July 28-August 3, 2016

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

1975

An article in Gay Life is headlined "Suburban bar closes its doors":

"The Missing Link, 3011 North Mannheim Road, closed its doors during mid-July for the final time. Although spokespersons for the bar were unavailable for comment, general opinion in the community is that the bar failed to attract enough business to stay afloat financially.

"In the past month, the bar was the scene of two benefits for the gay community, including a July 4 benefit for the Chicago Gay Crusader and a disco dance benefit for west suburban Holy Covenant Church.

"A comment made to a Gay Life staffer at the Holy Covenant benefit on July 16 was that with the fifty people present, the bar was 'the most crowded it had ever been on a Wednesday night.'"

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IMAGE: Music Box – Windy City Times May 7, 1987

An article in Gay Life begins:

"In an effort to help control the spread of venereal disease, Man's Country/Chicago (a membership club), has begun an independent testing clinic between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. every Saturday night. With the help of two health officials, Bill and Tony, and a handful of dedicated volunteers from Chicago's gay community, Man's Country is making an effort to help stamp out V.D."

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From Leslie Nichols' Night Life column in Gay Life:

"For a really great Bloody Mary check out the daily ('til 7:00 p.m.) 75c special at Virgo Out. Not only good and spicy but it comes with a fresh celery stick and a friendly smile. The Leo Zodiac Party on the 24thsported a packed house, with 50c beer and go-go-boys."

1992

In the bars and clubs, it's Rene's First 39th birthday party at the Lucky Horseshoe Lounge, 3169 N. Halsted; early '70s Dance Music at Berlin, 954 W. Belmont; Summer of Strippers at Bistro Too, 5015 N. Clark St.; Jagermeister Party at North End, 3733 N. Halsted; and bootblack with Harry every Thursday at AA Meat Market, 2933 N. Lincoln.

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IMAGE: Windy City Times cover – Windy City Times July 2, 2008

Top Ten courtesy of DJ Eddie Jannett: 1) "Please Don't Go" – Double You; 2) "Time to Time" – Atomizer; 3) "The Hitman" – AB Logic;4) O'Fortuna" – Apothoesis; 5) "Set Me Free" – Mitsou; 6) "Deep Kiss" – Erasure; 7) "Dancing Queen" – Erasure; 8) "James Bond Never Dies" – Mig 29; 9) "Mig 29" – Rozalia; 10) "Everybody's Free" – Black Box.

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An article by Tracey Pepper in Windy City Times begins:

"Forty members of ACT UP, the Emergency Clinic Defense Coalition and Citizens in Solidarity with People of El Salvador staged a rally from noon to 1:30 p.m. Thursday in front of the Chicago Tribune Tower, 435 N. Michigan Ave., to protest a July 19 editorial that activists say distorts the AIDS crisis.

"'We went down there to pick apart their editorials,' said ACT UP member Tim Miller. 'We wanted to point out that it's not that AIDS is overfunded but that all health care in the United States is underfunded; and that the only answer to this is national health care, which the Tribune and George Bush both oppose,' he said.

"Activists are upset because the editorial, 'What's Fair and What's Not on AIDS,' compares the amount of money spent in the U.S. on AIDS to the amount spent on combating cancer, heart disease and stroke.

"It says: 'In the grim competition for federal help, AIDS has fared particularly well.' Flyers handed out at the rally say that the tactic pits one health issue against another and is destructive."

2012

Excerpts from Windy City Times calendar:

"Equality Illinois Celebrity Pie-Lympics. This year, in honor of the upcoming London Olympic games, EQIL is taking our Celebrity Pie Toss to the next level by re-naming it the Pie-Lympics. The throws will be faster, higher, and stronger. Free and open to the public. We are still recruiting celebrities for the Pie Toss but we already have state Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, Ald. James Cappleman, Chicago Force Women's Tackle Football Team, representatives from the Chicago Fire and the Chicago gay hockey team confirmed. 2pm-5pm, 773- 477-7173, Sidetrack, 3349 N Halsted St."

IMAGE: Happy New Year at Bulldog Road – Gay Chicago December 29, 1988

And:

"Cowboys & Cocktails with the Windy City Cowboys. A fun afternoon with plenty of cowboys. Raffle for a brand new iPad. 2pm-5pm, Marty's, 1511 W Balmoral."

And:

"5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche." It's 1956 and the Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein is meeting for their annual quiche breakfast. However, this year there is an unexpected agenda item—the dropping of atom bombs on their city. $20-$25; 8:45pm, Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St."

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IMAGE: Well Dance at Bistro Too – Nightlines April 18, 1990

An article in Windy City Times begins:

"Ald. Proco "Joe" Moreno has vowed to oppose the opening of a Chick-fil-A restaurant in his ward, after the company's chief operating officer said he was 'guilty as charged' of opposing gay rights.

"Moreno joined a chorus of critics against the fast-food chain as the fallout over Chick-fil-A COO Dan Cathy's comments continued for a second week.

"Cathy told Christian news publication the Baptist Press that his goal is to operate the fast-food chain 'on Biblical principles' and that he opposed same-sex marriage.

"The comments have set off a firestorm of bad press against the fast-food chain and irked elected officials throughout the country."

Homework

Whatever happened to Tracey Pepper?

Does anybody know who owned the AA Meat Market?

Where is DJ Eddie Jannett?

Gay Chicago Photo Rewind

Ralph Paul and Dan Di Leo photograph Marge Summitt and Frank Kellas for Gay Chicago June 11, 1987

Sukie de la Croix took these pictures at Bucks and the Annex for Nightspots June 25, 2003

Pictures of LA Connection and North End in Outlines June 18, 1987

A young Alexandra Billings in Windy City Times July 16, 1992

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.