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

1987

The Gay and Lesbian Town Meeting passes its first bylaws and elects formal officers: Jonathan Katz, the Hyde Park gay activist who was instrumental in founding Town Meeting, is elected male co-moderator over the organization's fundraising chair, Tom Hartman. Also elected were Norm Sloan as recorder and Rick Garcia as treasurer.

(Image: Mister Windy City Contest – Gay Chicago June 7, 1984)

Kathy O'Malley of the Chicago Tribune's INC column, and actor John Herrera, who is currently appearing in "Sunday in the Park With George" at the Goodman Theater, are the hosts at Avanzare Restaurant at a benefit for Chicago House.

The Psychotronic Film Society's final show in the Sex at the Drive-In Series, "Dr. Tarr's Torture Dungeon," is at Club 950.

"Gays, Lesbians and Crime" is the topic of a meeting by the Northwest Gay and Lesbian Association at 2610 N. Francisco.

The Gay and Lesbian Academic Union presents another of its informative history seminars at the Rodde Center.

Gay Bestsellers at Unabridged Books:

Fiction: 1) "Significant Others" – Armistead Maupin; 2) "Chrome" – George Nader; 3) "Tweeds" – Clayton R. Graham; 4) "The Wings of the Phoenix" – Florine De Veer; 5) "Vanilla Kid" – Daniel McVay.

Non-Fiction: 1) "Prick Up Your Ears" – John Lahr; 2) "The Rise of a Gay & Lesbian Movement" – Barry D. Adam; 3) "Cast of Killers" – Sidney D. Kirkwood; 4) "Kairos" – Zalmon O. Sherwood; 5) "The Orton Diaries" – Edited by John Lahr.

"Chicago '87 Round-Up," a three day convention and workshop for gay and lesbian members of Alcoholics Anonymous and Alanon, is at the Bismarck Hotel, 171 W. Randolph.

1994

In the bars and clubs this week, it's the long-awaited "Night of 100 Drag Queens II – We Love the Night Life" at Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted, as a benefit for the Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition International; Charlie's, 3726 N. Broadway, "That Lil Ole Bitty Pissant Place," celebrates Mousterpiece Week, while the cat's away and the party kicks-off on Turnabout Tuesday, a benefit for Dance for Life, with appearances by the She Devils and Chi-Town Squares; HBO Gay Comic Bob Smith is at Vortex, 3631 N. Halsted Street; it's Christmas in July at Chicago Eagle, 5015 N. Clark St.: there's a Lights Out Party at Redoubt, 1315 W. North Ave.; it's Man Dance with DJ Mark Vallese at Deeks, 3401 N. Sheffield; a Wet Jockey Shorts Contest at LA Connection, 3700 N. Halsted; and there's a Great Legs Contest at North End, 3733 N. Halsted.

(Image: The Ranch Disco – Gay Chicago October 4, 1979)

The Top Five Video Rentals at Mr. Video are: 1) "Six Degrees of Separation"; 2) "Philadelphia"; 3) "In the Name of the Father"; 4) "Pelican Brief"; and 5) "Short Cuts."

In Doug Allen's Culture Shock column in Gay Chicago, he writes: "Jeffrey Dahmer was attacked during a church service by another inmate last week. Officials said the weapon was a razor blade attached to a toothbrush, but that Dahmer was not injured because the weapon fell apart as the perpetrator tried to attack him. They just don't make toothbrushes like they used to … "

As of July 14, 1994, Steve McGuire, editor of Test Positive Aware Network's journal Positively Aware, serves as TPA's interim executive director during the search process for a permanent executive director.

Open & Out, Chicago's first gay and lesbian open mic, meets at Le Café, 3343 N. Clark St., on the first and third Sundays of every month. Community members are invited to read/perform poetry, short stories, monologues, songs, comedy etc.

An organizational meeting to establish a local coordinating council for National Lesbian and Gay History Month is held at Gerber/Hart Gay and Lesbian Library and Archives, 3352 N. Paulina.

1997

The Chicago Professional Networking Association host representatives of the Human Rights Campaign, the national gay and lesbian lobbying and fund-raising organization, at Ann Sather, 929 W. Belmont. The program includes current developments in the political arena and the status of ENDA, hate crime legislation, and other issues pertinent to the community.

(Image: Boybar – Gay Chicago June 18, 1998)

Absolut Vodka and Baja Live team up to raise funds for Open Hand Chicago in order to provide food and nutritional services for people living with HIV/AIDS across the city. The two businesses host a cocktail party at Baja Live, 401 E. Illinois, featuring complimentary cocktails and hors d'oeuvres and a silent auction of six original Absolut lithographs.

A Lesbigay Immigration Rights Task Force meeting is held at 208 S. LaSalle, Suite 1818, Heartland Alliance.

Rod McRuer discusses "The Queer Renaissance: Contemporary American Literature and the Reinvention of Lesbian and Gay Identities" at People Like Us Bookstore, 1115 W. Belmont.

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 book Chicago Whispers: A History of LGBT Chicago Before Stonewall published by the University of Wisconsin Press.

Homework

Anyone remember Deeks?

What happened to the Psychotronic Film Society?

Are the She Devils gone for good?