Gay life in Chicago this week, back in... 1985, 1993, and 1999

(December 20-26, 2018)

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

1985

In the bars and clubs, $1 slammers/schnapps all day at Bucks, 3439 N. Halsted, thru Dec. 31; there's a Tree-Trimming Party at Gentry, 712 N. Rush St., to benefit Chicago House; the Cleaning Ladies perform at His 'n' Hers, 944 W. Addison; there's a buffet with champagne and raffles at Lady Bug, 3445 N. Halsted; pianist David Hamilton entertains at Showcase One, 959 W. Belmont.

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IMAGE: Spin – Gay Chicago May 29, 2003

The Out Look Out Best of '85 Awards in Gay Chicago:

Best Gay Movie: "The Times of Harvey Milk." The Academy Award winner beats out runners-up, "Buddies," "Before Stonewall," and "Choosing Children" by a hair.

Best Women's Erotic Film: "Erotic in Nature" is lesbian to the core. Produced, directed, and acted by gay women.

Best Men's Erotic Film: "Inch by Inch," Matt Sterling's latest entry sizzles from start to finish.

Best Novel: "The Color Purple." Unfortunately Alice Walker's lesbian sub-text was all but eliminated from the film version.

Best Summer Reading: Armistead Maupin's "Babycakes" followed the "Tales of the City" characters through the mid-'80s.

Best Performance by a Dyke in a Supporting Role: To the women at Augie and CK's for apprehending a man breaking into a car outside the bar.

Best Performance by a Queen in a Supporting Role: To our own Rick Karlin for his Angie Dickinson-like role in apprehending an alleged felon.

Best New Women's Bar: Paris Dance gives women a classy bar with an equally classy staff.

Best Preliminary Mister contest: Showcase One wins, largely because of Brian Winston's ability to keep the action (and the men) moving.

Best Bar Food: His 'n' Hers wins again. Marge's burger helps the bar retain the crown.

Best Media Battle: A tie between Bubbles' battle with Niles City officials and the Gay Life vs. Windy City Times squabble. These two situations garnered more coverage by the straight media than 15 years of pride parades.

IMAGE: Roscoe's – Gay Chicago May 29, 2003

Best Fundraising Event: "Strike Against AIDS," not only the top moneymaker, but a fun event as well.

Best Performance at a Gay Concert: The Chicago Gay Men's Chorus with Thom Cullahan as Baby Jane Hudson singing, "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."

Best Out-of-Town Performer: Lynn Lavner's two stints at Gentry. The New York native sings from the heart (as well as regions somewhere lower).

Best Comeback: Karen Mason proved that she not only got her voice back, but she got some extra. The suburban chanteuse wowed 'em at Park West.

Best Performance on a Gay Stage: Lionheart Theater's "Café Homophobe," though it dragged in parts, the ending was as powerful a statement on the effects of homophobia as I've ever seen.

1993

TOP TEN DANCE SINGLES OF 1993, according to DJ Keith Ware: 1) "UR the Best Thing" – D:Ream; 2) "Supermodel" – RuPaul; 3) "U Got Me Up" – Cajmere featuring Dajae; 4) "Show Me Love" – Robin S; 5) "Push the Feeling On" – Nightcrawlers; 6) "Play it Again (Zig Zag)" – DJ Fiasco; 7) "I'm Gonna Get You" – Bizarre Inc.; 8) "Little Bird" – Annie Lennox; 9) "It's Gonna Be a Lovely Day" – The S.O.U.L. System; 10) "Brighter Days" – Cajmere featuring Dajae.

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IMAGE: Kit Kat Lounge – Gay Chicago May 29, 2003

An article in Gay Chicago begins:

"Laurie J. Dittman has been appointed special assistant to the City Treasurer, with responsibility for inter-governmental affairs. The former director of IMPACT, Dittman will serve as liaison to elected officials, government agencies and banks for City Treasurer Miriam Santos."

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IMAGE: @mosphere – Gay Chicago May 29, 2003

An article in Windy City Times begins:

"A long-awaited victory for the Chicago gay and lesbian community came last Wednesday when the City Council passed by a vote of 31-13 an ordinance granting domestic partner bereavement leave benefits for city employees."

"Gay activists hailed the ordinance, originally introduced to the council by sponsor Ald. Bernie Hansen (44th) nearly a year ago, as an important move toward equality in the workplace, particularly because it sets out a definition of 'domestic partner' in the city's code. This gives them what they hope will be a foot in the door for future moves to establish a citywide registry and to extend medical benefits."

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Dignity Chicago invites you to a Midnight Mass on Dec. 24 at 11:45 p.m. at Broadway United Methodist Church, 3344 N. Broadway.

1999

An article in Outlines begins:

"A lesbian mother may never see her daughter again because an Illinois appeals court said Dec. 16 that it could not consider her plea or visitation, the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund said.

"The three-judge panel of the 1 st District Court of the Illinois Appellate Court said the state marriage code is silent on same-sex families, so it could not rule in the case.

"The court dismissed the mother's efforts to seek visitation with a five-year old girl she adopted and helped bring into the world and raise with her former partner, ruling she lacks standing."

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In Quotelines in Outlines:

"I don't believe 'don't ask, don't tell' has worked and I don't believe it is ultimately the policy we should have in our military. I believe Americans willing to serve their country should be allowed to do so. There are already gay and lesbian Americans who serve with distinction in the military. They should be able to do so without discrimination and harassment." – Hillary Clinton

Homework

Who remembers the Lady Bug?

Is DJ Keith Ware still around?

Who saw Karen Mason at Gentry?

Gay Chicago Photo Rewind

Nancy Reiff and Dan DiLeo took these photos of Prom Night at Broadway Ltd. and the Lincoln Park Lagooners for Gay Chicago June 23, 1982

18th anniversary of North End photographed for Gay Chicago November 29, 2001

Bill Bradley photographs Pizza Express for Gay Life May 7, 1982

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.