Weekly news from the GLBT world http://www.windycitytimes.com/windycitytimes.html 2010-03-10T10:28:08-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://www.windycitytimes.com/images/publications/wct/2010-03-10/current.jpg text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25775 by Chuck Colbert text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Chuck Colbert, Keen News Service http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25774 A new law took effect March 3 in the nation's capital, granting equal rights in marriage licensing for gay couples. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Yasmin Nair http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25776 The Chicago History Museum's Out at CHM series hosted its first Latina/o event March 4. Titled Queer Latinos: Art and Change, the program showcased the work of two researchers, Lourdes Torres and Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes who presented on their Chicago-based work in the Latino/a community. They were introduced by Ramon Rivera-Servera, an assistant professor in the department of performance studies at Northwestern University. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25777 First Amendment rights were on full display in downtown Chicago March 8. On one side of upper Wacker Drive protesters held signs and shouted "God hates fags!," "God hates Jews!" and "God hates Obama!" On the other side of the street, counterdemonstrators waved their own signs and shouted, "God hates the new Facebook!," "God hates when you don't call!" and "I was promised GaGa tickets!" text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25769 Stevie Edwards, a local fashion designer, is accused of committing financial fraud—and he allegedly used the identity of Eugene Rivers, a jailed killer who is reportedly Edwards' boyfriend, according to the Chicago Tribune. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Andrew Davis http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25778 Nettelhorst Elementary School, located in the Lakeview area of Chicago, is one of the winners of U.S. Cellular's 2010 Calling All Communities campaign, according to PR Newswire. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Sam Worley http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25779 Spin, a gay bar at the corner of Halsted and Belmont, became the subject of a lawsuit last week following the high-profile departures of several female staff members. The suit, filed March 5 in Cook County Circuit Court, alleges that representatives of Spin failed to fulfill the terms of a contractual arrangement made when two employees, Andrea Cruzatti and Maria Christina Wiesmore, booked and promoted a February show by the performer known as Kid Sister. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Andrew Davis http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25799 National Black Justice Coalition NBJC Executive Director Sharon J. Lettman and Board Vice Chair Donna Payne recently joined presidents of historically Black colleges and universities HBCU across the country, key civil-rights leaders and select HBCU students as President Barack Obama signed the executive order Promoting Excellence, Innovation, and Sustainability at Historically Black Colleges and Universities HBCUs at the White House, according to NBJC.org. The David Bohnett Foundation supported this opportunity by aiding NBJC, a pro-LGBT organization, and the Human Rights Campaign's HBCU Project in sponsoring two LGBT students so they could attend. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Rex Wockner http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25783 Princess Diana, Gianni Versace, John Lennon, Michael Jackson, all dead. Two of them shot outside their houses. None of this would have happened if they hadn't been famous. Fame attracts lunatics. I never had a bodyguard, ever, until Gianni died. I don't like celebrity anymore. — Elton John to Parade magazine, Feb. 17. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Rex Wockner http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25785 "Princess Diana, Gianni Versace, John Lennon, Michael Jackson, all dead. Two of them shot outside their houses. None of this would have happened if they hadn't been famous. Fame attracts lunatics. I never had a bodyguard, ever, until Gianni died. I don't like celebrity anymore." — Elton John to Parade magazine, Feb. 17. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25746 From a News Release, March 3, 2010 text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25788 Pushing for equality text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com David Thayer http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25770 True Colors Tour alumnae Tegan and Sara have a new video with Alligator, directed by Marc De Pape. It is a more light-hearted affair than the duo's previous clip Hell, also from last year's Sainthood. In Alligator, the Quin sisters dance among confetti and build igloos out of garbage bags. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Andrew Davis http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25771 —The Baby Formula already out; $24.95 : Filmmaker Alison Reid helms this comedic movie that asks, What if women could have babies without men? Two women in love with each other use an experimental scientific process to create sperm from each others' stem cells so they can both be biologically related to their offspring. DVD features include a short film, Succubus; a behind-the-scenes featurette; and a trailer. Check the Windy City Times archives for a full review of this movie. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Greg Perrine http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25772 Before becoming a server, before attempting my first Food Network recipe, I remember being called into the kitchen to watch meat brown in a skillet, while my mom would switch a load of laundry or make a quick phone call. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25773 The Chicago Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce held its 11th Annual Jack Daniel's Chili Cook-off March 6 at the Boystown nightspot Sidetrack. Attendees were able to taste chili from up to 15 different competitors; play games; enjoy beverages from sponsors Jack Daniel's and 312; and win prizes. Photos by Kat Fitzgerald MysticImagesPhotography.com text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25786 Friends are raising money for home-based care for longtime Chicago activist Renae Ogletree. Ogletree has been hospitalized and is now facing hospice care in her home, a daunting financial task. Her friends are coordinating both her care and the financial implications. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Christine Mortimer http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25787 U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, I am writing to you regarding the urgent need to help prevent harassment in schools. As a DePaul University student pursuing a master's degree in counseling, and a concentration in school counseling, I feel compelled to ask you to support the Dignity for All Students Act that was first passed in New York nine years ago. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Micki Leventhal http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25796 Susan Frazier, national sales manager for Goldenrod Music and a well-known and well-loved veteran of the women's music business/movement, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in September 2009. Over the past five months, she has undergone five rounds of chemotherapy. This month she is scheduled for a bone-marrow transplant, a procedure made possible because of a donor match through the national bone-marrow registry. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25797 Sir Elton John will be in concert Thursday, April 15, at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill., at 8 p.m. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Alicia Wilson http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25789 Visual art, technology, science, artificial intelligence, cognitive thinking—all of these elements can be found in dance performances throughout Chicago in the next few weeks. The theme of collaboration has made its way to the forefront of dance in the month of March, with several dance companies working alongside artists in a variety of mediums. These relationships result in textural and multilayered explorations of motion, humanity and space. Be sure to check out the following performances that delve into how the body works and moves. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Richard Knight, Jr. http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25790 Robert Pattinson, the moody poster boy for a cow-eyed generation of weeping teenaged girls and boys—thanks to the Twilight teenage vampire franchise—plays another gloomy Gus in another story of emotionally damaged lovers, albeit this time without the fangs. In Remember Me, Pattinson—playing Tyler Hawkins, the son of wealth and privilege in a family split by the death of his older brother—is matched up with Emilie de Ravin of TV's Lost as Ally Craig, the blue-collar daughter of a cop Chris Cooper . To add more drama to the mix, Ally's mother was gunned down in front of her as a child. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25791 The Iraq War drama The Hurt Locker was the big winner at the 82nd Academy Awards March 7, winning six Oscars—including Best Picture, where it bested nine other films. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Sarah Toce http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25792 Suzanne Westenhoefer is a woman who refuses to mince words when discussing LGBTQ rights and inequalities. She was out in the public eye before Ellen's famous airport loudspeaker "I'm Gay" declaration that touched the lives of millions. Her charm and zest is matched only by her humor and candor. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25793 Chicago Takes Off—the annual burlesque event that benefits HIV/AIDS agency Test Positive Aware Network—took place March 6 at the Park West. The show, which was entitled "TV Land: Outside the Box!," featured skits based on classic television series, including Gilligan's Island, The Addams Family, Charlie's Angels, The Dukes of Hazzard an aerial act and The Brady Bunch which had event co-founder Todd Kiech as Alice . The inimitable drag king Murray Hill hosted. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25794 The Gays Got Talent preliminary round at Roscoe's on Wed., March 3 packed the bar. Moving on to Sidetrack are Windy City Times Gay Idol 2009 Amy Kelly, Meghan Murphy, Sami Grisafe and Homer Marrs & Natalie Kossak, plus Bradley Thomas who won the $100 audience vote . Don't miss the BIG GAY SHOW at Sidetrack on March 20. Photos by Hal Baim; see more at www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com and in next week's issue of Nightspots. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Billy Masters http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25795 "Pamela Anderson, she's a little top heavy."—Apolo Anton Ohno tells Jay Leno why he thinks the Baywatch star won't do so well on Dancing With The Stars. That may be true, Apolo, but I bet she'll be popular with the crew! text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25806 Center on Halsted is presenting actOUT with Silk Road Theatre Project—featuring an intimate conversation with out playwright/artistic director Jamil Khoury and out stage director Steve Scott discussing their world premiere of The DNA Trail—Tuesday, March 16, 7-8:30 p.m. at the center, 3656 N. Halsted. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Mary Shen Barnidge http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25802 Playwright: Brian Friel. At: Seanachaí Theatre Company at the Irish-American Heritage Center, 4626 N. Knox. Phone: 866-811-4111; $22-$26. Runs through: April 4 text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Jerry Nunn http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25801 Celia Cruz the Musical is salsa-ing into Chicago this March. The story is based on the life of the legendary Cuban singer. Windy City Times spoke hermana a hermana to Anissa Gathers, the actress playing the lead: "Azucar!" text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25804 The Damnation of Faust, Lyric Opera of Chicago, through March 17. Stephen Langridge's modernized East German resetting of Berlioz's genre-bending oratorio/opera is thoroughly entertaining and a visual feast to behold. SCM text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Scott C. Morgan http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25805 Playwrights: Seth Bockley and Devon de Mayo for Dog & Pony Theatre Company Adore. Playwright: Stephen Louis Grush for XIII Pocket punkplay. Playwright: Gregory Moss for Pavement Group. At: Steppenwolf Garage Theatre, 1624 N. Halsted. Phone: 312-335-1650; $20, $45 three-play pass. Runs through: April 25 text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25800 Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe has filmed a public-service announcement on behalf of The Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization that helps LGBTQ youths, according to MTV.com. "It's something I've always been quite passionate about," Radcliffe said. "Because I grew up around gay men, it was always a natural thing to me. It was never something I ever gave a second thought to." Radcliffe added that there will soon be a Trevor Project iPhone app. Trained counselors are available 24/7 at 866-4-U-TREVOR 488-7386 . text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com John Fenoglio http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25780 How should educators deal with issues of sexual orientation and gender identity in their curriculums and in their schools' policies at large? That question, and others like it, were examined at a panel discussion entitled LGBTQ Lives & Education: An Agenda for Change presented by National Louis University NLU on March 2. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Andrew Davis http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25781 During Unite and Fight: Strategizing for LGBT Equality—Equality Across America's conference that is being held at Columbia College Chicago March 12-14—activists from across the Midwest will discuss how to achieve full federal equality while forming a strong regional grassroots network. Windy City Times talked with LGBT Change co-founder and conference co-organizer Anthony Martinez about the upcoming event and activism in general. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Steven Chaitman http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25784 An Illinois Senate bill that would allow religious organizations and affiliated nonprofits to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation in their hiring practices was killed last week. text/html 2010-03-10T06:00:00-06:00 http://www.windycitytimes.com Jonathan Abarbanel http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=25803 Playwright: Carlos Murillo At: Theatre Seven at Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago. Tickets: 773-853-3158; www.theatreseven.org; $12-$24. Runs through: April 4