Podcast appearances and mentions of Windy City Times

Family, it's your favorite queer radio personality Anna DeShawn, and this week on Queer News, we're bringing you the stories that matter most to our community. From legal wins in Texas and Iowa to updates on Jazlynn Johnson's case, we're spotlighting courage, progress, and resilience. Plus, we're celebrating powerful moments in culture—from Scott Evans' Webby win to groundbreaking representation on MSNBC. Pod in, because this episode is full of truth, hope, and pride. 00:26 Welcome to Queer News   02:48 Leave a Queer News Tip, Email info at e3radio.fm or leave a message here https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/243669/19/rc6z5z67pp1op502 03:07 Join the QCrew, https://bit.ly/JoinQCrew   03:32 Queer News Headlines     04:08 Texas Takes a Stand: Repealing the Anti-Gay Law   05:42 Victory in Iowa: Blocking the “Don't Say Gay” Clone   08:30 Justice for Jazlynn Johnson: A Mother's Mission   11:41 Your Mental Health Coverage Is Just As Important As Your Physical Health Coverage, https://getcovered.illinois.gov/resources/mental-health-parity.html 12:50 Support Queer News Coverage at World Pride 2025, https://bit.ly/QNPWorldPride2025 & Meet us there, https://worldpridedc.org/ 13:23 Learn more about the Help Stop Hate Campaign, https://ilstophate.org 13:54 Scott Evans Wins a Webby: House Guest Gets Its Flowers   15:22 Windy City Times x Queer News: Media Collaboration in Action   19:55 History on MSNBC: Two Black Gay Men Anchor “The Weekend”   23:16 Sending Love to Big Freedia   23:54 Anna's Got A Word  

Jake Wittich, Managing Editor for Windy City Times, is back with his reporting on the new Chicago Teachers Union Contract which includes a number of LGBTQ+ protections and the debut of The First Homosexuals at Wrightwood 659 in Lincoln Park (Chicago). Windy City Times has been the voice of Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community since 1985. This…

In this episode of Gathering Ground, host Mary Morten is joined by two powerhouse journalists, Natalie Moore and Tracy Baim, to explore the shifting landscape of media, the critical role of local journalism, and how storytelling continues to shape public discourse.Together, they discuss the urgency of supporting independent journalism, the power of community-driven storytelling, and how media can evolve in the face of growing misinformation and disinvestment.Episode Highlights:- Tracy's journey in LGBTQ journalism, from co-founding Windy City Times to leading Press Forward Chicago.- Natalie's work challenging racial bias in media and her approach to storytelling beyond traditional journalism.- The increasing role of social media and media literacy in combating misinformation.Links and Resources:- Press Forward Chicago – www.cct.org/press-forward- Natalie Moore's Work – www.natalieymoore.com- Windy City Times – www.windycitytimes.comIf you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Gathering Ground and leave us a review! Follow Morten Group, LLC on Instagram @mortengroup for more updates.

We are less than two weeks away from Chicago's largest LGBTQ+ pride celebration when nearly one million people will make their way to the Northalsted neighborhood for the 53rd annual Pride Parade. However, with a shorter route and fewer participants, we've got everything you need to 3know before the parade kicks off. We are joined by Windy City Times writer and newsletter editor Jake Wittich, who also shares other Pride events to enjoy across the city. Good News: Chicago Public Pools Want some more City Cast Chicago news? Then make sure to sign up for our Hey Chicago newsletter.  Follow us @citycastchicago You can also text us or leave a voicemail at: 773 780-0246 Learn more about the sponsors of this June 17th episode: Ravinia Festival Become a member of City Cast Chicago. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

This week on the Queer News podcast Anna DeShawn reports on how the House of Representatives Republicans tried to come for us but they failed. A bookstore in Indiana selling queer and diverse literature needs our help. We congratulate Bailey Anne Kennedy on becoming the first trans woman crowned Miss Maryland USA. Our very own Carter was honored as part of the Windy City Times 2024 30 under 30 class and I share my experience at DC's Capital Pride. Let's go!

Featured Co-host: Francesca Royster Guest:Willa Taylor Francesca's Black Country Music: Listening for Revolutions and Choosing Family: The Shifting Image of an Icon are the newest books and are referenced later in this rundown, Francesca T. Royster is a Professor of the English at DePaul University in Chicago, and received her PhD from University of California, Berkeley in English Literature in 1995. At DePaul she teaches courses on African American Literature, Queer Writers of Color and Writing About Music. She's written scholarly work on Shakespeare, Black Lesbian Country music fans, Prince, and Fela Kuti on Broadway among other topics. Her recent special issue of the Journal of Popular Music Studies, on the futures of Country Music, Uncharted Country,” co-edited with Nadine Hubbs, won the 2021 Ruth Solie Award from the American Musicological Society. Her creative work has appeared in Feminist Studies, Slag Glass City, LA Review of Books, The Huffington Post, The Windy City Times, Chicago Literati and The Oxford American. Her books include Becoming Cleopatra: The Shifting Image of an Icon (Palgrave MacMillan, 2003), Sounding Like a No-No: Queer Sounds and Eccentric Acts in the Post-Soul Era (University of Michigan Press, 2013), Black Country Music: Listening for Revolutions (University of Texas Press, 2022), and Choosing Family: A Memoir of Queer Motherhood and Black Resistance (Abrams/ Overlook Press, 2023). Her book, Black Country Music: Listening for Revolutions was recently awarded the 2023 Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award, from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the 2023 ARSC Awards for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research from the Association for Recorded Sound Collections and the 2023 Judy Tsou Critical Race Studies Award, from The American Musicological Society. Her newest book in process is Listening for My Mother: Travels in Music from Chicago to Bahia, a combination of memoir, travel writing and cultural history about mourning and healing in Women's Music in the Black Diaspora

C. Russell Price is originally from Glade Spring, Virginia, but now lives in Chicago. They are a Lambda Fellow in Poetry, a Ragdale Fellow, a Windy City Times 30 Under 30 honoree, an essayist, and a poet. They are the author of a chapbook, Tonight, We Fuck the Trailer Park Out of Each Other (Sibling Rivalry Press) and the full length collection oh, you thought this was a date?!: Apocalypse Poems (Northwestern University Press). Their current projects are Bisquick: Seance Poems and I Don’t Need a Mood Ring; I’ve Got a Face (a memoir). They are on the editorial and curatorial boards for the Ragdale Foundation, Story Studio Chicago, and The Anarchist Review of Books. The First Time is a live lit and music series recorded at Martyrs in Chicago's North Center neighborhood. Each reader tells a true first tale, followed by any cover of the storyteller's choosing, performed by our house band, The First Time Three. The First Time is hosted by Jenn Sodini. Produced by Bobby Evers, Andy Vasoyan, and Julie Mueller. Podcast produced by Andy Vasoyan. Recorded by Tony Baker.

Dennis is joined via Zoom from Atlanta by author Mark S. King to talk about his new book My Fabulous Disease: Chronicles of a Gay Survivor, which he describes as his "greatest hits" from years writing columns for outlets like Poz, Frontiers and Windy City Times. In the interview, Mark expounds on some of the experiences he shares in the book, like the time he won a car on The Price is Right at 18 while his 26-year old boyfriend cheered from the audience and his audacious, loud-and-proud coming out as a senior in high school in Bossier City, Louisiana. He also recalls the time when he was working at a gala event for the Shanti organization and his AIDS-stricken former boss, Daniel P. Warner, showed up with Miss America Leanza Cornett as his date, causing jaws to drop and tears to flow. Mark also talks about converting to Mormonism as a young man, largely so he could star in the musical Saturday's Warrior, how his jock brother David kept him from getting beat up at school and what it was like when protease inhibitors came out and changed everything. Other topics include: Mark's getting sober and finding out he's actually a nice guy, getting called out for his shallowness by his therapist, his column "Your Mother Liked It Bareback," which caused something of a furor and playing Trivial Pursuit with Rock Hudson before sleeping with him...and yes, there was a Doris Day question. www.marksking.com

Join Stargate's Chief Master Sergeant Walter Harriman to learn the ins and outs of the hotseat of the control room in this immersive roleplay and cosplay experience!Tickets and info are available now at www.thecompanion.app/events. Sign up as a member (paid or free) for a discount code!Neo's desperate attempts to defy a system that insists on deadnaming him and pushing him back in line, always read as a powerful transgender allegory. Read by Rebecca Davis and written by Ell Twine. Theme song by Lofi Geek. Lilly Wachowski's article in the Windy City Times: https://www.windycitytimes.com/lgbt/Second-Wachowski-filmmaker-sibling-comes-out-as-trans-/54509.html Fluid Realities/Fluid Identities: Gender in the Matrix by Hannah Kuhlmann: http://girl_type.tripod.com/papers/matrix.html Read My Lips: Sexual Subversion and the End of Gender by Riki Wilchins: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Read-My-Lips-Sexual-Subversion/dp/1936833646 Lana Wachowski receives the HRC Visibility Award: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crHHycz7T_c Lilly Wachowski's GLAAD Award speech: https://i-d.vice.com/en/article/43vmvp/lilly-wachowski-encourages-viewers-to-reconsider-the-matrix-through-the-lens-of-transness The original article on The Companion: https://www.thecompanion.app/2021/11/26/the-matrix-transgender-allegory-and-applicability/ The Companion's Audio Articles is a new series and we'd love to know if you like the new show. If you do, please share it with your friends on social media, WhatsApp, or any other text groups. You can Tweet us @thecompanionapp or send a message on Discord: https://discord.com/invite/BcFBwtY3Ju Thank you to our production team which include Nick Hayward, Lawrence Kao, Tommy Terry-Green, James Hoare, George Mole, Ben Herbert, Hattie Smith, and Chris Smith. 

In this episode with host Hermene Hartman, Tracy Baim Baim discusses her career in media and her upcoming departure as editor-in-chief of The Chicago Reader. "I think alternative really is the new mainstream to me. Like alternative media is where you're going to be really local. "- Tracy Baim Tracy Baim is a publisher and journalist who has been at the forefront of Chicago media for over three decades. She is the co-founder of Windy City Times, one of the nation's leading LGBT news publications, and has been the publisher of the Chicago Reader since 2016. A tireless advocate for community media, Baim is a leading voice in the push for more resources for local journalism. This is Tracy Baim's story...Tracy Baim has been in the publishing business for over 30 years. She is the publisher of the Chicago Reader, an alternative newspaper. She has seen the industry change a lot over the years, from the decline in print media to the rise of digital media. Despite these changes, she still believes in the importance of print media and its role in providing information to the public. She is also hopeful that small community media outlets will continue to thrive.In this episode, you will learn the following:1. The role of community media in informing and shaping public opinion2. The challenges and opportunities of running a media organization3. The evolving landscape of media, including the rise of digital and social media Listen: Apple Podcasts|Spotify|Stitcher|Amazon Music|Google PodcastsChapter Summaries:[00:00:00] - Hermien. Hermene Hartman hosts a conversation with Tracy Baim Baim, an alternative newspaper publisher.[00:00:43] - Tracy Baim is the publisher of Chicago Reader. She is not retiring, but she is looking for a new job. Tracy Baim wants to work in the journalism ecosystem and advocate for more resources for community media. [00:04:38] - The Reader started in 1971 as an alternative newspaper. Now, because of the egalitarian nature of the internet, anybody can start a newspaper, and it's cheaper to do it than when N'DIGO started. Even Twitter and social media are different kinds of channels to communicate. That never existed before.[00:06:09] - As a publisher, it's a great honor to be in that role. But there are sacrifices. She misses the physical part of producing a paper, but she appreciates the stages of media before it became digital. She wants to get back to the writing that inspired her to go into journalism when she was ten.[00:09:09] - As a student at Lane Tech High School, she learned about hotel machines and computer graphic machines. He was a sociologist, a psychologist, and a behavioral scientist at City Colleges. [00:10:32] - When she took over at the Reader, it was losing a million dollars a year. She had to turn around the trains, make some new tracks and create new revenue opportunities. Now it's growing stronger on digital and social media. It's printing 60,000 copies every two weeks. It went by weekly during COVID. It will stay biweekly.[00:13:20] - Tracy Baim thinks the vast majority of media will be distributed online in the future.[00:14:33] - BMO for Black and Latinx Businesses program provides better access to educational resources, partnerships and funding for small businesses. BMO has already provided financing to more than 1200 businesses throughout the Midwest. Business owners who are part of the program benefit from a wide range of tools, webinars and coaching.[00:15:54] - Tracy Baim Baime believes that the traditional access points to get into media are a high bar. She would like to see Journalism 101 taught in high school and then in college. She thinks there's a symbiotic relationship between community media and mainstream media. She believes that citizen journalists in social media sphere could benefit from understanding the basics of research and fact-checking.[00:21:02] - Hermene Hartman and Tracy Baim are talking about the future of the media in Chicago. They discuss the main problems of the journalism space in Chicago today. They also discuss the current political situation in the US and the progress made since the early 60s.[00:26:36] - The media is so amorphous. Mainstream media takes a talking heads approach to the news. In Illinois, the last two gubernatorial governors who won spent millions of dollars on TV. Social media alone is a mistake. It's both in and out. You've got to be selective.[00:27:47] - There's going to be a nightmare election to cover in February. The media has to focus on the most important races and educate the public about them. The nonprofit is not endorsing now, but it didn't endorse before as well. It's to survey, interview and compromise.[00:28:22] - At least 15 candidates are running for Chicago's upcoming major mayoral election. About ten of them are running, and they are waiting for more to join the race. The only way to cover the issues is to survey the issues and write as much as possible to educate people about the positions.[00:29:22] - Tracy Baim has a rumor out that she's retiring, but she's not going to go. Hermene suggests Tracey should teach publishing. Thanks for listening.Other episodes you'll enjoy:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bishop-tavis-grant-on-the-future-of-the/id1493840851?i=1000580832631 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sasha-the-story-of-sasha-dalton-how-a-chicago/id1493840851?i=1000577806726 Connect with me:Instagram: iamhermenehartmanFacebook: hermenehartmanTwitter: HermeneNdigoWebsite: https://ndigo.com/Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: {LINK} https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ndigo-studio-podcast/id1493840851

This week, we honor the 53rd anniversary of the Stonewall Riots with comic artist Archie Bongiovanni, who discusses their graphic novel The Stonewall Riots: Making A Stand for LGBTQ Rights, a History Comics book. Archie is joined by journalist Andrew Davis, executive editor of the Chicago-based LGBTQ+ media outlet Windy City Times. This conversation was [...]

This week, we honor the 53rd anniversary of the Stonewall Riots with comic artist Archie Bongiovanni, who discusses their graphic novel The Stonewall Riots: Making A Stand for LGBTQ Rights, a History Comics book. Archie is joined by journalist Andrew Davis, executive editor of the Chicago-based LGBTQ+ media outlet Windy City Times. This conversation was [...]

C. Russell Price is originally from Glade Spring, Virginia, but now lives in Chicago. They are a Lambda Fellow in Poetry, a Ragdale Fellow, a Windy City Times 30 Under 30 honoree, an essayist, and a poet. They are the author of a chapbook, Tonight, We Fuck the Trailer Park Out of Each Other. Their work has appeared in the Boston Review, Court Green, DIAGRAM, Iron Horse Literary Review, Lambda Literary, Nimrod International, PANK, and elsewhere. Their full length collection oh, you thought this was a date?!: Apocalypse Poems will be published by Northwestern University this month. Copyright © 2022 by C. Russell Price. This poem is published in oh, you thought this was a date?!: Apocalypse Poems (2022, Northwestern University Press). Text of today's poem and more details about our program can be found at: deerfieldlibrary.org/queerpoemaday/ Find books from participating poets in our library's catalog.  Queer Poem-a-Day is directed by poet and teacher Lisa Hiton and Dylan Zavagno, Adult Services Coordinator at the Deerfield Public Library. Music for this second year of our series is the first movement, Schéhérazade, from Masques, Op. 34, by Karol Szymanowski, performed by pianist Daniel Baer. Queer Poem-a-Day is supported by generous donations from the Friends of the Deerfield Public Library and the Deerfield Fine Arts Commission. Queer Poem-a-Day is a program from the Adult Services Department at the Library and may include adult language.

The Chicago Reader is one of the city's best-known free papers and one of a few remaining alt-weeklies to survive the media crunch that killed dozens across the country. Until recently, the Reader seemed like it was about to go under, too. Our guest this week is the Reader's publisher, Tracy Baim. She's been in the Chicago media world since she was a kid. Her mother, father and stepfather were all in the biz. Fresh out of college, she founded the LGBTQ publication the Windy City Times. In 2018, she stepped in to lead the Reader. And what a ride it's been. When print advertising from bars, restaurants and venues dried up in the early COVID days, the paper survived thanks to a federal PPP loan, another loan from the city, a series of innovative fundraising measures and leftover investment from the paper's co-owners, lawyer Len Goodman and real estate developer Elzie Higginbottom. But in recent months, a spat with Goodman almost brought the Reader down. He wrote a column detailing his concerns about getting his daughter vaccinated for covid. It led to an uproar and an outside fact-check that found several errors. Editors wanted a correction, an editors note, or for the story to get taken down. Goodman cried censorship, and the fight hit pause on the paper's transition to nonprofit status, a transition that would have allowed for money from foundations and philanthropists to flow in. In this episode, Baim brings us behind the scenes of that tussle, explains where the Reader goes from here, and forecasts what a broader shift to nonprofit status for legacy media means--for example, is the Sun-Times/WBEZ merger good for all the other, smaller independent publications dotting Chicago? And is there a way for Chicago foundations to pool their money for media in a way that spreads the wealth to smaller outlets?

In this episode of OutBüro Voices featuring LGBTQ professionals, entrepreneurs, and community leaders from around the world, host Dennis Velco chats with DJ Doran, a media entrepreneur, LGBTQ community organizer, 23 year US Airforce veteran, and long-time Chicago citizen. Chicago News: Breaking DJ Doran announces his candidacy for Mayor of Chicago. (April 6, 2022). The election is in February 2023. Mayoral candidate DJ Doran has never held a public office, his background is well suited to tackle the big issues Chicago faces. In our conversation, Doran lists 7 key issues and the practical high-level steps he'd take toward improving life for everyone in Chicago. As he explains, the first step would be to assess the current situation by meeting with the 50 Alderman, and city key departments, auditing the city finances and auditing the city contracts, policies, processes, and systems. He will empower the great employees of the City of Chicago to work with him to make Chicago a well-run city where all have the opportunity to thrive in a safe environment. For many, like myself, as soon as I hear "Chicago Politics" the first word that pops in my mind is "corruption". I thought that maybe I'd seen too many movies. However, as Doran discussed the issues Chicago faces, that knee-jerk thought seems to unfortunately still be quite real. Compounding the issues is Mayor Lightfoot who is ineffective at best. The system is full of career politicians who generally have little business life experience only appear to have their egos in mind. It would be nice to be proven wrong on that. The city has contracts that no reasonable business owner would ever sign such as a 100-year parking meter contract. WHAT? I'd love to see that agreement to pick it apart. How could any competent person working in good faith for the city do such a thing? It was a political hack job with only the crony politician who forced that through and the parking meter company's bank account benefiting. DJ states that if he ran his business finances the way the City of Chicago currently does, he'd be in JAIL! The people of Chicago deserve a city government and leaders that have the community at large best interests in mind. DJ Doran is the right person for the job. Learn more about DJ Doran and the issues Chicago faces at: https://doran4mayor.com https://www.facebook.com/doran4mayor https://twitter.com/doran4mayor Read more on Windy City Times: https://www.windycitytimes.com/lgbt/POLITICS-Gay-media-owner-to-run-for-Chicago-mayor/72852.html Learn more about DJ Doran and the issues Chicago faces at https://doran4mayor.com. Chicago deserves better than Mayor Lightfoot who said: 'I have the biggest d*** in Chicago' Mayor Lightfoot is being sued for defamation, accused of profane comments - see news story here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpIQ2E4gXj0 Join us on OutBüro, the LGBTQ professional and entrepreneur online community network for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, allies, and our employers who support LGBTQ welcoming workplace equality-focused benefits, policies, and business practices. https://www.OutBuro.com Would you like to be featured like this? Contact the host Dennis Velco via our site's Recommend an Interview Guest form. https://outburo.com/recommend-a-guest/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/outburo/message

Tracy Baim is co-publisher of the Chicago Reader newspaper. She is owner and co-founder of Windy City Times, a 35-year-old LGBTQ newspaper. She is the author or co-author of 12 books on LGBTQ history (including Out and Proud in Chicago, Obama and the Gays, and Gay Press, Gay Power), producer of four films, creator of the That's So Gay! LGBTQ trivia game, and a longtime journalist and organizer. Major events she has helped lead include Gay Games VII in Chicago in 2006, and the March on Springfield for Marriage Equality. She founded the LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois in 1996, and has won numerous awards for her journalism and activism, including the Studs Terkel Award. Baim has been inducted into the National LGBT Journalists Association Hall of Fame, Association of Women Journalists-Chicago Hall of Fame, and the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame. She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Professional Journalists-Chicago. Oh Hey, and I'm Marina. I am a technologist, mom, podcast host, leadership coach, cruciverbalist and aquarian ;) UNBOSSED IS… “Paths To Success of Amazing Women in Chicago” I welcome you to ask questions, participate, and join me as we explore these topics by emailing me at info@unbossed.io or visiting www.unbossed.io. Available on- Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDTz6_FepG04QTs1BjFLBjw/ Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eUhfH8E Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/e7cWtBv Google Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/enjChPt And others.. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/marina-malaguti/support

Tracy Baim has been covering Chicago's LGBTQ+ community for more than 40 years, but it hasn't always been easy. Back then, she says you couldn't be openly gay in Chicago media, which is why so many LGBTQ+ journalists like herself had to create their own queer press. In 1984, fresh out of college, Baim started part-time at Gay Life Newspaper, before co-founding the LGBTQ+ newspaper, Windy City Times. Fast forward to 2018, and she's the publisher of the Chicago Reader, the iconic alt-weekly. Chicago Reader's “Pride” issue this week documents the evolution of gay activism in Chicago. The issue includes an interview with Dr. Fauci about the AIDS epidemic, and a profile of a '80's zine that explored Chicago's House music scene, among other stories. Baim spoke with host Jacoby Cochran about her decades-long career in the gay press and about what it's like seeing Chicago media's journey from sidelining the queer community to finally embracing it. Guest: Tracy Baim, Publisher, Chicago Reader (@TracyBaimWCMG) Follow us on Twitter: @CityCastChicago Sign up for our newsletter: chicago.citycast.fm

Tracy Baim, co-publisher of the Chicago Reader and co-founder of the Windy City Times, joins Anna to talk about all the events that are happening in Chicago to celebrate Pride Month, the issues that are impacting the LGBTQ community, how the Windy City Times helped people find information about the AIDS crisis and a new […]

(S5, EP2): Alex Jenny (She / They) joined me for this episode as part of the 5th season theme, "Our Becoming: An LGBTQ Asian Experience". Alex is a Chinese-Vietnamese American trans woman, licensed psychotherapist, social worker, drag artist, host of "The Moment" produced by A Queer Pride and is known as "The Drag Therapist" through her social media platform. In our conversation, we talk about the response to the anti-Asian violence, the barriers that transgender / trans folks of color often face in accessing affirmative mental health care in her work in therapy, and the cis-hetero & white structures that gatekeeps the social work and mental health profession. Alex shares her experiences in her journey as a trans woman and her relationship with her mom and family's community, along with her relationship in the Chicago drag community. Be sure to follow Alex on IG @alexjenny_. // Bio: Alex Jenny was born in Grand Rapids, MI to Chinese Vietnamese parents, both refugees who escaped from Vietnam After establishing her professional career as a psychotherapist and licensed clinical social worker in LGBTQ, affirmative practice and trauma recovery, Alex also became a local Chicago drag performer and that's how Alex Jenny was reborn. She was nominated for 2020 Best Drag Queen of the Year by Chicago Reader. She then integrated her therapy work with her drag and became known as The Drag Therapist. She hosts a talk show called The Moment, produced by A Queer Pride, that highlights trans artists and celebrates queer and trans joy, healing, and authenticity. She also teaches a class at the University of Chicago on Intergroup Dialogue, anti-oppression education, and group facilitation. She has been featured by them., Refinery29, Greatist, PinkNews, GoPride, Made of Millions, Windy City Times, and Ask Dr. Nandi. She has worked with the University of Michigan, the University of Chicago, Rutgers University, Grand Valley State University, Tennessee Tech University, University of Tennessee, Macalester University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Amazon, The Hideout, The Voice Lab, Plume, Dame, Unbound Babes, Chicago Black Drag Council, The Gala Pride and Diversity Center, and Instagram. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/banhmichronicles/support

Hello Everyone! Welcome back to this weeks episode of the Queerience. This week I`m joined by Uche Onwa Co- Director of The Queer Detainee Empowerment Project (QDEP) as we discuss the prison industrial complex, ICE and we why they need to be abolished as well as the work QDEP is doing to help. Listen to his story here on Queerience. QDEP assists folks coming out of immigration detention in securing  structural, health/wellness, educational, legal, and emotional support  and services. They work to organize around the structural barriers and  state violence that LGBTQIA TS & GNC detainee/undocumented folks  face related to their immigration status, race, sexuality, and gender  expression/ identity. Uchechukwu Onwa (he/him/his) is a Nigerian born organizer, trainer,  abolitionist and movement strategist, who fled his home country due to  the repression and persecution he faced as a gay man. He is a member of  the Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project (BLMP) with over 8 years of  experience working in community outreach, public health, and human  rights. He is a high-impact voice for the LGBTQ+ community and a social  justice advocate. He previously worked for the International Center for  Advocacy on Rights to Health (ICARH) in Abuja, Nigeria coordinating an  HIV prevention program and conducting human rights advocacy work for  LGBTQ+ communities. Upon his arrival in the US, Uche continued his  health advocacy and human rights work by engaging in high-level work.  Since March 2019 Uche has been organizing with QDEP, focusing on  building and strengthening the membership base while maintaining  partnerships and coalitions with other organizations. He also leads  QDEP's Leadership Development Program for Cisgender Queer and Trans  Women, and Gender Non-Conforming People. Uche's work has been featured  in Windy City Times, Sunderland, Plus Magazine, Buzzfeed, Pulitzer Center and more. When he is not organizing for queer and trans immigrants'  liberation you can find him doing some fun thing with his tribes. Follow Uche! @famousval992 Follow QDEP instagram-Queerdep Linktr.ee/QDEP National Suicide Hotline 800-273-8255 Follow the Queerience! @thequeeriencepodcast --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-queerience/support

Video Performance Available: facebook.com/QuarantinePlayers About the Play Karen’s a klutz. After getting into another car accident (on Halloween), her insurance agent gives unusual advice: she should visit a famous astrologer to find out why she’s so accident-prone. The hunky astrologer tries to convince Karen that they are meant to be together. Should Karen believe him? And what about her again off again booty call Nick? Find out who Karen chooses, why her sister can't choose a paint color, and why it is a really bad idea to propose to someone on a baseball field. Watch Ditching Destiny on Halloween by Laura Lewis Barr. Script Available on New Play Exchange: https://newplayexchange.org/plays/12295/ditching-destiny-halloween-or-bride-cant-decide Director: A.J. Campbell The Cast Karen - Stacy McCargo Laurie - Mikayal Trimpey Richard - Spencer Dooley Nick - Richardo Padilla Ethan - Cameron Lee Conlan Charles/Mark Doug Henderson Stage Direction/Patti/Reporter/Becky/Attractive Fan - Barrie Alguire Usher & Stage Direction- A.J. Campbell About the Playwright New Play Exchange: https://newplayexchange.org/users/1430/laura-lewis-barr Laura Lewis-Barr has been writing, directing, performing and teaching theatre for over 15 years. Laura’s play Chernobyl's Fire won the Playwrights First Award and was a finalist in the O'Neill Theatre Center National Playwrights Conference Competition and Steppenwolf Theatre’s “First Look.” Marvelous Tales, was recently published by YouthPlays and The Vase is published with Heartland Plays. Her play, Cloistered Honey was recently made into a low budget film through Inspirare Productions. "Cloistered Honey" has been an official selection at the Red Dirt International Film Festival (nominated for Best Writing - Drama) and the Eugene International Film Festival (Awarded Best Screenplay – Feature.) It was recently picked up for distribution by The Bosko Group. Cloistered Honey (early draft) was seen as part of “The Next Big Thing Festival” in NY. Darwin’s Dilemma was seen in Circle Theatre’s New Play Fest. Darwin was also featured in the St. Tammany One-Act Competition and Steel Beam Theatre’s “New Play Series.” Recent productions of Laura’s work include: Chernobyl’s Fire; Addicted to Mars (Pittsburgh New Works Festival—“intriguing and carefully drawn…. Lewis-Barr’s writing drives the production.” Pittsburgh Post Gazette); Golden Chalices (LoveCreek Productions and The Riant Theatre in New York); Dove Killers (the side project in Chicago-- “riveting” Windy City Times). A dozen other plays, including Re-writing History thru a Fly’s Eye, The Vase, and The Dangers of Catnip have had readings and productions in Chicago and California. Laura’s Masters Degree in Drama is from San Francisco State University. Before her move to the country, (to work as Artistic Director/Theatre Professor at Sauk Valley College) Laura was a member of the Playwrights Collective and Chicago Dramatists. About the Quarantine Players Video: facebook.com/QuarantinePlayers Podcast: anchor.fm/qplayers (available on iTunes, Stitcher, Breaker, Spotify, google podcast and more.) Quarantine Players are a group of directors, playwrights, actors, and technicians from all over the U.S. who have gathered to keep the ghost light on for you. We work to create weekly podcasts and video staged readings of NEW plays. We work hard to put the spotlight on new playwrights and actors. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/qplayers/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/qplayers/support

Sheri is an instructor at the Second City training center in the improv and music departments. She has performed at the Engaging Women Conference, been a guest on Vocalo Radio's Morning AMp Council of Feminist Thought show, and was a panelist for the Inside Jokes Comedy Conference hosted by Women In Comedy, and has appeared in numerous podcasts addressing wide-ranging subjects including art, equity, and criticism. Having performed in a variety of forms from Shakespeare to screen, Sheri is a member of the interracial, married sketch team FLANDERS, the head writer for CHOICE THE MUSICAL, was an ensemble member of Second City’s musical house ensemble, INFINITE SUNDAES, and founded the first and longest-running musical improv team CHEAP TRILLS at Just the Funny theater in Miami. She is represented by NV Talent. A member of the American Theater Critics Association, her writing as a freelance journalist, critic, and humorist, has been featured in publications such as McSweeney's, the Chicago Defender, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Reader, Rescripted, Performink, NewCity, Chicagoland Musical Theater, and the Windy City Times. Sheri was invited to cover the 2020 Sundance Film Festival as part of their Press Inclusion Initiative. There's more Sheri at www.sheriflanders.com or you can find her on Facebook and LinkedIn, too. You can find a lot of Sheri's writing online, but here are a couple of articles to get you going if you don't know where to start: Black Artistic Leaders Take Charge at Several Chicago Theaters -- The Chicago Reader Inclusion in Improv: or How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Use the Bomb -- Rescripted

Tracy Baim has been calling out the inequities of news gathering for well over three decades.  As co-founder of the Windy City Times, her career marks not only great crisis management but the rise of community journalism. Now, as publisher of the Chicago Reader, Tracy's passion continues to challenge mainstream media.  In this episode of The Crisis Cast, Lissa & Thom explore the First Amendment, racism, and access journalism.

Pride Series Day 14 we talk to Nikk Selik from Chicago, IL. Nikk Selik (he/him) is a 31 year old trans man from Chicago. He began his transition in 2009 while studying video editing at Columbia College Chicago. Nikk began his work as a trans activist in 2010 by becoming a public speaker on transgender identity. Since then, he has been facilitating workshops across the country in high schools, colleges, conferences, and businesses across the country.In 2016, Nikk co-founded the organization, T-MAC: Transmasculine Alliance Chicago, which is now the largest organization for and by transmasculine people in Chicago. Nikk has also been working with trans youth and their parents, both through his volunteer work with the Trans Mentor Program at Lurie Children’s Hospital and leading workshops on his own along with his family.In 2018, Nikk was selected for the “30 Under 30 Award” by Chicago’s largest LGBTQ publication, the Windy City Times for his contributions to the community. Currently, Nikk is in the process of using his skills to start a YouTube channel under the name “Trans Papa Bear”. He hopes to utilize this platform to provide information and insight to others from the perspective of a “trans elder”.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/transcasterradio)

May 25, 2020 - Artemisia, A Chicago PodcastJulie Proudfoot interviews Tracy Baim, award winning journalist, publisher of the Chicago Reader and owner and past publisher of Windy City Times.  Tracy talks about her work in Chicago Media as an openly gay journalist, her passionate commitment to pay it forward for young journalists and her current fundraiser SAVECHICAGOMEDIA.ORG - the first-ever joint local independent media fundraiser.Get your ticket to our virtual world premiere production of GOODS today at artemisiatheatre.org!Written by Lauren Ferebee, directed by E. Faye Butler and starring Julie Proudfoot and Shariba Rivers.Support the show (https://artemisiatheatre.org/donate/)

Nia and Ness are a black, out-lesbian, dancer-poet performance art duo based in Rosendale, NY. The duo met and became a couple in 2013, and founded their company in 2016. They have performed at multiple venues nationwide, sharing their work that aims at a deeper understanding of their co-reality through intense investigation of their individual identities. They premiered their first evening length work, run., in August 2017, and have been touring run. nationwide ever since.They have been keynote speakers at the 2018 FLAME Conference at Brown University, and have performed their work at schools such as the University of California Riverside, UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley, NYU, Sarah Lawrence College, Temple University, Bard College, Harvard College and more. The duo has worked with the Sadie Nash Leadership Project Summer Institute and has been featured in a 2017 BRIC TV segment, a documentary for The Advocate, Elle.com, Windy City Times, Dance Writer Australia, BRN GRL WIN, the Daily Voice, Autostraddle and on Radio Free Brooklyn. They've also performed at Brooklyn Pride 2017 and Harlem Pride 2018, the Ohio Lesbian Festival in 2018 and 2019, The Michigan Framily Reunion, SisterSpace Festival; were recipients of the BAX Summer 2017 Space Grant, inaugural recipients of the 2018 Virginia Giordano Memorial Fund; and were the winners of the 2017 National Women's Music Festival Emerging Artist Contest, and named the "Heart Power Couple” for the VORTEX Fire and Brimstone Awards in 2019. In February 2019 at OUTsider Fest in Austin, TX, Nia & Ness premiered their second evening length show titled home. and are currently on tour with this work along with run. To follow them on their journey, check them out on social media @niaandness.Today they share the story of how they met, how they started working together, what their process looks like, how they collaborate with one another, coming out, and how they take care of themselves and one another.They are performing a portion of their piece home. followed by a Q&A at the idea garden as a part of Women's History Month Kingston on Tuesday, March 31st from 7-8:30pm."home. is our second evening-length dance-poetry piece that deeply explores our daily realities as a black, out-lesbian couple living and loving in New York. This piece goes beyond glimpses into our living; it hones in on the details of our experiences and provides grounding for the accompanying emotions. Along with sharing our everyday interactions with “micro” aggressions, personal historical trauma, and making visible the impacts of violence, we highlight our love as a healing force, potent enough to transform our pain into power."Today's show was engineered by Maddy Bogner of Radio Kingston, www.radiokingston.org.We heard music from our fave, Shana Falana, http://www.shanafalana.com/Feel free to email me, say hello: she@iwantwhatshehas.orgLeave me a voicemail with your thoughts or a few words about who has what you want and why! (845)481-3429** Please: SUBSCRIBE to the pod and leave a REVIEW wherever you are listening, it helps other users FIND IT :)http://iwantwhatshehas.org/podcastITUNES | SPOTIFY | STITCHERITUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/i-want-what-she-has/id1451648361?mt=2SPOTIFY:https://open.spotify.com/show/77pmJwS2q9vTywz7Uhiyff?si=G2eYCjLjT3KltgdfA6XXCASTITCHER: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/she-wants/i-want-what-she-has?refid=stpr'Follow:INSTAGRAM * https://www.instagram.com/iwantwhatshehaspodcast/FACEBOOK * https://www.facebook.com/iwantwhatshehaspodcastTWITTER * https://twitter.com/wantwhatshehas

TRACY BAIM is publisher and executive editor at The Reader, and formerly Windy City Media Group, which produces Windy City Times, Nightspots, and other gay media. She started in Chicago journalism in 1984 at GayLife newspaper, one month after graduating with a news-editorial degree from Drake University. She has founded several Chicago-based LGBTQ publications as well as the Pride Action Tank, which works to improve safety, health, and progress in the LGBTQ+ community. She’s written several books, and in 2005, she won the Studs Terkel Award, which honors Chicago journalists that offer new perspectives on social issues. In 2013, Baim founded the March on Springfield for Marriage Equality, and in 2014, she was inducted into the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association Hall of Fame. STORY JAM is a live lit and live music show, featuring personal stories and original songs written for each story. Find out more at http://www.storyjamshow.com. Video: Coffee Cup Productions

This week Colleen & Catie gives us a look at LGBT friendly places to travel with this week's Travel News focusing on the LGBTQ community as well! Weekly contributor and photographer for Windy City Times, GoPride, and Edge Media Jerry Nunn joins the show this week to talk about his background and great places to go if you are LGBT. Finally, Colleen, Catie, and Jerry give us this weeks travel tips and tricks to make your vacation much more enjoyable.

Derrick Clifton is a Chicago-based freelance journalist and writer whose work focuses on the intersections of identity, culture and social issues. Clifton’s reporting and opinion writing have appeared at NBC News, Vox, The Root, Windy City Times, Out, Chicago Reader and various other news outlets. He holds two degrees from Northwestern University, including an MSJ from the Medill School of Journalism. He is an avid volunteer and has served on boards for scholarship organizations, education nonprofits and causes serving LGBTQ people. He also is a speaker and commentator on various cultural, wellness and social justice issues.  Clifton, who is queer and gender-fluid, is working on a memoir aimed at help readers understand the uniquely beautiful yet turbulent coming-of-age experiences for queer and gender-variant people of color. He believes "It takes all kinds to elevate awareness of intersectionality in media and mainstream culture, and it's been the blessing of his life to help advance a Black, queer and feminist perspective," In 2018 at the age of 29, he received the Esteem Award for Future Leaders – The Outstanding Millennial Award. Upon receiving the award Clifton said, "This award touches me not only because of the affirmation but because it's coming from my community."

Jonathan Abarbanel, our first theatre critic guest, comes with great perspective not just as a theatre historian and scholar but also as an artist. He's been an actor, dramaturg, playwright, and producer, so he knows what it means and takes to bring work to the stage. He's the immediate past president of the American Theatre Critics Association. He's reviewed Chicago theatre for 50 years and continues as a great critic for the Windy City Times and Footlights magazine. He and Kerry Reid are the "Dueling Critics" on The Arts Section on WDCB public radio. This marvelous and nuanced conversation about Isaac Gomez's play, La Ruta, is a great example of their collaboration and a chance to hear some longer form criticism from two real pros. Frank tells us about his trip to the Dalmation Coast, including a visit to the "Museum of Broken Relationships" in Zagreb. Sounds like a must-see. Jonathan was an early member of the off-loop theatre movement and was part of exciting and important developments like working with Del Close on the Harold. He briefly worked as a copywriter and producer in advertising an came up with an iconic slogan "America spells cheese, K-R-A-F-T"! Another claim to fame was his appearance on the Antique Road Show with original artist boards of Winsor McCay's comic strip, "Little Nemo in Slumberland." Winsor invented animated cartoons with a character called "Gertie the Dinosaur". Jonathan was working summer stock and came across the boards in a barn. He offered to buy them from the property's owner who said just to take whatever he wanted...They were worth a lot of money when he went on the Road Show and are worth even more now. Picture here is one of the Little Nemo strips he owns, as it appeared in print in full color. Jonathan describes it as "a zoo on Mars and a Martian is showing Nemo and his gang around." We asked Jonathan about his philosophy of criticism and he responded that he does not believe in attack criticism. And since his review space in the Windy City Times is usually only about 450 words, he doesn't have space to show off his "style." He'd rather spend 10 words writing about a costume or sound design than trying to show off his wit. He is very direct. To Jonathan, every single word sounds. Especially when writing about new work. About 50% of the shows produced in Chicago are new work. He will generally approach the script first, rather than the production elements or acting. The question is, "Does it work?" He talks about how consistently excellent most of the performances in Chicago theatre are right now. Speaking of which, Gary, Frank, and Jonathan agree that the performances in Steppenwolf's production of the new play by Tina Landau and Tarell Alvin McCraney, Ms. Blakk for President, were just terrific! Jonathan quotes the famous New Yorker critic, John Lahr's book title, Astonish Me, Adventures in Contemporary Theatre about what he's looking for when he walks into a theater. "Make me walk out full of the wonder of your production." He looks for that show that "just hits him in the guts." Sometimes he just "puts his pen down and lets it happen to him."    

Tracy Baim, publisher of the Chicago Reader and co-founder of the Windy City Times, explains the significance of the Stonewall riots 50 years ago. Tracy's full interview, as well as interviews with entertainer Honey West, Toni Armstrong, Jr. Eddie S Pierce Jr., and health news from KHN are in this special extended Pride edition of Our Truth, Today streaming June 28 on your favorite podcast app and on www.Conversationswith.net

Owen Keehnen  has had his fiction, essays, erotica, reviews, columns, and interviews appear in dozens of magazines and anthologies worldwide.His books include Dugan's Bistro and the Legend of the Bearded Lady, Tell Me About It with St Sukie de la Croix, The LGBTQ Book of Days and A Place for Us: LGBTQ Life at the Belmont Rocks. With the Windy City Times co-founder Tracy Baim, Owen co-authored, the Chicago LGBT historical biographies including Leatherman: The Legend of Chuck Renslow, Jim Flint: The Boy From Peoria, and Vernita Gray: From Woodstock to The White House. He’s a co-founder of the Legacy Project. The Legacy Project was inspired the first time the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt was shown at the National March on Washington for LGBT Civil Rights in 1987. Chicago's Legacy Project celebrated the LGBTQ community by installing the first of its kind “Rainbow Pylon” streetscape, This Legacy Walk is a dynamic outdoor LGBTQ history exhibit. Every year on National Coming Out Day new plaques are added. The pylons are to be named the first multi-block LGBTQ landmark in the world. Owen is a frequent speaker on LGBTQ history and has chaired several panels for the Out at CHM, the Chicago History Museum series.

Dr. Ken Schneck is a tenured Professor and Director of the Leadership in Higher Education Program at Baldwin Wallace University where he teaches courses on race in society, ethical leadership, student development theory, and a slew of courses on how individuals can work with communities to create a more just world. He tours the country speaking on the topic of LGBTQ culture, community change, racial justice, and how you can use your voice to create actual change (instead of creating more meetings about actual change). Previously, he served as the Dean of Students for Marlboro College and the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs for Sarah Lawrence College. For 10 years, Ken was the producer and host of This Show is So Gay, a multi-award-winning, long-running, nationally syndicated radio show/podcast focused on people using their voices in a unique way to create dialogue around LGBTQ topics. For 430 episodes, he interviewed over 500 of the most notable names in LGBTQ culture from civil rights champions to champions of drag, presidential candidates to singer/songwriters, prolific authors to one former member of Menudo (not as famous as Ricky Martin…but just as gay). Ken is an author and freelance writer whose first book Seriously...What Am I Doing Here? The Adventures of a Wondering and Wandering Gay Jew (1984 Publishing) was released in 2017, second book LGBTQ Cleveland: Images of Modern America (Arcadia Publishing/The History Press) hit the shelves in 2018, and third book LGBTQ Columbus: Images of Modern America (Arcadia Publishing/The History Press) is due out in June of 2019. His freelance writing has been seen in a ton of national media including The Advocate, PRIZM Magazine, The Windy City Times, 201 Magazine, Bravo TV, NBC News, FreshWater Cleveland, and monthly pie

Eight years ago, Ben found a pair of cutoff jean shorts mounted in a shadowbox. Now, he's on a search for the truth. — Ben Riskin quit his law firm four years ago and embarked on a career in podcasting. Ben recently joined Endeavor Audio to lead their business development and content acquisition efforts. When he's not working, he's listening to everything and talking to everyone.  — Special thanks this week to Tracey Baim of the Windy City Times, the team at Curious City, Ben Rose and Tracey Panek at Levi’s, St. Sukie de la Croix (author of Chicago Whispers: a History of LGBT Chicago before Stonewall), Gnat Carpenter, the team at Third Coast International Audio Festival, and everyone who shared pictures of the shorts on social media. Music in this episode by Jeremy Bloom, Little Glass Men ("Procreation"), Broke for Free ("Calm the Fuck Down"), and Nctrnm ("Tethered"). Theme by Alexander Overington. Support our work! Become a Nancy member today at nancypodcast.org/donate. 

Waddie Grant started blogging in 2005 under different aliases about urban pop culture. He was born in Sacramento, raised in Kansas City, bred in Chicago, developed in Atlanta and is currently living in New York City. He started The G-Listed (formerly The G-List Society) in 2012. The G-Listed is an online media networking and entertainment group that caters to the style of life in the social scene of LGBT/Queer/Same-Gender-Loving people of color. The G-Listed is an appreciation of Black pop and queer cultures that publishes its annual The Black LGBTQ Power 100 list to celebrate Black LGBTQ-SGL achievers around the world and the 100 Outstanding Personalities of Color a similar feature. The Power 100 list has an average readership of more than 100,000 audience impressions yearly. He has also hosted and produced dozens of social, professional networking and live music events in Chicago and New York City and been featured, quoted and/or published widely. Waddie & The G-Listed media has been featured, quoted and/or published in “Positively Black” on WNBC, Gawker, Gothamist, “Oprah’s Life Class,” Chicago Red Eye, Windy City Times, Ebony, Sandra Rose, Bossip, Necole Bitchie, The YBF, MediaTakeOut, SGL Weekly, Rod 2.0, TMZ, Joe.My.God, NY Eater, Moguldum Media, CBS-2 Chicago News and other media outlets. Waddie will share his passions for music, urban pop culture, TV, arts, city life, gay lifestyle and Black gay milestones and achievements.

Gary and Frank welcome two of the great leaders of Chicago's Pride Films & Plays to Booth One. Nelson Rodriguez is Artistic Director of Pride Films and Plays. Filmmaker Dan Pal is running the Pride Film Fest, which happens on the second Tuesday of each month. Check out the line-up for February's festival here. Pride Films and Plays brings a 4-show season of excellent LGBTQ programming to the Chicago theatre community. Housed at the Pride Arts Center at 4139 N. Broadway, PFP also hosts the aforementioned Pride Film Fest and rents its two spaces to other theater companies. Dan Pal is an award-winning filmmaker and professor at DePaul and Moraine Valley Community College. Check out his website to see the fabulous Scotty & Josh trilogy and more. Here is Dan winning an award for his direction of Counting, which is the first film produced by Pride Films & Plays. It is on the festival circuit now and headed to the Santa Fe Film Festival in February, where it will open for Melanie Mayron's new movie. We got a chance to screen this beautiful and moving short film. We'll keep you posted when it becomes available to the public. Nelson recently starred in a feature film called En Algun Lugar, which we can't wait to see. He has performed in a one-man show depicting 7 gay immigrant characters called "Men on the Verge of a His-Panic Nervous Breakdown." Would love to see this and hoping for a remount. Nelson has been featured as one of "30 Under 30" in the Windy City Times. Looking forward to all he will continue to bring to our community. Pride Films and Plays was founded by David Zak, longtime artistic director of Bailiwick, who brought us so many memorable productions, including The Christmas Schooner, in which Roscoe, our founding co-host, created the role of Gus. Chita Rivera and Seth Rudetsky did what sounded like an amazing show at Steppenwolf. We had to miss because of a conflict, but sent our friends and loyal listeners with only one request: that they write a short review. Gary shares the a few observations made by Virginia Gerst, Nancy Needles, and Kay Ellwein. We appreciate the excellent reporting and wish we'd been there with you. BTW, we interviewed Chita in episode 32. Check it out. Frank Tourangeau, our new regular guest host, geeks out on I Love Lucy in a fascinating way. If you didn't already know how the DesiLu empire started, you'll hear it on this show. They also invented the rerun. Geniuses both. Kiss of Death: We close each episode with a tribute to a fascinating person who has recently passed away. Learn about Johnny Fox, sword swallower. Ick. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/19/obituaries/johnny-fox-sword-swallowing-showman-dies-at-64.html                      

Joining CWT4R co –host Michelle and Terry Boi will be Tracy Baim, Editor of Windy City Times and partner with the newly formed Pride Action Tank, AIDS Foundation of Chicago. Tracy has been pushing Youth Homeless Awareness for over 5 years and now she is working tirelessly with community leaders and organizations to address this issue that is leading the devastation of youth and especially LGBTQ youth. Tracy will give facts about homeless youth, the plight they face, the programs and resources that are available to them. Lastly how we as a country, community, and individual can attack this issue.  Also joining us will be Angeline White (Kasey) who as a teen came out to her mother and was put out of her home. Kasey’s struggles to make it was documented in 2010 as part of a documentary entitled “The Homestretch” a co- production of Kartemquin Films and Spargel Productions. The documentary examines the struggles of three youth face in obtaining a high school level education, and then follows them beyond graduation to focus on the crucial transition when the structure of school vanishes and homeless youth struggle to find the support and community they need to survive and be independent. But for many the only reason for homelessness is because they identify as a LGBTQ youth. 

Stacy and Jonny discuss recent Illinois legislation signed into law by Governor Rauner that extend protections and recognition to LGBTQ people, The Windy City Times reporting of the induction of 11 people into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame, an explanation of "cisgender" following a listener request for clarification, survey data on US and UK youth increasingly self-identifying as bisexual, and John Oliver's recent segments on "This Week Tonight" in support of LGBT rights. Please note that we are still conducting the WDBX fall pledge drive; please support independent community radio that makes this podcast possible by making a donation at http://www.wdbx.org/ .

Stacy and Jonny discuss recent Illinois legislation signed into law by Governor Rauner that extend protections and recognition to LGBTQ people, The Windy City Times reporting of the induction of 11 people into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame, an explanation of "cisgender" following a listener request for clarification, survey data on US and UK youth increasingly self-identifying as bisexual, and John Oliver's recent segments on "This Week Tonight" in support of LGBT rights. Please note that we are still conducting the WDBX fall pledge drive; please support independent community radio that makes this podcast possible by making a donation at http://www.wdbx.org/ .

Host: Amy Matheny with Richard Knight Jr. Amy and Richard are dishing on all things movies! The summer is going to be huge with blockbusters, LGBT films, reboots and so much more! They also discuss HBO’s Bessie starring Queen Latifah as Bessie Smith. It’s a HUGE show! Follow Richard’s column on Windy City Times, Knight [...]

Host: Amy Matheny Amy is very excited for the celebration of Windy City Times turning 30! Guest: Windy City Times Editor Tracy Baim joins Amy on the Queercast once again. Windy City Times is turning 30 in September and Tracy has been at the helm bringing us all the news from the LGBT community. She [...]

Host: Amy Matheny Amy is discussing the Supreme Court hearing for Marriage Equality. The oral arguments have finally begun. We must wait until June for the ruling. Next show, Windy City Times is turning 30! Guest: Midwest Regional Director of Lambda Legal Jim Bennett joins Amy on the Queercast to discuss the oral arguments. The [...]

Starting off the month of April tomorrow, April 1st joining, CWT4R co-host, Terry, Ina and Michelle, will be the hot, sexy, and out spoken NIKKI PATIN. Nikki has been writing for over two decades and her writings extend from love, revolutionary, to violence to empowerment to loving one’s self to love of a child. She can be steamy, well reserved, in your face, behind closed door, telling you about yourself before you know it is about you. Nikki Patin has appeared on HBO's Def Poetry Jam, WGN, WCIU, WBEZ and New Zealand's TV3 and Radio New Zealand. She was voted one of 30 under 30 most influential LGBTQ people in Chicago by Windy City Times and took the gold medal in the 2006 Gay Games International LGBT poetry slam.  She is the creator of Surviving the Mic(www.survivingthemic.org), an organization dedicated to creating safe and affirming artistic spaces for survivors of trauma. Nikki Patin is an MFA candidate in Creative Non-Fiction at Stonecoast MFA Program at the University of Southern Maine and a weekly cultural commentator on “Music Vox” on www.vocalo.org. Her work can be found at www.nikkipatin.com. For those that remember The Phat GRRL Revolution we can only image what Nikki will bring in 2015. If you don’t know about the revolution tune in so you can get a little poetry education for the full figured grrls. Show starts at our new time, 8:30est/7:30cst pm. Call in at 347-215-8985 and press 1 if you want to talk. 

In recognition of Black History Month, join us as we remember the contributions of Black Queer writers past and present. Frederick L. Smith (Play It Forward) Sheree L. Greer (Let The Lover Be), Rebekah Weatherspoon (Treasure), and Fiona Zedde (Desire at Dawn) discuss their current novels--courtesy of Bold Stroke Books--as well as the past, present, and future of Black LGBTQ literature. Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Frederick Smith is a graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism and Loyola University Chicago. He lives in Los Angeles and is also the author of Down for Whatever and Right Side of the Wrong Bed. Readers can contact him at www.FrederickLSmith.com. A Milwaukee, Wisconsin native, Sheree L. Greer has been published in Hair Trigger, The Windy City Times, Reservoir, Fictionary, and the WindyCity Queer Anthology: Dispatches from the Third Coast. She has performed her work across selected venues in Milwaukee, New York, Miami, Chicago, and Tampa, where she hosts Oral Fixation, the only LGBTQ Open Mic series in TampaBay. She received a Union League of Chicago Civic Arts Foundation Award, earned her MFA at Columbia College Chicago, and currently teaches writing and literature at St. Petersburg College. Ms. Greer is an Astraea Lesbian Writers Fund grantee and completed a VONA residency at University of Miami. She recently published a short story collection, Once and Future Lovers and an excerpt from her novel What Has Never Been Taught appears in Best Lesbian Romance 2012. After years of meddling in her friends' love lives, Rebekah Weatherspoon turned to writing romance as a means to surviving a stressful professional life. She has worked in various positions from library assistant, meter maid, middle school teacher, B movie production assistant, reality show crew chauffeur, D movie producer, and her most fulfilling job to date, lube and harness specialist at an erotic boutique in West Hollywood. Her interests include Wonder Woman collectibles, cookies, James Taylor, quality hip-hop, football, American muscle cars, large breed dogs, and the ocean. When she's not working, writing, reading, or sleeping, she is watching Ken Burns documentaries and cartoons or taking dance classes. If given the chance, she will cheat at UNO. She was raised in Southern New Hampshire and now lives in Southern California with an individual who is much more tech savvy than she ever will be. Member RWA. Jamaican-born Fiona Zedde currently lives and writes in Atlanta, Georgia. She is the author of several novellas and novels of lesbian love and desire, including the Lambda Literary Award finalists Bliss and Every Dark Desire. Her novel, Dangerous Pleasures,was winner of the About.com Readers' Choice Award for Best Lesbian Novel or Memoir of 2012. Her short fiction has appeared in various anthologies including the Cleis Press Best Lesbian Erotica series, Wicked: Sexy Tales of Legendary Lovers, Iridescence: Sensuous Shades of Lesbian Erotica, and Fist of the Spider Woman. Writing under the name "Fiona Lewis," she has also published a novel of young adult fiction called Dreaming in Color with Tiny Satchel Press. And as “Lindsay Evans,” she has written multiple novels for Harlequin Kimani Romance. Her latest novel, Desire at Dawn, is available now. ***Unfortunately our little podcast recording device ran out of digital space before this event reached completion.  We regret the omission but trust the listener will enjoy the hour of recorded material that is available***

The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice is the only philanthropic organization working exclusively to advance LGBTQI human rights around the globe. The Foundation supports brilliant and brave grantee partners in the U.S. and internationally who challenge oppression and seed change. Astraea works for racial, economic, social, and gender justice, because we all deserve to live our lives freely, without fear, and with dignity. On May 16, 2014 the Astraea Foundation will present the 2014 Fueling the Frontlines Awards.  The  recognizes activists and organizations whose brave and brilliant work on the cutting edge of LGBTQI Fueling the Frontlines Award  issues inspires movements and generates significant advances for our communities. This year’s Awards will celebrate the life and legacy of pioneering Chicago LGBT activist Vernita Gray. The evening will also honor Tracy Baim, Publisher and executive editor of Windy City Media Group. & co-founder of Windy City Times and Julio Rodriguez, president of the Association of Latinos/as Motivating Action both for their lifetime of activism.  

Poet and youth activist Tim’m West and Ra Pierre the youngest poet featured on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam will join CWT4R co-hosts Ina, Michelle and Terry Boi performing not only poetry but rap.Tim’m West became a contributor to the world when he found out while going after his PH.D in philosophy he was HIV Positive.            Ra a young Chicago success was introduced into the public eye when he won Chicago’s “Louder Than A Bomb” youth poetry slam, and nationally was a finalist 2 years with Brave new Voices. Rah is one of the young voices that have come out of the Midwest featured in the Windy City Times, The Chicago FreePress, and the Hammond Star.  Call in on 347-215-8985 at 10:30 pm eastern time, 9:30 pm central standa

On this weeks installment of APEX Express: Contributor R.J. Lozada interviews Seng Alex Vang, Conference Co-Chair of the 16th Hmong National Development Conference. This years conference, themed The Journey Forward, is a three-day gathering of Hmong and their allies on three major threads: Education, Health & Wellness, and Economic Development.  The United States Supreme Court is in the throes of two major proceedings in the Gay Marriage or Marriage Equality movement, Hollingsworth v Perry, and the legal challenges to the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA. In an effort to bring the complexity of the different conversations happening within the LGBTIQ movements regarding marriage equality, contributor R.J. Lozada has invited three speakers to shed some light on the subject. (photo courtesy of Lauren Quock) Lauren Quock is a queer third generation Chinese American artist and community leader.    Lauren has been working with the Network on Religion and Justice for Asian Pacific Islander LGBTIQ People (NRJ, www.netrj.org) since 2004 and is currently the NRJ Coordinator. NRJ creates community and leadership development for API LGBTIQ people of faith and works to change the culture of silence around sexuality and LGBTIQ experiences in API Christian churches through education.    Lauren is also an artist (www.laurenquock.com). Lauren appropriates industrial processes and materials to create Modified Bathroom Signs that challenge the gender binary and transform the public restroom from a site of anxiety and trauma into one of affirmation for queer people.  (photo courtesy of Yasmin Nair) From the author's website: Dr. Yasmin Nair is a Chicago-based writer, activist, academic, and commentator.  The bastard child of queer theory and deconstruction, Nair has numerous critical essays, book reviews, investigative journalism, op-eds, and photography to her credit.  Her work has appeared in publications like GLQ, The Progressive, make/shift, Time Out Chicago, The Bilerico Project, Windy City Times, Bitch, Maximum Rock'n'Roll, and No More Potlucks.   Nair's writing and organising address issues like neoliberalism and inequality, queer politics and theory, the politics of rescue and affect, sex trafficking, the art world, and the immigration crisis.  Her work also appears or will appear in various anthologies and journals, including Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial Complex, Singlism: What It Is, Why It Matters and How to Stop It, Windy City Queer: Dispatches from the Third Coast and Arab Studies Quarterly. Most recently, her work has appeared in the Lambda-nominated anthology, Gay Press, Gay Power: The Growth of LGBT Community Newspapers in America, edited by Tracy Baim.  Nair is a co-founder and member of the editorial collective  Against Equality; she contributed to their first book, Against Equality: Queer Critiques of Gay Marriage as well as the second, Against Equality: Don't Ask to Fight Their Wars, and the third, Against Equality: Prisons Will Not Protect You.  She is also a member of the Chicago grassroots organisation Gender JUST (Justice United for Societal Transformation) and recently became its Policy Director (a volunteer position) and co-ordinator of the Chicago chapter of South Asians for Justice, a new group devoted to forging a radical South Asian-inflected political vision outside of electoral politics and Bobby Jindal. Nair was, from 1999-2003, a member of the now-defunct Queer to the Left.  Her activist work includes gentrification, immigration, public education, and youth at risk.  John Lewis and Stuart Gaffney (photo courtesy of Stuart Gaffney) Stuart Gaffney, Media Director and API Outreach Director with Marriage Equality USA  and also as a founder of API Equality Northern California.  From Huffington Post: Stuart Gaffney and his husband John Lewis are leaders in the freedom to marry movement. Together as a couple for 26 years, they were two of the plaintiffs in the historic 2008 lawsuit that held that California's ban on same-sex marriage violated the state constitution. On June 17, 2008, they married at San Francisco City Hall, surrounded by friends and family. Stuart and John are leaders in Marriage Equality USA, a national grassroots organization, and API Equality, a coalition targeting outreach and education to the Asian-American community. They have appeared extensively in local, national and international media. The focus of their work has been to foster connection between the general public and the lives of LGBTIQ people. Stuart is a graduate of Yale University and currently a Policy Analyst at the UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies. With Host RJ. The post APEX Express – April 4, 2013 appeared first on KPFA.

This sermon was delivered by Minister of Faith Development Rev. Emily Gage on February 24, 2013. Before the sermon, Rev. Gage reads a letter written by 10 year old member Braiden Neubecker and published in the Windy City Times on February 15, 2013.