Monthly Archives: August 2013
Save 10% at Cosmic Run Chicago September 20th

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Billionaire Philanthropist James Pritzker Comes Out as Transgender

Col. James Pritzker, a member of a prominent and wealthy Chicago
family and funder of a study on transgender people in the military, has
come out as transgender, Crain’s Chicago Business reports.
Crain’s quotes an email sent to employees of the Pritzker
Military Library and Pritzker’s company Tawani Enterprises, saying, “As
of Aug. 16, 2013, J.N. Pritzker will undergo an official legal name
change, will now be known as Jennifer Natalya Pritzker. This change will
reflect the beliefs of her true identity that she has held privately
and will now share publicly. Pritzker now identifies herself as a woman
for all business and personal undertakings.” The business journal adds
that “a spokeswoman declined to answer questions about Col. Pritzker’s
sexuality or possible hormone therapy.”
Pritzker has a net worth of $1.5 billion, according to Forbes,
and has donated to many philanthropic efforts, including preservation
and restoration of historic buildings. Her family has a long history in
business. Pritzker’s father, the late Robert Pritzker, founded the
Marmon Group, a holding company for a variety of businesses, and her
uncles, the late Jay Pritzker and Donald Pritzker, founded Hyatt Hotels.
Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker is her cousin.
We are truly everywhere!
OUT IN THE PARK 2013 Weekend of Parties in Chicagoland
Womens Work Weekend September 13-15, 2013

Women’s Work Weekend runs September 13 to 15, 2013, at Center on Halsted’s Hoover-Leppen Theatre. Find the schedule and information on the readings HERE.
sreenplays and stage plays written by women with lesbian characters or
themes.
The
program is open to all women, regardless of sexual orientation, whose
writing is pertinent to the lesbian community and relevant to the world.
While gay scripts have had a steady production history – from Oscar Wilde to Tennessee Williams, Tony Kushner, and today’s brashest writers – lesbian scripts have a checkered history at best.
Your support of our Women’s Work Weekend provides performance fees for artists, marketing for the festival, and enables writers from around the country to work with our Artistic Ensemble Members on these scripts, which are so full of potential.
Women’s Work Weekend runs September 13 to 15, 2013, at Center on Halsted’s Hoover-Leppen Theatre. Find the schedule and information on the readingsHERE.
In the Heights Comes To Paramount Theatre September 11 – October 6

Nominated in
2008 for 13 Tony Awards, taking home four including Best Musical, Best Score,
Best Choreography and Best Orchestration, In the Heights is an
exuberant contemporary musical that follows three days in the lives of
residents living in New York’s largely Hispanic Washington Heights
neighborhood.
Aurora’s Paramount Theatre will launch its third Broadway subscription
series this September with the first local professional staging of In the
Heights, one of Broadway’s most acclaimed contemporary musicals, a
potent reminder of the importance of chasing one’s dreams, and the show all of
Chicago will be talking about this fall. Performances are September 11 through
October 6, 2013.
For as little as $73.80, subscribers can purchase In
the Heights and see three more Tony Award-winning best musicals at the
Paramount in 2013-14 – Miss Saigon (directed by Jim Corti, October 30-November 24, 2013), 42nd
Street (directed by Rachel
Rockwell, January
15-February 9, 2014)
and Rent
(directed by Jim Corti, March 12-April 6, 2014). Join the nearly 20,000 Broadway series
subscribers who have already taken advantage of Paramount’s Buy Two Shows, Get Two Shows Free offer. To meet growing
demand for its “better than Broadway” productions at such affordable prices, Paramount
has already extended the run of each show from three weeks to four in 2013-14.
Single tickets to In the Heights are also
on sale for $36.90 to $49.90. For renewals, new subscriptions,
single tickets and information, go to ParamountAurora.com, call (630) 896-6666, or visit the Paramount box office Monday through
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and 2 hours prior to evening performances.
Conceived and
featuring music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, with a book by
Pulitzer Prize- winner Quiara Alegría Hudes, In the Heights
transports audiences to a Latino enclave on 183rd Street in New York
City where family bonds are strong and neighborhood ties are equally as
binding. But change is in the air that will impact everyone. In the
Heights is a story of dreams and sacrifices, loyalties and love, all
taking place in one city block surrounded by millions. The pure energy of the
barrio pulses with the poetry of rap, soaring ballads and powerful Latin-inspired
grooves resulting in one of the most original scores to hit Broadway in years.
In a community on the brink of change, full of hopes and dreams, the biggest
struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you and which you
leave In the Heights. Rated PG.
As always, top theater artists from Chicago and all over the
country have been tapped to reward Paramount audiences with a breathtaking production
of In
the Heights. Rachel Rockwell, named “2012 Chicagoan
of the Year in Theatre” by the Chicago Tribune, and director of Paramount’s
wildly acclaimed productions of Hair, Annie and The
Music Man, will direct. The cast
features Nick Demeris (Usnavi), Paula Scrofano (Abuela Claudia), Lillian Castillo (Carla), Keely Vasquez (Daniela), Ricardo Gutierrez (Kevin), Lucinda Johnston (Camila), Luis Herrera (Sonny), Jonathan Butler-Duplessis (Benny), Caitlainne Rose Gurreri (Vanessa), Christina Nieves (Nina) and David Baida (Piragua Guy). Ensemble
members are Kasey Alfonso, William Carlos Angulo, Mary Joe Duggan, Courtney Landwerlen, Rachel
Marie LaPorte, Eric Lewis, Terrance Martin, Tommy Rivera-Vega, Daniel
Spagnuolo and Lauren Villegas.
The set is a beauty,
a replica of the original Broadway design by Tony nominee Anna Louizos. Tom Vendafreddo (music director/conductor) will lead the
Paramount Theatre Orchestra with live, lush renditions of the play’s rich
musical score. Paramount’s In the Heights production team also
includes Katie Spelman
(choreographer), Elizabeth Flauto
(costumes), Jesse Klug (lights), Jeff Dublinske (sound), Sarah Ross (props), Dianne Morrisette (wigs), Rose Marie Packer (stage manager) and Beth Ellen Spencer (assistant stage
manager).
About The Paramount Theatre
The Paramount Theatre is the center for
performing arts, entertainment and arts education in Aurora, the second
largest city in Illinois. Named “One of Chicago’s Top 10 Attended
Theatres” by the League of Chicago Theatres, the 1,888-seat Paramount
Theatre, located in the heart of downtown Aurora at 23 E. Galena Blvd., is
nationally renowned for the quality and caliber of its presentations, superb
acoustics and historic beauty.
The Paramount Theatre opened on September 3,
1931. Designed by nationally renowned theater architects C.W. and George L.
Rapp, the theater captures a unique Venetian setting portrayed in the art deco
influence of the 1930s. The first air-conditioned building outside of Chicago,
the Paramount offered the public a variety of entertainment, including
“talking pictures,” vaudeville, concerts and circus performances for
more than 40 years.
In 1976, Aurora Civic Center Authority purchased
the Paramount and closed the theater for restoration. The $1.5 million project
restored the Paramount to its original grandeur. On April 29, 1978, the
Paramount Arts Center opened, offering a variety of theatrical, musical,
comedy, dance and family programming. In 2006, a 12,000-square-foot, two-story
Grand Gallery lobby was added, with a new, state-of-the-art box office, café
and art gallery.
Mariano’s Fresh Market will be Extending Insurance Benefits to LGBT Spouses

Marianos
(Grocery Store) is only in Chicago and is expanding rapidly with plans
to open 8 more Chicago area stores in the next year.
Groupon employees to participate in October 22 Marriage Equality March on Springfield
Illinois. Today they released a video, produced by Groupon employees, to
showcase that support.
participating in the March on Springfield, busing interested employees
to the rally that day in support of marriage equality on October 22.
the scheduled first day of the fall veto session of the Illinois state
legislature. The “March on Springfield” is part of a broad grassroots
strategy to secure final passage of Senate Bill 10, the “Religious
Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act,” already approved by the Illinois
Senate. Once adopted, Illinois will become the 14th state plus the
District of Columbia, to treat all of its citizens equally under state
marriage laws. For more information, visit http://www.marchonspringfield.
The Boys from the Book of Mormon present Trans Musical ONE NIGHT ONLY for Charity

The Boys from the Book of Mormon Present Trans Musical ONE NIGHT ONLY for Charity
PAGEANT: The Musical
Book and Lyrics by Bill Russell & Frank Kelly
Music by Albert Evans & Conceived by Robert Longbottom
7:30PM, SEPT 9th
The Laugh Factory
3175 N Broadway St, Chicago
General Admission$40.00
with 2 drink minimum
V.I.P $100 -7:00PM VIP reception, PRIORITY SEATING, 2 drink minimum
This special evening in the Chicago arts benefits The Abzyme Research Foundation: raising money for the most promising HIV vaccine trial in decades.
It’s a once in a lifetime event: Off-Broadway’s most hilarious trans-musical performed ONE NIGHT ONLY by the boys from Chicago’s The Book of Mormon.
Featuring Pierce Cassedy, Donell James Foreman, Eric Giancola, Eric Jackson, Nick Laughlin, Will Lee-Williams, Richard Traub and Jessica Hudson as our MC for the evening.
These girls have it all, plus a little something extra. Cheer them on as they sing, dance and claw their way to the Glamouresse Beauty Products Company’s Miss Glamouresse 2014 tiara. You won’t be able to contain yourself and you won’t have to, audience members get to decide who gets crowned and watch the mascara run!
“Pageant” is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. eTickets Available online More information on the HIV vaccine at http://www.endhiv.com
Celebrate 20 years of Restoration Salon August 24th
$20 suggested donation. Doors open at 7pm Hair/Fashion show at 8pm
Please bring checks or cash for Donation and raffle tickets!
Huge Blow Out MOVING Sale at Re Stock on Halsted
GOING GOING….soon to be GONE!
Doors Close this Sunday, Aug. 18th!
Fall Queer Clothing Swap at Center on Halsted August 18th

Fall Queer Clothing Swap
Clothing Exchange
Looking to trade your skirt and heels for some slacks and loafers?
Join
organizer Rebecca Kling and Genderqueer Chicago, No Boys Allowed, Soy
Quien Soy and more for a Queer Clothing Swap at Center on Halsted,
located at 3656 N. Halsted St., Chicago, Ill. on Sunday, Aug. 18 from 3 – 6 p.m. The event is free.
While
the swap is particularly intended for trans- and gender-variant
individuals to have a safe and fun space to exchange clothes, the event
is open to all queer-affirming allies. Each participant is to bring at
least three items of clean, gently worn clothing, shoes and accessories
to be donated to the swap. In exchange, participants will have the
chance to take home three items new-to-them. Donations of undergarments,
swimwear or stained clothing are not permitted. Each participant should
bring their own bag as they will not be supplied.
5 Tips for First Time Home Owners

Are you tired of renting and are a first-time home buyer eager to get into the market? Here
are steps to take to help you decide whether you’re ready to take the
plunge.
1. Check the selling prices of comparable homes in your area. Web sites such as Zillow and Homegain
can give you a general idea of what you should expect to pay. You can
also do a quick search of actual MLS listings in your area on a number
of Web sites, including the site of the National Association of Realtors. Better yet, contact a knowledgeable real estate agent in Chicago, who knows the area’s and the prices well.
2. See what you can afford. Use Bankrate’s mortgage calculator
to see what your payment would be. To get a sense of the maximum you
should spend, use MSN Real Estate’s home affordability calculator
(here).
3. Find out what your total monthly housing cost would be, including
taxes and homeowners insurance. To get a feel for the maximum amount you
should spend, including taxes and insurance, use MSN Real Estate’s home affordability calculator. In some areas, what you’ll pay for your taxes and insurance escrow can almost double your mortgage payment.
4. Find out how much you’ll likely pay in closing costs. The upfront
cost of settling on your home shouldn’t be overlooked. Closing costs
include origination fees charged by the lender, title and settlement
fees, taxes and prepaid items such as homeowners insurance or homeowners
association fees. You can see what closing costs average in your state
by looking at Bankrate.com’s annual closing cost survey.
5. Look at your budget and determine how a house fits into it. Fannie
Mae recommends that buyers spend no more than 28% of their income on
housing costs. Go much past 30% and you risk becoming house poor.
Sponsored by Pam Plotkin
Whether you are buying or selling a home, you’ve come to the right place
to achieve success in Chicago’s exciting housing market. As one of
Dream Town’s highly-trained real estate agents, I will help you reach
your goals through expert knowledge of area neighborhoods and
exceptional client services.
Expect More Children in Boystown

What could have been a fantastic gay bar, will now be a place for children.
Options for LGBT Divorce : Center on Halsted August 13th

“Alternate Endings: Collaborative Options for Building Strong LGBTQ Families” will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 13 at 7:00 p.m. at Center on Halsted, located at 3656 N. Halsted St., Chicago, Ill. 60613.
Hosted
by Center on Halsted and the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, a
panel of experienced attorneys and collaborative law fellows – family
law professionals Eva Matela Kogut and Alan H. Boudreau, and estate
planning attorney, Lindsey Paige Markus – will discuss what civil
unions, marriage and divorce mean to LGBTQ families.
The
discussion will evaluate the Collaborative Divorce Model as a means of
providing options for a peaceful divorce without litigation. The
Collaborate Divorce Model is a team approach for prenuptial agreements,
separations, and divorce that helps a couple plan their family without
going to court and supports families while they make tough financial and
parenting decisions.
This
community event is free and open to the public. For more information,
please contact Jane Merrill, Advocacy and Community Engagement
Coordinator, at legal@centeronahlsted.org or 773-472-6469 ext. 412.