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

1980

Legal Survival Workshops: Topic is discrimination on the basis of sexual preference. Sponsored by Gay Horizons Legal Services, Jane Addams Center.

(Image: LIVE Steve Brinberg – Gay Chicago June 15, 2000)

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Gentle Wave, a new black lesbian organization sponsors a party at 2215 E. 69th St.

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Metamorphosis, an entertainment extravaganza presented by the Tavern Guild, is at the Aragon Ballroom, 1106 W. Lawrence. Proceeds from the event go to the Frank M. Rodde III Memorial Building Fund. The high point of the day-long activities is the crowning of the Emperor, Empress and Ms. plus the first Mr. Metamorphosis.

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Speak Its Name, a new theater group, stages a reading of J. Hagedorn's "Annesplay" at Broadway Methodist Church, Broadway and Buckingham.

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The Joffrey Ballet returns for a two week run at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress. The internationally acclaimed dancer, Rudolf Nureyev, joins the company for its first week of performances of four Diaghilev works. The second week features an unprecedented six premieres, including the world premiere of a new ballet by the company's associate director, Gerald Arpino.

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The Gay Athletic Association Bowling League meets at Marigold Arcade, 828 W. Grace.

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Good Shepherd Metropolitan Community Church, 615 W. Wellington, host a "Wednesday Nite Live" discussion with Ken Martin on "The Swastika and Pink Triangle­–­the Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals."

1988

Louis Nassaney, a survivor of AIDS for five years who was recently profiled in the Advocate, shares his thoughts on alternative treatment strategies at St. Peter's Church, 621 W. Belmont.

(Image: Wizard of AIDS – Gay Chicago March 30, 1995)

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Self-Healing AIDS Related Experiment (SHARE) on the Road, an evening of holistic understanding of AIDS and HIV infection is presented at the Wellington Avenue Church, 615 W. Wellington. Wil Garcia and George Melton, two men who are healing themselves of AIDS via holistic spiritual lifestyles, share their experience and answer questions on a wide spectrum of subjects related to living healthily, lovingly and without fear.

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Cabaret Voltaire: Poetry readings by Robert Klein Engler and Mary Jo Marchnight at 1860 N. Elston.

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In his Outlines column, Rex Wockner writes: "Being gay is a radical, non-mainstream, countercultural, off-the-left-end-of-the-spectrum thing to be. For this reason, I have trouble understanding gay Republicans, gay corporate-climbers, and gay fundamentalists. Yes, I know anybody can turn out to be gay; what I can't grasp is how a gay person can continue accepting the rest of mainstream society's beliefs and norms after he or she has concluded that "society" is wrong in its disapproval of homosexuality. It seems that being gay should give us special eyes to see through our socialization, to see through the expectations, sacred cows, religions and worldviews of our contemporaries."

1991

Quotes from "Quotelines" in the May issue of Outlines:

"Anybody who has a problem, fuck ‘em" – "Stand By Me" star River Phoenix to Newsweek when asked if his fans will mind his playing a gay hustler in Gus (Drugstore Cowboy) Van Sant's new film "My Own Private Idaho."

"I always wanted to be a boy because they have more freedom. Now it would be great to be both sexes. Effeminate men intrigue me. I see them as my alter egos. I think like a guy but I'm feminine" – Madonna, to Vanity Fair.

(Image: Demented Women – Gay Chicago April 21, 1988)

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In the clubs and bars this week, there's a showing of works by Keith A. Mamarek and nightly male dancers at the Lucky Horseshoe Lounge, 3169 N. Halsted; Mondo Lesbo: Every Wednesday there's a private club night for "Lesbians and their guests" with $1 drinks at Bistro Too, 5015 N. Clark St.; it's the Mr. AA Meat Market Contest at 2933 N. Lincoln; Male Hide Leather and Touché present Mr. Chicago Leather 1991 with special guest Kay Hallanger, Ms. International Leather 1991; Sam Harris, the winner of Star Search $100,000 grand prize in 1984 is back! Hear his vocal pyrotechnics. "The little white boy with the big black voice," at Vortex, 3631 N. Halsted; Ann DeLangis is in the cabaret room at Cairo, 720 N. Wells St.: T.L. Noble's "Clash of the Female Imposters" is at Coconuts, 5246 N. Broadway; and it's Chicago House Day at Little Jim's, 3501 N. Halsted. All bar receipts and donations for the day benefit Chicago House.

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"Legal Night" with attorney and columnist Roger McCaffrey offers a chance to learn about wills, estates, child custody, health care and other issues for gay lifestyles at Hideaway, 7301 W. Roosevelt in Forest Park. The event held by Chicago Area Men's Enrichment Organization and the Oak Park Gay and Lesbian Association.

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Jamie Anderson, voted favorite new performer by Chicago's HotWire magazine, performs at Mountain Moving Coffee House, 1545 W. Morse.

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Gregg Shapiro, who has fiction published or forthcoming in the Fiction Review, Thing, and the Washington Blade, reads from his work at Dreamerz, 1516 N. Milwaukee.

Gay Chicago Photo Rewind

Spike King whips out his camera again in May 1991. Who is that handsome man in the bottom right hand corner?

Gay Chicago's Terry Gaskins took this picture of Byrd Bardot and Freddie Bain in November 1995.

Bruno Mondello took this at Bucks in Nightlines magazine 1991

Another Bruno Mondello in Nightlines 1991

Homework

What is Robert Klein Engler up to now?

What is Rex Wockner up to now?

What is Keith A. Mamarek up to now?

Thanks go to publishers Michael Bergeron for Chicago Gay Crusader, Ralph and Craig 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.