Beaches, Bars, Socials, Events and More!
Gay Road Trip! Starved Rock State Park
Want to do something different and see one of the most spectacular sites in all of Illinois?
Get away for a day and take a road trip to Starved Rock State Park . It’s about a 2 hour drive from Chicago and can be a fun day trip or overnight camping trip.
Starved Rock State Park is a world apart from anything else in Illinois! You will know it the minute you enter the park, as you wind your car through the towering trees.
Amazing waterfalls are active in the spring and after heavy rains. 13 miles of trails to explore, plus, the Illinois River offers fishing, boating, extraordinary views and great places to relax. Take a picnic lunch. Some wine and cheese and enjoy the beauty!
Don’t worry if you can’t fit it all in, historic Starved Rock Lodge is just up the hill and is the only lodging located in the State Park. The Lodge is located on a bluff overlooking the Visitor Center and the Illinois River. Comfortable lodge rooms and cabins in the woods make for a great night’s stay when you visit the park.
If you want to camp, make a reservation. Camping is limited .
Get out of town for the day and check out this beautiful park!
Most Dynamic Gay Pride Celebration in the Midwest – Milwaukee Pride Fest June 11, 12 and 13
The Gay People’s Union was the first organization in Milwaukee to host an event that had Pride appeal, with over 350 people attending the GPU Ball in 1974. Other dances and parties were hosted in the years that followed, but it wasn’t until after the 1987 March on Washington that the Pride Movement took a strong hold in Milwaukee.
Year after year, Milwaukee’s Gay Pride grew! Now attracting over 15,000 people, the Pride Fest weekend showcases over 140 bands and artists and entertainers from all over the world!
This year we are treated to the talents of KATHY GRIFFIN, PATTI LaBELLE, JOAN RIVERS,
New York nightlife legends MIMI IMFURST and AMANDA LEPORE, plus MANY MANY MORE!
3 days of food, fun, entertainment and Gay Pride!
Fri, June, 11th :: 3pm-Midnight
Sat, June, 12th :: Noon-Midnight
Sun, June, 13th :: Noon-Midnight
All entertainment & shows are included. Seating is unreserved. If you would like a reserved seat, we recommend purchasing Reserved Seating tickets.
1 day pass General admission is $13 in advance / $15 at the gate.
3 day pass General admission is $35 in advance / $45 at the gate.
Come and spend the night!
Doubletree Hotel Milwaukee City Center is the host hotel!
Hundreds of festival-goers and performers are staying at this hotel!
611 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee 53203
Tel: 1-414-273-2950 Fax: 1-414-273-7662
BOOK ONLINE AT DOUBLETREE MILWAUKEE Milwaukee Pride Fest
ROOMS ARE ALMOST GONE – BOOK TODAY!!
Most Dynamic Gay Pride Celebration in the Midwest – Milwaukee Pride Fest June 11, 12 and 13
The Gay People’s Union was the first organization in Milwaukee to host an event that had Pride appeal, with over 350 people attending the GPU Ball in 1974. Other dances and parties were hosted in the years that followed, but it wasn’t until after the 1987 March on Washington that the Pride Movement took a strong hold in Milwaukee.
Year after year, Milwaukee’s Gay Pride grew! Now attracting over 15,000 people, the Pride Fest weekend showcases over 140 bands and artists and entertainers from all over the world!
This year we are treated to the talents of KATHY GRIFFIN, PATTI LaBELLE, JOAN RIVERS,
New York nightlife legends MIMI IMFURST and AMANDA LEPORE, plus MANY MANY MORE!
3 days of food, fun, entertainment and Gay Pride!
Fri, June, 11th :: 3pm-Midnight
Sat, June, 12th :: Noon-Midnight
Sun, June, 13th :: Noon-Midnight
All entertainment & shows are included. Seating is unreserved. If you would like a reserved seat, we recommend purchasing Reserved Seating tickets.
1 day pass General admission is $13 in advance / $15 at the gate.
3 day pass General admission is $35 in advance / $45 at the gate.
Come and spend the night!
Doubletree Hotel Milwaukee City Center is the host hotel!
Hundreds of festival-goers and performers are staying at this hotel!
611 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee 53203
Tel: 1-414-273-2950 Fax: 1-414-273-7662
BOOK ONLINE AT DOUBLETREE MILWAUKEE Milwaukee Pride Fest
ROOMS ARE ALMOST GONE – BOOK TODAY!!
Steven Brinberg IS Barbra Streisand – Chicago’s
“When you first hear Steven’s Simply Barbra CD, for the first brief moment, you almost think, ‘My God! Is that really her?’ [Streisand] It’s so captivating! Not only does he have a wonderful take on her — not at all mean-spirited — and this ability to imitate her, he also captures a lot of moments and nuances that are terrific. It was very impressive.” – Marvin Hamlisch
Me too! When I first heard Steven sing Barbra, I was quite impressed. He was just in Chicago and I had the chance to see and hear him perform live.
LAKESHORE SALON SERIES , an intimate event held in private homes in Chicago, which just finished their second annual season and going into it’s third.
Co-founded in 2008 by Thomas Hensel, Andrew Delicata and Kristopher McDowell , Kmp Artists , – they have presented quality entertainers in some of Chicago and Evanston’s most elegant homes. Food and champagne is provided along with stimulating conversation and live entertainment.
The salon series produces an event once per month (usually on Sundays) from Fall to Spring each year. For more information on the next season, please visit…..
Back to Babs! Steven Brinberg is the premier Barbra Streisand impressionist, performing his incredible show, Simply Barbra, to international acclaim both on stage and television (and performing twice with none other than Marvin Hamlisch!) as he pays homage to all that is Streisand!
Steven does not lip-sync his performances but accurately portrays Streisand with his own voice! With over a decade of performing experience, his amazing show has Steven in demand literally worldwide!
We chatted briefly in Chicago, then Steven was headed off to Ireland. His career started quite by accident as he tells DEEP DISH …”I was performing cabaret shows as myself, and I would sing snippets of other voices – Cher, Katharine Hepburn, Billie Holiday – but my Barbra was the most popular. One day a friend suggested that I do an entire Barbra show, but I was like “I don’t even look like her and I don’t know anything about makeup.” But I finally booked a couple of weeks to perform as Barbra in New York – and the show just took off.”
Singing Streisand is a rarity. “Other than the veteran performer Jim Bailey, I am the only other male Barbra (that I know of) who sings live. Hers is such a unique voice that it is very hard to do properly. I was inspired when in an interview Barbra was asked what she thought of all the men who do her and she said “I wish they’d do me better!” and I thought I am going to be the first one to do her justice and NOT cross my eyes and be mean…I wanted to be flattering to her because I am such a fan…..I have never met Barbra…..but she knows me. Her manager hired me to sing at Donna Karan’s birthday party – and through her stage director, she told me what to say at the party. We almost met when she was at the same play I was – but I lost my nerve to go over to her. She later learned that I was there and said, “Why didn’t he say hello?” But I just wasn’t ready to meet her…”
Steven has been able to see Babs perform on several occassions – giving him an opportunity to study her up close.
He tells Barbra news …
“I had a friend in Los Angeles who knew someone who knew someone who could get tickets for the 1986 ONE VOICE concert. There were only 500 seats and it wasn’t easy. When he said yes, then I had to convince my parents to give me the money… a lot for a kid to spend! Even then, people were saying this might be her last concert. It was well worth it. We were served dinner on her tennis court. I saw Bette, Whoopi, Goldie,Walter Matthau (they must have made up from DOLLY) everyone seemed to be famous except my party. It was amazing to hear her sing live for the first time and think “This is not a record!”.
More recently, I was in Australia while she was there also, and Marvin got my pianist and I great seats up close (the concert in the rain in Sydney). It was wild. I did my show one night, saw her show the next night, did my show the next night, and people in the audience waved the flashlights they got at her show! I did a lot of TV while I was there and am told that she saw me on one of the shows! I hope it was the one where the lighting was so beautiful (The Bert Show) cause that’s important to me, and to Barbra. The brief scene I have in the new movie CAMP (after the very end credits) is also lit beautifully. I think she’ll be pleased at how I look as her.”
What’s next for Steven Brinberg?
“Continuing to tour all over the place – and I’m hoping to perform again as myself. My real voice and look are so different than Barbra – but I’m not giving up Barbra. I would just like to be a boy also. I’d love to be a CSI killer and have people go, “Guess what else he does.” “
Steven will perform Milwaukee PRIDE FEST June 11-13 –
Check their site for details or the Simply Barbra Facebook page, as the date gets closer.
follow Simply Barbra on Facebook
Steven Brinberg IS Barbra Streisand – Chicago’s
“When you first hear Steven’s Simply Barbra CD, for the first brief moment, you almost think, ‘My God! Is that really her?’ [Streisand] It’s so captivating! Not only does he have a wonderful take on her — not at all mean-spirited — and this ability to imitate her, he also captures a lot of moments and nuances that are terrific. It was very impressive.” – Marvin Hamlisch
Me too! When I first heard Steven sing Barbra, I was quite impressed. He was just in Chicago and I had the chance to see and hear him perform live.
LAKESHORE SALON SERIES , an intimate event held in private homes in Chicago, which just finished their second annual season and going into it’s third.
Co-founded in 2008 by Thomas Hensel, Andrew Delicata and Kristopher McDowell , Kmp Artists , – they have presented quality entertainers in some of Chicago and Evanston’s most elegant homes. Food and champagne is provided along with stimulating conversation and live entertainment.
The salon series produces an event once per month (usually on Sundays) from Fall to Spring each year. For more information on the next season, please visit…..
Back to Babs! Steven Brinberg is the premier Barbra Streisand impressionist, performing his incredible show, Simply Barbra, to international acclaim both on stage and television (and performing twice with none other than Marvin Hamlisch!) as he pays homage to all that is Streisand!
Steven does not lip-sync his performances but accurately portrays Streisand with his own voice! With over a decade of performing experience, his amazing show has Steven in demand literally worldwide!
We chatted briefly in Chicago, then Steven was headed off to Ireland. His career started quite by accident as he tells DEEP DISH …”I was performing cabaret shows as myself, and I would sing snippets of other voices – Cher, Katharine Hepburn, Billie Holiday – but my Barbra was the most popular. One day a friend suggested that I do an entire Barbra show, but I was like “I don’t even look like her and I don’t know anything about makeup.” But I finally booked a couple of weeks to perform as Barbra in New York – and the show just took off.”
Singing Streisand is a rarity. “Other than the veteran performer Jim Bailey, I am the only other male Barbra (that I know of) who sings live. Hers is such a unique voice that it is very hard to do properly. I was inspired when in an interview Barbra was asked what she thought of all the men who do her and she said “I wish they’d do me better!” and I thought I am going to be the first one to do her justice and NOT cross my eyes and be mean…I wanted to be flattering to her because I am such a fan…..I have never met Barbra…..but she knows me. Her manager hired me to sing at Donna Karan’s birthday party – and through her stage director, she told me what to say at the party. We almost met when she was at the same play I was – but I lost my nerve to go over to her. She later learned that I was there and said, “Why didn’t he say hello?” But I just wasn’t ready to meet her…”
Steven has been able to see Babs perform on several occassions – giving him an opportunity to study her up close.
He tells Barbra news …
“I had a friend in Los Angeles who knew someone who knew someone who could get tickets for the 1986 ONE VOICE concert. There were only 500 seats and it wasn’t easy. When he said yes, then I had to convince my parents to give me the money… a lot for a kid to spend! Even then, people were saying this might be her last concert. It was well worth it. We were served dinner on her tennis court. I saw Bette, Whoopi, Goldie,Walter Matthau (they must have made up from DOLLY) everyone seemed to be famous except my party. It was amazing to hear her sing live for the first time and think “This is not a record!”.
More recently, I was in Australia while she was there also, and Marvin got my pianist and I great seats up close (the concert in the rain in Sydney). It was wild. I did my show one night, saw her show the next night, did my show the next night, and people in the audience waved the flashlights they got at her show! I did a lot of TV while I was there and am told that she saw me on one of the shows! I hope it was the one where the lighting was so beautiful (The Bert Show) cause that’s important to me, and to Barbra. The brief scene I have in the new movie CAMP (after the very end credits) is also lit beautifully. I think she’ll be pleased at how I look as her.”
What’s next for Steven Brinberg?
“Continuing to tour all over the place – and I’m hoping to perform again as myself. My real voice and look are so different than Barbra – but I’m not giving up Barbra. I would just like to be a boy also. I’d love to be a CSI killer and have people go, “Guess what else he does.” “
Steven will perform Milwaukee PRIDE FEST June 11-13 –
Check their site for details or the Simply Barbra Facebook page, as the date gets closer.
follow Simply Barbra on Facebook
5th annual Chi-Town Softball Classic returns
The 5th annual Chi-Town Softball Classic returns to the Windy City over July 4th weekend, and, for the first time, will add a women’s division.
The tournament, which fielded 30 teams last year, will play host to 10 teams in each of four divisions: C-Competitive, C-Recreational, D and Women’s. Last year’s tournament drew teams from Boston, Las Vegas, Madison, Memphis, Minneapolis, New York and Philadelphia. Play occurs on Saturday & Sunday, July 3-4, at two separate complexes: North Avenue and Waveland.
“There’s nothing quite like summer softball in Chicago,” said Gary Taylor, tournament director. “We’re excited to welcome 40 teams from across the country.”
“We’re thrilled to offer a women’s division for this year’s Classic,” said Marcela Haber-Bishop, women’s tournament director. “We have a strong Chicago women’s softball league and have received an incredible amount of interest from other cities.”
The tournament opening and registration party will be presented by Mister Meet Mister.com
on Friday, July 2 at Halsted’s and Hydrate, with the closing party and awards ceremony hosted on Sunday July 4 at SPIN. Roscoe’s will serve as the official tournament host bar on Saturday, July 3.
The team entry fee for the Classic is $400 before May 31, 2010.
Registration is now open at the Chi Town Softball tournament website .
Chicago will also play host to the 2011 Gay Softball World Series on August 28-September 3, 2011.
The Hippest Hottest Ticket on Broadway – Comes to Chicago FUERZA BRUTA … LOOK UP!
FUERZA BRUTA: LOOK UP
is a non-stop collision of dynamic music, visceral emotion, and kinetic aerial imagery. Featuring mind-blowing visual effects that must be seen to be believed, FUERZA BRUTA: LOOK UP is a theatrical experience that floods the senses. Experience a 360 degree heart-pounding theatrical event, filled with flying dancers, pumping beats, engaging dream sequences and a multidimensional swimming pool above the heads of an audience who is standing on stage in the middle of the action.
This show is eye-popping and jaw-dropping! It has played nearly three years in New York , London, Buenos Aires and Taipei! Now comes to CHICAGO.
THIS IS A MUST SEE! Mind-blowing visual effects that must be seen to be believed – a man running full throttle through a series of moving walls, women frolicking in a watery world suspended just inches above the audience – FUERZABRUTA is a theatrical experience that floods the senses.
The Village Voice likens it to “AN ARGENTINE NIGHTCLUB ON ACID!”
“HOT, WET, HARD, AND FAST”
exclaims HX Magazine.
“It’s Unbelievable!”
says actor Ashton Kutcher.
“A sexy, heart-pounding Fantasy!”
says NY Daily News
And Towleroad.com writes “IT’S AS CLOSE AS YOU’LL EVER GET TO RAVE IN IBIZA WITHOUT PAYING FOR A ROUNDTRIP TICKET.”
It’s a short show – just over an hour – and you will have to stand for the entire performance.
Tickets $50-$80
MORE INFORMATION and PURCHASE TICKETS NOW !
WATCH THE VIDEO TRAILER !
Fuerza Bruta MAIN SITE (does not always load properly in English…)
Also check the New York site Fuerza Bruta .
The Hippest Hottest Ticket on Broadway – Comes to Chicago FUERZA BRUTA … LOOK UP!
FUERZA BRUTA: LOOK UP
is a non-stop collision of dynamic music, visceral emotion, and kinetic aerial imagery. Featuring mind-blowing visual effects that must be seen to be believed, FUERZA BRUTA: LOOK UP is a theatrical experience that floods the senses. Experience a 360 degree heart-pounding theatrical event, filled with flying dancers, pumping beats, engaging dream sequences and a multidimensional swimming pool above the heads of an audience who is standing on stage in the middle of the action.
This show is eye-popping and jaw-dropping! It has played nearly three years in New York , London, Buenos Aires and Taipei! Now comes to CHICAGO.
THIS IS A MUST SEE! Mind-blowing visual effects that must be seen to be believed – a man running full throttle through a series of moving walls, women frolicking in a watery world suspended just inches above the audience – FUERZABRUTA is a theatrical experience that floods the senses.
The Village Voice likens it to “AN ARGENTINE NIGHTCLUB ON ACID!”
“HOT, WET, HARD, AND FAST”
exclaims HX Magazine.
“It’s Unbelievable!”
says actor Ashton Kutcher.
“A sexy, heart-pounding Fantasy!”
says NY Daily News
And Towleroad.com writes “IT’S AS CLOSE AS YOU’LL EVER GET TO RAVE IN IBIZA WITHOUT PAYING FOR A ROUNDTRIP TICKET.”
It’s a short show – just over an hour – and you will have to stand for the entire performance.
Tickets $50-$80
MORE INFORMATION and PURCHASE TICKETS NOW !
WATCH THE VIDEO TRAILER !
Fuerza Bruta MAIN SITE (does not always load properly in English…)
Also check the New York site Fuerza Bruta .
Chicago House 2 days of Brunch and Fashion
This past weekend CHICAGO HOUSE hosted their Annual Spring Brunch and Fashion Shows. This hugely popular event is always well-attended and this weekend, lots of money was raised for this awesome charity group. Hot models, hot fashions, music by Phil DaBeatz , flowing brunch drinks and brunch food and a sunny warm day made for a spectacular celebration!
Even with the best laid plans and countless sound checks, fill a venue with 800-900 people and something is bound to go wrong! The acoustics at the Harold Washington Library wreaked havoc on the speakers messages and sadly, most were not audible by all in attendance, depending on where you were sitting.
Rev. Stan Sloan delivered a great speech, and we wanted to share it here, in case you missed it.
The author Elizabeth Srout says every person deserves to be remembered for his or her better moments. I think what she is trying to say is that every one of us has aspects of our lives that we are proud of, and every one of us has aspects of our lives that we wish we could do over…and this time smarter, do better, do with more integrity . Many of you may have read the obituary a few weeks ago for Jim Dohr. For those of you that didn’t know or read about him, Jim became HIV+ in the mid 80’s when AIDS was a near immediate death sentence for nearly everyone who syro converted. His response to watching his friends and peers with HIV die while he was spared for over two decades was to spend his life making life better for men, women, and children affected by AIDS. Here are just a few lines from his obituary in the papers:
it was Jim’s HIV diagnosis which perhaps had the most profound impact on his work, and his desire to help others. Says Judith Johns, former executive director of Howard Brown and former assistant commissioner of health for the City of Chicago, “Jim was one of the men who survived for many years after diagnosis – this was encouragement and hope for others…For the last 18 years, Jim consistently provided outstanding services to co-workers, community-based organizations, and all persons living with HIV, he truly understood the impact this epidemic has had on individuals and our community as a whole.”
Every person deserves to be remembered for his or her better moments, and that was easy to do for Jim Dohr. . Chicago House and our clients are just a small portion of the lives he touched in his work with the Chicago Department of Public Health, The HIV/AIDS communities will miss Jim and his life of better moments for decades to come.
Every person deserves to be remembered for his or her better moments. After seeing thousands of lives affected by HIV/AIDS over the last ten years at Chicago House one life stands out for me in haunting contrast to Jim’s. The beginning of that life story is actually not atypical of most of our clients. It is the story of a woman who showed up at the door of our supportive living program exhausted, defeated, and finally ready to try working toward a different way of life. What made her story so unique, though, was not its beginning but its ending. Kirsten, our staff person on call that day, learned during the intake interview that the woman grew up on the streets of Chicago and lived her life hustling on those streets for her 42 years of life. Forty two years old and she had never had a job, or an apartment, or even a bed to call her own. She answered the questions honestly and completely until she was stumped toward the end of the interview when Kirsten asked her for the name and number of an emergency contact. 42 years old and not one relative, not one friend to call in the case of an emergency. Kirsten left those questions blank and showed the woman to her new room and home at Chicago House.
The rooms at our Supportive Living Program are our only ones that are just that: private bedrooms with shared living spaces and shared bathrooms, but Kirsten told me that when the woman first saw her room she turned with tears in her eyes and said that it was the first home she had ever had. A few hours later Kirsten went to check on her and found her passed out on the floor. We called 911 and she was admitted to Cook County hospital. When she woke up later that day Kirsten was there at her bedside, and she asked Kirsten for the only other favor Chicago House was able to provide to her: “please don’t let me die alone,” she said. And Kirsten kept that promise, staying with her until the next morning when she died. The Supportive Living Program held a service for her, and although none of our other residents had met her, they all attended. Every person deserves to be remembered for his or her better moments. The silence that filled that room was deafening. Could it really be that after forty two years of life there were really no “better moments” to remember?
In your bags as you leave today you will find a cookie from Chicago House’s Bakery: Sweet Miss Givings : Unquestionably Kind. Unreasonably Good! As most of you know by now, Sweet Miss Giving’s is the best made from scratch bakery in Chicago, and over 50% of its profits go immediately back to help the men, women, and children in our care. But you will find something more about Sweet Miss Giving’s in your departure bag. The bag will also hold a one-page story of RJ, one of our recent graduates of Sweet Miss Giving’s Bakery Internship program. Before joining the SMG internship program seven months ago, RJ’s life was not much different from the woman who died in Kirsten’s care. He lived on the streets for his first 30-plus years of life, and after nine years in prison he had returned to those streets. But RJ, too, was finally ready to try a different way of life. Chicago House and SMG have provided that opportunity. Next month he will not only become a full time employee of Sweet Miss Giving’s, but he will move into his own apartment with his now life partner…an apartment where the son he has never known will visit and fill in voids that he in his previous life never knew he had.
Every person deserves to be remembered for his or her better moments. It’s a nice thought and an easy one to fulfill when you, like Jim Dohr and I can only imagine most of us here, have lived a life full of moments encouraged by family and friends. Kirsten’s client lived without knowing those moments, and she died before Chicago House could help her learn how amazing it feels to have hope, and integrity, and sense of accomplishment. But thanks to Chicago House she died with a home to call her own, and she died in the company of someone who cared. RJ’s just now beginning a new life filled with better moments, but I am confident with the help of Chicago House and Sweet Miss Giving’s that life will continue to grow and unfold. And I am confident that one day…hopefully many, many years from now, there will be plenty of better moments to remember as his friends and family look back on his life. Your support here and your support of Chicago House and Sweet Miss Giving’s is what allows us to provide those better moments to those who have never had the chance to build them. So thank you from RJ and thank you from all of us. Life by life. Moment by moment, your support is making such a difference. Chicago House. We were there at the beginning. We will be here until the cure. Thanks again.
In my talk I stressed the importance of being remembered for your better moments, and now it is time to do just that for a dear friend of mine and a dear friend of Chicago House’s and Sweet Miss Giving’s Bakery, Brad Werner. Brad Werner came to hear of Chicago House through our dear friends Mary and Larry Boeder, and he has been a source of constant blessings for us since that time. Brad served Chicago House well as a board member and major donor until the time that we asked him to step down in order to assume an even larger role for our mission and our clients: that of becoming the largest investor of Sweet Miss Giving’s Bakery.
Brad, Gus Atsalis, and Jay Deratany stepped up to the plate to help give Sweet Miss Giving’s its start, and Brad has continued to guide and nurture the bakery to assure its success. In addition, he has brought additional friends and investors to Sweet Miss Giving’s, and it is safe to say that there would be no SMG without him. Brad, the life of Chicago House and the lives of our clients are forever changed because of Sweet Miss Giving’s and because of you. In recognition of your outstanding contribution the Chicago House Board of Trustees is making you the seventh…and when I say seventh…I mean seven out of our 25 year history…our Seventh Lifetime Trustee. Know how grateful we are to you, and know how much we love you here. Thank you Brad Werner!
(MORE PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT ONLINE AT FACEBOOK)
The events were a great success and we look forward to the next Chicago House event,
Birdhouse Art Auction June 24, 2010 @ Room & Board Chicago Store
Chicago House 2 days of Brunch and Fashion
This past weekend CHICAGO HOUSE hosted their Annual Spring Brunch and Fashion Shows. This hugely popular event is always well-attended and this weekend, lots of money was raised for this awesome charity group. Hot models, hot fashions, music by Phil DaBeatz , flowing brunch drinks and brunch food and a sunny warm day made for a spectacular celebration!
Even with the best laid plans and countless sound checks, fill a venue with 800-900 people and something is bound to go wrong! The acoustics at the Harold Washington Library wreaked havoc on the speakers messages and sadly, most were not audible by all in attendance, depending on where you were sitting.
Rev. Stan Sloan delivered a great speech, and we wanted to share it here, in case you missed it.
The author Elizabeth Srout says every person deserves to be remembered for his or her better moments. I think what she is trying to say is that every one of us has aspects of our lives that we are proud of, and every one of us has aspects of our lives that we wish we could do over…and this time smarter, do better, do with more integrity . Many of you may have read the obituary a few weeks ago for Jim Dohr. For those of you that didn’t know or read about him, Jim became HIV+ in the mid 80’s when AIDS was a near immediate death sentence for nearly everyone who syro converted. His response to watching his friends and peers with HIV die while he was spared for over two decades was to spend his life making life better for men, women, and children affected by AIDS. Here are just a few lines from his obituary in the papers:
it was Jim’s HIV diagnosis which perhaps had the most profound impact on his work, and his desire to help others. Says Judith Johns, former executive director of Howard Brown and former assistant commissioner of health for the City of Chicago, “Jim was one of the men who survived for many years after diagnosis – this was encouragement and hope for others…For the last 18 years, Jim consistently provided outstanding services to co-workers, community-based organizations, and all persons living with HIV, he truly understood the impact this epidemic has had on individuals and our community as a whole.”
Every person deserves to be remembered for his or her better moments, and that was easy to do for Jim Dohr. . Chicago House and our clients are just a small portion of the lives he touched in his work with the Chicago Department of Public Health, The HIV/AIDS communities will miss Jim and his life of better moments for decades to come.
Every person deserves to be remembered for his or her better moments. After seeing thousands of lives affected by HIV/AIDS over the last ten years at Chicago House one life stands out for me in haunting contrast to Jim’s. The beginning of that life story is actually not atypical of most of our clients. It is the story of a woman who showed up at the door of our supportive living program exhausted, defeated, and finally ready to try working toward a different way of life. What made her story so unique, though, was not its beginning but its ending. Kirsten, our staff person on call that day, learned during the intake interview that the woman grew up on the streets of Chicago and lived her life hustling on those streets for her 42 years of life. Forty two years old and she had never had a job, or an apartment, or even a bed to call her own. She answered the questions honestly and completely until she was stumped toward the end of the interview when Kirsten asked her for the name and number of an emergency contact. 42 years old and not one relative, not one friend to call in the case of an emergency. Kirsten left those questions blank and showed the woman to her new room and home at Chicago House.
The rooms at our Supportive Living Program are our only ones that are just that: private bedrooms with shared living spaces and shared bathrooms, but Kirsten told me that when the woman first saw her room she turned with tears in her eyes and said that it was the first home she had ever had. A few hours later Kirsten went to check on her and found her passed out on the floor. We called 911 and she was admitted to Cook County hospital. When she woke up later that day Kirsten was there at her bedside, and she asked Kirsten for the only other favor Chicago House was able to provide to her: “please don’t let me die alone,” she said. And Kirsten kept that promise, staying with her until the next morning when she died. The Supportive Living Program held a service for her, and although none of our other residents had met her, they all attended. Every person deserves to be remembered for his or her better moments. The silence that filled that room was deafening. Could it really be that after forty two years of life there were really no “better moments” to remember?
In your bags as you leave today you will find a cookie from Chicago House’s Bakery: Sweet Miss Givings : Unquestionably Kind. Unreasonably Good! As most of you know by now, Sweet Miss Giving’s is the best made from scratch bakery in Chicago, and over 50% of its profits go immediately back to help the men, women, and children in our care. But you will find something more about Sweet Miss Giving’s in your departure bag. The bag will also hold a one-page story of RJ, one of our recent graduates of Sweet Miss Giving’s Bakery Internship program. Before joining the SMG internship program seven months ago, RJ’s life was not much different from the woman who died in Kirsten’s care. He lived on the streets for his first 30-plus years of life, and after nine years in prison he had returned to those streets. But RJ, too, was finally ready to try a different way of life. Chicago House and SMG have provided that opportunity. Next month he will not only become a full time employee of Sweet Miss Giving’s, but he will move into his own apartment with his now life partner…an apartment where the son he has never known will visit and fill in voids that he in his previous life never knew he had.
Every person deserves to be remembered for his or her better moments. It’s a nice thought and an easy one to fulfill when you, like Jim Dohr and I can only imagine most of us here, have lived a life full of moments encouraged by family and friends. Kirsten’s client lived without knowing those moments, and she died before Chicago House could help her learn how amazing it feels to have hope, and integrity, and sense of accomplishment. But thanks to Chicago House she died with a home to call her own, and she died in the company of someone who cared. RJ’s just now beginning a new life filled with better moments, but I am confident with the help of Chicago House and Sweet Miss Giving’s that life will continue to grow and unfold. And I am confident that one day…hopefully many, many years from now, there will be plenty of better moments to remember as his friends and family look back on his life. Your support here and your support of Chicago House and Sweet Miss Giving’s is what allows us to provide those better moments to those who have never had the chance to build them. So thank you from RJ and thank you from all of us. Life by life. Moment by moment, your support is making such a difference. Chicago House. We were there at the beginning. We will be here until the cure. Thanks again.
In my talk I stressed the importance of being remembered for your better moments, and now it is time to do just that for a dear friend of mine and a dear friend of Chicago House’s and Sweet Miss Giving’s Bakery, Brad Werner. Brad Werner came to hear of Chicago House through our dear friends Mary and Larry Boeder, and he has been a source of constant blessings for us since that time. Brad served Chicago House well as a board member and major donor until the time that we asked him to step down in order to assume an even larger role for our mission and our clients: that of becoming the largest investor of Sweet Miss Giving’s Bakery.
Brad, Gus Atsalis, and Jay Deratany stepped up to the plate to help give Sweet Miss Giving’s its start, and Brad has continued to guide and nurture the bakery to assure its success. In addition, he has brought additional friends and investors to Sweet Miss Giving’s, and it is safe to say that there would be no SMG without him. Brad, the life of Chicago House and the lives of our clients are forever changed because of Sweet Miss Giving’s and because of you. In recognition of your outstanding contribution the Chicago House Board of Trustees is making you the seventh…and when I say seventh…I mean seven out of our 25 year history…our Seventh Lifetime Trustee. Know how grateful we are to you, and know how much we love you here. Thank you Brad Werner!
(MORE PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT ONLINE AT FACEBOOK)
The events were a great success and we look forward to the next Chicago House event,
Birdhouse Art Auction June 24, 2010 @ Room & Board Chicago Store
Missing Yorkshire Terrier in Roscoe Village Chicago
HELP!!!
$1000 REWARD
FOR SAFE RETURN OF SADIE!
Call: (312) 543-5000
We lost our baby (of 9 years) in Roscoe Village near Addison/Lincoln/Cornelia/Damen. (3550 North – 1800 West) Our Yorkshire “Yorkie” Terrier was last seen on the 1800 Block of West Eddy St. on 4/6/10 at 3.30 pm. If you have ANY leads or have seen our baby, PLEASE, PLEASE call me and help.
No questions asked $1000 Reward for the information or safe return of our little girl! ‘Sadie’ is 5 lbs with a stocky build. Mostly Black with tan paws and head, and a white patch (star) on her chest. She was wearing a black nylon color with a gold ‘bone’ identity tag(faded) and current Vaccine tags. She is electronically chipped–9 years old–and needs important daily medication!! So please bring her home to us or she will have complications! We are devastated and we will not stop looking until we find her. PLEASE call us if you have seen this dog or even one that looks like her! We will follow up on all leads!
Her hair is a bit longer now (photos are from 2/7-Superbowl Sunday ) she has a shorter nose than most Yorkies, and stocky front shoulder build, erect ears, and a narrow behind… very small and short… maybe the smallest dog you have seen with the biggest heart!
Call: (312) 543-5000
Anyone with any information, please help!
Missing Yorkshire Terrier in Roscoe Village Chicago
HELP!!!
$1000 REWARD
FOR SAFE RETURN OF SADIE!
Call: (312) 543-5000
We lost our baby (of 9 years) in Roscoe Village near Addison/Lincoln/Cornelia/Damen. (3550 North – 1800 West) Our Yorkshire “Yorkie” Terrier was last seen on the 1800 Block of West Eddy St. on 4/6/10 at 3.30 pm. If you have ANY leads or have seen our baby, PLEASE, PLEASE call me and help.
No questions asked $1000 Reward for the information or safe return of our little girl! ‘Sadie’ is 5 lbs with a stocky build. Mostly Black with tan paws and head, and a white patch (star) on her chest. She was wearing a black nylon color with a gold ‘bone’ identity tag(faded) and current Vaccine tags. She is electronically chipped–9 years old–and needs important daily medication!! So please bring her home to us or she will have complications! We are devastated and we will not stop looking until we find her. PLEASE call us if you have seen this dog or even one that looks like her! We will follow up on all leads!
Her hair is a bit longer now (photos are from 2/7-Superbowl Sunday ) she has a shorter nose than most Yorkies, and stocky front shoulder build, erect ears, and a narrow behind… very small and short… maybe the smallest dog you have seen with the biggest heart!
Call: (312) 543-5000
Anyone with any information, please help!
Benjamin Bradshaw – Queer Chicago’s Eclectic Fashionista
Originally from Florida, Benjamin Bradshaw, 22, always had eye for eclectic fashion.
“I was trendy for Florida, but, dude, I worked at Hollister when I was 17.
I moved to Chicago for school in Fashion Merchandising but I’m definitely moving in the direction of entrepreneurship. About a year ago I was randomly approached in public by a local stylist to do some random modeling and I got to wear the clothes of an amazing wacky local 80’s & 90’s vintage store named KokoRokoko.
I went to the shop after the show ended, fell in love, and and forced them to take me as an intern. I started doing windows for them, then we became best friends, then I just randomly began buying for them without asking because I understood their wacky style… they liked everything I brought in & they’d pay me the exact money or it.
I slowly started keeping the most amazing garments I found and at some point I realized I could make money off of my closet full of ridiculous sheer dresses and jumpsuits. It’s been a month of selling but I’m confident that my specialized goods have enough customers… & everyone who visits falls in love whether or not they’re ballsy enough to wear the clothes out.”
Benjamin calls his clothes…
Vintage Party Gear For Ladies Of All Genders.
“I go to a lot of gay dance parties, like Chances Dances , so I’m stocking dance wear, mainly, for gay guys and girls. It’s a bit eccentric; leaning towards the feminine side.
Wacky shit: body suits, sequins, sheer stuff. Right now, I have about 80-90 solid pieces, plus accessories. And still shopping – still adding on. I try to pick stuff that my grandma would’ve worn in the ’90s—lots of really horrible floral prints and crazy stuff. It’s very sill. It’s meant to be fun!”
SisterMan is officially an Etsy-based business online , which just launched this month. So new things are being added all the time.
Check out the Sisterman blog for lots of updates and see what’s happening and where he’ll be showing his collections next.
“I set up at The Bonanza this past month – a monthly vintage sale that is held at Berlin nightclub. It was set up for local brick-and-mortar shops & Etsy vendors a few months ago & it works because it’s fairly constant. There are a few other vintage sales like it, but it’s nice for me because it’s at a gay club. I am doing something at Heaven Gallery in Wicker Park and lots of other stuff in the coming months. And people can always contact me through the blog and Facebook. “
WHAT’S NEXT?!
“I just quit my job & I’m trying to up the ante with Etsy & build clientele in the local gay community. This summer I’ll be at lots of gallery, club, and outdoor sales and I’ve extended an invite to the DJ’s and promoters of a few gay parties to use my goods in exchange for publicity.
Yesterday I helped a friend with a little movie project here locally and got to wear some of my clothes for that. And of course, I’ll be out dancing and partying in the name of networking.”
Find Benjamin and SisterMan on FaceBook
or the SisterMan blog .
Renae Ogletree – A Celebration of Life Saturday May 1st for Chicago LGBT Activist
Chicago activist Renae Ogletree
died recently at 59 after a battle with lung cancer.
She had worked with numerous community groups and projects, including Gay Games VII, Chicago Black Lesbians and Gays, the Lesbian Community Cancer Project, the National Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Forum, and the Chicago Police Department’s 23rd District Gay and Lesbian Advisory Committee. She was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame and received the 1997 Chicago Commission on Human Relations Award.
The City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations invites you to join Renae Ogletree’s family and friends as we celebrate her life at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 1, 2010, in the Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark Street.
A reception will immediately follow the memorial service.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution to the Anaya Renae Clark Trust Fund, a scholarship fund for Renae’s grand niece, Anaya. Make checks payable to Anaya R. Clark Trust Fund Mail to WCT Times, 5315 N. Clark St, #192, Chicago, 60640.
You may also make contributions in Renae’s honor to the Crossroads Fund, 3411 W. Diversey Parkway, Chicago, 60647.
Best New Brunch at Kit Kat Lounge is Packing Them in Sundays, with Madame X!
The Kit Kat Lounge and Supper Club
(3700 N. Halsted St.; 773-525-1111)
celebrated their
NINTH ANNIVERSARY this year!
In case you have never been, the decor evokes Old Hollywood glamour–white sofas, stone-topped tables on chrome legs, old vintage black and white movies showing on the wall – and classy entertainment that includes celebrity look-alikes performing in glamorous cabaret-style Wednesday through Sunday.
Often voted Best Martini Bar in Chicago and Best Entertainment, the creative team behind the Kit Kat Lounge have decided to reach-launch their Sunday Brunch, with the help of Kit Kat veteran Madame X.
“We used to do brunch a long time ago and stopped. But recently Edward and Ramesh decided to bring brunch back and I host every Sunday! It’s a DIVA-LICIOUS Brunch, every Sunday, 11am-3pm. !”
You can choose the 2-course $25 gourmet brunch which includes free flowing Bloody Marys and Mimosa’s or Select a delicious Big Brunch item and get unlimited Bloody Marys or Mimosa’s for just $10 more.
Everything here is BIG – so come hungry! Big Fat Greek Wedding ($12) is an Omelette with feta cheese, spinach and grilled chicken. Big Daddy ($12) is Eggs Florentine topped with smoked ham and a spicy bernaise sauce. My favorite is BIG BUSINESS! ($18) Butter poached Maine Lobster with fresh avocado and Applewood smoked bacon! YUM! See the whole menu online .
YOUR HOSTESS! Madame X is a critically acclaimed entertainer based in Chicago and has been a Kit Kat Diva since 2000. Known for her dazzling costumes, she has graced numerous entertainment venues showcasing her live vocal stylings of past and present female icons with her own special twist.
“I was 6 years old when I first sang in public.” says Madame X. “I was born in the Philippines and performed in a church full of Methodists! I ended up moving to Iowa and went to school there. During college, I came to Chicago and studied the city, for one of my classes. I always liked it here, but never thought I would end up living here.
2 years later, a friend of mine George Lowell , wanted to go to school here, so we both moved here together. George now has storefront in Andersonville and besides performing at the Kit Kat, I am also an artistic ensemble member of Mid-Tangent-Productions, a Chicago based theatre company.”
Madame X achieved iconic status when a line of table furniture named the Madame X/Y collection, designed by Douglas Levine for The Bright Chair Company debuted in 2007.
“I love it here. I love Chicago and I love the Kit Kat Lounge. We are a family here. I support them and they support me, and all that I do! I am so excited to be hosting the Diva-Licious Brunch again!”
If you are thinking about coming with Mom for MOTHERS DAY (May 9th) Make a RESERVATION NOW!
It is filling up quickly! Kit Kat will offer a special 4-course brunch for $29.95!
Best Sunday Brunch!
Best New Brunch at Kit Kat Lounge is Packing Them in Sundays, with Madame X!
The Kit Kat Lounge and Supper Club
(3700 N. Halsted St.; 773-525-1111)
celebrated their
NINTH ANNIVERSARY this year!
In case you have never been, the decor evokes Old Hollywood glamour–white sofas, stone-topped tables on chrome legs, old vintage black and white movies showing on the wall – and classy entertainment that includes celebrity look-alikes performing in glamorous cabaret-style Wednesday through Sunday.
Often voted Best Martini Bar in Chicago and Best Entertainment, the creative team behind the Kit Kat Lounge have decided to reach-launch their Sunday Brunch, with the help of Kit Kat veteran Madame X.
“We used to do brunch a long time ago and stopped. But recently Edward and Ramesh decided to bring brunch back and I host every Sunday! It’s a DIVA-LICIOUS Brunch, every Sunday, 11am-3pm. !”
You can choose the 2-course $25 gourmet brunch which includes free flowing Bloody Marys and Mimosa’s or Select a delicious Big Brunch item and get unlimited Bloody Marys or Mimosa’s for just $10 more.
Everything here is BIG – so come hungry! Big Fat Greek Wedding ($12) is an Omelette with feta cheese, spinach and grilled chicken. Big Daddy ($12) is Eggs Florentine topped with smoked ham and a spicy bernaise sauce. My favorite is BIG BUSINESS! ($18) Butter poached Maine Lobster with fresh avocado and Applewood smoked bacon! YUM! See the whole menu online .
YOUR HOSTESS! Madame X is a critically acclaimed entertainer based in Chicago and has been a Kit Kat Diva since 2000. Known for her dazzling costumes, she has graced numerous entertainment venues showcasing her live vocal stylings of past and present female icons with her own special twist.
“I was 6 years old when I first sang in public.” says Madame X. “I was born in the Philippines and performed in a church full of Methodists! I ended up moving to Iowa and went to school there. During college, I came to Chicago and studied the city, for one of my classes. I always liked it here, but never thought I would end up living here.
2 years later, a friend of mine George Lowell , wanted to go to school here, so we both moved here together. George now has storefront in Andersonville and besides performing at the Kit Kat, I am also an artistic ensemble member of Mid-Tangent-Productions, a Chicago based theatre company.”
Madame X achieved iconic status when a line of table furniture named the Madame X/Y collection, designed by Douglas Levine for The Bright Chair Company debuted in 2007.
“I love it here. I love Chicago and I love the Kit Kat Lounge. We are a family here. I support them and they support me, and all that I do! I am so excited to be hosting the Diva-Licious Brunch again!”
If you are thinking about coming with Mom for MOTHERS DAY (May 9th) Make a RESERVATION NOW!
It is filling up quickly! Kit Kat will offer a special 4-course brunch for $29.95!
Best Sunday Brunch!
Dining out for Life Chicago Thursday April 29th
The 17th Annual Dining Out for Life in Chicago
is on Thursday, April 29, 2010.
Chicagoland restaurants will come together and celebrate good food, good friends and a good cause. Joined with 58 cities across the United States and Canada, this is the single largest HIV/AIDS benefit in the country. Last year Chicago raised over $75,000 to benefit AIDSCARE Progressive Services and spread awareness to hundreds of corporations, neighbors, and friends. Dine Out. Fight AIDS.
LIST OF PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS
Dining out for Life Chicago Thursday April 29th
The 17th Annual Dining Out for Life in Chicago
is on Thursday, April 29, 2010.
Chicagoland restaurants will come together and celebrate good food, good friends and a good cause. Joined with 58 cities across the United States and Canada, this is the single largest HIV/AIDS benefit in the country. Last year Chicago raised over $75,000 to benefit AIDSCARE Progressive Services and spread awareness to hundreds of corporations, neighbors, and friends. Dine Out. Fight AIDS.
LIST OF PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS
Chicago LGPA GOAL to Host Annual International Conference for Pride Week June 22 – 27
LGPA/GOAL Chicago,
Chicago Police and Chicago’s suburban departments are proud to host the 14th Annual INTERNATIONAL LGBT Conference for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Professionals in our culturally diverse, visually spectactular and chic…City of Chicago, Tuesday, June 22nd through Sunday, June 27th. 2010.
The conference has been entitled A Bridge to Unity. The conference will be hosted at Chicago’s legendary Palmer House hotel, located in bustling downtown Chicago, steps from Chicago’s central business district, shopping on the Magnificent Mile, and tourist attractions in every direction.
This six day conference will provide an AMAZING array of unique and diverse hands-on training that focuses on relevant criminal justice professionalism, industry trends and technology while impressing its’ attendees with the principles of justice, equity and equality within the area of law enforcement and the community it serves.
Whether you are interested in law enforcement professionalism, correctional system, youth advocacy, diversity issues, private security or military, we feel confident that no matter what area of public safety your title falls under, this conference will arm you with effective, innovative knowledge.
Although, providing newly enhanced law enforcement training is the primary goal of this conference, it is also designed to encourage motivation to achieve a higher degree of efficiency in the discharge of their duties while promoting and striving for a high level of diversity, inclusion, and sensitivity of all people as law enforcement and criminal justice professionals within their work environment, as well as, with in the GLBT community, thus becoming a part of A Bridge to Unity.
A week long of workshops, seminars and events!
Attendee Early Registration
Discount Extended till April 1st,
ONLY $175.00 for this 6 day event!
($200 after April 1st).
You can also join them on their online social network to socialize in privacy with your fellow attendees and faculty of the conference beforehand.
Attendees will be coming in from all over the world!
*For those coming from other countries, we know from past years that wait times for an appointment can be lengthy. We are urging you to make your appointment as early as possible to begin the process of obtaining a US entry visa.
You can download Business Visitor Visa information on the Goal Chicago site.
Richard Cordova and Richards Riders Host Benefit at Wild Pug Wednesday April 21st
3 HOUR OPEN BAR
and BENEFIT!
Such a deal!
This Wednesday April 21st from 6:30 to 9:30 at Wild Pug (4810 N Broadway)
Richards Riders / Ride for AIDS Team will be having a fundraising party.
This is Richard’s third year in the Ride for AIDS and this year he plans to set new records! He is returning with a 21 person team this year and a goal of $30,000, which would be the highest amount ever raised by a team.
“Raising $30,000 is a lofty goal, but with so many people on the team I’m hoping we can rally enough support for such a great cause and make our goal,” said Cordova. He has also run five marathons and three half-marathons. Richard is a health educator at the Center on Halsted and he also is a spinning instructor at the Lakeview Athletic Club.
“The 2009 Ride was great because two of my closest friends, Zak and Andrea, did the ride with me, which really made it a lot of fun,” Cordova said. “I decided to start my own team this year because I knew I was going to do the Ride again and it just seemed like the logical thing to do.” The Ride for AIDS is July 10-11, but fundraising is underway now and the Wild Pug event will be the first in a series.
The Ride For AIDS is a 190-mile bicycle trek from Northwestern University’s Evanston campus to Lake Geneva and back. “The ride is tough. It’s fun, but tough,” Cordova said. “The winds can be brutal while the hills and long flat stretches in Wisconsin are mentally and physically draining. The camaraderie among the riders and the crew helps of course.”
“As someone living with HIV for over eight years now, I’ve come to look at physical challenges as my way of sticking it to the man, as they say, and ‘the man’ being HIV. It’s important that I prove to myself that even though I live with this virus every day that I must continue to stay positive and that having HIV doesn’t stop me from living my best life. Honestly, having this virus in some ways has helped me live an even better one because I’ve come to realize how destructive behaviors in my life were leading me to an early grave.”
Cordova added, “My team would love it if the kind and benevolent LGBTQ community could find it in their hearts and their wallets by helping us support Test Positive Aware Network ( TPAN ) through a donation. No matter how big or small; every bit counts. Whether it be information dissemination, outreach, testing and prevention, and positive living support groups and more, TPAN is on the front lines every day helping those, myself included, who are living their best life possible with HIV/AIDS. We ride to do our part and when you make a decision to support our ride you are doing yours. Thank You!”
