August 8th, 2007
Expect thousands to heat up Halsted Aug. 11-12
The 26th annual Northhalsted Market Days returns to Lakeview August 11 and 12. Billed as the largest two-day street fair in the Midwest, Northalsted Market Days spans six city blocks and takes place on North Halsted Street between Belmont Avenue and Addison Street. About 400 different vendors usually participate. Full Story
Editorial
Anyone who wants to know how far the GLBT community has come in the past 40 years need only tune in to the Logo television network Aug. 9. Full Story
In reference to last week’s Chicago Free Press editorial (CFP Aug. 1), being someone under 21 in the GLBT community, it hurts to be excluded from almost everything. We are in a community that revolves around bars and club scenes, furthering the image of gay life as only existing in these dim lights and smoky (but not for long) rooms. Full Story
Nation Report
Judge urges McGreeveys to quit fighting and settle
ELIZABETH, N.J.—The judge overseeing the contentious divorce between the nation’s first openly gay governor and his wife urged the couple to settle their case July 31, warning the estranged pair that they don’t have the money or emotional fortitude to endure a protracted, public trial. Full Story
Transgenders fight ban at Arizona nightclub
MESA, Ariz.—A fight is brewing between one Scottsdale establishment and the chairwoman of the city’s Human Relations Commission. Full Story
Transient pleads innocent in slaying of gay radio host
SEATTLE—A transient pleaded innocent July 30 to first-degree murder in an ax attack on former radio talk show host Mike Webb. Full Story
UPS reverses, OKs benefits for civil union partners
MOUNT LAUREL, N.J.—After persuasion from New Jersey’s governor and attorney general, United Parcel Service of America announced July 30 that it would extend health insurance benefits to the civil union partners of gay employees in New Jersey. Full Story
Nondiscrimination law takes effect in Colorado
DENVER—A new law going into effect in Colorado Aug. 3 that allows workers to sue employers over discrimination based on sexual orientation. Full Story
Attorney pleads guilty to sham marriage charge
ST. LOUIS—The former head of Missouri’s public defender’s office in St. Louis pleaded guilty July 30 to federal charges of arranging a sham marriage to keep his boyfriend in the U.S. Full Story
New Jersey school principal nixes ‘Laramie Project’
OCEAN TOWNSHIP, N.J.—Gay-rights activists are planning to protest a New Jersey school district’s decision to cancel a play. Full Story
Federal court tosses anti-gay adoption law
OKLAHOMA CITY—Oklahoma’s law banning state recognition of out-of-state adoptions by same-sex parents violates the U.S. Constitution, a federal appeals court has ruled. Full Story
Opinion
I’ve got news for you. It doesn’t matter who you pick in the Democratic primary. They’re all good. Yep. I said they’re all good. I don’t just mean Kucinich or Gravel, the unlikely iconoclastic winners. I mean Clinton. I mean Obama. I mean Edwards. Full Story
I recently wrote that I agreed with the principle that people have—or should have—a right to control their own bodies and pointed to several examples of controversial activities that this basic principle would include, such as abortion, drug use, S/M, assisted suicide, prostitution and “ex-gay” therapy. Full Story
Freetime
Italian gay activists have got their panties in a wad over two gay men who were arrested for having an “oral relationship” at the Colosseum in Rome, i.e., they were caught kissing. The two romantic finocchios face up to two years in jail. Meanwhile, up the street at the Vatican, it’s perfectly acceptable for pious cross-dressers to dip 12-year old altar boys in honey and lick them all over. It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world we live in. Full Story
“300” (Warner Brothers)—Based on the popular Frank Miller graphic novel about the 480 B.C. Thermopylae battle between the Spartans, led by King Leonidis (Gerald Butler), and the Persians, under the leadership of Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), this big-screen adaptation is bursting with homoerotic imagery. The Spartan warriors, the heroes in this epic, have muscular torsos—rippling muscles, six- and eight-pack abs and armor-like pecs—which are exposed for all to see, with their lower halves swathed in what looks like leather Speedos (let’s hope they had some Trojans handy for those lonely nights). Full Story
The Earth weeps as Lindsay Lohan’s career spirals downwards into the poo pipes under the Arthurian City of Humanity. This is a time of healing, so bathe in the ambience of Enya and Celtic harps and allow the haunting music to aid your yoga, meditation, reiki healing and the self-massaging of your lumpy parts under the sheets. Full Story
1977-The Rogers Park Gay Center, 7109 N. Glenwood, sponsors a bus trip to Marriott’s Great America Amusement Park, where they hook up with members of the Fox Valley Gay Association for a day of fun and frolics. Full Story
Vibes: Bad girls go everywhere
You know the saying, “good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere?” Good or bad, Rihanna and Joss Stone are definitely going places. Very close in age, career timing and style, one thing’s certain—Rihanna and Stone both want to take you dancing. Full Story
Home
Before I could read, I learned from my mother the Little Golden Book story of “Mister Dog,” a dog who lived a simple life, with a place for everything and everything in his small space. Full Story
(ARA)—Functional used to be the best word to describe “green” home design and decor. But, luckily, “green” has been undergoing a glamorous transformation. With more demand for environmentally friendly products, designers and manufacturers are introducing upscale and luxurious options that prove stylish and “good for the earth” can go hand in hand. Full Story
More News
More than a few TV viewers in Mexico were upset Aug. 3 when Televisa cut a 25-second scene near the end of Alfonso Cuarón’s classic movie “Y tu mamá también.” Full Story
Retired officers urge end to ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’
Just days after President Bush’s nominee for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff urged Congress to revisit the nation’s ban on openly gay personnel in the military, a group of retired military officers spoke out against the ban in Chicago. Full Story
Center on Halsted readies for dialogue on GLBT youths
The Center on Halsted last week said that it’s time for Lakeview to “engage in a dialogue” about the issues facing GLBT youth on Halsted Street. Full Story
New owner wants to develop Saugatuck shore property
Residents of Saugatuck are gearing up to prevent an anti-gay Oklahoma businessman from developing 412 acres of pristine property that includes a stretch along Lake Michigan known as a predominately gay beach. Full Story
Taylor Dayne headlines Market Days entertainment
In addition to delicious food, great shopping and incredible people-watching, Market Days, Aug. 11-12 on Halsted Street between Belmont and Addison, offers a fantastic lineup of entertainment with more than 40 performances on four different stages. This year’s headliner is dynamic recording artist Taylor Dayne, who performs at 6:45 p.m. on Sunday at the Roscoe Stage. Full Story
Gay fraternity offers safe space on Arizona campuses
MESA, Ariz.—The students who formed Sigma Phi Beta six years ago wanted a social scene for gay men at Arizona State University the same as straight students have enjoyed for decades. Full Story
Federal judge orders Idaho to give trans inmate therapy
BOISE, Idaho—An inmate who castrated herself with a disposable razor blade after prison officials refused to treat her for gender identity disorder should have female hormone therapy paid for by the state, a federal judge July 27. Full Story
CONCORD, N.H.—The Episcopal Church’s first openly gay bishop endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president Aug. 2, even though they don’t share the same views on issues key to gays and lesbians. Full Story
GLBT presidential debate is online and at Sidetrack
The first-ever presidential forum on GLBT issues takes place Aug. 9 in Los Angeles. Sponsored by the Logo television network and the Human Rights Campaign, the debate is scheduled to include most of the contenders for the Democratic Party presidential nomination, including Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama. Full Story
Lavender Law conference coming to Chicago Sept. 5-8
Jeff Torres, National Lesbian and Gay Law Association board chair Richard Wilson, Center on Halsted executive director Modesto “Tico” Valle and NLGLA executive director D’Arcy Kemnitz celebrate the kickoff reception for Lavender Law 2007 July 31 at the Center on Halsted. Full Story
Amsterdam celebrates Pride with colorful boat parade
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands—Gays, lesbians, bisexuals and a large contingent of heterosexuals put on their brightest plumage Aug. 4, and a rainbow fleet sailed through Amsterdam’s historic canals, as the city celebrated its annual Gay Pride festival. Full Story
ROME—Rome marked the opening of its first “Gay Street” last week with flags, banners and protests amid a row over a gay couple who claimed they were detained by police for kissing near the Colosseum. Full Story
Singapore bans gay forum, other gay pride events
SINGAPORE—Singaporean authorities banned a gay rights forum at which a retired Canadian law professor was to speak, the second time in a week the city-state has forbidden an event that touches on gay issues. Full Story
Freestyle
Whimsy can carry a play only so far. Inevitably the story has to touch earth to take root. A bad case of Southern Gothic meets magic realism, this first offering by young Georgia playwright Drew Dir gets carried away with its own fantasy-mongering until a real story gets lost in fluffy dream-spinning. Full Story
Auto: Mazdaspeed3 ‘zoom-zooms’ with power to spare
Mazda’s “zoom-zoom” spirit is alive and well in the performance version of its smallest car. Drivers better keep a close eye on the speedometer, because the 2007 Mazdaspeed3 zoom-zooms so readily, it can get way above speed limits all too quickly. Full Story
Music
With temperatures in the toasty 90-degree range, Friday’s Lollapalooza could be considered the official dance party kickoff of the festival. Full Story
Bubbly and blessed: an interview with Evelyn “Champagne” King
In 1977, a year before disco music reached its peak with the success of commercial crossover acts including the Village People, Donna Summer, Chic, Peaches and Herb and others, some of the most important and influential songs of the genre were released. Among those tunes was a little ditty called “Shame” by Evelyn “Champagne” King. The amalgamation of her powerful and emotion-laden vocals, the infectious melody and the persuasive beat, not only helped the song become a club sensation when it was released, but it has allowed it to stand the test of time. Full Story
CSO Season: French, Russian and Gay
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s 2007-08 season beginning Sept. 14 features a broad array of composers, with heightened attention to the Russian and French repertoire as well as a modest helping of gay composers. Full Story
Today’s girl groups, at least the ones in this column, sound as though they’ve been inspired and influenced by a wide range of forebears, both female and male, from the Andrew Sisters and the Go-Go’s to Julee Cruise and Sigur Ros. Full Story
Cinema
“Cut Sleeve Boys” (here! Films/Regent)—Gavin (Mark Hampton), a London computer geek by day and men’s room cruiser by night dies in a stall in a public lavatory while having sex with another man. Full Story
Dining
This little piggy went to Market Days
There are two approaches to sustenance and Market Days. The easiest is to eat your way from Belmont to Addison on the west side of the street for lunch, then reverse the route on the east side of the street in the later for dinner. This route accomplishes two things. It keeps you in the bright sun all day (don’t forget your sunscreen) and it gets you to Sidetrack during the hottest part of the day—the better to sit in the A/C for a while and knock back a few slushy drinks. Full Story