October 30-November 5, 2014

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

1989

On the front page of Windy City Times:

"Singer Dianne Davison performed at Mountain Moving Coffeehouse Saturday night amidst a whirlwind of controversy over comments she made at this summer's Michigan Womyn's Music Festival. But her apology here–more than two months after the festival–may fuel the storm even more. ...At issue was a statement Davidson made on stage at Michigan. 'My parents, like many white people in the South with a little bit of money, turned their kids over to a black woman to raise their children,' Davidson said there. 'And it was the best thing my parents ever did.'

'Davidson did not try to put her comments in a historical or political context.

"'If somebody has a complaint because of something I said, if it hurt them or in any way offended them, then I'd appreciate getting a letter from them, or having a face to face discussion with them,' she said at Mountain Moving about half way through her first set. 'If I've hurt anybody with anything I've said, I have heartfelt apologies. I do not want to hurt anybody.'"

IMAGE: Chill Out at Christopher Street – Gay Chicago August 18, 1987

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In this week's Windy City Times, Jeffrey McCourt writes about activist and artist Gabor:

"One of Chicago's most respected and determined AIDS activists, Gabor, died Wednesday, October 25, at St. Joseph's Hospital. His passing, at the age of 38, followed a two-and-a-half-year battle with AIDS. During that period he was a tireless advocate for the rights of PWAs and a frank, knowledgeable spokesperson on health issues in the community. He was also a highly-regarded artist as well as a writer."

1994

In the clubs and bars, Club Roscoe, 3356 N. Halsted, celebrates its one year anniversary with DJ Psycho Bitch and hosts Sammy and Lisa, with special guests, DJ Teri Bristol, Dennis Remer, "hot and nasty" dancer Bijou's Chucky, and a little midnight treat; "Gayloween, All Homo's Eve," is celebrated at Glee Club, 1543 N. Kingsbury; Country Salute to the Gayest holiday, four nights of Halloween parties at Charlie's, 3726 N. Broadway; the "Best of Mother Goose Halloween Parties" at Lucky Horseshoe Lounge, 3169 N. Halsted. Come dressed as your favorite Fairy Tale character; a "Fright Before the Night" party takes place at Temptations, 10235 W. Grand Ave., Franklin Park; Memory Lane hosts the Halloween Dance and Costume Party at Roscoe's, 3356 N. Halsted; it's "Absolut Hollywood" at Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted.

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IMAGE: Inn Exile – Gay Chicago July 21, 1994

Quotelines in the November 1994 issue of Outlines:

"As a lifelong pacifist, Quaker, and a gay man, I despair that gays and lesbians are expending energy trying to get into the military when they should be using that same energy getting rid of the military completely." – Ned Rorem.

And:

"You've all heard some rumors about me over the years. I think I should make a statement. My name is Richard Gere and I am a lesbian." – Richard Gere.

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IMAGE: Crunch at Glee Club – Babble August 10, 1994

Also in Outlines:

"The West Hollywood City council on Oct. 17 voted to offer a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the murder of Chicago gay activist Jon Simmons. Later, Mayor Abbe Land said that figure may jump to $10,000 if they can get Chicago's Mayor Richard Daley to add matching funds.

"While Daley's office issued a statement saying he was saddened to hear about the murder, the administration has yet to add to the reward money."

October 3, 1994

"An Evening of Music and Comedy" benefit for Gerber/Hart Library, 3352 N. Paulina, takes place at the Chicago Cultural Center, 76 E. Washington. Entertainers include Patricia Barber, Boys in the Bathroom, and is emceed by Karen Hutt.

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Howard Brown Health Center announces that its Sexually Active Men's Study (SAM) has signed a $1,884,531 contract with the National institute for Allergic and Infectious Diseases to conduct preparation studies for field trials of HIV vaccines during the next two years. The contract will be administered by ABT Associates, a private research company located in Bethesda, MD.

2007

Matt Simonette writes in this week's Chicago Free Press:

"Officials from Howard Brown Health Center and the newly named Lesbian Community Care Project last week described changes in store for both organizations as they complete the agencies' merger.

"At a press conference Oct. 24, Dominique Leonardi, board president of LCCP, said the combination of the two organization's resources would more effectively serve lesbian, bisexual and transgender women.

"'LCCP and Howard Brown will serve our community better together than we do separately. In a world where funding is competitive and tenuous, combining both of our expertise and strategic resources to build the best care for LBT women is the most ethical choice for us and the community,' Leonardi said. 'Howard Brown provided the expert care of body and mind. LCCP provided the advocacy, public education and outreach."

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IMAGE: Horrorscope at Crobar – Gay Chicago October 26, 2000

The Flesh Hungry Dog Show featuring queer country band Devin and the Straights, glam rocker the Artist formally Known As Vince and the rough hewn art rock of Retardos De La Mour, starts at Jackhammer, 6406 N. Clark St.

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"Manalive," TPAN Chicago's 4th annual Gay Men's Health Summit begins at the Center on Halsted, 3656 N, Halsted, with more than a dozen 90-minute workshops on a diverse array of topics.

Homework

What happened to Retardos De La Mour?

Did they ever arrest the killer of Jon Simmons?

Is Dianne Davison still around?

Gay Chicago Photo Rewind

Jack Sitar's Speak Out column in Gay Chicago August 6, 1987

Jack sitar photographs the winners of the Mr. Take One Contest for Gay Chicago August 6, 1987

Jack Sitar takes photographs of gay newspaper publishers and also a collection of creepy clowns for Gay Chicago August 6, 1987

John Brigham takes this picture of a young Pepin Pena and Art Johnson in Gay Life August 9, 1984

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.