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

1982

The Lionheart Theater presents Will You Still Need Me? an evening of three one-act gay plays, at the Commons, 6443 N. Sheridan Rd. The $5 admission benefits the Gay and Lesbian Week Planning Committee.

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Eddie Dugan invites you to the Final Celebration as the famous Bistro Disco, 420 N. Dearborn St., closes with a 9th anniversary party black and/or white attire. In Gay Chicago, Nancy Reiff and Ralph Paul write:

"'A Living Legend,' well, maybe not quite, but Monday night–nine years to the day that Dugan's Bistro opened, Dugan's Bistro closed with a party to end all parties. 'A Living Legend' was the theme last year for the Bistro's eighth anniversary party–one of many annual events the community has come to enjoy throughout the years. Besides regular holiday parties, the Ed Dugan specialized in bringing in top entertainment and made famous his own birthday celebration. ... Most of the Bistro patrons agree that 'there's no place like Bistro' and with the closing of the Bistro there never again will be a place like the Bistro."

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The Artemis Singers perform at Women and Children First at 922 W. Armitage.

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Gay Persons Bridge Club meets at 656 W. Barry Ave.

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DJ Mark Hultmark of the Ozone bar picks his Top 10 Hits: 1) "All Night Long" – BB Band; 2) "Stormy Weather" – Viola Wills; 3) "Give Me Just a Little" – Angela Clemmons; 4) "Right On Target/Pushin' Too Hard" – Paul Parker; 5) "I Specialize in Love" – Sharon Brown; 6) "Don't You Want Me" – Human League; 7) "Live It Up" ­– Time Bandits; 8) "Calling All Girls/Passion" – Flirts; 9) "Babe We're Gonna Love Tonight/Come & Get" – Lime; 10) "Peace of the Action" – K.I.D.

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Mayor Jane Byrne grants an interview to a reporter from Gay Life, a first for a Chicago mayor with a representative of the gay media.

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1990

John W. Schmid writes a feature in Gay Chicago called "A Character, a Comic, and a Star ... Tracy Ullman."

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The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) benefits from an evening of music, readings, and performance art at Club Lower Links, 954 W. Newport. Among the performers are Hudson K. Rosen, David Sedaris, auto-harpist Darlene, Linda St. Saens, Steve Lefreniere and others. Admission to the benefit is $7.

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A picture of two same-sex couples and one opposite-sex couple kissing will appear on the outside of CTA buses. The placard was created by artist Gran Fury (A New York Arts Collective), who designed the Silence=Death logo. A week later the safe-sex posters are postponed by the CTA and is being discussed by the Chicago City Council and area churches.

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"Phantom of the Opera," a special performance to benefit the Howard Brown Memorial Clinic takes place at the Auditorium Theatre. Tickets $100, $150, and $250.

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The National Women's Music Festival in Bloomington, Indiana, stars Ferron, Patty Larkin, Buffy St. Marie, Linda Tillery, Heather Bishop, Deirdre McCalla and May Sarton.

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Girth and Mirth Chicago, the gay group for big guys and guys who like them, celebrates its 10 year anniversary at the Holiday Inn City Centre, 300 E. Ohio St. The guest speaker is Jon-Henri Damski.

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"A Man and a Man, A Woman and a Woman, A Love Story," by Zebra Crossing Theatre is at Halsted Theatre Centre, 2700 N. Halsted for Pride Month.

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The Chicago Gay Men's Chorus hosts a roller skating party at USA Rainbo Skating Arena, 4836 N. Clark St. The theme of the evening is "Roller Prom III."

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1995

In the bars and clubs this week, Rudy de la Mor is performing at Gentry, 712 N. Rush St.; there's a Gay Rodeo garage sale across the street from Charlie's, 3726 N. Broadway; and Daisy Mae hosts the Drag Race at Berlin, 954 W. Belmont.

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Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Veteran's meet with speaker Michael Cunningham of the Pink Angels at Ann Sather's.

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Minnie Bruce Pratt, reads from "S/He," essays on race, sex, gender, sexuality, etc. at Women and Children First, 5233 N. Clark.

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The Gay Officers Action League-Illinois (GOAL-Illinois) holds a meeting at the Chicago Police Training Academy, 1300 W. Jackson. Jerri Lynn Fields, director of Horizons Anti-Violence Project, is the featured speaker.

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Quotes in this month's OUTLINES:

" (I told her) It didn't make a difference as far as our relationship ... I wish she had done it sooner. Keeping a secret life like that and trying to live a double life has got to be hard." – Congressman and former pop star Sonny Bono on the public coming out of his and Cher's daughter Chastity.

"If my life can be an example, great, but people should live their own life and live their own path." – Melissa Etheridge

Gay Chicago Photo Rewind

Whatever happened to Daisy Mae?

Were you a Pink Angel?

Are the Artemis Singers still around?

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.