LGBTQ+
Updates on Chicago’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community and its allies, and LGBTQ+ news from around the country.
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La exhibición “liminal: LGBTQ+ Chicago - Boricua Imaginings” del Museo Nacional de Arte y Cultura Puertorriqueña trae a Humboldt Park el arte de diez artistas de Chicago.
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“May we all continue to strive to be our true, authentic selves as we continue our life journeys,” one wrote.
Over the decades, Chicago has become a premier place to practice the art of drag. Recently, the city has also become a safe haven for drag queens.
This year’s edition of the parade kicks off at 11 a.m. Sunday near Sheridan Road and Broadway in Uptown.
“The state can’t give or take away who you are,” said Sasha Buchert, a senior attorney at the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Lambda Legal. “But it certainly is nice to have a gender marker that reflects who you are.”
When I moved to Chicago in 2021, I started to come out of my shell more — before an anti-gay slur shattered the feeling of safety I’d slowly built up.
When two drag performers led “Old MacDonald” the kids imagined a world full of wonder and possibility. Why can’t we?
From parties, street festivals, family fun and much more, here’s what’s on Chicago’s Pride 2024 calendar.
Keith Zerbian writes that he used to enjoy going out in Boystown not for the drinks but for the camaraderie, which would often end with a late-night coffee. He talks about what it’s like to get a coffee today as a gay man at his suburban Dunkin’.
Drag performers glowed and glided. Pride-themed merch was sold and an overall feeling of unity and welcome was felt Saturday in Lake View.
Chicago Pride Guide
Fifty-three people, including nine juveniles, were arrested early Monday in the 3000 block of North Clark Street. A 15-year-old was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and was cited for having a firearm silencer.
Five of the positions directly treat patients and eight work with but don’t treat patients. Howard Brown Health said the layoffs will not disrupt patient services.
El alcalde Brandon Johnson ondeó una bandera del Orgullo, y la tesorera del Condado de Cook, Maria Pappas, hizo girar un bastón de mando. Este año se acortó el recorrido y se admitieron menos carrozas, pero la alegría no faltó.
Local News
Ms. Pepper became an internationally known talent while fostering friendships with celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey.
Redd, also known as Barbie to her friends, was shot and killed early Sunday in the 4500 block of West Monroe Street.
Drag PAC seeks to attract voters and support candidates fighting for the LGBTQ+ community.
National News
Taylor Casey, who is a Black trans woman, was reported missing June 19 and was last seen at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat in Paradise Island, Nassau. The family is pressing for the FBI to join the search.
Those serially offended should pause to consider: It isn’t all about you
The ceremony’s artistic director Thomas Jolly had distanced his scene from any “Last Supper” parallels after the ceremony, saying it was meant to celebrate diversity and pay tribute to feasting and French gastronomy.
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Det. Shawn Popow has been on administrative duty since November after police oversight officials opened an investigation into his postings on X, formerly Twitter.
Hundreds of people rallying against the Israel-Hamas war and restrictions on reproductive rights kicked off the first protest of the Democratic National Convention on Sunday, but they were met by an even larger showing from Chicago police.
Bean died at home on Tuesday after a yearlong fight with acute myeloid leukemia.
Black men account for fewer than 3% of all sperm donors but make up 13% of the population. That made finding a Black sperm donor from a sperm bank difficult, says Venus Brady, 42, of Pullman, who ended up choosing a biracial donor with Black and Italian heritage and had a son, who’s now 5.
The ceremony’s artistic director Thomas Jolly has repeatedly said he wasn’t inspired by “The Last Supper,” but by a Greek bacchanalia. Regardless, some critics interpreted part of the show that featured Butch as a mockery of Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting “The Last Supper.”
Alumni of the Intergenerational Dialogue Project were led by photographer Diana Solís on a tour of an exhibit highlighting LGBTQ+ photography from the ‘70s to the ‘90s. She then took their portraits.
“We’re continuing to amplify that this resource is available,” said Joli Robinson, CEO of Center on Halsted, which has administered the hotline for more than three decades.
Conservatives are going after transgender youth, banning their access to medical care, public bathrooms, accurate identity documents and athletic participation.
La mayoría de los oficiales de policía no hacen un seguimiento de los homicidios de personas transexuales, pero los investigadores han registrado más de 300 asesinatos de transexuales en todo el país entre 2010 y 2021. El índice nacional de la resolución de casos supera ligeramente el 50%, pero la Policía de Chicago sólo ha resuelto el 14%, según los investigadores.
Taylor Casey’s friends and family called on government officials to prioritize her case and highlighted the lack of resources often given to missing cases of people and color and LGBTQ+ people.
Most law enforcement agencies don’t track transgender homicides, but researchers have recorded more than 300 transgender people murdered nationwide between 2010 and 2021. The national clearance rate is just over 50%, but Chicago police have cleared only 14%, researchers found.
Mayor Brandon Johnson waved a Pride flag and Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas twirled a baton. The route was shortened and fewer floats were admitted this year, but that didn’t take away from the fun.
How a reporter’s interview turned into a friendship with Esteban Pantoja, actor and creator of one of the most beloved drag characters in the Mexican American community in the South Side of Chicago.
Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling said the department is heavily focused on keeping Lake View safe in the late-night hours after the parade, which have seen street takeovers and violent crime in recent years.
Reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ groups won a permit for a 1-mile march Aug. 18 past the Bean, Millennium Park and hotels where DNC delegates will be staying.
La edición del desfile de este año comenzará el domingo a las 11 a.m. cerca de Sheridan Road y Broadway en Uptown. Se reforzará la seguridad y habrá menos participantes que el año pasado.
This year’s edition of the parade will kick off at 11 a.m. Sunday near Sheridan Road and Broadway in Uptown. Security will be beefed up, and fewer participants will march than last year.
Chicago House will offer housing to 13 families on West 63rd Street in a neighborhood with a high rate of HIV infection. The site will also contain office space for staffers overseeing residential units citywide.
“This is an exhibit that reflects who I am, and I’m a complex person,” Csicsko told the Sun-Times.
