March 20 – March 26, 2014

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

1984

Article written by Paul Cotton on the front page of Gay Life:

"A surprise pledge of protection of gay people's rights to service in non-gay bars came at a historic City Hall meeting Friday, March 16, sponsored by Mayor Harold Washington's liaison to the gay and lesbian community, Kit Duffy.

"About 65 gay men and lesbians heard from representatives of 10 city agencies-the Human Services, Planning, Law, Health, and Housing departments; the mayoral Special Events, Press, and License Control offices; the Council on Fine Arts; and the mayor's Advisory Commission on Women's Affairs.

"Former judge Sidney Jones, director of the license office, said it is 'a violation to refuse to serve anyone on the grounds of race, color, or sexual preference.' Asked to confirm that sexual preference is included in the categories of non-permissible discrimination in public accommodations, Jones said, 'Yes, definitely.'

"'A public-licensed place is open to the public. You are part of the public,' he emphasized. 'As long as you are orderly and sober, you have a right to be in there. They are violating the law if they refuse to accommodate you,' said Jones. "I would love to have some complaints against bars that refuse to serve you. We will institute revocation proceedings against that bar.'"

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Image: Zodiac Scorpio Party – Gay Life October 29, 1976

Gay Bestsellers at Unabridged Bookstore, 3251 N. Broadway:

Softcover: 1) "Sudden Death" by Rita Mae Brown; 2) "Sex Behind Bars" by Robert N. Boyd; 3) "Cum" by Boyd McDonald; 4) "The Movie Lover" by Richard Friedel; 5) "Streetboy Dreams" by Kevin Esser.

Hardcover: 1) "Male Couples: How Relationships Develop" by Andrew McWhirter and Andrew Mattison; 2) "Nightwork" by Joseph Hansen; 3) "Bruce Weber: Photographs" by Bruce Webber; 4) "As if After Sex" by Joseph Torchia; 5) "Nights in Aruba" by Andrew Holleran.

1995

"I Am No Good at Love," performance series kicks off with works by Noel Coward, W. H. Auden, Rita Mae Brown, Frank O'Hara, Janet Flanner, co-sponsored by City Lit Theatre and taking place at the Gerber/Hart Library, 3352 N. Paulina.

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Image: Men in Leather Tuesdays – Gay Chicago October 4, 1984

"Eclipse," a movie about gay and straight sex in Canada, and "Frank's Cock," a gay film that won Best Canadian Short Film at the 1994 Toronto International Film Festival, are showing at the Film Center of the Art Institute, Columbus and Jackson.

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An article in this week's Gay Chicago begins:

"State Comptroller Loleta Didrickson has issued an Executive Order which bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the Office of the State Comptroller. The order, her first executive action since taking office in January 1995, covers all employees of the State Comptroller. Comptroller Didrickson is the second state-wide officer to issue such an order. State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka signed an Executive Order on Feb 3, which also covered sexual orientation among other protected categories."

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STOP AIDS Chicago announces the appointment of Rodd Myers as its new director of development staff, which includes Danny Kopelson and Matt Rodgers.

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Jeff Rosen writes in Gay Chicago:

"Glen Close's vacation from "Sunset Boulevard" created a stir at the Minskoff Theatre box office. While disgruntled ticket holders wanted to exchange their tickets for after Close's return, fans of Karen Mason (her standby and vacation replacement) were snapping them up. And in the end, everyone comes out happy."

2002

DJ Ceven's Top Five at the North End, 3733 N. Halsted are: 1) "NBD Greets BF (Paul Van Dyk Mix)" – Binary Finary; 2) "Maximizing the Audience" – Elastica presents Jesus Elices; 3) "The Tamperer" – the Tamperer; 4) "Porno Star" – Klubbheads; and 5) "Star Guitar (Pete Heller Expanded)" – Chemical Brothers.

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Image: Gentry presents – Hotspots November 2000

In the bars and clubs this week, celebrate 33 years of fabulous girls at the Baton Show Lounge, 436 N. Clark St. with special guest Candis Cayne; "Sheer Elegance" with Yazmina Couture, Countess I of the Gold Coast, is at the Annex 3, 3160 N. Clark St.; something to crow about, the original Underwear Party is at Manhole, 3458 N. Halsted; Ruby and Vicky Boofont with Beckie Menzie perform at Gentry, 440 N. State St.

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Grease up your throttle and rev up your engine because the ladies are taking over the Eagle, 5015 N. Clark St., for dykediva.com's newest party, "Sex Garage." The dyke film "Desi's Looking for a New Girl" by Latina filmmaker Mary Guzman (co-sponsored by Women in the Director's Chair) screens at 8:00 p.m.; at 10 p.m.Larissa spins you into overdrive.

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Grinder, Queer is Folk fundraiser with words by Aaron Johnson and music by Damien Fosse, at No Exit Café, 6970 N. Glenwood.

Homework

Did anybody see Glen Close in "Sunset Boulevard?"

What's Damien Fosse up to these days?

What happened to Ruby and Vicky Boofont?

Gay Chicago Photo Rewind

Terry Gaskins photographs Mimi Marks and a bunch of "gangsters" at Numbers bar with Rudy Johnson in Gay Chicago February 16, 1995

Jack Sitar photographed members of the Tavern Guild at Trianon bar for Gay Life January 17, 1985. Includes a young David Boyer

Lorraine Hart photographs women at the Lesbian Community Cancer Project benefit for Nightlines January 29, 1997

Photographs by Tracy Baim and Jill Burgin in Outlines December 24, 1987

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, 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.