Monthly Archives: March 2011
Anti-Gay Rev. Byron Brazier Joins Rahm Emanuels Team
Chicago mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel’s transition team cochairs include the Reverend Byron Brazier (pictured), whose denomination denounces homosexuality.
The transition team has no LGBT people among its cochairs, but it does have a minister from an antigay religious denomination…..should we be worried?
“We look forward to working with the team of co-chairs to help identify the priorities for the city of Chicago, including the priorities of the LGBT community, and figure out a path to addressing them as soon as the mayor is in office,” Cherkasov said.
Brazier’s presence on the transition team is an eyebrow-raising choice, however. Brazier’s father and the previous pastor of the Apostolic Church of God, the late Bishop Arthur, supported the Federal Marriage Amendment. Additionally, the church is affiliated with the Pentecostal movement, which generally condemns homosexuality as sinful.
Rev. Irene Monroe, coordinator of the African American Roundtable of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry at the Pacific School of Religion, said Emanuel’s selection of Brazier while not including any LGBT co-chairs was an intentional, and troubling, choice.“It is a great concern,” Monroe said. “Why that particular church when there are so many progressive churches he can choose from?
Monroe added that the inclusion of Brazier reminded her of Obama’s inclusion of anti-gay leaders in his team: “I think what bothers me most about that is that progressives like Rahm and Obama don’t mind taking LGBT money for their campaigns and don’t mind our vote, but when it comes to full-throated advocacy, they invariably either let us down or leave us waiting like this time is never the right time for them to hit these particular issues.”
What Exactly Does the Center on Halsted Do?
I am really amazed when I talk to friends here in Chicago who really have no idea of what goes on at the CENTER ON HALSTED . They just think it’s a place to hang out and have no idea of what the Center has to offer!
Everyone should sign up for their monthy newsletter . And from time to time, we’ll provide a snapshot of some of the months highlights. There really is something here for everyone!
For March –
“When Romeo Was A Woman,” a presentation of the Out at CHM series
Thursday, March 10, Cocktails at 5:30 p.m. event at 6:30 p.m.
$12/ $10 students/CHM members
Charlotte Cushman, 1816-1876, was the nineteenth century’s most famous cross-dressing and woman-loving actress. Her performance of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lover was legendary, and she wowed male and female audiences alike at local theaters, like McVicker’s in Chicago, during her American tours. Join cultural historian Lisa Merrill for a behind-the-scenes look at how spectators and critics talked and wrote about sexuality on stage. Jill Austin, museum curator, will begin the program with a brief introduction to LGBT-related life and themes in mid-19th-century Chicago. About Face Theatre Artistic Director Bonnie Metzgar and the Laramie Project’s co-author Leigh Fondakowski will join the discussion to talk about how gender-bending pioneers continue to impact our stages.
Speed Dating for Men 21+
Thursday, March 10, 7PM $12 at the door
Looking to date, make friends or to meet that special someone? It’s time for some real-time, fun-time speed dating at Center on Halsted. You will have an opportunity to meet everyone and leave with contact information for your matches! Cash bar opens at 6:45 PM.
a conversation with Atty. Ray Koenig
Tuesday, March 15, 6:30PM FREE
Beginning this summer, Illinois will offer civil unions to same-sex couples. Hear from legal expert Ray Koenig about what this will mean for you—whether you have partnership arrangements or not.
Ray J. Koenig III, is a member in Clark Hill’s Litigation Practice Group in its Chicago office. He practices in the areas of probate litigation, trust litigation, fiduciary litigation, elder law and estate planning. Ray has represented individuals, families, financial institutions, medical institutions, and governmental organizations in all areas of his practice. Ray has extensive trial, appellate and mediation experience in state and federal courts.
Ray is frequently appointed Guardian Ad Litem and defense counsel by judges in guardianship cases, and has been appointed Special Administrator in probate matters. Ray has also been appointed Special Assistant Attorney General in numerous matters. Ray served on a task force formed by the Commissioner of the City of Chicago Department on Aging to develop and draft legislation to significantly revise the Illinois Elder Abuse and Neglect Act.
Introduction to PowerPoint
Begins Thursday, March 17, 10AM (3-week series) $15. Sliding scale available.
Call (773) 661-0730 to register. Pre-registration required.
This class is designed for the beginning PowerPoint user and includes: creating a presentation, working with text in slides, working with slides, using design templates, different presentation views, and printing presentations.
Thursday, March 17, 6PM FREE. Pre-registration required.
Interested in a night of fine dining, smooth live jazz, and apple martinis –and getting home by 10pm? Want an alternative to your traditional St. Patty’s Day celebration? Then come on out for the SAGE Early Bird Jazz Supper Club. Bring a date, rendezvous, or live on the edge and meet someone new! Come for the sumptuous cuisine prepared by Center on Halsted’s “What’s Cookin’” program and stay for our three sassy song stylists and apple martinis. Space limited to 36.
Bisexual Movie Night
Monday, March 21, 7PM (3rd Mondays)
A casual, FREE movie night with popcorn and refreshments.
SAGE Women’s Creative Writing
Thursday, March 24, 6PM (Thursdays weekly)
Experienced facilitator from Northwestern University will guide the group through expressions of self through poetry, fiction, and journal writing. Class is limited to 15; please call or e-mail (773) 472-6469 to register.
Speed Dating for Women 21+
Thursday, March 24, 7PM $12 at the door
Looking to date, make friends or to meet that special someone? It’s time for some real-time, fun-time speed dating at Center on Halsted. You will have an opportunity to meet everyone and leave with contact information for your matches! Cash bar opens at 6:45 PM.
Legal Clinic at Center on Halsted
Tuesdays 4PM-7PM and Wednesdays 6PM-8PM
(please call to make an appointment)
Center on Halsted’s free legal clinic allows LGBT and Ally people to speak one-on-one with a licensed attorney about their specific legal concern and receive appropriate information and referral options. There is no fee for this service. For more information or to make an appointment, please contact 773.472.6469, ext. 290.
This is just a small glimpse into the Center on Halsted. Every day more than 1,000 visitors, participants and clients walk through the doors of Center on Halsted. Come experience the richness of their theatre, gallery exhibits and cultural programs. Take a class in the Computer Technology Center or use the free wi-fi throughout the building. Be a part of The Center .
Deep In A Dream: The Long Night of Chet Baker March 19-20
has played at The Castro Theater in San Francisco, CA and at Chicago’s famed Green Mill in 2009.
New York Times Best Selling Author James Gavin will be joining with some of my favorite artists and the author himself to celebrate in spoken word and music Deep In a Dream, James Gavin’s biography of jazz giant Chet Baker.
James Gavin, a contributing writer to the New York Times since 1992, has been published in Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, TV Guide, JazzTimes, Town & Country, and other periodicals. His second book (DEEP IN A DREAM) went into its second printing in its first five weeks. It has been covered in the London Times, the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, the Wall Street Journal, and numerous other publications.
James Gavin has been interviewed on NPR a dozen times, including by Terry Gross, and will do his fifth interview for the BBC this month. The European printing of “Deep In a Dream” will appear in October. James Gavin has been featured on television from Coast to Coast, as well as over one hundred newspaper reviews in support of Deep In a Dream. He has written liner notes for over 300 albums, including Ella Fitzgerald: The Legendary Decca Recordings, which won Gavin a Grammy nomination in 1996. Gavin recently wrote STORMY WEATHER: The Life and Music of Lena Horne which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award in 2010.
Celebrate Chet Baker on Saturday, March 19 (6:30pm) at Katerina’s Supper Club
(1920 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL)
Deep In A Dream: The Long Night of Chet Baker A narrated concert featuring the author of Deep In A Dream, James Gavin. Featuring vocals by Spider Saloff with Dennis Luxion, piano, Art Davis, trumpet
RESERVATIONS REQUIRED BY CALLING 773-348-7592
ALSO – On Sunday, March 20th (4pm to 6pm) the Salon Series. Best-selling Author James Gavin. Gavin will discuss and then open up an interactive Q & A as he leads discussion and remembers American icon, Lena Horne and jazz star Chet Baker.
Tickets officially tickets available now online for March 20th featuring James Gavin with special guest Spider Saloff
More details at KMP
Best Gay Chicago.com
