, meaning the next one is July 19. Contact Kathie Berquist at Pressgirl@Ameritech.net for more information. Photos by Mel Ferrand text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Amy Wooten http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18911 A prominent member of the LGBT community who was arrested the evening of the Pride Parade is alleging that several Chicago Police Department employees mistreated her. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18936 Urban folk singer/songwriter Ani DiFranco will head to Chicago for an Oct. 6 performance at The Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18938 FROM A NEWS RELEASE text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com David Byrne with Tony Peregrin http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18930 Making her first trip to Chicago, Kirsten Price will be performing at Martyrs', 3855 N. Lincoln, Fri., July 18. On her new single Magic Tree, when the beautiful singer-songwriter seductively pleads, I want more, listeners believe it. With innards as the album's cover art, Price's fantastic debut outing, Guts & Garbage, offers R&B Fall, Let Me Go , a classic soulful sound Freedom, Bring Me Back and upbeat pop All Right, Red Hot . text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Ross Forman http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18906 One year to go. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Bob Roehr http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18905 African Americans are more likely than whites 65 percent vs. 53 percent to oppose marriage equality for gays and lesbians. They are virtually the only constituency in the country that has not become more supportive over the last dozen years, falling from a high of 65 percent support for gay rights in 1996 to only 40 percent in 2004. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Rex Wockner http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18904 Pictured: Openly gay actor Sir Ian McKellen, second from right, and friends at London Pride. Justin Piperger photo. Led by Equality Minister Bibiano Aido, hundreds of thousands of GLBT people marched in Madrid's pride parade June 7. Wockner News photo by Yves Bohic text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Amy Wooten http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18914 An attack that occurred at a New York shelter for trans and gay youth resulted in the arrest of four teens recently. The teenagers were arrested for hitting the priest who runs the shelter, located in Queens, as well as a few of the shelter's residents, while using anti-gay language. All victims had minor injuries. According to the priest, this isn't the first time his residents have been harassed or attacked. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18929 Bangkok Love Story Aug. 26; $19.99 : Romance, crime and action come together in this highly praised gay film, in which a married police informant and the assassin sent to murder him actually start a relationship. The movie, written and directed by Poj Arnon, won the grand prize at the 2007 Brussels International Independent Film Festival. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18932 According to TV Guide online, Madge's new music video will feature pop star Britney Spears. Spears is currently filming a music video that will be part of Madonna's Sticky & Sweet tour, which will come to the U.S. in October. No more details have been released about her cameo appearance. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18933 Windy City Rodeo 2008, the 12th annual IGRA sanctioned rodeo hosted by the Illinois Gay Rodeo Association ILGRA , will take place Aug. 22-24, in Crete, Ill. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18934 Chicago's only music radio for LGBT people is leaving the airwaves and transitioning to a weekly podcast format at the end of July. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18935 text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Richard Knight, Jr. http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18939 When you pen a movie review column entitled Knight at the Movies, you naturally root for any film that shares a part of your moniker. That I was predisposed to fall for The Dark Knight might, therefore, seem a given but even I didn't think I'd fall this hard. Is it going too far to call The Dark Knight not just the best blockbuster of the '08 summer season, but also one of the best films of the year? Still not enough praise perhaps? How about one of the best action blockbusters of all time? We're talking 30-plus years of movie monoliths hereeverything from Jaws to the Star Wars saga to Titanic and Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park and Aliens and Independence Day. In the rock-'em-sock-'em category, this is one movie champion that certainly is going to obliterate its opponents for weeks, maybe months to come. And in this age of the here-and-gone, one-weekend movie blitz, that is high praise indeed. I hasten to add that my superlatives are based on screening the IMAX version of the film. I suggest that the second you're done reading you head down to Navy Pier and get in line. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Charlsie Dewey http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18902 Gay men looking for a committed, long-term relationship can now turn to social networking community Facebook in search of a compatible partner. Matchmaking service provider myParnter.com is now offering a gay dating application, gaymatch.com, on the Web site. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Lisa Keen, Keen News Service http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18903 Adoption became an issue this week in the presidential campaignat least for Republican nominee-apparent John McCain. The New York Times, in an interview published July 13, asked the candidate whether he agrees with President Bush's position that gay couples should not be permitted to adopt children. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18912 Homewood attorney William J. Borah right , who has crusaded for eliminating sexual orientation-based discrimination, received the 2008 Community Leadership Award from the Illinois State Bar Association ISBA June 27 during the organization's 132nd annual meeting in St. Louis. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18913 Center on Halsted will hold its second annual career and educational expo this fall. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Yasmin Nair http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18931 The End of the World Book is structured like an encyclopedia, with entries ranging from A to Z. Or, from A to Zed, as the gay writer Alistair McCartney might have said during his childhood in Australia. The premise is that the young Alistair fell asleep one day while reading an encyclopedia, and never woke up. Perhaps the novel is a result of the dream-like state he's permanently entered into, mixing up past, present and future and conflating truth with fiction. We learn about assholes and the delicate smell that emanates from them as one finger-fucks someone. Avon ladies may be extinct. McCartney states decisively that The last Avon lady was seen in 1994. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Jonathan Abarbanel, Theater Editor http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18916 Dear readers, it isn't often that Jonny has the occasion to climb the mountain of leather and bathhouses to the top, where sits Mr. Charles Renslow. But Jonny is breathless to tell you that there definitely is something fishy about the owner of The Eagle leather bar and Man's Country bathhouse, and you can take that to the bank. Jonny has discovered that Chuck Renslow is a silent partner in the Chicago Aquarium, the fish hobbyist shop on Clark Street in Andersonville, kitty corner from the more notorious Renslow family businesses. With a selection of equipment, supplies and live finny creatures, Chicago Aquarium is a haven for fish-lovers, and Jonny doesn't mean seafood. The shop comes complete with an employee who looks like Johnny Depp, if that's your idea of a good time. Unfortunately, he doesn't dress like Calico Jack nor does he mince as much, but then he's not doing a Keith Richards impersonation . text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Jonathan Abarbanel, Theater Editor http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18917 The Theremin is the ethereal-sounding electronic instrument often used in science-fiction films. Think of the theme music for the original Star Trek. This is ironic, perhaps, the life of its inventor, Russian electronics genius Lev Sergeivitch Termen, seems like a work of science fiction itself. Termen 1896-1993 lived in Russia and the Soviet Union most of his long life, except 1928-1938 in the United States, where he renamed himself Leon Theremin and scandalized society by marrying a Negro ballerina. She was the second of three wives in a picaresque life of close escapes, financial shenanigans, espionage he invented electronic spying , pioneering electronic music he created Theremin orchestras and was soloist with the New York Philharmonic and political fortunes tied to the whims of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Mary Shen Barnidge http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18918 If you chose, you could view Lesbians Who Kill as a contemplation on the social issues raised by the murder trial of Aileen Wuornosindeed, surrounded by a crowd of gender-sensitive feminists, you would likely find it difficult to ignore the authors' diatribes targeting the rigid self-definitions imposed on women, the tolerance of abusive behavior practiced by their alleged advocates, and the horrified astonishment of the media at the prospect of a girly-worm turning. On a rainy weekday evening, however, when the house-count numbered fewer than a dozen stalwarts, each spectator had the option of deciding for him or herself the most valuable aspect of this performance piece to take home. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Mary Shen Barnidge http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18927 Playwright: Matt Engle. At: Factory Theater at Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston. Phone: 866-811-4111; $20. Runs through: Aug. 2 text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18921 Test Positive Aware Network TPAN held its kickoff for the annual Aware Affair July 9. Partygoers mingled on the rooftop at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted, as two people dressed as superheroes mingled with the crowd. TPAN volunteer Freddie Rocha, who designed the costumes for the event, said, The theme is ‘Superheroes' because we want to recognize the heroes and donors in our community. Jared Fox, the youngest member of the organization's board of directors, added that it's the second year the kickoff has taken the form of a cocktail party, as opposed to a sit-down dinner full of speeches. People come to these events to mingle, Fox said. They want to talk to their friends without bothering others [ at a sit-down function ] . The Aware Affair: Superheroes will be held on Sat., Sept. 13, at the MCA Loft, 1747 W. Hubbard. VIP tickets are $300 per person, and regular tickets are $200; see www.tpan.com for more information. Photos and text by Liz Granger text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18922 The 80th convention of the American Federation of Teachers AFT took place in Chicago July 11-14and part of the event involved the AFT's GLBT Caucus Reception, which took place on the rooftop garden at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted. Photo courtesy of Mel Ferrand text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18923 All hands on ‘Deck' text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18924 Ain't Misbehavin', Goodman Theatre, through Aug. 3. Five outstanding Chicago-area performersand an eight-piece bandsing, dance and act up a storm in this extremely entertaining 1978 musical revue dedicated to the music of Thomas Fats Waller. SCM text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Scott C. Morgan http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18925 Quick, name a Canadian playwright. Okay, you get credit for saying the creators of The Drowsy Chaperone, but know of any others? text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18910 Barbara Grier and Donna McBride co-founded Naiad Press in 1973, making it the world's oldest lesbian publishing house. In 2003, they retired after transferring their books and authors to Bella Books. The two women were in Chicago July 13 for reception in their honor at Gerber/Hart Library, 1127 W. Granville, where they spoke about their work and addressed questions about their authors and the state of publishing and distribution in today's market. Grier said they'd felt it was important to accommodate the reading tastes of a wide expanse of lesbian readers, and of not placing an emphasis only on great literature. As McBride put it, their message was, Read anything and everything. Taste will come later. Text and photo of Grier left and McBride by Yasmin text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Richard Knight, Jr. http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18928 I'm old enough to remember the curious buzz that greeted the announcement back in the early ‘80s that Meryl Streep was going to star in a film version of Evita. Meryl Streep? Certainly she could act, but would she be able to handle the vocal gymnastics the musical's songs required? That question was never answered as the film never materialized. It was finally made in 1996 with Madonna in the rolea mixed blessing, at best. So, though Streep did sing famously at the end of 1990's Postcards from the Edge she's only now belatedly appearing in her first screen musical, Mamma Mia! Instead of Webber and Rice at their musical height, however, she gets the songs of ABBA. But they are songs much friendlier to her untrained, reedy voice, and are more likely to be welcomed by movie audiences at large. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com JIM EDMINSTER http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18907 From the Lady-Mondegreen file, The Chicago Tribune July 9 reports on a new word in the latest edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Mondegreen is a word or phrase mistaken for other words. An old Scottish folk song sings laid him on the green, which people misheard as Lady Mondegreen. A modern example is mistaking Creedance Clearwater Revival's line There's a bad moon on the rise for There's a bathroom on the right. Many gay people were glad to hear Jimi Hendrix moan ‘Scuse me, while I kiss this guy in Purple Haze, although he said kiss the sky. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Lee Lynch http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18915 Last fall, I brought my sweetheart to meet my family. In the course of an evening spent looking through old pictures and documents, my brother said something about a great Aunt Jo. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Scott C. Morgan http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18919 Hey, you fans of Annoyance Theatre's Co-Ed Prison Sluts. The curtain time is now 10:01 p.m., not 10:31! text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18920 Organizers of this year's AIDS Run & Walk Chicago unveiled their new ad campaign July 10 at Texas de Brazil restaurant, 51 E. Ohio. The campaign, which has the tagline Let's Get Moving, features an ad with three young dancers from the dance ensemble FootworKINGz twisting their bodies into the shape of an AIDS awareness ribbon. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18909 The sad truth is that gay rights has always been the disposable card of liberal politics. The very fact of our existence is still ‘controversial' even to those who make a noise about being our friends. We're still the fly in the ointment, the ‘divisive issue' that can lose an election. Just look at the weak-kneed response from the Clinton and Obama camps when the California supreme court made its landmark decision overthrowing the ban on same-sex marriage. Both candidates hid behind a campaign spokesperson and both reaffirmed their ‘separate but equal' policies of civil unions, thereby assuming a stance that would keep them in comfy solidarity with John McCain come November. The problem, of course, was that the California court had just ruled that separate was not equal and never would be, so Clinton and Obama both ended up looking likethere's no other way to put thispussies. Tales of the City author Armistead Maupin writing in The Advocate, July 1. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Rev. Irene Monroe http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18900 The old adage A picture is worth a thousand words, is evident in the July 21st cover of The New Yorker's satirical lampooning of presidential hopeful Barack Obama robed in Muslim garb fist-bumping his Angela Davis afro-wearing, machine- gun toting wife Michelle Obama. And if you want to either chuckle some more or gasp in fear of The New Yorker cartoon either poking fun at the question of the Obama's patriotism or driving an unflattering point about it then the American flag burning in the fireplace with a picture of Osama bin Laden hanging aboveit has evoked visceral reactions. text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Amy Wooten http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18908 For a community that tends to drink and drug at higher rates, what exactly is the LGBT community's relationship to alcohol, and is it a healthy one? text/html 2008-07-16T05:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Bob Roehr http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=18849 A study by four senior retired officers, each with more than 30 years of service from all four branches of the military, is urging repeal of the antigay military policy known as Don't Ask, Don't Tell DADT . The Report of the General/Flag Officers' Study Group was commissioned by the Palm Center research institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara and released on July 7.