Monthly Archives: October 2010
Gay Halloween in Boystown – 3 events in October!
Halloween
on North Halsted just got a whole lot more happening. Three events in the vibrant north side neighborhood make it a must for Chicagoans and tourists alike to take part in the festivities.
Free Movie Screening
At 7 p.m. on October 17th, the Northalsted Business Alliance sponsors a screening of “Little Shop of Horrors”. The movie, which serves as the theme for the street’s Halloween parade, kicks off the season. The free screening will be at the Center on Halsted (3656 North Halsted).
Horny Devil Pub Crawl
October 23rd marks the date for the Horny Devil Pub Crawl. The crawl, now in its second year, winds its way through 12 of Northalsted’s hottest bars beginning at 2 p.m. The event includes specials by crawl sponsors as well as the chance to earn cash and prizes at the final stop. Registration is $5 in advance and $10 the day of the crawl. The crawl begins at Spin. Participants can purchase tickets at any of the participating venues. (Buck’s, Circuit, DS Tequila Company, Halsted’s, Hydrate, Little Jim’s, Lucky Horseshoe, Minibar, Roscoe’s, Scarlet, Spin and The North End.)
Halloween Parade
The Halloween parade, now in its 14th year, goes bigger and bolder this holiday. A Little Shop of Horrors theme takes over North Halsted to create a Little Street of Horror. Floats make their way into the parade for the first time and a scarecrow competition has shops competing for the top prize for decorating and design.
The parade, which attracts several thousand spectators each year, kicks off at 6 p.m. on October 31st at Belmont and Halsted and continues north to Addison and Halsted.
Parade participants register at Spin (800 West Belmont) beginning at 4 p.m. A special kid’s area at Space Park on Roscoe engages little ones beginning at 4:30.
More information about all of Northalsted Halloween events is available at North Halsted .com
Kinetic Playground Owner Threatens Assault in Response to Protest Over “Kill Gays” Performer
UPTOWN –
Protest set for 10:30 PM,
Saturday, Oct. 9
In front of “The Kinetic Playground”
1113 W. Lawrence
(just east of the “Lawrence” Red Line el station)
Last week during a final attempt to persuade Kinetic Playground nightclub to cancel the October 9th engagement of performer Capleton, who calls for killing Lesbians and Gays in the lyrics of his song lyrics, the club’s manager owner Jim Gouskos threatened gay rights protesters with assault.
When GLN organizer Roger Fraser said that Kinetic Playground’s refusal to cancel Capleton would be met with a protest, Gouskos replied, “Don’t threaten me because I can get a bunch of goons outside to throw eggs at you guys.”
While in an earlier conversation Gouskos claimed that he was pro-LGBT and would never have knowingly booked someone with Capleton’s anti-gay M.O., he said that an $11,000 contract forced him to go ahead with the show. GLN’s Fraser replied that many other clubs, such as Chicago’s House of Blues, had managed to cancel contracts with kill-gays performers and that he or his lawyer should call them for advice on how to do this.
Instead Gouskos apparently called openly-gay Ald. Tom Tunney, and reported that Tunney said he’d never heard of Capleton, and used this as an excuse to dismiss GLN’s concerns. Well, just because Alderman Tunney may not be up on the latest Jamaican dance hall music hardly settles the matter of just where Capleton stands on LGBT people.
A simple Google search of Capleton shows 51,000 entries about the “murder music” aspect of him, and the Wikipedia entry says “Capleton has faced criticism for anti-gay lyrics in some of his songs” and his continuing to sing them has “caus[ed] the cancellation of a concert in Switzerland in 2008 and a United States tour in 2010.”
Capleton is actually one of the most obstinate of a small group of kill-the-gays musicians. He signed the Reggae Compassionate Act (RCA), a pledge to no longer perform or profit from music which calls for killing gays or other groups of people, and then lied by claiming he’d never signed it. Worse, he’s incited crowds in Jamaica – already a very dangerous locale for LGBT people – calling from a stage last Christmas to “All who a bun battyman and sodomite, hand up!” (“All who have burned queers and sodomites, put your hands up!”).
As for Kinetic Playground’s and Gouskos’ claims of being friends of the LGBT community, Fraser put it best in his last comment to Gouskos:
“It’s a sad fact that Kinetic Playground, though it claims to be gay-friendly, obviously doesn’t take anti-gay violence seriously. I wonder what they would do about a performer who urged his audience to kill Jews or blacks. Would they still be unwilling to cancel his appearance? Why is the bar so much higher for gays and lesbians?”
*********UPDATE*******
Once Again, Public Pressure Delivers the Goods
Please THANK “The Kinetic Playground” Nightclub for Doing the Right Thing!
Through a series of negotiations this week and last and with the threat of a demonstration, Gay Liberation Network (GLN) and other community activists were successful in persuading management at Kinetic Playground nightclub, 1113 W. Lawrence Avenue, to cancel “Kill Gays” dancehall performer Capleton for a show originally scheduled for late this Saturday night, October 9th.
The cancellation of Capleton is a victory that all human rights supporters should savor. The Gay Liberation Network, which initiated the campaign against Capleton in Chicago, commends Kinetic Playground management for putting human rights principles above dollars by canceling the show.
Please put an exclamation point on this victory by buying a drink or two this Saturday night at Kinetic Playground, 1113 W. Lawrence Avenue, so that the management and staff there know that Chicago is willing to stand behind those who follow their conscience.
CALL THEM, and tell them you appreciate what they did. The Kinetic Playground (773) 769-LIVE
EMAIL THEM with a brief note info @ thekineticplayground.com
Kimberley Locke LIVE @ Roscoe’s in Boystown Friday, October 8
American Idol. Celebrity Fit Club. The View. Even though Kimberley Locke is constantly on television, she loves performing in dance clubs for the energy and morale boost that her enthusiastic dance music fans give. With remixes by Jason Nevins, Almighty, Bronleewe & Bose, and Scotty K, “Change,” the leadoff single to her sophomore album Based On a True Story, will keep dancefloors buzzing for her next performance.
Kimberly is excited to a show for gay fans at ROSCOES!
“I do a lot of Gay Pride events during the summer, from like June to August. Hands down, I know those events are going to be my best events because the energy in the gay clubs or at the gay events is just out of control. They love me and they let it be known and it feels really good. Anytime I’m stuck in a rut, I’m like I need to do a gay club so I can get my morale boosted. When I walk off the stage from doing a show at a gay event, I just feel like I’ve conquered the world. It’s always a party and it’s always about the music, and I really do enjoy that. It’s not to say that my other audiences aren’t great but it’s hit and miss, when you go and just do a concert or something like that you never know what you’re going to get.”
Roscoe’s and Fusion Radio are Proud to Present American Idol Diva and Billboard #1 Hit Artist – Kimberley Locke!!!
Performing Her Billboard #1 Hits: Change, Band of Gold, 8th World Wonder
Time Friday, October 8 at 10:00pm – October 9 at 2:00am
Location Roscoe’s Tavern – 3356 N. Halsted St.
$10 Cover at 10pm
DID YOU KNOW…..
ROSCOES is nominated as one the
BEST GAY BARS in the world!
VOTE FOR THEM at TripOut Gay Travel .
