California Supreme court takes on Prop 8

Supreme Court justices heard arguments March 5 on lawsuits seeking to overturn the state’s voter-approved ban on same-sex nuptials as thousands demonstrated outside the courthouse.

Gay rights advocates are urging the court to overturn Proposition 8 on the grounds it was put before voters improperly, or at least prematurely... Full Story / Comment

Local couple fights for their Calif. marriage

On the day of the Proposition 8 hearing, a longtime Chicago couple was in California, where their second marriage remains in limbo... Full Story / Comment

Freestyle

Still Gaye: an interview with Gaye Adegbalola of Saffire

“Uppity blues women” Saffire, a trio consisting of out lesbian Gaye Adegbalola, Ann Rabson and Andra Faye, is described as being “a genre unto themselves.” Performing together for 25 years (including the early ones with Earlene Lewis), with nearly a... Full Story / Comment

Her hits

As the voice of Eurythmics, it must have been an interesting challenge for Annie Lennox to go off on her own and write and record songs that reflected her and her alone... Full Story / Comment

March Madness

T.S. Eliot wrote, “April is the cruelest month…” in his poem, “The Wasteland.” That may well be true, but March is the craziest month. Maybe it’s the fact that we’re all in the final stages of cabin fever, but March in Chicago seems to offer plenty of excuses for cutting loose... Full Story / Comment

Theater

CFP reviews 'Mauritius', 'Rose and the Rime', 'Everything Freezes: another winter’s tale' & 'Mariette in Ecstasy'... Full Story / Comment

Live Performance

This week's live performance listings... Full Story / Comment

Greening the home

Green is the new black is the semi-new saying. It applies, of course, to earth-friendly items. But look around and you’ll also notice an abundance of green-colored items on the market. Chicago Free Press has some eye-catching home goods in hues from that section of the color chart... Full Story / Comment

Movie reviews, calendar and DVDiva

“Watchmen” (Warner Brothers/Paramount)—I am not a comic book geek, so the prospect of sitting through an almost three hour movie adaptation of “Watchmen,” based on the graphic novel by Alan (“The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”—lou... Full Story / Comment

Freetime

Midlife Crisis No. 253: Cruising at The Homo Depot

I was intrigued to read about 29-year-old Jason Leroy Savage of Saginaw, Mich., who was recently arrested for performing a sex act with a car wash vacuum in Thomas Township, near Detroit. He pleaded no contest... Full Story / Comment

Horoscopes

SAGITTARIUS: More is never better. You want too much and the simplicity factor escapes you. It would be a good idea to tune into the things that money can’t buy—and it’s time to downsize whether you like it or not... Full Story / Comment

Back in the day

This week in 1978: Mattachine Midwest holds its annual banquet at the Courtyard Inn, 1531 N. Wells, and presents the Pearl M. Hart Award to William B. Kelley for his service to the gay and lesbian community... Full Story / Comment

News

Local Briefs

The Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted, is offering opportunities for GLBT job seekers to beef up their resumes and skills during the current economic crisis... Full Story / Comment

Civil Unions: ‘Illinois is going to be Ground Zero'

A civil unions bill that would afford Illinois gay and lesbian couples many of the same benefits as marriage passed a House committee Thursday, despite fierce opposition from the religious Right... Full Story / Comment

U of C drives away anti-gay Westboro protestors

Armed with picket signs, hundreds of University of Chicago students, GLBT activists and allies crowded the sidewalks of Hyde Park Monday to face off against a handful of anti-gay protestors... Full Story / Comment

Chicago shows solidarity with California

Chicago same-sex marriage supporters Wednesday held a vigil to show their solidarity with gay and lesbian Californians... Full Story / Comment

Forum addresses immigration issues

Activists discussed many topics, such as the way issues like sexuality, gender, feminism and immigration intersect, during a day-long immigration conference organized by the March 10th Committee Saturday at Azteca Mall, 3400 S. Kedzie... Full Story / Comment

The Story behind Sidetrack

Few bar owners in our community are as intimately and publicly identified with their bar as Arthur (“Art”) Johnston and Jose (“Pepe”) Pena of Sidetrack. Born in Cuba, Pena came to Chicago in 1971. He worked as waiter and bartender at area gay bars such as Alfie’s on Rush Street and Shari’s at Clark and Surf... Full Story / Comment

Combating a crisis: HIV/AIDS and African Americans

There is a variety of reasons why, across the U.S., African Americans are so hard hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic: poverty, inadequate access to health care and education, racism—the list goes on... Full Story / Comment

Opinion

The Prop 8 Hearings

It looks likely that we will lose the court battle for equal marriage in California. But if we lose, California loses, too—because the state will have taken a stand against fairness and toward the tyranny of majority rule... Full Story / Comment

Editorial

Do we count?

Never mind Massachusetts. Never mind Connecticut. Never mind Vermont, or any state with civil unions. Gay marriage, or any other form of recognized partnerships for GLBTs, is still not being accounted for by the federal government when they count households... Full Story / Comment

Letters to the editor

In recent issues of the gay press, there have been political ads promoting Alderman Patrick O’Connor for the 5th Congressional seat. In these ads, State Representative Greg Harris is quoted stating that “it was elected leaders like Pat O’Connor whose efforts led to the passage of Chicago’s Equal Rights Ordinance in 1988 paved the way for the progressive laws... Full Story / Comment

Marketplace

Tips to make gardening cheaper in lean times

Many families grow their own fruits and vegetables so they’ll have appetizing, disease-free food at low cost. Few things are recession proof, however, including gardening... Full Story / Comment