March 24-30, 2016

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

1980

A used book sale for the Lambda Resource Center for the Blind takes place at the Source Bookshop, 2936 N. Clark St.

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IMAGE: New Year's Eve at Roscoe's – Gay Chicago December 27, 2001

Article in Gay Chicago begins:

"More than 120 persons heard author, lecturer and radio personality Studs Terkel describe Pearl M. Hart as defender of the damned, Negroes, foreign born, Red dissenters and odd people with different sexual proclivities (now called gays).

""Terkel spoke to an overflow crowd who attended the 15th annual Mattachine Midwest banquet at which former president Jim Bradford was honored by receiving the organization's Pearl Hart Award.

"Terkel, a close acquaintance of the late Miss Hart, described her as a large ungainly woman, who had none of the shallow Hollywood beauty but radiated her own beauty. He said she fought for civil and individual rights and she felt persons had to transcend their circumstances to become a real person."

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IMAGE: Over 21 Store – Gay Chicago December 9, 1982

From Gay Chicago's "On the Street:

"The doctors in the white coats soon may be coming for Bushes co-owner Michael Shimandle. Last week Shimandle, who was working the door of his bar on N. Halsted St., when he decided to institute a door charge-only somehow he hasn't quite got the right picture. Instead of collecting a fee at the door, he started handing out dollar bills to customers. You can imagine the double-takers he received ('What am I supposed to do with this?' more than one customer asked) when he gave incoming patrons a buck. Shimandle said he plans on continuing his zany door charge 'whenever the mood hits me.'"

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James Kirkwood hosts an autograph party at the Oak Street Bookstore, 54 Oak St., for his latest novel, "Hit Me With a Rainbow." Kirkwood is the prize-winning author of "A Chorus Line" and "P.S. Your Cat is Dead."

1992

Horizons Community Services, Inc. Human First the 3rd annual gala benefit "Into the Wild Night" takes place at the Chicago Field Museum.

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IMAGE: Rock & Roll Xmas Party – Gay Chicago December 15, 1988

Article in Gay Chicago reads:

"The Pink Angels Anti-Violence Project will conduct its general membership meetings at the Rodde Center, 4753 North Broadway, Suite 1200, on the first and thirdSunday of each month. New member meetings begin at noon, and the general assembly meeting begins at 1 p.m.

"The Pink Angels Anti-Violence Project will conduct its third volunteer training for the Pink Angels Street Patrol on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, March 24026, from6:30-10:00 p.m. The three-day training will focus on personal self-defense, patrol procedures, hate crime identification and legislation, and a review of the options and availability of services for survivors of anti-lesbian/gay bias hate crimes."

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In the bars and clubs, L.A. Connection, 3700 N. Halsted, celebrates its 6th anniversary; the Baton, 436 N. Clark St. presents a Special Anniversary Show to celebrate 24 years as Chicago's premiere drag bar; it's Underwear Night with a "Best Buns" and "Best Basket" contest at North End, 3733 N. Halsted; Jamie Principal on Smash Records performs at Vortex, 3631 N. Halsted; the Original Country Dance is at Deeks, 3401 N. Sheffield; and there's an Oscar Night Party at Buddies, 3301 N. Clark St.

1999

The Come Out & Dine lesbigay dining club welcomes singles and couples. This week the group is dining Polish at Pierogi Inn, 4801 N. Milwaukee.

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IMAGE: Ralphi Rosario at Hydrate – Nightspots December 12, 2007

On the front page of Outlines:

"Love Betty. Mother love has never been stronger between famous sitcom lesbian Ellen DeGeneres and her mom Betty. Now mom has written a book about her famous daughter and the fight for gay and lesbian rights."

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Quotelines in Outlines:

"To me, Tinky wasn't a star, or a political football, or some sad English actor suffocating inside a dumpy purple blob suit; he was hot. I didn't just watch Tinky's TV show; I bought the books, each title more arousing than the last–'Dipsy Dances,' 'Four Happy Teletubbies,' 'Go Po Go!'–culminating in the inevitable erotic explosion of 'Tubby Custard Mess.' I wanted Tinky, I wanted him bad, as he group-hugged and cavorted through the greensward of Teletubbieland, swinging a red patent-leather purse, or as the producers have dubbed it, his 'magic bag.' My mind reeled; Just what was in that bag? Pills? Kleenex? Magic cosmetics? I had to know." – Paul Rudnick

And:

"I was definitely raised to be homophobic. My parents, the people around me were all homophobic." – Tennis star, Billie Jean King.

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An article in Outlines by P.J. Engelbrecht begins:

"Well-known metro leader Vernita Gray, 50, has been appointed lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community liaison by Cook County State's Attorney Richard A. Devine.

"Gray's promotion was announced March 18. She has served in the State's Attorney's office for six years, as the hat e crimes specialist in the Victim-Witness Assistance Program."

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Gay mystic and religion author, Andrew Harvey, ("Son of Man," "The Mystical Path of Christ") discusses his work at Unity in Chi, 1925 W. Thome.

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Rufus Wainwright sings and signs CDs at the Virgin Megastore, Michigan and Ohio.

Homework

I wonder who won the Best Buns and Best Basket contest at North End?

What happened to the Pink Angels?

Who remembers Deeks?

Gay Chicago Photo Rewind

Jack Sitar photographs Kathy Osterman at the Gold Coast and the Mr. Gold Coast contest for Gay Chicago February 4, 1988

Two cuties in Gay Life March 1979

David Rosenberg photographs the Illinois Federation for Human Rights for Nightlines October 9, 1996

Photographs from Outlines March 1988

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.