December 11-17, 2014

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

1981

In the bars and clubs, Paul Walowitz sings at His 'n' Hers, 944 W. Addison; Chicago Knights M.C. (Motorcycle club) holds its annual "Slave Auction" at the Gold Coast, 501 N. Clark St.; Chili Pepper headlines a cast of female impersonators to present a special Fur Fashion Show at Dugan's Bistro, 420 N. Dearborn. Joining Chili are Cherine Alexander, Leslie Rejeanne, Sherri Payne, Dolinda Ko, and Andrea Nicole.

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IMAGE: Charmers Grand Opening – Gay Chicago August 14, 1989

Sister Source, a Midwest lesbian/feminist paper, writes:

"The 2nd National 3rd World Lesbian/Gay Conference attracted approximately 100 representatives of organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada. Between 40 and 50 lesbians were in attendance throughout the conference, which had the theme, 'A Unified Rainbow of Strength.' Sponsored by the National Coalition of Black Gays/Chicago, the conference featured workshops and talks that were geared to the political/cultural/emotional needs of the attendees.

"The keynote address by Barbara Smith, Black feminist writer, activist and founder of Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press, spoke on the ways people of color can draw inspiration from one another, the need to deal with the things that keep Third World People's divided, and the work that still needs to be done."

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Personals in Gay Chicago read:

"ORIENTAL LOVER WANTED

Oriental lover wanted by sensitive, well-built, handsome male, who likes bodybuilding, running, swimming, and serious music, literature. No Saturday calls. Only serious call ––––

SEEKING FEMALE

Gay white male, 31, 5'10", 140lbs, slim build, NEEDS gay white female or bisexual female, 21-35 as a companion to social functions. Am willing to reciprocate. Write Tom –––––

SPREADIN' READY

Butter my buns. I'm spreadin' ready! Guys under 35, any race. Frank –––––– "

1990

The Top 5 Bestseller Gay Fiction books at Unabridged, 3251 N. Broadway, are 1) "Men On Men 3" Edited by George Stambolian; 2) "Jack" by A.M. Holmes; 3) "Tangled Up In Blue" by Larry Duplechan; 4) "Sure Of You" by Armistead Maupin; and 5) "Secret Matter" by Toby Johnson.

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IMAGE: Gay Vote '80 – Gay Life October 10, 1980

Article on the front page of Windy City Times begins:

"Larry Eyler, the man convicted for killing Chicagoan Danny Bridges and suspected in numerous other gay-related murders, is the subject of a new investigation prompted by the recent publication of the book 'Freed to Kill: The True Story of Larry Eyler' by Gera-Lind Kolarik.

"A prosecutor in Vermillion County, Indiana, has reopened the murder case of Steve Agan, a 23 year old man whose body was found in Vermillion County in 1982. According to Lake County (Illinois) Sheriff's Detective Dan Colin, the prosecutor is relying on evidence that was suppressed in a 1984 hearing because a Lake County judge ruled the evidence had been gathered improperly."

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The Windy City Gay Chorus performs at Mayor Daley's holiday party for the city's commissioners, board members, his staff and many prominent community leaders at the Art Institute. The chorus sang three songs, "Sing We Noel," "Christmas is Delicious," and "The First Noel."

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IMAGE: Lesbian and Gay International Festival – Outlines November 1995

Feather Spirit, designer/creator of engraved copper, silver, bronze sun/moon, malachite, garnet, lapis, amethyst earrings, pendants, and brooches, is at WomenWild, 5237 N. Clark St., an art and gift gallery celebrating woman-made treasures.

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At People Like Us Bookstore, 3321 N. Clark St., Rev. Troy Perry, author of "The Lord Is My Shepard and He Knows I'm Gay," signs copies of his new book "Don't Be Afraid Anymore."

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At Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark St., Linda Bubon, storyteller and co-owner of the store, reads "May Your Days Be Merry and Bright: Christmas Stories by Women."

2002

In Quotelines in Windy City Times:

"Christ's example is being demeaned by the church if they ignore the new leprosy, which is AIDS. The church is the sleeping giant here. If it wakes up to what's really going on in the rest of the world, it has a real role to play. If it doesn't, it will be irrelevant." – Bono

And:

"I am not gay, although I wish I were, just to piss off the homophobes." – Kurt Cobain in a letter to Nirvana fans written in March 1992 and quoted in Newsweek.

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IMAGE: Moon Over Miami – Gay Chicago November 13, 1995

Sukie de la Croix interviews African-American drag phenomenon Joan Jett-Blakk about the Warehouse:

"I went there a few times, not a lot. I met Frankie (Knuckles) because someone I was going out with knew him and he introduced me. The Warehouse was all about the music, because it was an after-hours club. We'd go to the Warehouse at three in the morning, the music was funkier, the dancing was sweatier, and it was a smaller place. It was mostly Black, but it wasn't all Black. A place that hip you couldn't keep white people out if you tried. And besides, there would always be one or two queens on the North Side that could sniff that out, and they would come running down there, and word would spread that way. That's how I got down there; I would never have gone if my white friend hadn't taken me there."

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The Royal Imperial Sovereign Barony of the Windy City hosts its 2nd "Snowball 2002" at the Annex 3, 3160 N. Clark. The evening features entertainment by members of the Barony and special guests, and is hosted by the Grand Marquis II Sierra Montana. A donation of $5 goes into a fund benefiting the American Liver Foundation, Lesbian Community Cancer Project, Gerber/Hart Library, Leather Archives and Museum, and Equality Illinois Education Fund.

Homework

1) Does anyone know what happened to Cherine Alexander, Leslie Rejeanne, Sherri Payne, Dolinda Ko, and Andrea Nicole?

2) Did anyone else go to the Warehouse?

3) Who remembers Sierra Montana?

Gay Chicago Photo Rewind

Chuck Rodocker, Tom Musleve and Critter Wilkinson at the Baton's Dragocious Show in Gay Chicago September 27, 1979

David Rosenberg photographs of Chicago's Mr. Hotlanta Contest at Sidetrack in Nightlines July 3, 1993.

From Windy City Times May 30, 2001

Jason Smith photographs Michelle Fire at Big Chicks from Windy City Times September 28, 1995

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.