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LGBT nursing personnel discuss pandemic experiences

Thousands of healthcare professionals in Chicago, many of them members of the city''s LGBT community, have been thrown into the frontlines of America''s struggle to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Tony Amberg, a psychiatric nurse practitioner at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, healthcare providers have had to struggle with the same uncertainties that the public and community members have all had to struggle with: determining an effective response to a relatively unknown illness. READ MORE

Patti LuPone: A comeback in quarantine 

WCT: If it weren''t for COVID, you''d be throwing back martinis on Broadway in Company. So I''m happy to hear you''re still throwing back martinis-or something!
Patti LuPone: Well, last night we had frozen strawberry daiquiris, but that was really the first time, because I was texting with a friend of mine and she said, "Go have a daiquiri," and I went, "You know what? That sounds like a good idea." And we seem to have all the fixings for it! So my kid made daiquiris for my husband, himself and me. Then I had red wine, which wasn''t too smart. What I''m drinking a lot of right now is red wine. And I''m just trying . you know it''s really easy to let yourself go!  READ MORE

Global panel looks at impact of COVID-19 on LGBTQI people
Following the release of OutRight Action International''s report "Vulnerability Amplified: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on LGBTIQ People," the United Nations (UN) LGBTI Core Group hosted a virtual panel "The Impact of COVID-19 on LGBTIQ People" on May 18. The panel was one of the ways the UN marked this year''s 2020 International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), which actually took place May 17.  READ MORE

The internecine battles of the gay community are legendary. They are not limited to Chicago, or to any one segment of the community. And the gay media have certainly not been immune to these growing pains of the fledgling modern gay-rights movement. Chicago''s gay media have strong and deep roots. In Chicago, Henry Gerber started what is believed to be the first U.S. gay publication in the 1920s. Friendship and Freedom lasted just two issues, thanks to harassment by the postal service and police, but Gerber''s work did not go unnoticed. And his courage still inspires Chicago journalists. In the 1950s, Chuck Renslow and Dom Orejudos started the men''s physique magazines Triumph, Mars and Rawhide Male. In the 1960s, the Mattachine Midwest Newsletter was a vital source for community news and information, including reports on police harassment, mainstream media bias-and the 1969 Stonewall protests in New York. READ MORE

Community reacts to Boystown name change

Northalsted Business Alliance (NBA) announced Sept. 23 that it would discontinue utilizing the term "Boystown" in its marketing of the area. NBA''s decision came shortly after a survey answered by 7,890 respondents found that, while 58% of them favored keeping the moniker, the majority of those identifying as lesbian, transgender, non-binary and queer wanted the change. "To acknowledge and welcome all members of the LGBTQ+ community, the chamber will discontinue using the name Boystown in marketing and revert to the long standing-name Northalsted," said NBA officials on its website Sept. 24. "An accompanying slogan, ''Chicago''s Proudest Neighborhood,'' has been an addition since 2014." READ MORE

Nightlines 1990-2001, Nightspots 2001-2015
Throughout the 1990s, Nightlines focused on the LGBTQ entertainment scene, from the bars to the stage and everything in between. With the new millennium came a significant format change as Nightspots focused in on the bar scene, covering special events and just plain ol'' drinking nights in every gay bar in the greater Chicago area. Among the many pictured below are the first issue of Nightlines from March 28, 1990; the first issue of Nightspots from November 14, 2001; the first glossy issue from October 29, 2003; the final issue from June 25, 2015; and the only issue ever of Nightspots to feature a national star rather than a local luminary on the cover. See if you can pick that one out for yourselves!  READ MORE

This year''s installment of Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival officially takes place online and begins Sept. 24. The festival lasts through Oct. 4, although select films will be available for screening for a few days past closing. For complete festival information and to buy tickets, visit reelingfilmfestival.org/2020   READ MORE

Howard Brown breaks ground on new Broadway Youth Center location

Officials from the Howard Brown Health organization, public officials and community supporters gathered in Uptown Sept. 10 to break ground on a new Broadway Youth Center location. Projected for a 2021 opening, the five-story facility, at 1053 W. Irving Park Rd., will be about 20,000 square feet, said Howard Brown Health CEO and President David Munar, who moderated the event. He called the occasion a "crossroads in Howard Brown''s history." Broadway Youth Center ( BYC )-which is operated by Howard Brown Health and mainly assists unstably housed LGBTQ youth-has spent years looking for a permanent home. READ MORE

Computer programmer/Chi-Town Squares member Bill Klein passes away
Longtime Chi-Town Squares member and COBOL computer programmer William "Bill" Michael Klein died Sept. 5 due to health complications after he fell down in his home a few days prior. He was 70.. When Klein was not working, he was a very active member of Chicago''s LGBTQ square dancing club Chi-Town Squares. He joined the club immediately upon returning to the Chicago area in 1998 and stayed active with the group in various capacities for the next 20 years. Klein was one of the top C4 ( challenge level ) square dancers in the United States. He was known for his expertise on the dance floor and taught many square dancers no matter their dance level. READ MORE

When Alice Cozad and Linda Young met each other as freshmen at the University of Iowa they knew almost instantly that they would be together as a couple for the rest of their lives. "The electricity went out in the basement of the dorm, where we lived during the 1970 fall session," said Cozad. "It was pitch-black and I grabbed onto Linda for dear life and would not let go. This was the beginning of our love story." READ MORE

Asha Ransby-Sporn talks building on

With anti-racism protests happening around the United States, in what some media outlets are saying is the largest movement in this country''s history, demands to abolish the police have increasingly been a part of the rallying call. Queer movement organizer Asha Ransby-Sporn-co-founder and previous national organizing co-chair for the Black Youth Project''s activist organization, BYP 100-is no stranger to activism around abolition.  READ MORE

BOOKS In fashion: Jay Manuel dishes on ''The Wig, The Bitch & The Meltdown''

Jay Manuel has been many things, including an make-up artist and a creative director-and he is probably best known as taking on the latter role for several years on the reality-competition show America''s Next Top Model. (He also hosted Canada''s Next Top Model for a few years.) Now, he''s back with the book The Wig, The Bitch and The Meltdown-a satirical take on reality TV that was released Aug. 3. The book features a Tyra Banks-esque character named Keisha Kash and a Manuel-type protagonist named Pablo Michaels  READ MORE

Jaida Essence Hall (real name: Jared Johnson) won the twelfth season of RuPaul''s Drag Race. America''s current drag superstar is from Milwaukee and began performing in the early 2010s. Her drag family includes mothers Tajma Hall and Prada Diamond with her drag sisters being Mercedes Iman Diamond, Dida Ritz and Kahmora Hall. Hall-along with other RuPaul stars such as Asia O''Hara, Gigi Goode and Vanessa Vanje-is among those scheduled to perform in Chicago for a Werq the World Drive ''N Drag show. This three-day event, with two shows each night at Soldier Field''s South Parking Lot, comes complete with Jumbotron LED screens, a light show and gourmet food trucks. READ MORE

Local activist Wanda B. tells her life story in ''Leader by Fault''

Founder of Stud 4 Life, Lawanda Green-or Wanda B.-is no stranger to giving back. Her organization has marched to stop the violence and does cancer walks in honor of her late mother, Dorothy Jean Green. And now, she is sharing her life story in Leader by Fault, a new book about forgiveness, the importance of community and living her life her way.  READ MORE

Amazin LeThi: On journeys of emotional and physical strength
Amazin LeThi was a young adult in London when she hit rock bottom: She was homeless, living in and out of shelters for a couple years. She was suicidal and battling mental health issues. LeThi told Windy City Times she slept for basically two days straight, then finally woke up on the third day crying, in the fetal position at the shelter. "I just thought, ''What has become of my life?''" LeThi said in a late-June interview. Despite her woes at the time, she said she knew "I had so much more to give, even though I didn''t know exactly what that was."  She reached into her sporting background for strength, courage, advice, and help. Sports was her anchor, to help pull herself out. READ MORE

It takes the winning combination of gay producer Ryan Murphy and lesbian actress Sarah Paulson to bring the fictional story of Ratched to life in unexpected ways. The new drama series on Netflix already has a built-in fan base, thanks to nurse Mildred Ratched from the unforgettable novel and film One Flew Over the Cuckoo''s Nest. Nurse Ratched is known for being a cold, complicated and controlling character in past portrayals. Ratched takes these traits to a whole new level.  READ MORE

Out Illinois State coach dives into new position

Logan Pearsall, an accomplished college diver who has since transitioned into master''s level diving, was competing at the 2017 FINA World Masters Championships in Budapest, Hungary. He was doing a challenging inward dive from a one-meter platform and admittedly "had been not doing it very well in warm-ups." A diver from Italy and Pearsall were tied going into the last round and the Italian did his last dive very well, but it was a lower degree of difficulty. "The thought in my head was ''You''re either going to hit the dive or hit the board trying,''" Pearsall said. "I did the dive for 7.5/8s. which is really good and ended up beating him by just over one point. I looked over at him and he was completely in shock while I was extremely excited."  READ MORE

MOVIES: David Pevsner brings performance to home screens
Although Los Angeles-based performer David Pevsner''s solo performance piece Musical Comedy Whore! is technically a one-man show, Pevsner takes care to differentiate it from others. "I think people are kind of surprised by it, [thinking] that it''s a ''one-man show'' or a ''cabaret act,'' and it''s just not," said Pevsner, who is a Skokie native. "It''s so much more than that." Musical Comedy Whore! opened on stage in 2013, and its title says it all: Pevsner worked as an escort in order to supplement his acting jobs when he was working off-Broadway. "Everything in the show is true," he explained. "There is a little bit of chronology I switched around for drama, but everything is true. The ''plot'' aspect of the show happened in the mid-to-late-''90s, and right after it happened, I wrote a screenplay about it." He added, "I''m so not a ''drama king,'' and I couldn''t believe I had all that drama in my life." READ MORE

Memories of Pride
We asked our readers to share some of their favorite Pride memories from years past. Enjoy our shared history!

It was the year of the United States Bicentennial when Diane photographed the 7th Annual Gay Pride Parade. The parade was a declaration of independence with marchers and floats on North Broadway Street, while traffic ran in the opposite direction "Kickoff," The Chicago Gay Pride Parade 1976, From: Diane Alexander White  READ MORE

TV: Sam Feder, Laverne Cox discuss trans documentary ''Disclosure''

Disclosure is a new original documentary debuting on Netflix in time for Pride season. Through a series of movie and television clips plus personal interviews, Disclosure gives a history of the depiction of the transgender community in the media over the years. Some of the trans artists featured in Disclosure are Laverne Cox, Lilly Wachowski, Yance Ford and Chaz Bono. A few the films covered in the doc include The Crying Game, Boys Don''t Cry as well as television shows The Jefferson and The L-Word, to name a few. READ MORE

Photographer focuses on ''The People of the Pride Parade''

WCT: The book included LGBTQ history at the beginning. Then following it, I noticed there were pictures of people from every age group, gender, and race celebrating pride. How do the moments you captured speak to the progress of the movement?
AB: Pride has changed over time, and putting aside any feelings of corporate sponsorship, or anything felt about pride to this day, it continues to remain an incredible weekend full of joy, full of locals, full of visitors celebrating, and full of instances of amazing identity. Pride was always at least somewhat political depending on where you are in history. READ MORE

Trans actress'' dreams come true on ''Supergirl''
Actress Nicole Maines represents a new generation of transgender activists who are growing both artistically and publicly. Maines was assigned to being male at birth and at three years old showed that was incorrect. Later in life, she became Susan Doe to fight for bathroom rights in the landmark case Doe v. Regional School Unit 26. In June 2014, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the school district violated her rights and she was awarded compensation. Following the victory, her acting career took off with the USA Network show Royal Pains and The CW series Supergirl. READ MORE

Trent Crews on his new song, coming out and Jennifer Lopez

Trent Crews is a singer with several tunes to his credit-but some may know him best from reality TV. Crews made history when he appeared on season eight of Love & Hip Hop: New York, in which he was the boyfriend of make-up artist (and cast member) Jonathan Fernandez. However, that relationship ended on a tempestuous note that involved allegations of cheating and the presentation of proof that one of them was married to someone else. Crews is focused on being a musician (and has been one for more than two decades). He recently talked with Windy City Times about his newest release, "Papi".  READ MORE

Laura Dreyfuss, Rahne Jones on season two of ''The Politician''
The quirky Netflix dark dramedy The Politician teems with scandalous satisfaction from the moment rich kid Payton Hobart ( Ben Platt ) invites viewers into his Santa Barbara, California, mansion. Born into a poor family and adopted by Georgina Hobart ( Gwyneth Paltrow ), literally nothing is as it originally appears. It''s worse, actually. Award-winning television creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan offer audiences impossibility with every episode in the first season-and there''s now a second in the works. The trio also serves as executive producers, with Alexis Martin Woodall, Platt and Paltrow joining the ranks.  READ MORE

WCT surveys LGBTQ+ groups on areas of inclusion, change

Windy City Times surveyed a number of community organizations to see how they address diversity within their ranks, including board leadership, senior management and employees. In our questions, we were most interested in how advocates have been ensuring that their organizations have input from historically under-represented members of the LGBT community, such as transgender or bisexual folks. Complete responses from the organizations follow. Link to online chart at conclusion of article.. READ MORE

Caroline Aaron talks social justice, podcasting,''Marvelous Mrs. Maisel''

Caroline Aaron is known for her many captivating roles in film, TV, Broadway and, most recently, as Shirley Maisel on the award-winning show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Talking with Windy City Times, Aaron described the values and commonalities that she shares with Maisel, the title character''s mother; as a married Jewish mom on the show and in real life, Aaron said feels that those attributes are easy for her to relate to. "That was part of building the character for Shirley, but I had certain things I wanted to bring to the character, like how she''s crazy about her husband," said Aaron. READ MORE

PHOTOGRAPHY: Peter Bussian focuses on New York''s trans community
Peter Bussian is a visual artist who continually promotes international themes in his work. He''s been published in The New York Times, LA Times, Paris Match and O: The Oprah Magazine, among others. Several galleries in Los Angeles have displayed his work involving Afghanistan. He''s made documentary films in Nigeria, Sudan and Pakistan. In 2008, he worked on Opium War, a film in which he played a U.S. soldier; the movie was Afghanistan''s submission for the Academy Awards. Bussian''s latest project is a photography book called Trans New York that gives an intimate look on a wide range of people in various city settings. READ MORE

Spyners Pub owner posts racist screed on Facebook, apologizes later

Amidst almost a week of protests in support of #BlackLivesMatter in Chicago and other locations across the United States, Spyners Pub owner/general manager Maureen Sullivan posted a racist screed on Facebook that has since been deleted. Spyners Pub-4623 N. Western Ave., in Chicago''s Lincoln Square neighborhood-has long been a place where LGBTQ people and their allies frequent. Sullivan''s post that has been shared via screen shot by multiple people on her May 13 Facebook post about her bar''s renovations Facebook stated verbatim: READ MORE

Lola Lennox lives a legacy

At the age of 29, singer Lola Lennox is finally ready to release music and show listeners what she''s all about. She was raised in the perfect environment for that to happen. Her mother is singer Annie Lennox, from the pop duo Eurythmics, who has had major stardom with hits such as "Sweet Dreams ( Are Made of This )" and "Would I Lie to You?"Her father is movie producer and director Uri Fruchtmann. Her sister Tali is a successful model and actress. She discovered legendary artists like Dusty Springfield, Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald as she grew up and signed up for singing lessons at eight years old before attending the Royal Academy of Music.  READ MORE

Alpana Singh talks restaurants, show in the age of COVID-19
Windy City Times recently talked with Alpana Singh-master sommelier, Evanston restaurant owner and host of the WTTW show Check, Please!-about the state of the industry.
Windy City Times: How are you doing, personally and professionally?
Alpana Singh: I''m okay. It''s one of those weird things where you should be careful what you ask for because you just might get it, you know? I get to stay home and cook, and nobody bothers me-and, then, you''re [saying], "I take it back. I take it back." [Laughs]  READ MORE

Brian Tanen talks about ''Love, Simon'' spinoff ''Love, Victor''

Ready to binge a new queer-centered television series that had a spoonful too much gay sugar to let the medicine go down for Disney? Well, Love, Victor might be the cure you are looking for to pass the time during a quarantine, thanks to Hulu. Love, Victor is the story of a student named Victor Salazar struggling with his sexual orientation at Creekwood High School. It''s set in the same high school where the movie Love, Simon occurred in a similar situation. The first season begins with the young sophomore adjusting to a new school and seeking advice from Simon on social media. Brian Tanen is the co-showrunner and executive producer for Hulu''s Love, Victor. He has written for shows such as Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, Atypical and Devious Maids. READ MORE.

Marvel''s first openly trans actor on Pride, BLM and Hollywood

Windy City Times: You''ve said before that you were 17 the first time you saw a transgender person on TV, and it was really meaningful moment. How does it feel to be that same representation for young LGBTQ fans watching you in Spider-Man: Far From Home?
Zach Barack: It was really meaningful. It''s kind of weird because I think everything is happening on a different scale now. There''s a movie about to come out on Netflix about trans representation and it was bizarre to see how many people could interview for it. I think when I was in high school I could count on two fingers how many trans actors'' names I knew.  READ MORE

BOOKS: Skokie native writes about creating an LGBTQ family
Steve Disselhorst dreamed of being a parent since he was a kid growing up in Skokie. On June 16, his first book, Determined To Be Dad, was released, and it details his journey to fulfill that dream. Disselhorst grew up in a Catholic, mostly Irish family. Transfering from a Catholic school in Skokie to Edison Elementary School, a public school in Morton Grove, in the fifth grade was a big change, as Disselhorst explained the majority of Skokie residents were Jewish and about 10 percent of people were Holocaust survivors.  He recalled it was when he made this move, in the late ''70s, that he first interacted with Jewish people since he was "living in this cocoon in my Catholic school setting. "It was the same time the Illinois Nazi party was trying to march in Skokie," he said. READ MORE

Rufus Wainwright on new album, Pride, future

WCT: How did you commemorate Pride this year?
RW: I performed for Toronto Pride online. I have to say, I liked it when they changed the parade into a march for Black Lives Matter in LA. I wasn''t able to attend, but I have been going out to the demonstrations when I can around here. New York has returned Pride to its roots, which has been needed for a long time.
WCT: I have been to your concerts in Chicago ever since you opened for Tori Amos. You usually have a very straight crowd attending. Did you ever think about how being an out musician has affected your career?
RW: I definitely think about how if I had jiggered my persona slightly and been more mysterious about my sexuality to my audience, I would have been more successful. .......READ MORE

Queer filmmaker has ''Mucho Mucho Amor'' for famed astrologer

For generations, Puerto Rican astrologer Walter Mercado has brought hope and the future for many families over the years. He grew up a dancer, an actor in theater and starred in many telenovelas before his unique character debuted as a regular astrology segment for El Show de las 12. This eventually grew into a Univision network spot shown throughout the Americas. Mercado''s legacy grew to international proportions before his death on Nov. 2, 2019, from kidney failure at age 87. Bringing his story back to life, queer filmmaker Kareem Tabsch, along with Cristina Costantini, directed a new documentary called Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado that was filmed right before Mercado passed away. READ MORE

INTERNET Juan Pablo Di Pace: Life''s all about the small things in ''Minutiae''
The coronavirus pandemic has put many things on hold-but has also led to creative output from individuals who may not otherwise have had time to produce such projects. Such is the case with Juan Pablo Di Pace, an out actor/singer/dancer who is originally from Argentina but who took over U.S. screens on such shows as Fuller House and Dancing with the Stars (which had arguably one of its most controversial seasons ever when Di Pace, who many thought would win, ended up in fifth place). Now, Di Pace is the creator, star and director of Minutiae-a YouTube series in which he plays Tomas, a neurotic but optimistic Hollywood actor who deals with the little things in his life.  READ MORE

Zipter has written across many genres over the years. Along with the nationally syndicated column, Inside Out, which ran from 1983 to 1993, she wrote book reviews, feature articles and did celebrity interviews and for Windy City Times. "I come from a very working class family," Zipter said. "I''m actually the first woman in my extended family to graduate from college, so it never occurred to me that I could be a writer, but I''ve been reading since like 4 or 5-years-old. I''ve been a book addict and I started in high school writing really bad poetry, but I loved it and I loved reading it and I took one class in creative writing at university of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and learned a lot from that teacher and then just basically taught myself to write poetry by reading a lot of poetry." READ MORE

Documentary about Miss Continental pageant released

Independent nonprofit filmmakers The Reporters Inc. have released The Queens-a feature-length documentary celebrating the transgender women of the internationally revered Miss Continental female impersonator pageant. Nearly a decade in the making, "The Queens" has screened at more than a dozen film festivals in five countries, garnering three Best Documentary nominations. The Reporters Inc. partnered with Vimeo on Demand to launch the film in 24 countries; it is available for streaming rental and purchase through their website at TheReporters.org . READ MORE

Lindsay Frounfelkner takes over Chicago LGBTQ+ sports league
"Being elected to the main board is certainly one of the highlights of my involvement with CMSA," she said. "Being nominated for, and then winning Open Sunday Softball''s Brodie Award in 2018 is probably one of the highlights of my life, especially with Bobby Nicholson there cheering me on," she said. "We had some softball and volleyball teams over the years which did well enough to get trophies at the end of the season, and those are always nice. We worked hard for those. However, being recognized for sportsmanship has always been more important to me."  READ MORE

Former elementary school teacher and healthcare non-profit education manager Lauren Erbach Barnfield is on a mission to bring diverse children''s books to her Norridge neighborhood-with a Diverse Little Free Library located in her family''s front yard. This free library is similar to others. However, Erbach Barnfield said she is "intentionally stocking it with books that feature diverse characters-BIPOC, women, LGBTQI individuals and disabled individualsm [as well as books] authored by those individuals." READ MORE

MUSIC: Cor.Ece: Queer singer on journey, ''The Chi'' and ''hopeful electro-soul''

Windy City Times: How have you been doing during this pandemic?
Cor.Ece: I''ve leaned into creativity as soon as I could. When I first found out about the lockdown, I thought I would get bogged down, so I thought I''d find a project to do around my house until I was ready to write music. So that''s what I did most of the time, at first. As it got longer, it was more about day-to-day things and trying to find balance, which I''m always trying to do.
WCT: Creatively, I don''t know if it''s a good or bad thing to have too much time. 
C: Hmmm. That''s a really interesting point. Wait: Now that I think about it, I don''t think there''s such a thing as too much time. It can be good to have more and more time to create  READ MORE

TV: Ashley Romans bites into juicy role on AMC series ''NOS4A2''
Based on Joe Hill''s novel of the same name, the AMC series NOS4A2 spins a vampire''s tale in unexpected directions. Out actor Zachary Quinto is the ominous Charlie Manx, who battles the gifted Vic McQueen, played by Ashleigh Cummings, for children''s souls that are taken to a Christmas village. Think of the show as a mix between Netflix''s Stranger Things and HBO''s True Blood with a pinch of holiday tidings thrown in for good measure. On the show, Ashley Romans is Tabitha Hutter, a detective working on the case who meets Maggie Leigh, a psychic with a Scrabble bag predicting the future. For season two, Romans was is a regular cast member and is in an on-screen relationship with Maggie. Romans identifies as queer in real life and being this open in her career has certainly paid off. READ MORE