January 15-21, 2015

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

1981

In the clubs and bars, Eddie Dugan proudly presents Viola Wills Live in Concert singing her latest hits "If You Could Read My Mind" and "Up On the Roof" at the Bistro, 420 N. Dearborn; Tom England performs at His 'n' Hers, 944 W. Addison; comedienne Pudgy performs at the Happy Medium, 901 N. Rush St.; One of Chicago have a bar night at the Checkmate II, 2546 N. Clark; and Harlequins, 2683 N. Halsted, host a birthday party for bartender Danny.

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IMAGE: The Normal Heart – Windy City Times March 12, 1987

Article in Gay Chicago begins:

"AMANDA WINTERS DIES IN PRIVATE JET CRASH: Popular entertainer Amanda Winters and four other persons were killed late Sunday, Jan. 4, when the private jet in which they were flying crashed while en route from Las Vegas to Los Angeles.

"Miss Winters, who moved from Chicago to the Los Angeles area about two years ago. She had worked at the Baton for about two and a half years and then went to the old Broadway Kunfusion where she worked with Michael K and John (Sara) Nicosia for eight months."

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Article in Gay Life begins:

"NEW YORK, NY–– A Gay Press Association, the nation's first, was approved for formation at a three-day convention Jan. 9-11 attended by 80 representatives from almost 50 gay magazines, newspapers, and entertainment guides (including five Gay Life staff members) and freelance journalists."

1993

Quotelines in Outlines:

"I am gay. I can't live a lie. And I can't live in a state that does not regard everyone of every race, creed, color or sexual orientation as equal. ... If Amendment 2 is not overturned, I will move out of Colorado. I will not pay taxes in a state that does not recognize me as an equal citizen." – Tennis star Martina Navratilova

And:

"It's not like you can be opposed to it or not opposed to it-it just is." ­ Oprah Winfrey to a guest who said she "opposed" homosexuality.

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Christ the Redeemer MCC offers "Release From Shame," a seven-week class dealing with homophobia at 933 Chicago Ave, Evanston. The class is lead by Rev. Lee Campbell.

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Lionheart Gay Theatre presents a brief play about books in the basement auditorium of the Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State St. The 30-minute free production is culled from true incidents of thefts, stalkings and defacements of targeted texts and examines the censoring of gay books in American libraries.

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IMAGE: Chicago's Original Country Dance ­– Nightlines January 22, 1992

Article in Gay Chicago begins:

"Robert S. Banchich, Jr. has been hired as director of development for Stop AIDS Chicago. He comes to Stop AIDS after serving as the director of committees for the Arthroscopy Association of North America."

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Obituary in Gay Chicago begins:

"Samuel F. Davis, Jr. died peacefully at home on Friday, January 8, of complications due to AIDS.

"Although Mr. Davis had many accomplishments in his life, he will probably be most remembered in Chicago as the original founder and owner of the Clubhouse, Pangea, and Deeks. He also founded Newberry Muffins and Grand Seafood Grille."

1999

The Mountain Moving Coffeehouse for women and children presents GirlFunk (saxophone and spoken word by Camille Rocha & RoiAnn Phillips) at Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 1650 W. Foster.

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IMAGE: The Men of Rodeo at Touche – Gay Chicago December 3, 1992

In the bars and clubs, DJ Abel is at Fusion, 3631 N. Halsted; Spin the Wheel of Fortune at the Chicago Eagle, 5015 N. Clark St. Prizes and a free IML t-shirt for everyone; the Hysterical Women appear at Star Gaze, 5419 N. Clark St. followed by karaoke with Anita Richman; Passport Productions presents a T-Dance for Women at El Jardin "Fiesta Cantina" at 3407 N. Clark St.; Honey West is back from vacation singing at Gentry on Halsted, 3320 N. Halsted; Circuit Mom, Joseph Lopresti, and Paolo present Dream Tea, celebrating those that have dreams, round two with DJ Jim Belanger at Crobar, 1543 N. Kingsbury; the Condo Club, 1931 N. Milwaukee, presents the first annual Drag-A-Thon with diva Alex Soto and stripper El Pirata de la Salsa.

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The West Suburban Gay Association hosts a Chinese Brunch at Gen-Hoe Chop Suey in Geneva. Illinois.

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Chicago Black Lesbians & Gays host their annual Martin Luther King breakfast at the Church of the Open Door, 5954 S. Albany.

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IMAGE: Whitney Paige at the Baton – Nightspots November 12, 2005

WTTW channel 11 PBS presents "Out of the Past," a documentary tracing the historical emergence of lesbians and gay men in the U.S., seen through the eyes of Utah teen activist Kelli Peterson, who tried to build a Gay-Straight Alliance at her school in 1996.

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Quotelines in Outlines:

"The media can only deal with gay personalities if they are sexless. You never see RuPaul on the arm of a six-foot strapping baseball player, and that's the same thing that kind of happened to me. I became this genderless exotic doll. I think that's the only way people can deal with it. But, I love RuPaul. I think RuPaul is a trooper, and I think that drag queens are the suffragettes of our community." _ Boy George.

Homework

Is the West Suburban Gay Association still in existence?

Does anyone remember Amanda Winters?

Who was Tom England?

Gay Chicago Photo Rewind

Terry Gaskins photographs the Gay Chicago annual party for the December 26, 1996 issue

Lorraine Hart photographs Women's Basketball for Nightlines January 22, 1992

Joan Jett Blakk in Nightlines January 22, 1992

Steve Alter took these photos at the Holiday Fare AIDS fundraiser for Windy City Times November 23, 1989

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.