Gay life in Chicago this week, back in... 1977, 1987 and 1995

(April 27-May 3, 2017)

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

1977

Article by Tom Peters in Gay Life begins:

"One of Chicago's thirteenth annual banquet, held last Saturday at the Como Inn, featured Malcolm Boyd as the major speaker. In addition Gay Life was given the Paul R. Goldman Award 'for meritorious service to the homophile community.' In accepting the award, Grant Ford, publisher, asked everyone from the staff to stand and receive it, for, he maintained, it was not given to him alone."

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IMAGE: Disco Party at Berlin –Gay Chicago January 26, 1995

The Shepherd Players offer a second weekend of their production of "Status Quo Vadis" at MCC, 615 W. Wellington.

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Letter to Gay Life:

"You have to be kidding! Arthur Bell's column a must reading for the gay community? On the contrary, that ass should be hung by his balls. Anyone who would lash out at the magnificent Barbra Streisand, just to be nasty, doesn't deserve a pen to write with. He is a belligerent, envious person. Shame of you.

Thanks, Robert Gucci."

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IMAGE: Second Story Emporium – Gay Chicago December 16, 1982

It's the Grand Opening of the Outdoor Beer Garden at Little Bits, 2519 N. Halsted.

1987

In the bars and clubs, it's Ketty's Revue every Wednesday at the Normandy, 3400 N. Clark; the Inner Circle, 2546 N. Clark St., hosts an old-fashioned rummage sale as a fundraiser for Chicago House; the Gold Coast, 5025 N. Clark St. hosts a Mr. Gold Coast contest, a preliminary for Mr. Windy City; Club LaRay, 3150 N. Clark St., celebrates one year in business; hot male dancers and a Buck Off drinks at Christopher St., 3458 N. Halsted; and an X-Rated Night at Carol's Speakeasy, 1355 N. Wells; a French buffet with Chef Michael is a celebration of the 4^th anniversary of Company, 2683 N. Halsted.

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IMAGE: Brady cartoon – Gay Chicago January 26, 1995

After a three month search and selection process, Howard Brown Memorial Clinic names Rueben Dworsky of Brooklyn, New York, as its new executive director.

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Video Playlist courtesy of Keith Daniels of Take One: 1) "Keep Your Eye On Me" – Herb Albert; 2) "Each Time You Break My Heart" – Nick Kamens; 3) "Right On Track" – Breakfast Club; 4) "Overnight Sensation" – Tina Turner; 5) "Come As You Are" " – Peter Wolf; 6) "Disenchanted" – Communards; 7) "Day In Day Out" – David Bowie; 8) "The Right Thing" – Simply Red; 9) "Sex Appeal" – Georgio; 10) "It Doesn't Have To Be That Way" – Blow Monkeys.

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IMAGE: Spin – Gay Chicago December 19, 1996

Article in Windy City Times reads:

"Mary Gemini returns to Chicago and promises an evening of original and very unusual music. The New Wave in Women's Music is experiencing a second coming with this woman's wild wit and raw talent. Come see her perform on piano, synthesizers, voice and surprise guest instruments. Takes place at the Mountain Moving Coffee House."

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Article in Windy City Times reads:

"The Gay & Lesbian Town Meeting will hold its next monthly planning session this Sunday May 3, at Ida Noyes Hall of the University of Chicago, 1212 E. 59th St. at 3:30 p.m. The decision was made to hold the meeting in Hyde Park due to the escalating campaign of harassment of gay men and lesbians in that part of the city. The May 3 meeting will continue the discussion of the draft of the 'Chicago Ordinance on Human Rights.'"

1995

From The OOZE in Babble:

"Gettin' them some good Pussy

Memorial Day Weekend Berlin will be hostessing, straight from Crystal City, Feather Boa recording artist Mrs. Pussy Tourette. The Big Pussy will be spreadin' out and singing loud her new singles off the forthcoming album. 'Who Does She Think She Is?' Also hits like 'French Bitch' and 'Brigitte.'"

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An article in Outlines newspaper reads:

"Police seeks leads in phoneline murder

"Chicago police detectives in Area 5 are looking for gay or bisexual men who may have been attacked, robbed or threatened by individuals they met on gay voice mail lines. A Logan Square man, Scott Allen Shaver, was murdered in December, and police suspect he was killed by a man he met through a gay phone service. Because the phone lines offer anonymity and are almost impossible to trace, clients use the service at their own risk, Sgt. Tom Keogh said. "We recommend that people using the lines get the other person's home phone number, and be suspicious if they refuse to give it out, or only offer a beeper number,' he said. 'Let someone know where you're meeting, and make it a public place.'"

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Quotelines in Outlines:

"If I'm making love to a woman that I love, I wouldn't necessarily be a lesbian just because she might call herself that. I feel my sexuality is as individual as my soul, and it keeps getting enriched. ... If I ever felt that I was a lesbian, I would be thrilled to say it. And it would hurt me to say I was heterosexual. And it would hurt me to say I was sleeping with a man at the moment. I'm not." – Sophie Hawkins

And:

"Oh Chicago, honey. Looking at women in Chicago is like looking at a Fleetwood Mac album." – Lea DeLaria

And:

"Women should be worshipped as Love Goddesses, and all men should be our furniture–that gives them a purpose. And if they're women-in-training, like gay men, then they can give us our outfits." – Judy Tenuta

Homework

What's Judy Tenuta up to these days?

Does anybody know why Club LaRay closed?

Who's Mary Gemini?

Gay Chicago Photo Rewind

Israel Wright photographs the Color Triangle Jam for Blacklines October 2001

Israel Wright and Sukie de la Croix photograph Wigstock Chicago for Blacklines, October 2001

Terry Gaskins photographs at Berlin and Charlie's for Gay Chicago, February 2, 1995

Terry Gaskins photographs at Berlin and the Eagle for Gay Chicago, February 2, 1995

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.