May 26-June 1, 2016

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

1989

The AIDS Pastoral Care Network honors the AIDS Care Team of Illinois Masonic Medical Center at its sixth Interfaith Candlelight Vigil for all persons affected by AIDS beginning 7 p.m. on Memorial Day, Monday, May 29. The vigil began with an interfaith worship service at St. Clement's Church, 642 W. Deming. The service was followed by a candlelight march at 8:15 to the Howard Brown memorial clinic, where the Tree of Life used in the service was presented to the AIDS Care Team for its work on behalf of persons with AIDS, families, partners, and friends.

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IMAGE: The Lady Bug – Gay Life December 28, 1979

An Article in Windy City Times by Mark Schoofs begins:

"Unveiling an extensive revamping of the Chicago Department of Health's AIDS program, Mayor Richard M. Daley and interim Health Commissioner Richard M. Krieg vowed to complete the City's long-awaited AIDS strategic plan by October, to evaluate the department's AIDS education activities by the end of June and to implement funding accountability measures immediately."

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Obituary in Windy City Times reads:

"Ed Prefontaine

"Celebration of life services were held May 18 at Good Shepherd MCC for Edward Lewis Prefontaine by his life partner, James Hubbard, and friends. The services were performed by Butch Kent, and the eulogy was delivered by James Nelson.

"Ed was raised in Mundelein, where he lived until he moved to Chicago in 1981. He operated his own interior design firm for two years before joining his lover's consulting business. He became ill while in Palm Springs, and had a lengthy hospital stay in Los Angeles. Ed expressed a desire to return to Chicago, a difficult task considering the state of his health, but one which his lover made certain came to fruition. They flew back to Chicago in early May, and Ed was immediately admitted to Saint Joseph's Hospital.

"Ed succumbed to complications due to AIDS on May 13. He was 41."

1994

Gay Chicago full-page ad for IML celebrations at Manhole, 3458 N. Halsted reads:

"Thursday, May 26th

WELCOME IML PARTY!

Free Manhole poster giveaway! Artwork by the Hun.

Friday, May 27th

LIGHTS OUT!

Manhole goes dark.

Free Manhole Flashlights to the first 250!

Saturday, May 28th

MILITARY BALLS 3!

Free Manhole dog tags to the first 500 grunts at the door.

Sunday, May 29th

THE INFAMOUS

UNDERPARTY!

Full leather dress code or underwear!

Monday, May 30, 1994

THE BURNOUT PARTY!

Squeeze out the last drop on our dancefloor!

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IMAGE: Windy City – Gay Chicago May 21, 1987

TOP TEN PLAYLIST courtesy of DJ Donnie Warner, Hunter's, Vortex, Manhole, Hideaway II: 1) "100% Pure Love" – Crystal Waters; 2) "Get Your Hands Off My Man" – Jr. Vasquez; 3) "Always" – Erasure; 4) "Pearl" – Sade; 5) "God Save the Queer" – Klatschi; 6) "Right in the Night" – Jim and Spoon; 7) "Liberation" – Pet Shop Boys; 8) "Possession" – Sarah McLachlan; 9) "When a Man Loves a Man" – Jody Watley; 10) "Closer" – Nine Inch Nails.

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Quotelines in Outlines:

"If I were not out, I would have earned millions of dollars in endorsements. But it's not just the money. It's also the public's acceptance ...there are still hisses, boos, and jeers when I step out on the court." – Tennis legend Martina Navratilova

IMAGE: Cathy Richardson – Nightlines July 31, 1996

And:

"I haven't competed since 1988, [but] from what I hear it's not much better today than it was years ago, and it was no picnic then." – Greg Louganis on the oppressive environment facing gay athletes.

And:

"The story of how I got fired from the Women's Pro Basketball League for being a lesbian-which is akin to being fired from the National Basketball Association for being Black-is the most lucrative and least-known story of my athletic career." – Former WPBL player Mariah Burton Nelson.

2010

In the bars and clubs, Honey West is the host for Karaoke at Roscoe's Tavern, Roscoe & Halsted; Manhandler Midnight Cowboy party at 1948 N. Halsted. Part of Bear Pride XVI; the hole is open at Jackhammer 6406 N. Clark; Rudy de la Mor is back at the 3160 Club, 3160 N. Clark St., by popular demand; Funny Bear with Shann Carr at Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted; it's a F*CKING HOLIDAY with CULT Stardust, Brilliant Pebbles Live at Berlin, 954 W. Belmont; Bobby Love's, 3729 N. Halsted, has BEAROKE with munchies; the Official Manhunt Party starring Drew Cutler and Austin Wilde at Spin, Halsted & Belmont, with a shower contest at midnight; Nuts to Butts Annual Bear Pride closing party with DJs Jose "Spinnin" Cortes and Jesse Mercado takes place at Vision Nightclub, 632 N. Dearborn Ave.

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IMAGE: Wonka Ball ­– Windy City Times May 26, 2010

An article by Yasmin Nair in Windy City Times begins:

"Fourteen LGBTQ protesters staged a sit-in at U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin's Chicago office May 20. They went to insist that the senator sign a pledge affirming his support for a transgender-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). The senator was not in his office, but the activists refused to leave unless the pledge was signed. (The signing did not occur.) The pledge required Durbin to 'agree to stand before [his] colleagues in the U.S. Senate and the media to forcefully declare the urgent need for a transgender-inclusive ENDA in 2010.'

"After an hour and a half, 13 of them were arrested. They included Lindsey Dietzler, Roger Fraser, Brent Holman-Gomez, Nik Maciejewski, Rachael McIntosh and Corrine Mina. The arrestees came from the coalition LGBT Change, and they represented groups such as GenderQueer Chicago, Join the Impact and the Gay Liberation Network. They were later released.

Homework

What's Honey West up to these days?

Anybody ever go to Vision nightclub?

Is DJ Donnie Warner still around?

Gay Chicago Photo Rewind

Dan Di Leo photographs the Glory Hole Buns Contest for Gay Chicago May 2, 1985

Erin Cross photographs the Manhandler softball team for Gay Chicago May 7, 1987

Kirk Williamson photographs Circuit for Nightspots April 2, 2008

William Burks took these photographs of the Race Against AIDS in Windy City Times May 7, 1987

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.