Gay life in Chicago this week, back in...

1988

The Lesbian Book Discussion Group of the Gerber/Hart Library, 3238 N. Sheffield, hears an exclusive taped interview with Jeanette Winterson, author of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit.

"Season of Concern," an on-going effort by Actors Equity and the League of Chicago Theaters to raise funds for AIDS patient care, holds a benefit performance of Two Small Bodies by Neal Bell. The benefit takes place at the Immediate Theatre, 1146 W. Pratt Blvd., and tickets are $10.

(Image: The weekend begins here – Gay Chicago June 28, 1975)

Gay Chicago Top Ten Playlist courtesy of Gherkin Records: 1) Night Moves – Rickster; 2) The Party Line – Answer; 3) It's Percussion – M Doc; 4) House Train – Risse; 5) May Day (For May) – Wiggins/Sinister; 6) In-Ten Si-T – Mickey Oliver; 7) We're Gonna Work It Out – North & Clybourn; 8) Let Me See You Move – Ironman; 9) Get Off That Wall – The Big House; 10) Out of the Box – Jiraffe.

The fabulous Dyketones bring their Fifties tunes to the womyn-only Mountain Moving Coffeehouse, 1655 W. School St.

1996

Kindred Hearts Women's Center, 2214 N. Ridge, Evanston, holds a Spring Dance for Lesbian and Bisexual Women.

(Image: Gab predictably delicious – Gab February 25, 1998)

In the bars and clubs this week there's a Lights Out Pit Party at Chicago Eagle, 5015 N. Clark St.; it's the Razzmatazz Reunion Party Night at Visions, 3432 W. Irving Park; Leather United/Chicago sponsors a food drive at Temptations, 10235 W. Grand Ave., Franklin Park, to benefit Open Hand Chicago; Teasers, that's muscle-guys Dino, Zak, and Frankie, appear at North End, 3733 N. Halsted; celebrate Roscoe's, 3354-56 N. Halsted, 9th anniversary with great food and a prize-filled balloon drop; and Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted, host a bachelor party for Tony and Tony's Wedding.

Its Congregation Or Chadash Yom Ha'atzmaot Israeli Dancing Night at 2nd Unitarian Church, 656 W. Barry.

The NAMES Project Chicago Chapter holds a dedication ceremony for all the new quilt panels at AIDSCare Chapel, 309 W. Barry. Following the dedication ceremony, over 400 panels are displayed at Elmhurst College, 190 Prospect Rd., Elmhurst.

1999

In the April 28, 1999 issue of Outlines, Gregg Shapiro reviews the Titanic musical: "I want to begin this review by saying that I'm one of those people (and I'm finding that there are more of us coming out of the closet everyday) that hated the movie Titanic. So, you can imagine the prospect of sitting through almost three hours (almost twice as long as it took the actual Titanic to sink) of musical theater about the sinking of the unsinkable ship was not high on my to-do list. Still, I went to the Civic Opera House with an open mind (but a heart as cold as an iceberg). For a show with almost thirty songs (with music and lyrics by Maury Yeston) it's sad to say there wasn't a single song memorable enough to mention. In fact many of the songs were monotonous …

(Image: Who's That Girl – Gay Chicago July 17, 1997)

Womyn of All Colors/Cultures Together meet for brunch at Affinity, 5650 S. Woodlawn

"Path of the Obedient Heart I." Masters, slaves and others who are drawn to these life paths are respectfully invited to meet, hear and speak with SlaveMaster and some of his slaves at Ann Sather Restaurant, 929 W. Belmont.

The Brown Elephant Resale Shop, 3651 N. Halsted, hold a silent auction for a 1950s motorcycle with sidecar that may have been built for the Chinese military. Bids start at $3,000

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky meets the LGBT community at Ann Sather's on Belmont.

Come Out and Dine, a new gay and lesbian dining club meets at Cousin's Restaurant, 4203 N. Clark.

The Fourth Presbyterian Church's Forum For Gay and Lesbian Concerns and AIDS Pastoral Network presents "AIDS: Shaping Our Response" at 126 E. Chestnut.

Thanks go to publishers Michael Bergeron for Chicago Gay Crusader, Ralph Gernhardt for Gay Chicago, Grant Ford and Chuck Renslow for Gay Life and Tracy Baim for all the publications at the Windy City Media Group, which aided the above research. St. Sukie de la Croix is an internationally published reporter, playwright, photographer and historian. He is also the author of the upcoming book Chicago Whispers: A History of LGBT Chicago Before Stonewall published by the University of Wisconsin Press.

Homework:

Was the Titanic musical as bad as they say it was?

Who was Jiraffe?

Is Season of Concern still around?

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