January 30, 2008
Opinion
College freshmen continued their decade-old upward trend of support for gay marriage in fall 2007, according to a mammoth annual survey of more than 270,000 freshmen at 356 colleges... Full Story
For the past two years, I have been courting the attention of my father. It started when I visited Jordan, in March 2006. I stood at the reedy, mucky place where Jesus was baptized in the River... Full Story
Nation Report
Laurel Hester documentary gets Oscar nomination
MOUNT LAUREL, N.J.—A film about a dying New Jersey lesbian police officer’s struggle for benefits for her partner was nominated Jan. 22 for an Academy Award... Full Story
GLBT rights bill stays alive in Utah Legislature
SALT LAKE CITY—Bryan Horn is convinced he recently lost his job at a Utah credit union because he’s gay. He said he was forced to resign, four days after telling his boss he intended to marry his partner... Full Story
Minnesota lesbian leader steps down after 21 years
MINNEAPOLIS—The founder of Minnesota’s largest gay rights group is stepping down after 21 years. Ann DeGroot started what became OutFront Minnesota in 1987, and her tenure as... Full Story
New Mexico House passes domestic partnership bill
SANTA FE—Gay and heterosexual couples could form domestic partnerships and enjoy the same rights and benefits as married couples under legislation approved by the New Mexico House Jan. 24... Full Story
Anti-gay group wants to impeach Iowa judge
DES MOINES, Iowa—A conservative activist delivered petitions with more than 6,000 signatures Jan. 24 calling for the impeachment of a district judge who struck down the Iowa’s ban on gay marriage last summer... Full Story
Gay couples mirror straight couples, researchers say
WASHINGTON—Researchers at the University of Illinois published study results recently that concluded that gay and lesbian couples are just as committed to their relationships as straight couples... Full Story
Foreman leaving NGLTF to take foundation job
SAN FRANCISCO—The executive director of one of the nation’s leading gay rights groups has accepted a new job with a philanthropic foundation in San Francisco... Full Story
Editorial
Perhaps no election in recent decades has so captured the attention of the American public as this one. More than anything else, that phenomenon reflects voters’ low opinion of the Bush presidency... Full Story
We are writing to express our support for Cook County State’s Attorney candidate Anita Alvarez. Anita is a 21-year veteran of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. She began her career in 1986 and presently serves... Full Story
Freestyle: arts, entertainment & lifestyle
Would anyone disagree that with some intervention by the rainbow coalition in D.C., Stephen Colbert’s Comedy Central persona could become the epitome of gay Republican... Full Story
Mika bounces into House of Blues Chicago, 329 N. Dearborn, at 7 p.m. Call (312) 923-2000. More
On the sonically stimulating “Watch The Sky” (Vanguard), her first studio album of new original material in a few years, out singer/songwriter Patty Larkin is back with what may be... Full Story
This winter was predicted to be one of the warmest on record. But let’s face it, winter is winter, warmest on record or not. Here are some records intended to warm you up, body and soul. In light of the...Full Story
“How She Move” (Paramount Vantage/MTV Films)—Leave it to a queer filmmaker, in this case Ian Iqbal Rashid (“Touch of Pink”) to inject the urban dance drama with a much needed shot of energy and life. Look, it’s not “Atonement.” But... Full Story
Home
Design on a dime: The Chicago Free Press guide to furniture for less
With housing market in a slump, food and gas prices sky high and talk of a recession looming, it’s no wonder that Americans are beginning to cut back on unnecessary spending. According to a recent survey conducted by RBC... Full Story
Theater
It takes a village to make an Irish play—or it used to. The new Dublin represented by 37-year-old Irish playwright Conor McPherson is as modern in alienating its citizens and abandoning tradition as its plethora of Euro dollars... Full Story
You’ll find the title kitchen in Frank McGuinness’ busy drama, here meticulously recreated by the equally busy Brian Sidney Bembridge, in the village of Buncrana in the county of Donegal. Inhabited by the West clan during the... Full Story
With its strong visual sense, Charles Newell’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s bloody “Titus Andronicus” can be best described in cinematic terms. Emerging as a combination of the Gothic delights... Full Story
More News
The last Democrat elected president, Al Gore, just tossed a nice little grenade into the Democratic presidential race, posting a video online expressing support for gay and lesbian marriage equality... Full Story
Harris: Legislators need push for civil unions
Nearly a year after it was introduced into the state legislature, a bill making Illinois the first state in the Midwest to offer civil unions is still waiting to be heard on the House floor... Full Story
Giannoulias meets with new GLBT Affairs Council
Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias met with GLBT community leaders Jan. 23 at the James R. Thompson Center downtown, convening the inaugural meeting of his GLBT Affairs Council... Full Story
Catholic theologian talks about church’s view on gays
“What the (Catholic) Church teaches is, by large measure, quite hurtful to many people in our community,” theologian Patricia Beattie Jung said last week. “(But) At the same time those who teach this do not do so out of malice... Full Story
Attorney Mary York passed away Jan. 24 after a long battle with renal cancer. She was 52.
A partner with the Chicago firm of Mulryan and York, York gave her time... Full Story
State’s attorney, senate and judicial races in play Feb. 5
Illinoisans head to the polls Feb. 5 for the party primary elections, and outcomes from a number of local races promise to have serious implications for GLBT Chicagoans. A number of openly gay candidates are running, while others... Full Story
Political candidates draw crowd at Sidetrack
Rick Garcia, Art Johnston and Amy Bloom, of Equality Illinois, chat with Illinois Chief Justice Anne Burke, at a Meet and Greet with political candidates Jan. 26 at Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted... Full Story
Anti-gay Lipinski faces challengers on Southwest Side
WASHINGTON—In a Chicago-area congressional district that’s long been home to Reagan Democrats, those challenging incumbent Rep. Dan Lipinski claim he has a major shortcoming. By their measure, he’s not... Full Story
Morganthaler aiming to unseat Roskam
Jill Morgenthaler’s 30-year Army career took her to Korea, Germany, Bosnia and Iraq. Now, the 53-year-old retired Army Reserve colonel and suburban mother of two has embarked on a new mission... Full Story
Kucinich drops out of presidential race
CLEVELAND—Democrat Dennis Kucinich abandoned his presidential bid Jan. 25 to focus on a tough race for re-election to Congress. Kucinich, speaking at a union hall, told supporters who chanted “Dennis, Dennis,” that he would work to keep... Full Story
Many gay activists remain unsettled by presidential candidates’ stands
NEW YORK—Few constituencies are as eager for the Republican Party to falter this political season as gay-rights activists. Yet as they observe the Democratic presidential campaign and the rest of the electoral... Full Story
Baldwin stumps for Clinton during weekend stop at Sidetrack
The only openly lesbian member of Congress, Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), urged an enthusiastic audience at Chicago’s premier GLBT nightclub Jan. 27 to support Sen. Hillary Clinton’s bid for the White House... Full Story
Kennedys throw weight behind Obama’s presidential bid
WASHINGTON—Two generations of Kennedys—the Democratic Party’s best known political family—endorsed Barack Obama for president Jan. 28, with Sen. Edward M. Kennedy calling him a “man with... Full Story
Freetime
TAURUS: APRIL 21-MAY 20: In your private moments you know what needs to be done but you’ve created such a circus around this affair, you’ve made things harder than they have to be. Eliminate every bit of extraneous nonsense. It isn’t helping anyone. More
PARIS—The Paris menswear shows ended on a highbrow note Jan. 21 with displays by Dior Homme, Lanvin and Paul Smith that showcased avant-garde fabrics and cuts. Luxury conglomerate LVMH staged its Dior Homme show in a tent... Full Story
Throughout the long history of dance music, the genre has been a collaborative effort. Songwriters, performers and producers have consistently worked together to create music that is both movement inducing and memorable... Full Story
DVDiva: Once more with feeling
“Once” (Fox Home Entertainment)—More than just your average guy (Glenn Hansard) meets girl (Markéta Irglová) love story, “Once” is a once in a lifetime collaboration with a cast and director that delivers... Full Story
CFP Reviews Trouser Trout & The Destroying Angel. Full Story
Dining
Those who invented the calendar and holidays must have realized that after a month without a major holiday, we’d need to get out and do something. Between January’s cold weather and the lack of reasons to go out, many of us have... Full Story