Jason A. Heidemann
It was the fairy-tale moment we’d been waiting for. On a balmy night (in November, no less), thousands of LGBT Chicagoans eagerly listened as President-elect Barack Obama’s acceptance speech acknowledged that Americans “black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American”—and, yes, “gay, straight”—had voted for change. But as we reveled in the victory, I received a text message from a friend in San Diego: “I’m worried,” it read. “Things aren’t looking good here.” That’s 2008 in a nutshell: We got Obama, and we got Prop 8. And so the scales swayed both ways in numerous aspects of local queer life. Take a look:
Street wise
STEP FORWARD Street activism returned to Chicago. In the wake of Prop 8, successful protests took place in River North against Focus on the Family’s James Dobson, in Evanston against Century Theatres CEO and Prop 8 supporter Alan Stock, at City Hall to honor A Day Without a Gay and, most impressively, along Michigan Avenue, where thousands of LGBT people and their allies marched. If the momentum continues, it’ll take us closer to equality.
STEP BACK Remember that Prop 8 thing we mentioned earlier? It and similar initiatives in Arizona and Florida prove that homophobia is alive and well.
Marching on
STEP FORWARD Kudos to the organizers behind the Dyke March for opting not to parade, yet again, through LGBT-friendly Andersonville. The march was moved to Pilsen in an attempt to bring queer expression and dialogue to less visibly gay parts of the city, and the organizers intend to take it to a new ’hood each year.
STEP BACK Meanwhile, two Black Prides took place Fourth of July weekend. While we’d love to say the more the merrier, the fact that they resulted from a splinter in leadership (much like the Gay Games split in ’05, which was disastrous for Montreal), we’re thinking one cohesive Black Pride will best benefit all.
Bye-bye, Bailiwick
STEP FORWARD Eleven-year-old actor Malcolm Durning nailed the part of Noah, a fey Jewish boy circa ’62, in the Court Theatre’s outstanding mounting of out scribe Tony Kushner’s thrilling semi-autobiographical musical, Caroline, or Change. It was the best gay-theater moment of the year.
STEP BACK In January, when About Face Theatre staged the local premiere of The Little Dog Laughed, the play that nails Hollywood homophobia, our community hummed with excitement. But when playwright Douglas Carter Beane saw it, he accused former artistic director Eric Rosen of cutting nudity that the author deemed essential to his play, and the departing director faced public embarrassment. Meanwhile, the Bailiwick—purveyor of queer theater good, bad and full frontal—closes its doors this week.
Behind bars
STEP FORWARD The Wild Pug (finally!) opened to thirsty crowds in Uptown, and Scarlet (which opened in late ’07) at last got its mojo going with sexy parties like Frathouse Thursdays and First Ward Ball. Meanwhile, Women and Children’s First’s Sappho’s Salon gave literary lesbians a reason to swoon, 4 Women Only at the new Uncommon Ground on Devon Avenue gave the girls a reason to tune in, and the return of Dyke Mic at Big Chicks similarly offered women more chances for artistic expression.
STEP BACK This was a tough year for the bars. The Eagle shut its doors (albeit temporarily) and so did the Gentry on State, effectively ending LGBT nightlife downtown. Meanwhile, a burst water pipe on Montrose Avenue in January damaged Scot’s (temporarily closing it), and a fire in November destroyed parts of Roscoe’s.
Campus life
STEP FORWARD In July, a design team proposed Pride Campus, a high school for LGBT teens and their straight allies. The proposal sparked a much-needed dialogue about safety concerns for queer students and the importance of teaching them LGBT history.
STEP BACK After two successful hearings, local evangelical minister Rev. Wilfredo DeJesus argued against the proposed school, and Mayor Daley referred to it as “controversial.” Supporters agreed that a more inclusive proposal is needed and are working on a new one for ’09.