I think about acceptance a lot. When I was a young twentysomething, I heard a lot about “acceptance” versus “tolerance.” That it wasn’t enough to merely put up with queer people. We were striving for something more, something solid. But these days even tolerance feels like a high bar to meet. I have been writing […]
Tag: Pride 2023
Posted inStaff notes
Pride is our reality
The best way to make a TikTok name for yourself is by making constant, short, pithy videos about the same subject, including your possibly controversial opinions (but not, like, in a Mein Kampf way, just in a “Finally! Someone said it, and they said it well!” kind of tone that travels well in social sharing), […]
Posted inNews & Politics
Trans elders are revolutionaries
The following five profiles feature trans and genderqueer elders in Chicago as they reflect on identity and joy this Pride Month.
Posted inFilm
Pride at the movies
Here’s a list of recommended titles, with an unapologetic slant toward films screening in Chicago theaters.
Posted inArts & Culture
Remembering JoJo Baby
JoJo Baby made a life as a living doll. After nearly four decades in nightlife, the artist and performer died this spring from a long battle with cancer. They were 51. Before becoming JoJo, they were born Joseph Arguellas—the oldest of four children raised by a Greek father and a Lakota mother. From the modest […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Teaching while trans
Karen Topham didn’t set out to be a trans trailblazer. She just knew she had to save her life. But when she finally came out as trans 25 years ago this month (on her birthday, no less), she became the first public schoolteacher in the U.S. to transition while still on the job. Topham retired […]
Posted inCity Life
‘The prisoner is me’
Although her shop is closing its doors, the mark that Faith Phillips and Wish Me Luck Tattoo left on Chicago will always remain.
Posted inMusic
A queer hip-hop history lesson with He Who Walks Three Ways
In 1991, rapper and promoter Duro Wicks began hosting a weekly hip-hop open mike at Lizard Lounge in Wicker Park. At that point, there hadn’t yet been many recurring hip-hop parties in Chicago. In 1986, DJ and producer Parker Lee Williams, aka P-Lee Fresh, had launched what’s believed to be the first such event at […]
Posted inArts & Culture
‘Did you hear about this?’
We don’t want to jinx anything, but when it comes to live performance, have the vibes this summer felt a little . . . dare we say . . . better? For a lot of queer comedic writers and performers, the answer is likely a resounding, “God, no,” which would be a fair response to […]
Posted inOn Culture
Freedom to read
In July 2020, Amy Dodson posted a diversity statement on the Facebook page for the public library system in Douglas County, Nevada, of which she was director. Like many other statements posted in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, it denounced “all acts of violence, racism, and disregard for human rights,” and also said, “We […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Samantha Irby is midwest fancy
Samantha Irby, the midwest’s most lovable misanthrope, triumphantly returns with her fourth collection of personal essays, Quietly Hostile. Spoiler alert: just like the other three, it is both reliably and painfully funny. The prolific author has churned out four hilarious books in ten years in addition to amassing a growing number of television writing credits […]