Category Archives: Alternative
Chicago’s Angelique Munro Seeks Your Support
I think it’s a hard thing to do for most of us, to ask anyone for money or help. Requesting assistance from colleagues or friends, whether it be for a work assignment or to help when times are down for us, is something many people have trouble doing.
Trans activist and entertainment professional Angelique Munro has been a pillar in the Chicago community for many years now. And she is THIS CLOSE to having GRS ( Gender Reassignment Surgery). But she could use our help and support.
After talking with a Healthcare Advisor from Howard Brown Health Center and they contacted her insurance agency they will consider her GRS and she will be responsible for only $6000. She has already raised $3,000 of that.
Tis the season of giving and sharing ….please read her story and consider a contribution here.
Gay Voting in Boystown Chicago 2016
“Politics is theater. It doesn’t matter if you win. You make a statement. You say, “I’m here, pay attention to me” ~ Harvey Milk
LISTEN UP POLITICALLY ACTIVE CHICAGO QUEERS AND ALLIES!
Chicago Votes and Organized Grime Crew Present: Out of the Bars and Into the Street. THIS IS YOUR CHANCE TO HAVE YOUR VOICES HEARD IN 2016.
DATE: Saturday, November 5th
TIME: 12:00PM
LOCATION: Replay Beer & Bourbon & Hydrate Nightclub Chicago
POLLING LOCATION: Merlo Branch Chicago Public Library
LQQKS: POLITICAL REALNESS
The queer community has a history of marching to protect the rights of all. After the unprecedented tragedy at Pulse Orlando, it is clear that queer visibility this election year is key to ensuring that people have the ability to be who they are.
Meet at Replay Beer & Bourbon promptly at 12:00PM November 5.
Dress in your best LQQKS.
We will hold a rally, and march down Halsted St. to the EARLY VOTING polls at the Merlo Branch Public Library on Belmont Ave.
ALL WHO MARCH WILL BE GIVEN 25% OFF ON ALL DRINKS AT REPLAY.
AFTER PARTY and FREE BARBEQUE to follow at Hydrate Nightclub Chicago with Harry Cross of Men’s Room Chicago and headliner, Cindel starting at 3:00PM.
If you cannot vote in the city of Chicago, or have voted already, please join us at the march, anyway.
If you are ARE NOT REGISTERED TO VOTE, you can register SAME DAY at the polling location.
BRING YOUR ID’s in the event you are turned away from the polls.
Be unapologetic. Be seen. Make our voices heard..
THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW.
Rooftop Pride June 24th
Center on Halsted presents TKO!
Start your Pride Parade weekend with community for Center on Halsted’s annual pride bash overlooking Halsted Street on the Richard M. Daley Roof Terrace. Jump in and groove to the killer sound of our dueling djs:
DJ Billy Brown vs. DJ Gemini Jones
Lady Bunny PERFORMS & OFFICIATES
$20 entry includes admission with two drinks, nibbles, and cash bar
PRICE
$20 entry includes admission with two drinks, nibbles, and cash bar
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Purchase tickets here: https://community.centeronhalsted.org/TKO
Gay Queer Rap Hip Hop June 23rd
Thursday, June 23rd
7:30 – 11:30PM @ MANHOLE
VIP Access $35 (Buy Tickets)
-Includes: 1 hour premium hosted bar
-Artist Lounge Access
Includes:
-1 hr premium hosted bar
-Artist Lounge Access
-Premium bottle service w/ table for 5 people
-Artist Meet & Greet
-Express entrance to AfterParty (Berlin) w/ Champagne service
Cuddle and Touch for Emotional and Physical Needs
We all want love, acceptance and connection with other people. We’re social beings, and this connection with others is part of our emotional, physical and spiritual DNA.
Touch plays an important role in building these connections, increasing scientific evidence clearly shows a connection that lack of touch can lead to depression, anxiety and a myriad of heath issues, and an inability to connect with others.
Most of us don’t get enough touch in our lives.
We’re touch-deprived, and most of us don’t even know it consciously. All we know is that there’s loneliness and stress and a deep sense of missing out. We feel this because there’s a biochemical yearning for something that is missing in our lives. And there is something missing: touch and the connection with others that it fosters.
“That’s why we started Cuddlist,” says Adam Lippin, Co-founder and CEO of CUDDLIST. “Safe, non-sexual, consensual touch fills a need that’s badly neglected in our society. Cuddling relaxes us and reduces stress at the very least, and on the deeper level it nourishes our soul and helps us get in touch with our higher self. Much like yoga and meditation, non-sexual touch is healing and transformative.”
Cuddlist brings together those who need touch (and that would be just about all of us!) with Certified, professional cuddlers who are experienced, safe, well-versed in cuddling techniques and follow a code of conduct that set the conditions for a great session. There have been LOTS of press on this group over the last year – check it out HERE.
THE CHICAGO NETWORK IS GROWING!
Become a certified CUDDLIST or FIND a CUDDLIST in Chicago
While any two people can cuddle, of course, what sets Cuddlist apart is that we are creating the marketplace for transformative cuddling, and we bring the professionalism and best practices that make it work; Cuddlist training is overseen by my co-founder, Madelon Guinazzo, and she both has years of experience as a full-time Cuddlist and knowledge of what works in practice.
While Cuddlist is something special, and fills an important gap in our world, I also want to share what it means to me personally.
“I’ve been a yoga and meditation practitioner for more than 20 years. Yoga has been an animating principle in my life that has seen me through college, drug addiction, the corporate world in New York, loss and death, and the birth of my son and my relationship with my amazing spouse. I’m also a touchy-feely “hugger,” and when I go to shake someone’s hand I’m keenly aware how restricted touch is in our society.”
Most would agree that touch is therapeutic, and the rush of oxytocin we produce when we cuddle is great, but in my experience cuddling also can be something deeper.
American Buddhist Jack Kornfield, in his book, After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path, talks about how the simple act of being present can be a deeply spiritual practice. I think cuddling, if non-sexual and approached without expected outcomes in mind, can help us be present and raise our spiritual awareness.
So while I’m a “hugger,” and I immediately see the value that cuddling can play as a corrective in our society, I also think it contains a deeply spiritual component.
Indian civil rights leader Mohandas Gandhi said we must be the change we want to see in the world, and I want to play my part by encouraging non-sexual touch and the emergence of what might be called cuddle yoga.
“Touch is important, and we don’t get enough of it. I want to change that, and that’s why I, along with my Co-Founder, started Cuddlist. Will you join us?”
Are you ready to give yourself the gift of nurturing touch?
Book a therapeutic, non-sexual, cuddle session with a Certified Cuddlist today.
Find out more at CUDDLIST. Learn more; FIND a CUDDLIST and/or become a CUDDLIST!
Zip Line in Chicago Feb 13-15
So it’s not very high – not very long – and it’s COLD! But hey, you can Zip Line for free this weekend in Millennium Park. Folks will have an opportunity to enjoy the vacation-like thrill of zip lining right here in Chicago… in the chill of winter.
Florida tourism company Experience Kissimmee is taking its campaign to Chicago’s Millennium Park this month, where it will provide a 200-foot zip line for Chicagoans to enjoy among the brisk February air.
The company says the zip line will run from a three-story platform “down to a warm winter welcome below.” The company hopes the stunt will encourage Chicagoans to plan a vacation in Kissimmee, Fla., a city near Orlando that is known for several amusement parks.
The company’s zip line is free to the public and will be in Millennium Park from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Feb. 13-15. Experience Kissimmee is encouraging attendees to donate coats.
“For this campaign, we decided to bring some of the warm-weather fun to our freezing friends here in Chicago,” DT Minich, president & CEO of Experience Kissimmee, said in a statement.
Shirtless Chicago Guy Spreads Prayer
A couple weeks ago Ethan Renoe, a hot shirtless jogger crashed a TV weather forecast in Chicago. During the rainy broadcast Renoe said, “It’s a great day for a run. Too wet to wear a shirt, you know?” He added, “I love running in the rain, and I’m also single!” – the video went Viral!
Renoe, an evangelical Christian, also made sure to get in a shout out to Jesus during the impromptu interview he did with WGN.
Now, NBC Chicago reports that Renoe, who attended a Christian Bible college and says he is a virgin who is saving himself for marriage, founded a ministry that has been offering “free prayers” outside gay bars in the city’s Boystown gayborhood for the last four years! – Damn, I keep missing him!
“My primary purpose of going there is to show this community love that has been severely damaged by those who claim to be Christians. That area has been hurt by people who claim Christ’s name.” – – Is it good? or bad? how do you feel about this?
One student member remarked that he understood the backlash the group sometimes receives while in the gay community:
“Some people come at us angrily, but I can understand that because that community is their stronghold and that’s where their identity lies and they feel like we’re attacking it, but that’s before they talk to us,” said student Andy Wood. “Regardless of lifestyle decisions we have the same opportunity to share the gospel and love people.”
Gay Queer Contra Dance Chicago April 25th
LGBQ programs at CIMMfest 2015
2015 CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL MOVIES & MUSIC FESTIVAL
CIMMfest No. 7 TO ROLL OUT LGBQ PROGRAMMING
APRIL 16 – 19, 2015
The 7th Chicago International Movies & Music Festival (CIMMfest), the annual four-day showcase celebrating the inseparable connection between music and movies, is proud to announce the festival’s LGBQ programming include films The Dicks from Texas, Cakes da Killa: No Homo and a special video and music event Cruising TRACKS: a Radical Queer Video. For a complete lineup of confirmed films, musical acts and live scoring events for CIMMfest No. 7, visit http://cimmfest.org/.
CIMMfest’s queer film screenings and music event present documentaries, video art, short fictions and music videos. These presentations touch a wide array of topics: stretching notions of gender identity; kinship and sexuality; proper bodies and their organized functions while dealing with other social and political struggles such as the fight against HIV/AIDS, sexism, confinement, racism, and mental illness.
Thursday, April 16th The Dicks from Texas (pictured)
The Dicks from Texas tells the story of the men, the myth and the music behind the band that defined Texas hardcore punk. Long before Austin made weirdness a civic virtue, The Dicks made it a cause. Three rawboned Marlboro Man types fronted by Gary Floyd, a fat queer with a penchant for fright wigs, this self-described “commie faggot band” helped put the Texas capital on the punk map in the early ’80s with anthems like “Dicks Hate the Police” and “Wheelchair Epidemic.”
7:00pm @ The Society for Arts, 1112 N Milwaukee Ave
A la carte tickets are $12
Friday, April 17th
CIMMfest’s Cruising Tracks – Radical Queer Video Program includes:
· Queer Video Screening, videos & event curated by Rebecca Lavoie.
· Live performance by Donzelle, Montreal’s Sassiest Rapper and her dancers; Douce Angoisse, provocative electronic musician backed by hypnotic disco/darkwave melodies.
· Slo ‘Mo dance party: A throwback to old-school R&B, Slo ‘Mo seeks to unite people of all identities, bodies and expressions through soul music. Including the sounds of Anita Baker, Frank Ocean, Janet Jackson and more, Slo ‘Mo Dance Party is hosted by Kristen Kava with grooves by DJ Tess and Audio Jack of Slo ‘Mo.
8:00pm @ The Hideout Inn, 354 West Wabansia
Tickets are $8 in advance, $10 at the door and $5 for the dance party only
Saturday, April 18th
Cakes da Killa: No Homo (short doc) playing with feature documentary The Hip-Hop Fellow
The short doc follows Cakes Da Killa (born Rashard Bradshaw), a 22 year-old up and coming rapper who also happens to be an out and proud gay man. With provocative lyrics that explore sexuality and gender politics, he’s not your run of the mill rapper, but he just might be your new favorite.
9:00pm @ The Society for Arts, 1112 N Milwaukee Ave
A la carte tickets are $12
CIMMfest No. 7 takes place April 16-19, 2015 along the Milwaukee Avenue corridor – from Wicker Park to Logan Square – with satellite events in the West Loop, Pilsen and beyond. Four-day festival passes, which include admission to An Evening of Music, Film & Wine with Spike Lee, are currently available for $110 at CIMMfest.org. Additional (non-Spike) CIMMfest passes – $75 (basic) and VIP ($100) – are also available now.
Chicago House THE TEASE Feb 28th
Nadine DuBois is a commanding addition to this year’s production of The Tease. Renowned for her masterful ability to transform shows into a “more cohesive and pure slice of burlesque,” DuBois will provide a “glamorous framework for The Tease‘s incredible cast of artists.”
Hailing from Minneapolis, DuBois laces a glimmer of sexuality into her Minnesota-nice demeanor. She brings experience performing throughout the Twin Cities in large theatrical productions such as Grown and Sexy PRIDE, which every year features a special guest from RuPaul’s Drag Race, and in big-stage shows that have toured across New Zealand and Australia with Chicago burlesque artists Jett Adore, Bazuka Joe and Ray Gunn. DuBois has also made appearances in venues such as Chicago’s Subterranean and Music Box Theatre.
For DuBois, burlesque is truly an innocent, fun and freeing experience. “When I’m on stage, it’s the most present I ever am.”
This love affair started one hot summer night in Minneapolis when DuBois walked past an unnamed bar. Inside, she saw mystic artists who looked like they truly belonged. Trained as a singer, DuBois sought the perfect platform from which to share her talent, but she had yet to find the right fit. On this warm night in 2003, Nadine DuBois fell in love.
From there grew the persona that DuBois describes as “comedic in a real way.” Opening shows with the question, Have you ever been to a burlesque show before?, DuBois channels the audience’s nervous energy into her comedy. She responds suggestively to those new to the art form, eager to pop the cherries of burlesque virgins around the world.
This month, DuBois will host The Tease. Tying together performances by aerialists, dancers, jugglers and contortionists, DuBois will provide the scaffolding for The Tease’s portrayal of the turmoil of love. As a fierce ally to the communities Chicago House serves, Nadine DuBois intends for her performance to “highlight and encourage the powerful compassion and immense resources that Chicago House provides for its clients.”
Two shows 7:30 and 10:30!!! Saturday Feb. 28th!
Buy tickets to this year’s production of The Tease on our website or by calling 773.248.5200 x 304.
The Welcoming Committee Chicago
The Welcoming Committee launched in Chicago in October, but it has been active in a few of the major neighborhoods and cities DC and Boston…for several years now. La and NY coming in the Spring.
TWC is a movement of LGBTQ folks that takes over typically straight bars, sports games, special events, and major travel destinations for one-time-only experiences.
BEST GAY, our brand, took over Six Flags in 2012 and OUT IN THE PARK is now an annual event. Last fall we took over Key Lime Cove for 24 hours and it was EPIC! This summer, we’ll be taking over Six Flags Hurricane Harbor and the Brookfield Zoo during June!
TWC Chicago has a really cool wine event planned for March 19th at Adler Planetarium.
LIKE them and on get on the list to see whats happening!
HEATWAVE CHICAGO IS HERE!
THE TEMPERATURES
ARE PLUNGING!
There is a polar invasion in the Midwest…..
but don’t fret…HEATWAVE IS ALMOST HERE! After more than 1 year of planning, the party, like no other, is arriving this weekend. BUT IT’S ALMOST SOLD OUT!
24 hours at Key Lime Cove. We bought out the ENTIRE COMPLEX and portions of rooms booked will go the benefit the Chicago Gay Mens Chorus!
400 rooms.
12 hours of music with 4 DJ’s and CAZWELL!
Don’t want a room?
Can’t stay the night?
Get a party ticket for $85.
Room packages start at $200 for 2 people for 24 hours!
Yesterday EVERYONE wis trying to call and book rooms for Heatwave. Is that a Midwest thing…waiting to the last minute?? LOL – Because this is a special private event, each reservation can take time to process and answer everyone’s questions – hence, phone hold times may be annoying.
SO, WEDNESDAY NIGHT (Nov. 12th) 8pm-10pm the Key Lime Cove folks are coming to Scarlet Bar (3320 N. Halsted) to do reservations live one-on-one in person. And we only have about 50 -55 room packages left – where you get a room and party admission! So if you have not booked a room yet – come on out and book your room and we’ll celebrate with some Fireball shots on me!!
An event like Heatwave HAS NEVER BEEN DONE. You do not want to miss this!
Friday night we’ll be at Scarlet bar for another event – Heatwave Kick Off Party!
Come hang with Trannika Rex, designer Traver Rains and the fabulous Jasen Kaplan!
See YOU at HEATWAVE!
Chicago LGBTQ Youth – FACES
FACES is Back!
November 7th, 8th, and 9th
Links Hall, 3111 N. Western Ave, ChicagoLimited seating. Wheelchair accessible.
Click here to purchase tickets online!
YEPP’s mission is to seek a safe environment for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer street-based youth to explore their history, investigate new ways to address their struggles and celebrate their strengths through the process of developing a theatrical performance piece.
Neverland Halloween Oct. 24th
Start you Halloween celebrations off October 24th as NEVERLAND presents “Dia de los Muertos”, a Day of the Dead Halloween party at Hydrate Nightclub Chicago.
NEVERLAND returns to Hydrate for Halloween with “Dia de los Muertos”, a journey into the Day of the Dead. The famous Mexican holiday will be celebrated in our costumes and decor, but since it’s Halloween, feel free to dress as anything! Resident of the NYC’s popular ViVa Saturdays parties, DJ Alexander, headlines his very first Neverland party.
Looking for costume inspiration? Check out our Instagram @NeverlandParties, as we’ll be posting photos from our Mauricio Zapata photoshoot all month long leading up to the dance party.
SPECIAL PERFORMANCES by Kandy Ho (Puerto Rico) and Kim Chi
HOSTED by Kim Chi & Eddie Couture
DRAG CARNAGE: “Day of the Dead” kicks off the night at 9:30pm starring Gia Gunn, The Princess (from RuPaul’s Drag Race), Kandy Ho (Puerto Rico), Eddie Couture, Shea Coulee, and Trixie Mattel. The dance party follows at 11:30pm.
Door: $20 general admission
PUSH Physical Theatre
Seeing award winning PUSH Physical Theatre is like watching a live action-movie. This talented group of performers inspires awe with physical illusions and gravity-defying, dance-infused, acrobatic high-jinx.
A cross between fine art sculpture and “The Matrix,” PUSH Physical Theatre will express the power of the human body at Moraine Valley Community College on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 7:30 p.m.
PUSH Physical Theatre is cool, athletic, entertaining, and impossible to resist. This theater of the body features performers who appear to manipulate time and space in a live environment. The performance is all about stories, the narratives of life played out with hope, strength and optimism. Experience PUSH to know the strength of the human soul.
“Our Physical Theatre is an art form created from borrowing,” said Darren Stevenson, founding director of PUSH Physical Theatre. “We have been inspired by the concepts and ideas of corporeal mime, modern dance, non-traditional partnering, and the areas of acting technique that relate to the use of the body as a tool of discovery; even gymnastics play a part. We attempt to create a true synergy between these theater forms.”
SNEAK PEAK
PUSH’s unique form has transformed it into a national company that has performed all over England, the United States and Mexico, and has appeared on PBS and NPR.
The performers will defy gravity in the Fine and Performing Arts Center’s Dorothy Menker Theater, 9000 W. College Pkwy., Palos Hills. Tickets are $25 for the general public and $20 for students and seniors.
BUY TICKETS
More info at PUSH
Grabby Awards Return to Chicago May 24th
GRABBY Weekend! Memorial Day Weekend!
Parties and porn Stars!
Thursday May 22, 2014 –
Grabby Official Kickoff Party with Chi Chi LaRue
Hydrate 3458 N. Halsted from 9pm till 2am $5 Cover.
Friday May 23, 2014 –
To Be announced please check back
Saturday May 24, 2014 –.
The 2014 Grabbys! THE MAIN EVENT!
@ Metro 3730 N. Clark
Red carpet / doors open at 5:00 PM.
Tickets now on sale CLICK HERE
GRABBY OFFICIAL AFTERPARTY
Charlies 3726 N. Broadway – 10pm till Close…
$10 online or $15 at the Door
Tickets available by Clicking HERE
Sunday May 25, 2014
Naked Sword Post Grabby Recovery Brunch at
North End 3733 N Halsted Doors open at 11am.
$10 Cover. $15 at the door.
Tickets will go on sale soon….please check back.
GRABBY AWARDS OFFICIAL SITE
Audio Archaeology offers Vintage Records, Nostalgia and Vinyl Lifestyle
This place is way cool! If you like nostalgia, vinyl, cool bar sets, consoles, vintage furniture and some local artwork, this store is a treasure at 1324 W. Devon.
Repurpose. Refurbish. Revinylize.
“Records represent more than just a superior sound; they’re a little bit of nostalgia – in the richness of the music, the style of the album design, even the smell of the vinyl. It’s the tangible feel as you stack albums on a changer, and pause to flip to the B-side.” explains owner John Arnsdorff of his new store Audio Archaeology.
“As a child, I combed thrift shops for 78 records, and took tube radios apart so see how they worked. Audio Archaeology is the culmination of a lifetime of collecting, decorating and tinkering.
If you have an idea for a unique system, or if you’re looking for something classic, we can help. From Mid-Century Modern consoles or Bakelite Portable Record Players to Contemporarily-styled Systems and Component Turntables, we have something for every purpose. We offer a full line of Crosley record players, for a new take on classic styles.”
Owner Arnsdorff, with friend and Marketing Director Nick Kuttin ( aka Nikutn ) have created something very special here.
“I’ve been an antique collector pretty much my whole life and I’ve always had a thing for archaic technology and also for music and really started getting back into vinyl the last few years,” said Arnsdorff. “I love the sound, especially of the older systems. The things they’re making today, there are some you can find that are high-end audiophile, but most of it’s kind of pedestrian. I’ve enjoyed finding things, fixing them up, refurbishing them.” – (Taken from Windy City interview HERE).
PLUS they plan to feature an artist every month. This months event takes place this Saturday, March 22nd from 7-11pm. Sean Walker.
There’s more to a ‘vinyl lifestyle’ than just music! Check out the awesome home accessories and gifts, sure to compliment a modern, classic style.
SHOP LOCAL!
Revolucion Steak House TONIGHT! Day of the Dead Celebration
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High School Crowns Gay & Lesbian Best Friends As Homecoming King & Queen
School Crowns Gay & Lesbian Best Friends As Homecoming King &
Queen !
Irizarry and Ariana Reiff are close friends, and they are also the
newly crowned Waukegan High School homecoming king and queen. Upon
finding out at the school bonfire Wednesday night, both students said
they were surprised. – Both are gay.
and I are both out and open about our sexuality,” Irizarry said. “Our
attitude is we are who we are and if that bothers people, that’s OK, but
we have so many friends who accept us for who we are.”
