July 18 - July 24, 2013

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

1976

Gay Life article "Gay Pride reports 'borrowed funds.'"

"The Gay Pride Planning Committee met Tuesday evening, for its last meeting of the year. Under the direction of this year's chairman, Jim Bussen, plans are already being made for next year's Gay Pride events, including financial planning for the coming year. ... One distressing note was sounded when the treasurer's report showed she had 'borrowed' $500 from the treasury, reportedly to make a sudden trip to California due to a death in her family. She has paid back $166 of the money, leaving a balance of $334 owed to the treasury. A promissory note has been signed to pay back the balance at $10 a week."

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On the cover of this week's Gay Life: "Gays 'Come Out' for Carter."

"Even prior to the nomination of Jimmy Carter as the Democratic presidential candidate gays were beginning to climb on his bandwagon. The only other 'possible' candidates early in the campaign, who were decisively 'pro-gay,' were Hubert Humphrey, senator from Minnesota, and Milton Shapp, governor of Pennsylvania.

"When asked at a May 21st news conference in San Francisco whether he supported Congresswoman Bella Abzug's amendment to the Civil Rights Act of '64, Governor Carter said, 'I will certainly sign it, because I don't think it's right to single out homosexuals for special harassment or special abuse.'"

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Gay bar Petunia's, 2559 N. Southport, is the site of a benefit for the choir of Good Shepherd Parish, MCC. The funds raised will send Chicago's "voice" to the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Church's annual general conference in Washington D.C.

1984

Some bars that are long gone and sadly missed: Big Red's, 3019 N. Clark St.; BJ's, 3231 N. Clark St.; Dancers, 5244 N. Sheridan; InnBetween, 6301 S. Harlem; Loading Zone, 46 E. Oak St.; Normandy, 3400 N. Clark St.; Rialto, 14 Van Buren; Sam's, 2540 N. Clark St.; and the Swan Club, 3720 N. Clark St.

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Touche and Gay Chicago present a M.A.G.I.C. Picnic Get-Away to Madison, Wis. & Rod's gay bar:

"Depart on our chartered, air-conditioned, fully-equipped bus at 11 am(check-in time 10:30) at Touche, 2825 N. Lincoln Ave. We'll provide stimulating morning refreshments all the way to Mad-City's annual gay picnic, sponsored by the Madison Area Gay Interim Committee. The picnic site is located three blocks from Rod's. Bring along your swimsuit for swimming, your playclothes for gaming and your flats for dancing after the picnic at Rod's outdoor pavilion. The picnic features lots of free food, beer and soda until 7 p.m. View the action at Madison's annual volleyball tournament. Meet a busload of Milwaukeeans also making the trek to the Madison picnic. Following the picnic, the party continues at Rod's and The New Bar. We'll depart Madison at 1 am for the return trip. Only $25."

1991

John Baran, former owner of the Unicorn/Body Shop, died peacefully on the morning of July 19. John also was the owner of the successful City Athletic Club gym in San Francisco, and will be remembered by many for his generous donations to community organizations.

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In this week's Windy City Times are the obituaries of three beautiful men lost to AIDS: John Schmid, 33, a feature writer and art critic for Gay Chicago, Outlines and Nightlines; Joseph Willoughby, 34, died at the home of his friends Larry and Robert; and Christopher Hickey, 38, a creative cook, multilingual world traveler, generous host, witty conversationalist and John Waters trivia expert.

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A slideshow and talk, presented by Lindsy Van Gelder and Pamela Robin Brandt, authors of "Are You Two ... Together? A Gay and Lesbian Travel Guide to Europe" takes place at Women and Children First, 5233 N. Clark St.

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On the front page of Windy City Times: "Gay groups eye Thomas."

"Although they have not yet completed a thorough investigation of the man, officials of the nation's leading gay and lesbian rights groups have serious reservations about the nomination of Judge Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court.

"'President Bush clearly did not choose the most qualified person for the job,' said Ed Rosenthal, political director for the Human Rights Campaign Fund. 'We are in a process of deciding whether we are going to vigorously oppose him. [Thomas] spent eight years at the [Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] trying to dismantle federal civil rights protections. We're very disturbed that someone with this background was nominated.'"

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Windy City Performing arts, Inc. presents Romanovsky and Phillips at their only Chicago appearance this season! At the Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield.

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The Lambda Car Club annual Antique Car Show is held at Roscoe's, at Halsted and Roscoe.

Gay Chicago Photo Rewind

Frank Failing great photographs in Grab July 20, 2010

Spike King's photographs in Gay Chicago May 13, 2010

Armistead Maupin in Gay Chicago June 18, 1987

Babble collage from May 31, 1995

Homework

Is Jim Bussen still around?

Whatever happened to Romanovsky and Phillips?

Anybody go to Dancers?

Thanks go to publishers Michael Bergeron for Chicago Gay Crusader, Ralph and Craig Gernhardt for Gay Chicago, Grant Ford and Chuck Renslow forGay Life, Malone Sizelove for Babble/Gab, David Costanza and others for Chicago Free Press, Jeff McCourt for Windy City Times, Stacy Bridges and Mark Nagel for GRAB, 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 Chicago Whispers: A History of LGBT Chicago Before Stonewall published by the University of Wisconsin Press.