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About Face to run 'The Gulf'
About Face Theatre continues its 2019-20 season with the Chicago premiere of Audrey Cefaly's award-winning drama The Gulf, running Jan. 9-Feb. 15, 2020, at Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. The Gulf looks at how partners ...
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W&CF hosts 'Honeypot' book launch party, author discussion
One month after the release of Honeypot: Black Southern Women Who Love Women, Andersonville bookstore Women & Children First hosted a launch party and conversation with author E. Patrick Johnson Dec. 5. Johnson is also Northwestern ...
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Holiday rom-com from lesbian filmmakers debuts
Thanks to classics such as Love, Actuallynot to mention a seemingly continuous stream of confections from Hallmark and Lifetime Channelsromantic comedies have become for many a tradition during the holiday season. This year, a Los Angeles-based ...
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December at Women & Children First to include Drag Queen Story Hour
CHICAGO, IL ( December 3, 2019 ) - As 2019 comes to a close, Women & Children First is proud to announce our 19 Bestselling Books of 2019! Once again, this list brilliantly reflects our feminist ...
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Ceremony held for lesbian U.S District Judge Mary Rowland
A ceremonial investiture took place for Judge Mary M. Rowlandthe first out lesbian to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of IllinoisNov. 25 at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in the Loop. Rowland ...
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Queer Kickboxing Club, Queer Meetup Chicago aim to offer safe spaces
Earlier this year, G Silverstein-Tapp was looking for safe spaces that catered to queer, trans and gender nonconforming people like themself; however, what they discovered was many existing LGBTQ spaces were focused on femme-identifying queer people ...
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SHOWBIZ 'Will & Grace,' LGBTQ singers, legendary divas, Ellen's surprise
Will & Grace will pay tribute to I Love Lucy by building an entire episode around the iconic sitcom this spring, EW reported. In the episode that will air as part of the sitcom's final season, ...
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Red Stars teammates get Player of the Year nods
Chicago Red Stars defender Julie Ertz and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher are nominated for U.S. Soccer's Female Player of the Year Award. Both Chicago players were key members of the U.S. women's national team that won the ...
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TV'The L-Word' follow-up aims for sex, laughs, drama and diversity
During 2004-09, Showtime's The L-Word offered a Sapphic-centric L.A.-set successor to Queer As Folk. While groundbreaking, audacious and sexywith more than 110 sex scenes during its runcreator Ilene Chaiken and her creative teams were responsible for ...
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SHOWBIZ Megan Rapinoe, 'High School Musical,' Roxane Gay, 'Paris Is Burning'
Soccer star Megan Rapinoe accepted Glamour's Woman of the Year awardanother addition to her hardware collection that includes the Golden Ball award as the top player at the World Cup in France this year, USA Today ...
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Artemis Singers part of LGBTQIA+ improv show
In a return engagement, members of Artemis Singers, Chicago's lesbian feminist chorus, will perform as part of the Friday, Dec. 6, Dreamboat LGBTQIA+ improv show at The iO Theater, 1501 N. Kingsbury St. The show, in ...
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THE AMAZON TRAIL The Terminator
This week I went to the movies. It's been a long time since I've said that. Do people even say "the movies" anymore? I married a movie geek. My sweetheart can tell you within a nanosecond ...
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Red Stars MVP leaving team for Europe
Sam Kerr has informed the Chicago Red Stars she will not return to the team for the upcoming 2020 National Women's Soccer League ( NWSL ) season in order to pursue a playing opportunity in Europe. ...
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Conversation on the myth of journalistic objectivity Nov. 14
On Thursday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m., Lewis Raven Wallace will be in conversation with Tracy Baim, discussing his book The View from Somewhere: Undoing the Myth of Journalistic Objectivity. The conversation will take place at ...
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Young feminists to converge Nov. 9
Hundreds of high school and college-aged young women will meet in Chicago on Saturday, Nov. 9, to explore topics of intersectional feminism, empowerment and activism with speakers ( such as Eva Maria Lewis, founder of the ...
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Four Red Stars named to U.S. WNT camp
Newly appointed U.S. Women's National Team ( WNT ) head coach Vlatko Andonovski has named his first roster, calling up 24 players for a training camp prior to the USA's final two matches of the yearagainst ...
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EI to honor Baim, Rainbow Cafe at gala
Equality Illinois will present its annual gala on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020, at the Hilton Chicago, 720 S. Michigan Ave., starting at 6 p.m. The organization will honor Tracy Baimformer publisher of Windy City Times and ...
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Red Stars announce contracts, options for all 26 players
After the completion of the 2019 National Women's Soccer League ( NWSL ) season, the Chicago Red Stars announced contract statuses for all of its players. All of Chicago's 26 rostered and supplemental players have either ...
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CLLAW returns to Chicago Nov. 2
The Chicago League of Lady Arm Wrestlers ( CLLAW ) returns with its 34th match CLLAW XXXIV: Good vs. Evil on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N. Kedzie Ave. CLLAW's benefit match will ...
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Tegan and Sara discuss high school biography
Twin sibling performers Sara and Tegan Quinaka Tegan and Sarastopped by the Museum of Contemporary Art on Oct. 15 to discuss their collaborative memoir High School. Tegan said that the duo originally contemplated producing a concept ...
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Jeanne Balke on career, WWII, life as a lesbian pre-Stonewall
Just a few weeks before Chicago native Jeanne Balke's 10th birthday, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, plunging the United States into World War II. Balke and her family lived in the public housing project Cabrini-Green and ...
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Lesbian Chorus Artemis Singers at Improv Comedy Nov. 1
CHICAGO─Members of Artemis Singers, www.artemissingers.org, Chicago's lesbian feminist chorus, will perform as part of the Friday, Nov. 1, Dreamboat LGBTQIA+ improv show at The iO Theatre, Chris Farley Cabaret, 1501 N. Kingsbury St., Chicago. Dreamboat begins ...
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Claudia Lopez first LGBTQ mayor of Latin American Capital City
Washington, DC — On Sunday night, Claudia Lopez made history in becoming the first openly LGBTQ mayor of a major Latin American capital city when she won her election in BogotÃˇ, Colombia. Lopez beat her opponent ...
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Spelman College creates Chair in Queer Studies with matching gift of $2M
ATLANTA, GA — OCTOBER 29, 2019 — Spelman College, the global leader in the liberal arts education of Black women, today announced the creation of a chair in Queer Studies backed by a matching gift from ...
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SHOWBIZ RuPaul, 'Grease,' Queen Latifah, LGBT lists
VH1 announced that RuPaul's Celebrity Drag Race, an expansion of the Emmy-winning franchise, has been greenlit for 2020, a press release noted. The four-episode event series will feature 12 celebrities as they sashay into the "werk" ...
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NATIONAL Law-school poll, Brandi Carlile, adoption ruling, Comcast situation
A new Marquette Law School poll revealed that respondents oppose a decision allowing business owners with a religious objection to LGBTQ people to deny services to those people, 57 percent to 34 percent, Vox noted. Also, ...
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WORLD Pride events, UK hate crime stats, lesbian Colombian politician
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Taipei for the 17th annual pride parade, with organizers expecting a record turnout after the Taiwan government became the first in Asia to pass same-sex marriage ...
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Red Stars fall in championship game
The Chicago Red Stars fell to the North Carolina Courage 4-0 in the National Women's Soccer League ( NWSL ) championship game on Oct. 27. Chicago finishes the season as the 2019 NWSL runner-up, and ended ...
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Red Stars named to all-star teams; Kerr named MVP
The National Women's Soccer League announced the players named to the NWSL Best and Second XI for the 2019 seasonwith Chicago Red Star Sam Kerr being named the most valuable player (MVP) of the league's 2019 ...
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Affinity holds annual casino fundraiser
Affinity Community Services held its annual "Black Gold" casino night fundraiser Oct. 12 at Gallery Guichard. Among other highlights, there were a raffle, a live DJ and dancing, with the casino game winne taking home the ...
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Lightfoot reveals 2020 budget plan
On Oct. 23while striking Chicago teachers encircled City HallChicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot delivered her budget address, revealing details of how she plans to close the $838-million budget gap. She said, in part, "I am here to ...
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Artemis Singers workshop Oct. 30
As part of its 40th anniversary celebration, Artemis Singers will hold a free workshop at the Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State St., on Wed., Oct. 30, 5-7 p.m., to collect stories from women in the ...
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Community reacts to Women & Children First anti-trans vandalism
Women & Children First bookstore, the Chicago Therapy Collective and Andersonville Chamber of Commerce joined forces Oct. 20 in a community activation event responding to multiple instances of anti-trans vandalism. During the event, speakers from the ...
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Red Stars defeat Portland, advance to championship
The Chicago Red Stars advance to their first-ever National Women's Soccer League Championship game after they defeated the Portland Thorns 1-0 in a National Women's Soccer League ( NWSL ) semifinal on Oct. 20. At SeatGeek ...
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SPORTS Pro wrestler Kiera Hogan marking coming out at Chicago events
Kiera Hogan is holding her official coming out party in Chicago, anchored around IMPACT Wrestling's premiere event of the year, Bound For Glory, set for Sunday night, Oct. 20, at the Odeum Expo Center in suburban ...
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Legal titan Pat Logue, and her impact on many LGBT people
Politics and social justice causes have been parts of award-winning retired Cook County Circuit Court Associate Justice Pat Logue's life since childhood. Logue, who now is living with Alzheimer's disease, is also Lambda Legal's former Midwest ...
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Gerber/Hart opens
lesbian history exhibit
Gerber/Hart History & Archives launched a new exhibit, "Lavender Women & Killer Dykes: Lesbians, Feminism & Community in Chicago," with a reception and brief talk the evening of Oct. 12. Curated by Jen Dentel, Isabel Singer, ...
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National Period Day rally Oct. 19
A rally to mark National Period Day will take place Saturday, Oct. 19, 12-2 p.m., at Federal Plaza, 219 S. Dearborn St. Organizations such as Planned Parenthood, The Chicago Period Project, She Votes Illinois, The U.N. ...
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HRC Chicago to honor Kim Hunt, Dane Hites
The Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) Chicago Gala will take place Saturday, Nov. 16, at the Fairmont Chicago, 200 N. Columbus Dr., at 6 p.m. At the gala, Kim Hunt and Dane Hites will be ...
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Women & Children First targeted by anti-trans vandals
The windows at Women & Children First bookstore, 5233 N. Clark St., have been vandalized on multiple occasions with stickers featuring anti-trans messaging, according to its staff. The Andersonville bookseller and others are planning an Oct. ...
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"Lavender Women and Killer Dykes" to launch Oct. 12
Gerber/Hart Library & Archives, 6500 N. Clark St., will host the launch of the exhibit "Lavender Women and Killer Dykes" on Saturday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m. "Lavender Women and Killer Dykes" reflects the culture that ...
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Lesbian comedian's release show Oct. 17
Chicago-based lesbian comedian Whitney Chitwood will have a new album, The Bakery Case, out Friday, Oct. 18and she will have a release show the previous night. The release show will take place Thursday, Oct. 17, at ...
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Vandersloot named All-WNBA First Team
CHICAGO Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot has been named to the All-WNBA First Team and guard Diamond DeShields has earned All-WNBA Second Team honors, the league announced today. It marks the first time Vandersloot has ...
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LGBT HISTORY MONTH Charlotte Cushman: A flawless Romeo
By Victoria A. Brownworth
Charlotte Cushman ( 1816-1876 ) was the greatest American actress of her era, a theatrical superstar and a gender-nonconforming lesbian who worked on stages in the U.S., Britain and Rome throughout the mid-19th century. For over ...
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Mayor Lightfoot issues Bisexuality Day proclamation
Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued a proclamation Sept. 23 recognizing the International Day of Bisexuality Visibility in Chicago. In the proclamation, Lightfoot acknowledged community partners who worked "in support of public policy changes that advance the visibility ...
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Red Stars hosting semifinal Oct. 20
For the second time in franchise history, the Chicago Red Stars will host a National Women's Soccer League ( NWSL ) semifinal matchup, which will mark their fifth consecutive playoff match. The game is scheduled to ...
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U.S. Women's National Soccer Team to hold public training in Chicago Oct. 5
CHICAGO ( Sept. 27, 2019 ) - All U.S. Soccer fans are invited to attend the U.S. Women's National Team public training sessions to be held on Wednesday, Oct. 2 from 5-6 p.m. ET at Bank ...
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Mayor, first lady launch youth commission
Following in the steps of cities ranging from Sioux City, Iowa, to Charleston, South Carolina, Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and First Lady Amy Eshleman have launched the Mayor's Youth Commissiona group of more than 30 ...
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Sisters in Cinema launches fellowship for Black women filmmakers, LBTQ stories
Sisters in a SIC ) with support from Chicago Women's Foundation LBTQ Giving Council has awarded three first-time feature filmmakers with a $2,500 grant for the production of a documentary film. This program is an initiative ...
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Mayor Lightfoot announces final Budget Town Hall
CHICAGO — Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot today announced a fifth and final Budget Town Hall to be held Wednesday, October 2 from 6-8 pm at South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S. South Shore Drive. "These budget ...
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REELING FILM FESTIVAL Wendy Jo Carlton explores life, love in 'Good Kisser'
Wendy Jo Carlton is an out director, producer and teacher known for indie films like Hannah Free, starring Sharon Gless, and the lesbian romance musical Jamie and Jessie Are Not Together. She's also the creator of ...
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Lightfoot introduces LGBT business resolution
On Sept. 18, Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot introduced a resolution acknowledging LGBT-owned business enterprises ( LGBTBEs ) and their contributions to Chicago's economy and residents. The resolution aims to identify business development opportunities for LGBTBEs ...
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LEZFEST, with queer female and non-binary performance artists, expands
LEZFEST, a presentation and celebration of queer female and non-binary performance artists, expands to two nights - Tuesday October 22 and Wednesday October 23 Lineup of 13 artists to include song, dance, stand-up, storytelling, and spoken ...
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Maddow, Coates part of CHF fall series
The Chicago Humanities Festival ( CHF ) 30th anniversary fall series will include MSNBC's Rachel Maddow in addition to writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and New York Times investigative reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey. "Rachel Maddow in ...
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September Events at Women & Children First include Sonia Sotomayor
CHICAGO, IL ( August 30, 2019 ) - Women & Children First's conversation and book signing with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor sold out in record time, but the bookstore has nearly a dozen other ...
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Activists issue Lightfoot's 100-day report card
A coalition of Chicago-based community activists gathered the morning of Aug. 26 at City Hall to issue Mayor Lori Lightfoot a figurative "report card" on how well she's done in her first 100 days in office. ...
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Hundreds attend Women and Children First 40th anniversary block party
Close to 1,000 people gathered on a sunny and breezy Aug. 24 afternoon to celebrate Women & Children First's 40th anniversary on Honorary Women & Children First Way, Farragut Avenue at Clark Street. Miss Linda (Bubon) ...
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Foxx and Flores among Fahrenheit honorees
Equality Illinois kicked off its weekend-long Fahrenheit Chicago celebration the evening of Aug. 23 by honoring Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx and Illinois Deputy Gov. Sol Flores, among others, in a presentation at Connect Gallery ...
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Boystown's Leigh Gallery holds closing party
The Boystown business The Leigh Gallery, 3306 N. Halsted St., ended its 15-year run with a closing party on Aug. 23. Owner Jean Leigh said in a goodbye letter, "I will be changing my career path ...
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Goldie Goldbloom on new book, being a queer Chasidic Jew
Chicago author and queer Chasidic Jew Goldie Goldbloom's newest book is On Division. It centers on the life of Surie Eckstein in Brooklyn, New York and what happens to her when she becomes pregnant but decides ...
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Bechdel Fest 7 set for Aug. 25-28
Broken Nose Theatre ( BNT ) has announced the full line-up for Bechdel Fest 7: Momentumthe company's annual festival of new short plays featuring an ensemble of female-identifying and non-binary actors. Presented as part of Steppenwolf's ...
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Leigh Gallery closing party Aug. 23
The Boystown business The Leigh Gallery, 3306 N. Halsted St., will end its 15-year run with closing party Friday, Aug. 23, 5-9 p.m. Owner Jean Leigh said in a goodbye letter, "I will be changing my ...
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Rothaus, Swisher, Vincenz named to LGBTQ Journalists Hall of Fame
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists announced that longtime Miami Herald reporter Steve Rothaus, Recode co-founder Kara Swisher and LGBTQ pioneer Lilli Vincenz are the 2019 inductees in the LGBTQ Journalists Hall ...
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OPERA Singer Patricia Racette talks coming out, musical feats
Patricia Racette is an internationally acclaimed operatic soprano. Over 30 years in the industry, she has been particularly renowned for performing as Puccini's and Verdi's heroines. On a more personal level, she came out as a ...
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Chicago Humanities Festival to host Rachel Maddow Oct. 12
The Chicago Humanities Festival will kick-off its 30th anniversary Fall Festival with MSNBC anchor and investigative reporter Rachel Maddow on Saturday, Oct. 12. Maddow announced her CHF appearance moments ago during The Rachel Maddow Show. Maddow ...
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Women & Children First, forty years of book-selling history
Full celebration schedule below
To celebrate Women & Children First's 40th anniversary, the store will be hosting a summer block party with a feminist slant Saturday, Aug. 24 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Honorary Women & Children First Way ( ...
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Angela Barnes discusses chairing Center on Halsted's board
Growing up in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago, Angela Barnes learned the importance of "volunteering and giving back as much and as often as you can" early on from her parents. From bringing queer women ...
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Janelle Monae headlines 'A Beautiful Future' at MCA
The evening before her unforgettable set at Lollapalooza music festival, performer Janelle Monae attended an event at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago on Aug. 1. The theme of the Belvedere Vodka event was "A Beautiful ...
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Women & Children First Neighborhood Block Party to celebrate 40 years
CHICAGO, IL - In honor of our 40th Anniversary, Women & Children First Chicago's only feminist bookstore will be throwing a block party to say thank you to the community that has made us 40 years ...
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Artemis Singers to join Women & Children First Bookstore Block Party
CHICAGO─Artemis Singers, www.artemissingers.org, Chicago's lesbian feminist chorus, will perform songs from 2 p.m. - 2:30 p.m., Saturday, August 24, 2019 at Women & Children First 40th Anniversary Block Party, in honor of the bookstore. The nonprofit ...
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Women's national soccer team in Chicago on Oct. 6
U.S. Soccer announced the women's national team will play South Korea on Sunday, Oct. 6, at 1 p.m. at Soldier Field in the final match of the victory tour celebrating the Americans' World Cup title, The ...
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'Trailblazer" confirmed to federal district bench in Illinois
The U.S. Senate, last week, confirmed lesbian magistrate Mary Rowland to a U.S. district court judgeship in Illinois, prompting U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth to express appreciation for the Trump administration's "willingness to work ...
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Columnist Esther J. Cepeda on coming out, writing career
When Washington Post Writers Group columnist Esther J. Cepeda recently came out as queer in one of her pieces, "Mental Health Needs of LGTBQIA+ go beyond Pride month," they joined a small number of prominent Latinx ...
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THEATER REVIEW Kiss
Playwright: Guillermo Calderon At: Haven at The Den, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. Tickets: HavenChi.org; $35. Runs through: Aug. 18 Kiss wants you to think rather than feel. That doesn't make it inauthentic, but it distances the ...
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Candace Gingrich joins cannabis firm
Cannabis operator Revolution Floridaa sister company of Illinois-based cannabis-consulting business Revolution Enterprisesannounced that prominent LGBTQ leader Candace Gingrich ( they/their ) is now vice president and head of business development for the company's newly expanded operations ...
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