Gay life in Chicago this week, back in... 1989, 1998 and 2001

(May 9-15, 2019)

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

1989

An article in Gay Chicago reads:

"Ladies and gentlemen (and only you know into which category you may fall) tonight have we got a show for you. Sidetrack has scheduled to reopen after its long-awaited expansion. Now they'll be able to pack even more folks in during specialty nights.

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An obituary in Gay Chicago reads:

"Paul Wenson died peacefully on April 14, 1989, at the age of 34, from complications due to AIDS. On Sunday, April 23, family and friends released Mr. Wenson's ashes to the universe among a swirl of balloons and unconditional love at a lakeside memorial service at the Belmont Rocks.

"Originally from Detroit, Mr. Wenson moved to Chicago during 1984. After his diagnosis in 1987, Mr. Wenson devoted himself to various AIDS organizations. He became involved with the Test Positive Aware Network and was a client representative for the AIDS Alternative Health Project. He also was active in AIDS education, especially in the visual arts, for which he received a degree from Columbia College. One video to his credit was 'AIDS: It Could Happen to You,' produced by the Response Center. Mr. Wenson also was involved with the Gay and Lesbian Parents Association and the Gay Cable Network.

"Survivors include ..."

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IMAGE: Mr. Carol's Speakeasy – Gay Chicago August 20, 1987

In Rick Karlin's ETC column in Gay Chicago:

"No, there were no arrests at Man's Country over the weekend, despite the numerous rumors. Twenty-one persons, however, were arrested at the Bijou Theater as inmates of a disorderly house. And we thought the election was over ..."

1998

In the clubs and bars, "Mother's Day with Christina Crawford" presented by Marc Huestis, Chip Ducket and GLEE Club, 1543 N. Kingsbury; "God Shave the Queen," hosted by Jo Jo with Bobby Pins and Silky Jumbo premieres at Berlin, 954 W. Belmont; there's a Full Moon Fattest Ass contest at Touché, 6412 N. Clark St.; It's Stud Puppy Tuesday with sensational male dancers, at Temptations, 10235 W. Grand, Franklin Park; come and watch Ellen's last show on one of our seven TV screens at Rainbow Room, 4530 N. Lincoln; Visitors Day at Cell Block, 3702 N. Halsted. Join the inmates as we celebrate our third anniversary as Chicago's Place 'where leathermen do hard time"; DJ Jim Lewis is at Girlbar, 2625 N. Halsted.

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IMAGE: Little Bits – Gay Life May 13, 1977

Headline on the cover of Nightlines:

"Ellen DeGeneres and Anne Heche are engaged, planning a family, and entering the next phases of their careers ..."

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IMAGE: Chicago Celebration Ball – Gay Chicago August 20, 1989

Quotelines in Outlines:

"I could have been bankrupt without my gay fans. If you guys like someone, you stick with them. I feel like a female Tallulah Bankhead. – Cher

And:

"[Dianne Sawyer] interviewed Ellen DeGeneres and her lover, Anne Heche. The interview was perfectly normal, but for some reason Sam Donaldson asked if he could watch." – Conan O'Brien

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The Fireside Bowl, 2648 W. Fullerton, presents queer-punk singer/songwriter Scott Free Trio.

2001

An article in Windy City Times begins:

"The AIDS Foundation of Chicago Not Just Song and Dance, the agency's 11^th annual gala, attracted 1,000 people to the Sheraton down-town last Saturday. Chicago music legend Chaka Khan wowed the crowd with her passionate and upbeat performance, mixing old favorites with new dance tunes."

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IMAGE: Bulldog Road – Gay Chicago August 23, 1990

An article in Windy City Times by Karen Hawkins reads:

"Chicago Cubs pitcher Julian Tavarez has been fined an undisclosed amount and must undergo sensitivity training for anti-gay comments he made about San Francisco baseball fans after an April 28 game.

"The fine imposed by the Cubs will be distributed to charitable organizations, and the San Francisco Giants will help decide what charities will benefit. The fine was reportedly in the five-digit range, and some media reports have speculated that it was around $10,000.

"Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig declined to have the league penalize Tavarez, saying, 'While I am terribly offended by the remarks and remain vigilant of baseball's responsibility as a social institution, I am satisfied with the disciplinary measures taken by the Chicago Cubs.

"Selig's statement also said, 'The comments made by Julian Tavarez last Saturday in San Francisco were not only inappropriate but reprehensible. Mr. Tavarez embarrassed himself, his team and the game of baseball. There is no excuse for such language and there is no place in our game for bigotry.'

The anti-gay comments came after the cubs saw a bruising loss to the Giants, whose fans reportedly heckled and threw garbage at the team before the game. They specifically targeted Tavarez, a former Giant.

"Talking about the jeering, Tavarez said to seven or eight reporters after the game, 'Why should I care about the fans? They're nothing but a bunch of assholes and faggots here.'

"He apologized for his remarks the following day, saying, 'I want to tell the Cubs how sorry I am for what I say. I'm a very emotional man, you know. I don't mean what I say ...I should have never said those things. I let my emotions get in the way.'"

Homework

Who remembers GLEE Club?

Where's Julian Tavarez now?

Where's Anne Heche these days?

Gay Chicago Photo Rewind

Jack Sitar photographs Paris Dance owners for Gay Chicago August 27, 1987

Unknown photographer, unknown location in Gay Chicago News February 11, 1977

Sukie de la Croix takes photographs for Nightlines February 14, 2001

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.