September 24, 2008
AIDS Walk raises more than $400,000
Several thousand walkers and runners, among them community leaders and elected officials, turned out Sept. 20 for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago’s 2008 AIDS Run and Walk. The race and walk stepped off on a sunny Saturday morning in Grant Park. More than 7,000 people participated in the event, which raised about $400,000... Full Story
Editorial
The message couldn’t be more ominous. “Born of the corrupt Chicago political machine… His ‘political godfather,’ Emil Jones—under ethical cloud… His governor, Rod Blagojevich—a legacy of federal and state investigations ”The quote is from a new TV ad unveiled by the McCain/Palin campaign in recent days to try to tie Barack Obama to some of the more corrupt aspects of... Full Story
The Sept. 17 cover of the Chicago Free Press, emblazoned with a gigantic red-ribbon and tongue-in-check headline (“This man does not have HIV”) evoked the kind of satire one might expect from The Onion rather than an LGBT weekly. But CFP’s HIV/AIDS coverage was nothing but serious, informing readers of the continuing struggle to curb the spread of HIV among gay and bisexual men in the U.S... Full Story
Freestyle: arts, entertainment & lifestyle
During the college years, a student might learn something about history and philosophy, art and science, economics and politics. College students also learn to live large on a lean budget, in a small space, with little privacy and a lot of playtime... Full Story
“Beautiful Losers” (Sidetrack Films)—Contemporary art and street culture meet in this documentary about a group of artists working in various media—painting, graffiti, film and sculpture—who became part of the New York art scene and the influential Alleged Gallery... Full Story
The World Music Festival presents Calexico with Mariachi Luz de Luna and Salvador Duran at 6 p.m. in Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. Call (312)-742-7638. More
Plushgun comes to town Sept. 24 (Abbey Pub, 3420 W. Grace, 9 p.m.) to play the queer-inclusive Decibelle Music & Culture Festival, formerly known as Estrojam. With the new name change and all, the festival (a Ladyfest Midwest offshoot) can provide some brotherly love to male musicians who would surely benefit... Full Story
Have a power lunch at Powerhouse
Talk about truth in advertising! Powerhouse is actually located in an old power station. Known by many as a nice, high-end location for dinner, not as many folks are aware that it is a great place for a midday meal. Given the dark wood, thick upholstery, linen tablecloths and uniformed wait staff, it is quite literally a “power lunch” spot... Full Story
It doesn’t take an economics major to find a great car for college—or the college budget—but it does take a little research to find one with high marks for reliability, fuel economy, safety and of course, a reasonable price. CFP’s top choices for the fall term come from thecarconnection.com... Full Story
Freetime
Midlife Crisis No. 230: Prisoners of love
I recently married my partner in Los Angeles, with a picnic reception with friends on the shores of the Pacific and a weeklong honeymoon with Mickey and Minnie and other assorted rodents and animatronics wildlife in Disneyland. In a reflective moment I gazed over the waves at the setting sun and marveled that one small corner of paradise had come to its senses on the issue of same-sex... Full Story
ARIES: You’ve changed enough to see that certain things don’t matter anymore. You are so over this you’ve lost the desire to maintain it. Others think they can fix what is beyond repair. Don’t let them con you into helping them out. More
“Chapter 27” (Peace Arch)—Actor Jared Leto, best known as dreamboat Jordan Catalano on “My So-Called Life,” gets all Robert DeNiro on us after gaining 60 (!) pounds to portray John Lennon’s assassin Mark David Chapman in writer/director Jarrett Schaefer’s “Chapter 27,” a dramatization of the days leading up to the tragedy... Full Story
Back in the day: Moments in Chicago's GLBT history
Sister Blues and the Blue Sueded Dyke Band are at Marge Summit’s His n’ Hers, 944 W. Addison. Ad in Gay Chicago reads: “Some People Say ‘Tough Shit’ but Men Say ‘Touché.” This first incarnation of this leather bar is at 2825 N. Lincoln... Full Story
News
It’s crossed my mind that many of you may be looking to move if this election goes badly and the insane mayor of Alaska ends up a hunting accident away from the Oval Office. Well, here’s a little help, courtesy of the British newspaper The Independent, which just released its rankings of the best and worst places in the world to be gay... Full Story
Backers call Pride school a ‘civil rights issue’
Community members and public officials convened at the Center on Halsted Sept. 18 to discuss the possibility of a public high school that would serve a mostly GLBT student body. The school, whose location has yet to be determined, is currently under consideration by the Chicago Public Schools... Full Story
Fresh from Alaska, Besen speaks in Chicago
Gay activist Wayne Besen, in Chicago Sept. 27 to keynote the rally that precedes the 10th annual Matthew Shepard March for LGBT Equality, is coming to town fresh from a trip to the home of America’s newest right-wing icon, Sarah Palin. “We went to Wasilla (Alaska) and sat in front of her church... Full Story
Obama, McCain avoid gay marriage issue
NEW YORK—Proposed bans on same-sex marriage are on the ballot in three important states this fall, rousing passions on both sides, yet neither John McCain nor Barack Obama seems eager to push the issue high on their campaign agendas. In California, the stakes are particularly high—it’s the... Full Story
WASHINGTON—Experts at an early August international AIDS conference in Mexico City were full of praise for the United States for having reversed a 15-year-old law banning HIV-positive people from entering the country. But nearly two months after President Bush signed that act into law, his administration has yet to take the... Full Story
Support for marriage grows in California
SAN FRANCISCO—A ballot initiative seeking to outlaw same-sex marriage in California lost support among voters after the state attorney general revised its wording to explain that the measure would rescind gay couples’ newly won right to wed, according to a poll released Sept. 18... Full Story
Stars, others donate funds to support marriage
SALT LAKE CITY—A Utah entrepreneur has donated $1 million to fight California’s proposed ban on gay marriage.WordPerfect co-founder and former Mormon Bruce Bastian says he was inspired to make the donation after The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called upon its members to support Proposition 8, which would eliminate California’s... Full Story
GLAAD tracks gay characters on fall TV
NEW YORK—Broadcast television will have 16 gay and bisexual regular characters in prime-time series this fall, more than double the seven of a year ago, a new study has found. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said it was a positive sign of networks making their shows more representative, although more work needed to be done... Full Story
LARAMIE, Wyo.—Judy Shepard and University of Wyoming President Tom Buchanan are scheduled to participate in the dedication of a memorial bench honoring slain student Matthew Shepard. Judy Shepard of Casper is the mother of Matthew Shepard, who was murdered in an anti-gay attack in Laramie in October 1998. The two men who killed him are serving life sentences in prison... Full Story
Opinion
As part of the Chicago Public Schools “Renaissance 2010” initiative, the High School for Social Justice submitted a proposal to the Office of New Schools for a new gay-inclusive Pride Campus, which would provide college prep education for Chicago students... Full Story
I thought the culture wars were over. I did. It seemed to me that we had moved away from the days when gays and lesbians were used as objects of fear in order to win big national elections. All the Democrats in the primary were on board with gay rights to some degree. John McCain is awful on our issues, but wasn’t using them... Full Story
Theater
It’s always a treat when a theater company kicks off a new season with a triumph, and that’s exactly what Chicago Shakespeare Theater has done with its thrillingly accomplished “Amadeus.” With a confident vision, director Gary Griffin notches up the ribald humor on this famously speculative biography but never undercuts the soul-shattering, life-or-death stakes... Full Story
Those expecting a super silly romp through a valley of glory holes will surely find themselves surprised by the sensitive comic undertones of “Filthy Pervert Seeks Same,” the current late night offering for the Bailiwick Pride Series... Full Story
R.U.R. (Rossom’s Universal Robots)
A curiosity from the 1920s, Czech playwright Karl Capek’s futuristic melodrama remains a cautionary warning against renegade technology, despite an unconvincingly optimistic ending. Except for inventing the term “robot,” it breaks no new ground, with its closest parallels such scary fare as “Metropolis” and “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari... Full Story
