My interview on The Progressive radio show with editor Matt Rothschild about Obama and the Gays book, http://www.progressive.org/radiobaim11.html
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May 2011
May 30, 2011
May 25, 2011
Windy City Times May 25, 2011
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Minnesota legislature places anti-marriage amendment on 2012 ballot - From an HRC News Release - WASHINGTON -- Today, the Human Rights Campaign ( HRC ) , the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender ( ...  |
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Leather weekend, Leatherman Chuck Renslow subject of new biography - Note: Thousands of leathermen and women will be in Chicago this weekend for the International Mr. Leather, Leather Market and ... |
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AIDS: The angry 'Heart' of Larry Kramer - Sidebar: A letter from Larry Kramer - The lifetime achievement award for "angriest queer" may not come with a fancy trophy or star-studded awards show, but for ... |
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AIDS: Revisiting The Normal Heart - The year was 1985. I had an asymmetrical haircut, Jefferson Starship was playing on the radio and no one I ... |
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FEATURE: More sports figures coming out of the closet - Extended for the Online Edition of Windy City Times, posted May 18, 2011 - Gay men and women have been coming out in the sports world at a record pace in 2011, leading some ... |
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AIDS: EdgeAlliance talks mission, objectives - The Chicago Bar Association ( CBA ) on LGBT rights and issues welcomed special guest speakers Jim Flosi and Allen ... |
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NBA fines player for anti-gay slur - News update from press releases, posted 5 p.m. Monday, May 23, 2011 - WASHINGTON - For the second time in a matter of weeks, the Human Rights Campaign acknowledges the National Basketball Association ... |
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Tennessee Governor signs bill prohibiting cities, counties from banning discrimination - Corporations speak out against permitting discrimination - FROM A HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN NEWS RELEASE Posted May 23, 2011 WASHINGTON — In an apparent attempt to score cheap ... |
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Tennessee's anti-gay run - Tennessee made a name for itself last week in the LGBT world—and not in a good way, as far as ... |
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Chicago History Museum unveils LGBT exhibit - "It's not every day I get to design a show with a disco ball, black bra and a motorcycle," revealed ... |
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Nevada becomes 14th state to prohibit employment discrimination based on gender identity - From an HRC News Release, posted May 25, 2011 - WASHINGTON - The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBT civil rights organization, today commends the Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval ... |
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Gallup shows big increase in support for marriage equality - News update Sunday, May 22, 2011 - A survey by the respected Gallup poll organization reports a stunning jump in support for legal recognition of the marriages ... |
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Chicago activist in Moscow for 'illegal' Pride event - From a news release, posted May 25, 2011 - Gay Liberation Network ( GLN ) co-founder Andy Thayer has landed in Moscow to help represent U.S. LGBTs at an ... |
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Baldwin may run for U.S. Senate - U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin's office is, thus far, silent on whether the openly gay legislator might make a bid for ... |
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Minn. sends marriage-ban amendment to voters - After five and a half hours of debate, Minnesota's House of Representatives voted 70-62 on May 21 to send voters ... |
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Hydrate cancels controversial show - The gay Lake View nightspot Hydrate cancelled a drag show it had booked for Friday, May 27, in response to ... |
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NEWS ANALYSIS: The rise of LGBT markets - by Cheril N. Clarke - Members of the LGBT community and allies gathered in New York City recently for a synergistic day of education, networking ... |
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Chicago activists mark IDAHO - Millennium Park was the setting for a demonstration sponsored by the Gay Liberation Network on May 17th to mark the ... |
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Former employee sues Spin nightclub - A former Spin Nightclub employee has filed a lawsuit against the Boystown hotspot and its manager, Robert Hoffman. The suit, ... |
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Couples plan to make it official at TCRA ceremony - Tony Harper and James Abernathy have been in love for almost 11 years. They live together, work together, travel together—travel ... |
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Longtime couple to be part of June 2 civil union ceremony - On June 2, 30 couples, including Patrick Bova and James Darby, will take part in civil-union ceremonies in Wrigley Square ... |
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Dignity/Chicago marks 39 years - Dignity/Chicago presented the annual John Michie Award for community service to Alderman James Cappleman and his partner, Richard Thale, during ... |
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Transgender confab looks at health services - AIDS service providers tend to agree: When it comes to fighting HIV infection rates among transgender populations, one of the ... |
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Celebrations: McRaith's goodbye - Share your special moments with the community in Windy City Times' new announcement section! - State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz; Mike Bauer and partner Roger Giles; Personal PAC CEO Terry Cosgrove; former state Sen. Carol Ronen; ... |
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Meeting focuses on Boy Scouts and gays - Rev. Rudra Vilius Dundzila of Second Unitarian Church spearheaded an exploratory meeting with supporters and other church members that addressed ... |
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VIEWS Don Lemon: Young, gifted, Black, gay and handsome - Recently, you may have heard the news that the esteemed CNN news anchor, Don Lemon has "come out" and announced ... |
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VIEWS: Adding 'M' to LGBT - So the law has almost caught up with LGBT love. Whether you're planning a civil union or not, everyone needs ... |
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Pride Month Calendar - Compiled by PRIDEChicago, www.ChicagoPrideCalendar.org, PrideChgo@aol.com, 773-348-8243 - Call phone number listed on each event to verify date and time. To add an event, contact PRIDEChicago: PrideChgo@aol.com The ... |
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Anti-gay Senate amendment filed in IL - From a News Release, posted May 25, 2011 - House Bill 3184 amended to include anti-gay adoption language Chicago, IL - The Civil Rights Agenda (TCRA) has been monitoring ... |
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Stevie Nicks: Rock legend on gays, Glee and her new album - Ten years have passed since Stevie Nicks released her last solo album, but she's still the same gay-loved goddess of ... |
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Billy Masters - "Tony must like boys, because he's marrying this—this little, small girl with no tits and—that looks like a boy."—Marc Cherry's ... |
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Knight at the Movies: The Topp Twins; film notes - As I noted when the delightful documentary The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls played at Chicago's Reeling Film Fest last fall: ... |
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Artemis Singers concert June 11 - Artemis Singers, Chicago's lesbian feminist chorus, will celebrate Pride month with a concert and dance Saturday, June 11, at Broadway ... |
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Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams stakes claim to Chicago - "Furnishing your home is a big deal," said Mitchell Gold, chairman and co-founder of the lifestyle home furnishings brand Mitchell ... |
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SUMMER THEATER ROUNDUP Starry nights and summer theater stars - Hey, look around! It's summer in Chicago: the trees are leafy and green, the flowers are in bloom and its ... |
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SUMMER THEATER ROUNDUP Summer sweat: Theater sex and violence in 2011 - You'd never know to look outside now, but we're right on the brink of summer. "Summer"—you remember. Not switching on ... |
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THEATER REVIEW Hickorydickory - Playwright: Marisa Wegrzyn. At: Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago. $32. Runs through: June 12 Marisa Wegrzyn's premise is that embedded ... |
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CRITICS' PICKS - Passing Strange, Bailiwick Chicago at Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, through May 29. JC Brooks and The Uptown Sound ... |
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THEATER REVIEW The Gospel According to James - Playwright: Charles Smith. At: Victory Gardens Theatre at the Biograph, 2433 N. Lincoln. Phone: 773-871-3000; $20-$50. Runs through: June 12 ... |
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SPOTLIGHT Macbeth - Macbeth, Shakespeare's classic tragedy of regicide and murderous madness, gets mixed with modern "green-screen" filming technology in Roundhouse Productions' new ... |
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'Woke Up Black' screening at ICE Theater June 8 - Filmmaker/activist Mary Morten's new independent documentary, Woke Up Black, will have a screening Wed., June 8, at 7 p.m. at ... |
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TELEVISION Lesbian wins 'Amazing Race' - LaKisha Hoffman was born in Rosewood Community Hospital, grew up on the city's South Side and became a basketball standout ... |
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Summer theater preview for 2011 - The great outdoors might not be so great for allergy sufferers and for those who burn far too easily in ... |
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Windy City Gay Idol at Roscoe's - A talented trio of testosterone—Michael, Adrian and Mejia—took the final three slots May 23 at Roscoe's, 3356 N. Halsted and ... |
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A Gay in Life: Architect, Brad Kaylor - Brad Kaylor has turned his childhood passion into a part-time profession. We're talking Legos, Lincoln Logs and Girder & Panel—especially ... |
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AUTOS Highlights of the 2011 New York International Auto Show - This year at the New York International Auto Show ( held April 22-May 1 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center ... |
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May 18, 2011
Windy City Times May 18, 2011
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May 11, 2011
Windy City Times May 11, 2011 Edition
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Civil-union ceremony with 30 couples to take place June 2 - From a news release, posted May 6, 2011 - In celebration of the first day of civil-union ceremonies in Illinois, the City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations' Advisory ... |
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Gay binational couple gets deportation reprieve - From a news release, posted May 6, 2011 - WASHINGTON, D.C.—On May 6, an immigration judge in Newark, N.J., issued a ruling on the deportation of Henry Velandia, a ... |
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AIDS: Rahm Emanuel and CDPH commissioner address AIDS in Chicago - News update posted May 9, 2011 - Among the myriad topics Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel must confront during his term, which starts May 16, are health issues concerning ... |
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Des Plaines council approves FEMA funds for controversial campground - News update posted May 10, 2011 - The City Council of Northwest suburban Des Plaines on May 2 approved pass-through Federal Emergency Management Agency ( FEMA ) ... |
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ACLU challenges state criteria for transgender birth certificates - From a news release, posted May 10, 2011 - CHICAGO—The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the ACLU of Illinois filed a lawsuit May 10 to allow transgender individuals ... |
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Air Force veteran Witt wins full retirement - News update, posted May 10, 2011 - The ACLU of Washington State announced Tuesday that Air Force Reserve nurse Margaret Witt has reached a final settlement with ... |
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AIDS: Interview with Cleve Jones - Cleve Jones, the man who once stood beside Harvey Milk and later created the NAMES Project AIDS Quilt, is filled ... |
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AIDS: Chicago photographer documents AIDS Quilt history - When AIDS first struck the United States in the 1980s, doctors were at a loss, the public was in a ... |
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AIDS: Valle looks back at NAMES Project in Chicago - Modesto Tico Valle remembers the moment he first saw the AIDS Memorial Quilt in Washington D.C. It was 1988, and ... |
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AIDS: War Diaries: An Interview with Ernest Hardy - Ernest Hardy's influential and outspoken body of work includes fiction, poetry, film and music criticism that has appeared in The ... |
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AIDS: In Chicago, it's always a 'Season' to give - Although the Goodman Theatre may never outsell the Cubs, their cultural significance to this city is not to be ignored. ... |
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Presbyterian Church (USA) vote affirms LGBT clergy, HRC and - WASHINGTON — The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, today applauded ... |
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Study: Employment discrimination against transgenders in Massachusetts costs millions - LOS ANGELES — A new research study released today by The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law ... |
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New anti-gay bill filed in state House - State Rep. Dwight Kay filed an anti-gay bill, HB3774, with the Illinois House May 11 that would amend the Illinois ... |
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Legislative redistricting and the LGBT community - With changes in Chicago's state assembly districts likely to come, some activists are concerned boundary shifts following the 2010 U.S. ... |
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Marriage-equality fight shifts to R.I. - The openly gay sponsor of a marriage-equality bill in Rhode Island said last week he would push for civil-unions bill ... |
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Gay binational couple gets deportation reprieve - On May 6, an immigration judge in Newark, N.J., issued a ruling on the deportation of Henry Velandia, a Venezuelan ... |
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Drama in the court: Judge Walker under scrutiny - Second of two parts - Former U.S. District Court Chief Judge Vaughn Walker recently told a small group of reporters that it would be a ... |
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'Boystown' producer: 'The show will go on' - Shortly on the heels of the news of two East Lake View nightspots withdrawing from his proposed Jersey Shore-esque, LGBT-centric ... |
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Catholic Charities in standoff over adoption, care - With a new civil-unions law soon taking effect, Catholic Charities says the organization might stop providing foster-care and adoption services ... |
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Activists distribute 'coupons' at Chick-fil-A protest - Pro-LGBT activists stood at the location of the new Chick-fil-A restaurant, 30 E. Chicago, May 6 to distribute coupons for ... |
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Delaware Gov. Markel to sign civil-unions bill - Delaware Gov. Jack Markell will sign Senate Bill 30—which will enable couples to enter into same-sex civil unions and enjoy ... |
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Chaz Bono speaks at HBHC panel - Howard Brown Health Center (HBHC) hosted a panel, "Opportunities for Holistic Trans Health: Inside and Outside the System," May 6 ... |
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Howard Brown holds 'Lifeline Celebration' - Howard Brown Health Center (HBHC) held its "Lifeline Celebration" fundraiser May 6 at the Palmer House Hilton's Red Lacquer Room, ... |
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VIEWS: Remembering Doric Wilson - To the pantheon of LGBT heroes, we must add playwright and activist Doric Wilson who died May 7 at his ... |
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NATIONAL ROUNDUP - Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - The trustees of the City University of New York changed their minds about honoring gay playwright Tony Kushner with an ... |
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World News - Brazilian Supreme Court creates national civil unions In a 10-0 decision May 5, Brazil's Federal Supreme Court ordered that ... |
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National News - Special to the Online Edition of Windy City Times - Attorney general and judge block two gay deportations U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder suspended the deportation of an ... |
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ShowPlace ICON: A step above the average movie theater - Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - The Kerasotes Showplace Icon Theater takes a night out at the movies to a whole new level. The theater, opened ... |
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HBHC art benefit at South Side center May 12 - The Artists of EastBank will host a Reclaim Art benefit Thursday, May 12, 6-10 p.m., at the Bridgeport Art Center, ... |
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Springfield Pride seeks volunteers - Springfield PRIDE and the Phoenix Center are seeking sponsors, vendors and volunteers for the city's first annual Gay Pride Festival ... |
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Knight at the Movies: Bridesmaids; Laurents tribute; film notes - The versatile Kristen Wiig, the Saturday Night Live regular who has a way of making the inane and just plain ... |
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New 'Leatherman' book: The story of sexual renegade/businessman Chuck Renslow - CHICAGO — A prominent Chicago gay activist and entrepreneur is the subject of an in-depth biography, Leatherman: The Legend of ... |
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Singer Donna De Lory stretches her talents - NUNN ON ONE: MUSIC - "Who's That Girl?" It's Donna De Lory, who toured for years with Madonna and continues to stretch her legs as ... |
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Windy City Gay Idol at T's - Jennie and TJ beat out six other contestants at Windy City Gay Idol May 8 at T's, 5024 N. Clark ... |
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Nicole Reynolds in ALT Q's line-up - MUSIC - In the 11 years that have passed since Chicago's out singer-songwriter Scott Free first embarked upon his ALT Q Music ... |
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Billy Masters - "Arthur Laurents told me the three actresses he had in mind for the role, and of the three, Streisand was ... |
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Windy City Gay Idol at Parlour - Shawn and Chad are the two new finalists who advanced May 9 at Parlour, 6349 N. Clark. Check them out ... |
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k.d. lang, Barbra Streisand and 'Project Runway' - Entertainment news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Tony Award nominations have come out—and the gay-inclusive The Book of Mormon (from South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt ... |
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VIEWS Marriage-equality film comes to Harlem - African-American LGBTQ communities have always existed in Harlem—and they have resided in Harlem since this former Dutch enclave became the ... |
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SCOTTISH PLAY SCOTT Tony! Tony! Tony! - The 2011 Tony Award nominations for excellence in Broadway theater were announced May 3. With 14 nominations, the leader of ... |
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Matthew Morrison on his career, Elton and public sex - Matthew Morrison doesn't mind being the gayest straight man you know. The 32-year-old actor recently called being a member of ... |
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Peter Pan - THEATER REVIEW - Playwright: James M. Barrie. At: Chicago Tribune Freedom Center, 650 W. Chicago. Tickets: 1- 888-772-6849; http://www.peterpantheshow.com; $76-$173. Runs through: June ... |
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CRITICS' PICKS - The Copperhead, City Lit Theatre, through May 15. A bit o' history comes at you in this once-famous 1918 drama, ... |
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Soul Samarai - THEATER REVIEW - Playwright: Qui Nguyen. At: InFusion Theatre Company at Theatre Wit, 1229 W. Belmont. Phone: 773-975-8150; $25. Runs through: June 5 ... |
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The Original Grease - THEATER REVIEW - Playwright: Jim Jacobs Warren Casey. At: American Theatre Company, 1909 W. Byron. Phone: 773-409-4125; $45-$50. Runs through: June 26 The ... |
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Performing Tonight: Liza Minnelli's Daughter; The King and I - DOUBLE REVIEW -Performing Tonight: Liza Minnelli's Daughter Created by Mary Fons . At: The Neo-Futurists, 5153 N. Ashland. Phone: 773-275-5255; $10-$15 . ... |
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Spotlight - If you're still kicking yourself for missing the Halsted Street engagements of Alien Queen, then thank your lucky stars that ... |
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Aretha Franklin in Chicago May 19 - Legendary singer Aretha Franklin will perform at the Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State, on Thursday, May 19, at 8 p.m. ... |
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Pet Shop Boys' CDs out May 17 - Astralwerks will release Pet Shop Boys' first-ever double CD live album, Concrete, as well as Battleship Potemkin, their original music ... |
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WCQ: Jennifer Beals on the Dalai Lama - Author, speaker, respected leader, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, His Holiness the Dalai Lama comes to Chicago for two public events ... |
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Kimberly Caldwell has new CD, 'Without Regret' - Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Vanguard/Capitol Records artist Kimberly Caldwell has released her CD, Without Regret. Produced by Marshall Altman, Tommy Henriksen, John Mark & ... |
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Macy's, OUT and Center's design event - The men came out on State Street as OUT Magazine, Center on Halsted and Macy's recently held a men's designer ... |
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50 Faggots premiere features glam, lessons - Special to the online edition of Windy City Times- Diamonds, dance, glitter and glam decorated the 50 Faggots screening at Center on Halsted as audiences were granted a passport ... |
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Five Worth Finding - Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - —Violet Tendencies ( on DVD May 24 ) : The Facts of Life's Natalie ( Mindy Cohn ) , all ... |
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NCLR head Kate Kendell talks queer families - Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), spoke May 5 at Northwestern University about the ... |
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Betty White at Barnes & Noble - Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - The now more popular than ever actress Betty White (originally from Oak Park) strutted into Barnes & Noble Booksellers in ... |
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Gay man on comeback trail after accident - Partners Keith Ellis and Todd Gagliano had been out with friends on a November night that dramatically changed their lives. ... |
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A Gay in the Life: Theater director Aaron M. Kubey - Aaron M. Kubey is coming home this summer. The 34-year-old now lives in West Haven, Conn., and is slated to ... |
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Kent Bartram on Frank Lloyd Wright and old Hollywood - REAL ESTATE - Kent Bartram on Frank Lloyd Wright and old Hollywood It is four o'clock on a Sunday afternoon in Oak Park ... |
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Frank Kisner: Basketball player finds groove in Chicago - Frank Kisner, a lifelong basketball player, discovered Team Long Beach in 1990—the team run by Mark Chambers, who founded the ... |
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'Bowling with the Stars' May 21 - "Bowling With the Stars"—a night when local dignitaries fill the lanes with LGBTQ youth they are paired with from around ... |
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Chicago Outfit season opener May 14 - The Chicago Outfit Roller Derby will roll into the Windy City Fieldhouse, 2367 W. Logan, on Saturday, May 14, to ... |
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Force overcomes Tribe - The Jessica Springer Show was freakishly good May 7, as the Chicago Force running back almost single handily carried the ... |
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May 06, 2011
Leatherman: The Legend of Chuck Renslow book out
New ‘Leatherman’ book: The story of sexual renegade and businessman Chuck Renslow
Leatherman: The Legend of Chuck Renslow available May 10, 2011
on Amazon and at selected bookstores.
CHICAGO — A prominent Chicago gay activist and entrepreneur is the subject of an in-depth biography, Leatherman: The Legend of Chuck Renslow, by journalists and authors Tracy Baim and Owen Keehnen. The book contains more than 300 images, including murals and drawings by Dom “Etienne” Orejudos, posters for International Mr. Leather (IML), and photos from the Gold Coast, Pride Parades, IML contests, physique magazines and more.
The book is published by Prairie Avenue Productions, 414 pages, $24.99 black and white (ISBN 1-46109602-2), $79.99 color (1-46111908-1). It is available on Amazon.com. People can search for the title or link: http://www.tinyurl.com/renslow. It will also be available from Women & Children First and Unabridged bookstores.
Living as an openly gay man in 1950s Chicago was no easy task. For Chuck Renslow, that was only his first of many bold moves. Just out of high school he began what was to become a six-decade empire, starting more than two dozen businesses in Chicago, as well as a few in other cities. He has owned bars, discos, photo studios, health clubs, bathhouses, gay magazines and newspapers, hotels, restaurants, and bookstores. Throughout it all he dealt with Mafia and police payoffs, anti-gay political policies, harassment from censors, and even controversy within the gay community.
In the mid-1950s, after having a portrait and then cheesecake studio, Renslow began experimenting with beefcake photography and began Kris Studio. With his longtime lover, the artist Dom Orejudos aka Etienne and Stephen, at his side, Renslow created Kris Studio a leader in male physique photography, resulting in such magazines as Triumph, Mars and The Rawhide Male, producing thousands of erotic images as well as several films.
In 1959 Renslow took over the Gold Coast Show Lounge and transformed it into one of the most lowdown libidinous gay leather bars in the world. With Etienne’s murals adorning the walls, a leather/Western/uniform dress code for patrons, and a dark Pit that featured all sorts of goings-on, the Gold Coast set the standard for raunchy kink and gay sexual liberation. It was the birthplace of motorcycle clubs and sex groups, but above all a place for people to meet, connect, and explore themselves and their sexuality.
The Gold Coast was also the birthplace of the first leather contest, which in the span of a few short years evolved beyond the bar’s capacity and became International Mr. Leather in 1979. More than three decades later, it continues to be one of the world’s most popular gay events.
Renslow was also one of the pioneers in taking a bathhouse beyond merely the borders of a mere sex club. Man’s Country became something truly unforgettable in the 1970s - a sex-and-entertainment complex with a variety of rooms, shops, and a Music Hall that attracted top names touring in the “K-Y circuit,” from Sally Rand to Wayland Flowers to Rusty Warren and Charles Pierce.
Renslow was a dynamic force in Chicago politics under mayors starting with Richard J. Daley, and he ran as a delegate for Sen. Ted Kennedy’s 1980 presidential run. He danced with another man at a 1977 inaugural ball for Jimmy Carter. Renslow helped protest against unfair policies, fought censorship and entrapment, and battled Anita Bryant. He even served as a field contact for the pioneering work at the Kinsey Institute, as well as performing sexual acts for Kinsey researchers. He knew entertainment celebrities from Marlene Dietrich to Rudolf Nureyev, from Divine to Grace Jones, and from Sylvester to Quentin Crisp. In their heyday Chuck Renslow’s annual White Parties were celebrations beyond compare.
When Chicago’s gay community faced the loss of its newspaper, Renslow bailed out and ran GayLife. He gave the community a voice at the critical time when AIDS was first discovered and began its devastation of the community. Though Renslow had always donated to gay causes, with the emergence of the epidemic he drastically increased his contributions and helped host major benefits for AIDS organizations.
Seeing such loss and the frequent erasure of these vibrant lives, Renslow knew he had to do something more. His co-founding of the Leather Archives & Museum (with Tony DeBlase) and his tireless devotion to the institution have helped ensure that the voices of so many who have lived and loved and ultimately passed can be heard for ages to come by all those who wish to listen. It was but another way to serve his community.
Through it all Renslow has also been Daddy of the Family, a unique created group of lovers, tricks, and friends who were bound by sex and oftentimes love and by a goal of providing comfort and support to one another.
Unique and controversial, Chuck Renslow is still doing his work and activism, more than six decades after he first opened shop as a photographer.
Authors Tracy Baim and Owen Keehnen uncover the truths and myths of a living legend in this compelling new biography about the man many know, but few understand.
Senior editors of the book are William B. Kelley and Jorjet Harper. Book design is by Kirk Williamson.
Leatherman: The Legend of Chuck Renslow, by Tracy Baim and Owen Keehnen, Prairie Avenue Productions, 414 pages, $24.99 black and white (ISBN 1-46109602-2), $79.99 color (1-46111908-1).
About the Authors
Tracy Baim is publisher and executive editor at Windy City Media Group, which produces Windy City Times, Nightspots, and other gay media in Chicago. She has won numerous gay community and journalism honors, including the Community Media Workshop’s Studs Terkel Award in 2005. Baim is the author of Obama and the Gays: A Political Marriage (Prairie Avenue Productions, 2010). She is also the co-author and editor of Out and Proud in Chicago: An Overview of the City’s Gay Community (Surrey/Agate, 2008) and is author of Where the World Meets, a book about Gay Games VII in Chicago (2007, Lulu.com). Her most recent book is a novel, The Half Life of Sgt. Jen Hunter, about lesbians in the military prior to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
Owen Keehnen’s fiction, essays, erotica, reviews, and interviews have appeared in hundreds of magazines and anthologies worldwide, including the upcoming Windy City Queer from University of Wisconsin Press. His newest novel, The Sand Bar, is due in autumn 2011 from Lethe Press. Keehnen is the author of the horror novel Doorway Unto Darkness (Dancing Moon Press, 2010) and published the humorous gay novel I May Not Be Much But I’m All I Think About (e-gaymag.com). His upcoming collection We’re Here, We’re Queer features more than 100 of his best interviews from the 1990s with LGBT writers, artists, and activists who helped lay the groundwork for the current LGBTQ world. He is also co-editor of Nothing Personal: Chronicles of Chicago’s LGBTQ Community 1977–1997 (Firetrap Press, 2009) and contributed 10 of the essays in the groundbreaking coffee-table book Out and Proud in Chicago (Surrey/Agate, 2008). Keehnen has written for Penthouse Forum and Men’s Style and was author of the Starz books, a four-volume series of interviews with gay porn stars.
May 04, 2011
Windy City Times May 4, 2011 edition
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| News |
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AIDS funding: Caught in the crossfire - Before it left on spring recess, the U.S. House passed a budget for Fiscal Year 2012 that the president called ... |
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Judge Walker called to answer - First of two parts - FThe new chief judge of the U.S. District Court in San Francisco has asked former Chief Judge Vaughn Walker to ... |
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AIDS: Rae Lewis-Thornton: Talking with an AIDS diva - Rae Lewis-Thornton calls herself a "diva living with AIDS." However, she is not the typical self-absorbed individual making constant demands—unless ... |
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AIDS: Gay man with AIDS runs against the disease - It had been two years since his last HIV test when—about nine years ago, at age 24—Richard Cordova learned he ... |
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AIDS: Youth Pride reaches out on HIV/AIDS - A minority, an LGBT-identifying member and an HIV-positive person—each comes with a sometimes unavoidable external stigma attached. Combine all three ... |
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AIDS: Red ribbon symbolizes AIDS fight - By Krysten Thomas There were an estimated 33.3 million adults living with AIDS by the end of 2009, according to ... |
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AIDS: Philly starts iCondom iPhone campaign - iCondom, a new free iPhone condom locator application, and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) have partnered to launch ... |
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States struggle over gay and lesbian adoptive parents - Part two of a series on children and gay parents - Each year, more than 100,000 children in the United States foster care system are waiting for adoptive homes, according to ... |
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'Boystown' show backer has criminal past - Project's status in question - Plans going forward for Boystown, a proposed reality television series centered on Chicago's well-known queer enclave on Halsted Street, may ... |
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'Gay caveman' dispute, Kern's tearful apology - NATIONAL ROUNDUP: Special to the Online Edition of Windy City Times - Washington, D.C.'s, LGBT health center is changing its name, website and logo, according to Advocate.com. Once known as the Whitman-Walker ... |
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Chicago Teachers Union to debut in Pride Parade - From a News Release - Chicago, Illinois — The Chicago Teachers Union's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights Committee announced today that "We Teach Pride ... |
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Things get 'Raw' at youth confab - BY TERRENCE CHAPPELL HIV/AIDS outreach and prevention, healthcare and education were just a few of the hot-button topics explored at ... |
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Pro-LGBT group up for award - The Uhlich Children's Advantage Network (UCAN) is a contender for the Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence. Two awards (for ... |
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Labor department adds protections for transgender people - The U.S. Department of Labor has announced its full commitment to implementing equal employment opportunity policies for all department employees ... |
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Wheaton LGBTQ organization forms - "You are not tragic," reads a letter from the LGBTQ group OneWheaton to students of Wheaton College. "Your desire for ... |
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Emanuel appoints gay man as deputy commissioner - Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel has appointed John Pfeiffer, a gay man, as the first deputy commissioner of the Department of Family ... |
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Chaz Bono to speak at HBHC events - Chaz Bono, renowned advocate for LGBT rights and social justice, will be the featured speaker at Howard Brown Health Center's ... |
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Bon Foster's 'Momentum' - "The momentum is ours and our time is now," said co-chair Chubi Anyaoku at this year's Bon Foster Civil Rights ... |
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Commission recognizes IDAHO - At its regularly scheduled monthly meeting April 20, the City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations' Advisory Council on Lesbian, ... |
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Michael Leppen to be honored in Palm Springs - Special to the Online Edition of Windy City Times - Local out philanthropist Michael Leppen is among six individuals who will be honored May 7 at AIDS Assistance Program's 18th ... |
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TCRA to host mass civil union at museum - Special to the Online Edition of Windy City Times - The Civil Rights Agenda (TCRA), an Illinois statewide LGBTQ advocacy and political organization, will host a mass civil-union ceremony to ... |
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COLAGE's confab for people of color with LGBTQ parents - Special to the Online Edition of Windy City Times - COLAGE: People with a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Queer Parent will host the Voices Raised! Leadership Summit—the first-ever conference ... |
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AFC luncheon features Dan Savage - More than 400 people crowded the Grand Ballroom at the Hilton Chicago to attend the AIDS Foundation of Chicago ( ... |
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AIDS: HIV prevention with drugs: Recent PrEP news a disappointment - Last year—finally—there was exciting news about HIV prevention. Based on the successful results of two large studies, advocates geared up ... |
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VIEWS Welcome to McDonald's, where violence and transphobia are on the menu - McDonald's has finally reached the ultimate pinnacle in their quest to provide the perfect family dining experience. The chain now ... |
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Knight at the Movies: Becoming Chaz; film notes - Queer cable show and film producer/directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (known through their moniker World of Wonder Productions and ... |
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50 Faggots webisode premiering May 6 - The documentary web series 50Faggots will premiere the second webisode, "I Was Just A Poor Lost Boy Myself, Friday, May ... |
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Pop Making Sense - The month of May is serving as a precursor to the multiple happenings with Pride. In the upcoming weeks, there ... |
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Kim Cattrall: Sex and the seedy - MOVIES - There's not much city in Meet Monica Velour, but there's sex—and a trailer park and a very haggard-looking Kim Cattrall. ... |
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Heather McDonald: On Chelsea Handler and being on the road - NUNN ON ONE: COMEDY Extended for the Online Edition of Windy City Times - Heather McDonald is more than just Chelsea Handler's sidekick. She is a comedian and writer in her own right. She ... |
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FASHION Borris Powell: From Lincoln Park to the Oscars - Borris Powell is proof positive that it is worth pursuing one's dream. Powell, a Chicago resident, quit his job to ... |
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Windy City Gay Idol adds another venue - Windy City Gay Idol, now in its ninth year, is adding one additional preliminary event to its line up, May ... |
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Scottish Play Scott - The New Colony has been named by The League of Chicago Theatres as the winner of the 2011 Broadway in ... |
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Bury the Dead - THEATER REVIEW - Playwright: Irwin Shaw. At: Promethean Theatre Ensemble at the Artistic Home, 3914 N. Clark. Phone: 1-800-838-3006; $20. Runs through: May ... |
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CRITICS' PICKS - The Goat or, Who Is Sylvia?, Remy Bumppo at The Greenhouse, through May 8. Want to destroy your life? Make ... |
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Rantoul and Die - THEATER REVIEW - Playwright: Mark Roberts. At: American Blues Theatre at the Biograph, 2433 N. Lincoln Phone: 773-871-3000; $32-$40. Runs through: May 22 ... |
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Next to Normal; Passing Strange - DOUBLE REVIEW - Next to Normal Score: Tom Kitt; Book & Lyrics: Brian Yorkey. At: Bank of America Theatre, 80 W. Monroe. Phone: ... |
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Sspotlight: Heartbreak House - Critics like to praise George Bernard Shaw's precient prediction about the decline of the British leisure class in his 1919 ... |
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UIC films talk about sex - Tuesdays are the new movie nights as the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) hosts its second year of documentaries ... |
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TELEVISION Braxtons make it a family affair - Six-time Grammy Award winner Toni Braxton is ready for reality with a new show, Braxton Family Values. Although Braxton has ... |
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Chicago House's brunch in fashion - Harold Washington Library's Winter Garden Ballroom was the place to see and be seen May 1 as Chicago House held ... |
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Hollis Resnik in 'All About Eve' benefit reading - Award-winning actress Hollis Resnik is Margo Channing in Season of Concern's benefit reading of "All About Eve" May 23 at ... |
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The L Life: Extraordinary Lesbians Making a Difference - BOOK REVIEW - By Erin McHugh. $32.50; Abrams Books; 158 pages I can appreciate just how difficult it would be to select a ... |
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Smoking Typewriters - BOOK REVIEW - By John McMillian, $27.95; Oxford; 204 pages I don't just review LGBT-specific books, because I know our readers care about ... |
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A Gay in the Life: Underground chef Iliana Regan - Credit goes to the pierogis. At least that's what launched Iliana Regan. In 2008, Regan began sprouting pea shoots in ... |
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