July 23, 2008
Gays denounce Hall of Fame honors for Dobson
Gay activists are pledging to protest the induction ceremony for the National Radio Hall of Fame this November in Chicago if it goes ahead with plans to put one of the country’s leading anti-gay fundamentalists in the hall... Full Story
Nation Report
Court upholds arrests of anti-gay protesters
PHILADELPHIA—A federal appeals court says Philadelphia police were justified in directing protesters to move when they disrupted a gay street festival in 2004. A three-judge panel ruled July 15 that anti-gay activists had a First Amendment right to demonstrate. But the judges say they didn’t have a right to disrupt speakers at the... Full Story
H&R Block reimbursing gay and lesbian couples
KANSAS CITY, Mo.—H&R Block Inc. is offering to reimburse part of the cost some gay couples and others in civil unions encountered earlier this year when the company’s online tax filing system refused to submit their returns... The Kansas City-based company is offering couples who can show documentation that they started... Full Story
Arizona man charged with hate crime in assault case
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz.—A 24-year-old Flagstaff (Arizona) man has been charged with felony aggravated assault for an incident following a gay pride festival that police called a hate crime. Travis A. Reiner also faces misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct charges... Full Story
Man sentenced to nine months for hate crime attack
FARMINGTON, N.M.—An Arizona man has been sentenced to nine months in the San Juan County (New Mexico) jail in a September attack that prosecutors allege was prompted by a belief the victim was gay. Craig Yazzie, 38, of Dennehotso, Ariz., was sentenced July 15 after pleading no contest to reduced charges of false imprisonment... Full Story
California high court allows vote on anti-gay initiative
SAN FRANCISCO—The California Supreme Court refused to hear a challenge July 16 to a vote that could ban same-sex marriages in the state. The unanimous decision means that, barring further legal action, voters will consider a constitutional amendment in November... Full Story
Gay group to pay for ads after state backs out
COLUMBIA, S.C.—A gay pride organization said July 17 it plans to raise $5,000 to pay for an advertising campaign that proclaimed “South Carolina is so gay” after the state refused to pick up the tab. SC Pride Movement president Ryan Wilson said his group wants to restore the state’s good name after the South Carolina Parks... Full Story
GLBT community center opens in El Paso
EL PASO, Texas—GLBTs and others gathered the evening of July 17 to celebrate the opening of the El Paso GLBTQ Center, hailed as a milestone for West Texas. “We want this place to be the hub of the gay community,” the center’s director, Charles Sloane, told KVIA TV. The new center houses other non-profit groups and hosts a variety... Full Story
Editorial
Most of us are pretty familiar with the concept of a hall of fame. The idea is to create an institution to recognize people, usually within a particular profession or geographic area, who’ve made positive contributions to society through their work, studies, charitable giving or in some other... Full Story
Fifteen years. It has been almost 15 years since Congress signed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” into law. Fifteen long years later, it is eminently clear that it is a failed policy. With your support, Congress could finally admit that, too. On July 23 the House of Representatives’ subcommittee on Military Personnel... Full Story
Opinion
As best I can from this distance, I try to follow the progress of gay rights movements abroad. And I feel great admiration and sympathy for the brave men and women who are trying to promote gay legal and social equality in many countries of Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. But most of them... Full Story
They told me it would be two years. That’s what friends said, when I asked them how long it takes to settle into a new city, how long until it feels like home. Two years, they agreed. No way, I thought. It will be under a year. Tops. After all, I was moving back to New York—and I grew up in the... Full Story
Freetime
A shocking new report has just been published that finds that lesbians over 50-years-old are turning to therapists, aromatherapy and crack cocaine in greater numbers since Hillary Clinton’s failure to become the Democratic presidential nominee. The report finds that Vietnam War-era baby boomers who were born wimmyn and... Full Story
PISCES: FEBRUARY 21-MARCH 20: You try to stay cool, but when no one’s looking you are elated. This is more than the realization of a dream. It is a sign that you have finally cleared up all your heavier-duty issues. Congratulations! It looks like you’ve made it. More
Back in the Day: Moments in Chicago's GLBT history
The Committee for Gay Rights demonstrates outside the British consulate’s Chicago offices, 33 N. Dearborn, to protest the arrest of Denis Lemon, editor of Britain’s Gay News, who is charged with blasphemy after he publishes a poem called “The Love That Dares To Speak Its Name... Full Story
CFP Reviews 'Hunk' & 'Muscle Ranch 2'. Full Story
News
Sure, it may be a bit early, but one group is trying to make sure their city gets the jump on naming something to honor the George W. Bush era. San Francisco election officials said last week that the Presidential Memorial Commission—that’s a private group—submitted enough signatures to place an initiative on... Full Story
Legislators urge more pressure for civil unions
A panel of elected officials and community activists led a workshop July 19 at Center on Halsted to discuss HB 1826, legislation that would authorize civil unions for same-sex Illinoisans. State Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), the sponsor of the legislation, was joined for the... Full Story
Recognition sought for gay football star
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.—Former Tennessee star Jackie Walker was easy to spot on the field. Just don’t try finding him in a college football hall of fame. His brother thinks he knows why the Southeastern Conference’s first black All-American isn’t included in the College Football Hall of Fame or even the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame... Full Story
Better Existence with HIV announced last week that it is the recipient of a $50,000 Illinois State Board of Education grant to fund HIV Prevention presentations in local schools. BEHIV’s Education Outreach program conducts comprehensive, age-appropriate presentations for students and young people, providing information... Full Story
Poll shows California support for marriage rights
SAN FRANCISCO—More California voters say they would oppose a November ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriage in the state’s constitution than would support it, according to a survey released July 18. The Field Poll found that 51 percent of likely voters say they would vote against Proposition 8, while 42 percent say they... Full Story
Lambeth Conference marked by divisions
CANTERBURY, England—The head of the Anglican Communion said July 20 that the global fellowship faces “one of the most severe challenges” in its history, and he urged bishops at their once-a-decade Lambeth Conference to do the hard work of finding solutions. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said the Anglican family’s most... Full Story
Freestyle: arts, entertainment & lifestyle
‘Society’s Child’ grows up: An interview with Janis Ian
Legendary singer/songwriter Janis Ian, of “Society’s Child” and “At Seventeen” renown, has a lot to talk about. Her revealing autobiography, “Society’s Child” (Jeremy Tarcher/Penguin, 2008, $26.95) is being published this month. A companion double-disc compilation, “Best of Janis Ian: The Autobiography Collection... Full Story
‘Desperate Housewives’ to run three more years
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.—The creator of the hit TV show “Desperate Housewives” says he plans to end the series in three years. Marc Cherry, who is also the show’s executive producer, told a meeting of the Television Critics Association last week that he plans to end the ABC series after seven seasons. The domestic comedy-drama... Full Story
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Brothers)—Aside from being 30 minutes too long and featuring an actor whose Batman “voice” is cartoonish, annoying and a distraction, Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” is the summer blockbuster you have been waiting for. Consider the return of “Indiana Jones” and the debut of “Iron Man... Full Story
Anyone hoping beyond hope that “Mamma Mia!: The Movie Soundtrack” (Decca) is an improvement over the mess of a movie from which it is drawn will be sorely disappointed. Even minus the visuals, these classic Abba tunes still lose whatever ability they once had to enchant listeners. This is particularly true when the songs are... Full Story
Sat. July 26: The Joans, the band whose mission is to give legendary Hollywood star Joan Crawford the rock and roll voice she deserves, rocks the Elbo Room, 2871 N. Lincoln, at 10 p.m., with Jordan and the Way, The Emerald Lizards, Soma Star and The Debut. Call (773) 549-5549. More
Feel summer slipping away?
Don’t let it slip too far without venturing north from Chicago to Six Flags Great America for a day’s adventure—or even a getaway weekend. Consumer reports show that travel is down this summer due to... Full Story
North by Northwest Dining with Dillinger
With gas prices so high, many folks are forgoing cross country trips in favor of exploring closer locales. I recently headed up to Wisconsin’s North Woods to spend a week getting away from urban life. My sister has a summer house near Michigan’s northern peninsula, so I used that for my base of operations. It’s about a six-hour... Full Story
Nissan Frontier: Versatile & Dependable
Sales of pickup trucks are dropping precipitously this year because buyers don’t want big, gasoline-guzzling vehicles. But the 2008 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab isn’t a big, V-8 powered pickup truck. It’s a mid-size pickup with a strong V-6, an accommodating interior and two sizes of truck bed—five and six feet long... Full Story
Theater
Audience members may feel like Dustin Hoffman training for the “Marathon Man” just watching the physically agile antics of the performers in the non-stop energy fest “Lookingglass Alice.” Presenting a steely, stripped-down take on Lewis Carroll’s classic tale, this third annual Lookingglass production relies on an athletic prowess... Full Story
Lovers of hip hop can savor the gentle rap in Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s “Funk It Up About Nothin,’” now playing Navy Pier, but fans who prefer the original comedy with its depth of characterization and strangely happy ending should rush to DuPage County for this four-star... Full Story
It’s an irresistible formula: Hans Brinker, the poor boy who wins the silver skates; Harry Potter, the misprized genius who protects Hogwarts from truly wicked witches; Oliver Twist, orphan boy made good; Kansas farmgirl Dorothy Gale, who saves Oz from yet another wicked witch. Then there’s Charlie Bucket, mired in a hovel with... Full Story
