April 7-13, 2016

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

1988

The Brown Elephant, 3508 N. Broadway – the best little resale shop on the North Side – has its Spring Dollar Sale: shirts $1.00, sweaters $2.00, pants/skirts $3.00, shorts $2.00, books and albums $1.00, and coats/suits/jackets all ½ off.

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IMAGE: Redoubt – Gay Chicago February 7, 1980

Groups meeting this week include the Down and Vulnerable Bridge Club meeting at Gentry, 712 N. Rush St.; the Evangelicals Concerned monthly meeting at the Euclid Avenue United Methodist Church, 405 S. Euclid; the Horizons Youth Group at the Rodde Center, 3225 N. Sheffield; and the Chicago Area Republican Gay Organization holds an "After the Maul" party and election re-cap at Hideaway II bar, 6001 W. Roosevelt, Forest Park.

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Please join us for an Open House and tour of the Howard Brown Memorial Clinic's new home at 945 W. George Street.

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"Anita-Dances of Vice," a film by Rosa Von Praunheim, is showing at the Film Center, Columbus Drive and Jackson Blvd.

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Good Shepherd Parish MCC serves up pancake brunch at 615 W. Wellington. For $3.50 you can eat your fill of flapjacks and sausage, with coffee, juice and milk also available.

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Ravenswood Hospital announces the formation of support groups for families, friends, and lovers of persons with AIDS and ARC. The six session groups are strictly confidential and meet during evening hours.

1996

In the bars and clubs, Khris Francis is back at Gentry on Halsted, 3320 N. Halsted; Basket and Bonnet Contest at Roscoe's, 3354-56 N. Halsted; Disco Dementia, '70s & 80's music you forgot at Icon, a dance bar and café for women, at 710 N. Clark St.; Ann Pringle and Mark Bernell entertain at Legacy 21, 3042 W. Irving St.; there's a Keymaster Pit Party at the Chicago Eagle, 5015 N. Clark St.; and it's the 10th Anniversary celebration of the Cockpit monthly BBS party is at North End, 3733 N. Halsted.

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IMAGE: Gold Coast – Gay Life July 18, 1975

The Gay and Lesbian Building and Trade Association hosts a First-Time Home Buyer seminar at Ann Sather's, 929 W. Belmont.

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The Chicago Gay Men's Chorus present "Sidetrack II: The Hangover" at the Athenaeum Theatre.

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Feminist lesbian singer Alix Dobkin appears at the Mountain Moving Coffeehouse, 1545 W. Morse.

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Gay Asians and Pacific Islanders of Chicago preview the video "Coming Out, Coming Home." The 40-minute video is a documentary of four sets of Asian-Pacific Islander parents who are interviewed about how they have dealt with their children's coming-out process. It is the first video of its kind that looks at coming-out. The film is a collaboration of PFLAG, the Living Well Project and several other Asian-Pacific Islander groups in San Francisco, who interviewed the parents and produced the film. The video screening includes a potluck dinner prior to the film and a discussion following the video.

2009

Events this week include:

"Deflowered: My Life in Pansy Division," Cleis Press book tour launch of Jon Ginoli's journey of self-discovery, musical passion, and drive to become the founding member of Pansy Division, the first out and proud queer core punk rock band to hit it big. 7 p.m. Quimby's, 1854 W North Ave.

IMAGE: Club Chicago – Gay Chicago November 28, 1980

And:

"Hedwig and the Angry Inch," through May 17. American Theater Company, 1909 W Byron St. $35; Fri & Sat evenings and late nights $40. Opening night including post-show reception $50.

And:

"The Celluloid Closet," hosted by Richard Knight, Jr., part of Queer Cinema 101, five week film series, the best of gay cinema chosen and hosted by gay film critics. Takes place at the Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted.

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Article in Windy City Times reads:

"Sapphic Adventures—which hosts all-female get-togethers—has several events planned for April. The monthly ethnic dinner will be held Friday, April 10, at 7 p.m. at Cafe Bolero, 2252 N. Western; cosmic bowling is Saturday, April 18,2-4 p.m. at Waveland Bowl, 3700 N. Western; a singles mingle is the same date at 9 p.m. at Fine Spirits, 5420 N. Clark; and brunch at La Touche, 1475 W. Balmoral, is Wed., April 29, at 7 p.m."

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IMAGE: Granville Anvil – Gay Chicago October 26, 1989

Quotelines in Windy City Times:

"EVEN WERE THE PUBLIC STILL IN THE MOOD FOR FIERY INVECTIVE about family values, the G.O.P. has long since lost any authority to lead the charge. The current Democratic president and his family are exemplars of precisely the Eisenhower-era squareness— albeit refurbished by feminism—that the Republicans often preached but rarely practiced. Obama actually walks the walk. As the former Bush speechwriter David Frum recently wrote, the new president is an 'apparently devoted husband and father' whose worst vice is 'an occasional cigarette.'" — New York Times columnist Frank Rich.

And:

""ONCE UPON A TIME THE GOP WAS THE PARTY OF FISCAL PRUDENCE and containing communism and strong national defense. Now the GOP is the party of keeping my boyfriend's tongue out of my mouth. Hatin' on homos— it's all the GOP has anymore. It's a platform, I guess, but one wonders if freaking out about gay sex is a big enough issue to sustain a national political party." — Gay writer Dan Savage on his blog,

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Article in Windy City Times reads:

"An open mic featuring E. Patrick Johnson (Sweet Tea), "Prose, Poetry and Pints at the Pug," will take placeThursday, April 9, at Wild Pug, 4810 N. Broadway. Lambda Literary award finalist Drew Ferguson will host. Sign-ups begin at 7:30 p.m.; readings start at 8 p.m. Readers are encouraged to sign-up early with two, typed double-spaced pages of poetry, fiction or creative non-fiction."

Homework

Whatever happened to Icon?

Who remembers the Cockpit BBS parties?

Where did Khris Francis go?

Gay Chicago Photo Rewind

Kirk Williamson photographs at Bobby Love's and Cocktail for Nightspots April 2, 2008

Kirk Williamson at Mary's Attic for Nightspots December 5, 2007

Christopher Stryker photographs Chicago's nightlife for Windy City Times 18 June 1987

Jerry Nunn photographs Fiesta en el Sol for Windy City Times August 27, 2008

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.