WBEZ | lgbt

Heterophobia is not real

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 07:29:00 -0500

Quiz question! What does heterophobia have in common with Manti Teo’s girlfriend, Keyser Soze, Brontosauruses and “Having It All?”

Answer: None of these things exist.

A debate about the existence of heterophobia -- spotted in the wild by scared hunters as it foraged for homosexual berries -- has been at the heart of a recent controversy on Tumblr.

In recent months, the heterophobia tag on Tumblr has turned into a space where heterosexual users can decry “mean homosexuals” who make them feel bad for being homophobic. Instead of looking at criticism as a moment of reflection and a learning opportunity, these folks would rather pull out the privilege card -- and the term “privilege shaming” has actually been coined.

Yes, folks. People are now shaming people for shaming them for being narrow-minded, bigoted bags of phalluses. This is what happens on the internet. To think, some people just look at porn.

To describe anti-anti-gay behavior, homophobes are using the term “heterophobia” to show those angry queers the error of their ways, and one post in particular has been circling the interwebs like a buzzard looking for rotting meat. It claims that “heterophobia is just as bad as homophobia.” I won't link to it here, because that's hits, so you should read this response instead. Isn't that better?

If you’re upset about people just making up words now, a) don’t go on Tumblr, ever and b) the term isn’t new. According to Dr. Ray Noonan, the misnomer “heterophobia” was coined in the 80’s and first graced the academic page in 1990 as a way to describe the feelings of distrust that queer people sometimes feel toward a society where they are marginalized and systemically abused. It's not bigotry in the way we think about homophobia. It's fear; it's angst; it's paranoia. It's that emotion you feel when a group of bros are walking down the street late at night, and you're unsure of whether you should be scared. It's learning to expect the worst from a society you think hates you.

However, this version is not the same thing. The term elsewhere gained parlance as a way to discredit the growing equality movement and call their campaign for equal rights “reverse discrimination.” For homophobes, it’s not heterosexuals that are the problem, but the gay agenda who sees a problem where one does not exist. Queer people simply hate straight people. Hate is hate, y'all -- except that it's not the same thing at all.

Eminem used this argument on his 2000 album, The Marshall Mathers LP. The record itself, like much of Slim Shady’s early career, is stunningly homophobic -- for which Eminem was much criticized by queer listeners. (Remember the Elton John mea culpa performance? That was fun.) On “Criminal,” Eminem responded to his gay critics in the way only an immature, misogynistic wifebeater can -- by putting the onus on them. Em informed us, on this “critically acclaimed” track:

“My words are like a dagger with a jagged edge/That'll stab you in the head/Whether you're a fag or lez/Or the homosex, hermaph or a trans-a-vest/Pants or dress - hate fags? The answer's "yes"/Homophobic? Nah, you're just heterophobic.”

Since then, Eminem has come a long way on bigotry, but at the time, the song helped “bring back” heterophobia as a word that people use and a nice “Get Out of Bigotry Free” Card. The term allows queer people to be dismissed for having an opinion, and the idea has hung around in popular culture, from preachers who use it to sanctify God’s law to Cee-Lo Green blaming a female critic for not liking his show. Green responded to the negative review by saying: “I’m guessing ur gay? And my masculinity offended u? Well f--k u!”

This rationale is similar to the one that Daniel Tosh infamously displayed last year by verbally assaulting a female attendee at his show. In his act, Tosh claimed that all rape jokes were funny because “rape is hilarious,” and one woman called him out for it. Tosh then replied: 'Wouldn't it be funny if that girl got raped by like, 5 guys right now? Like right now? What if a bunch of guys just raped her?” Rather than taking responsibility for his comedy and the message it sends to women, Tosh blamed the victims.

“Heterophobia” seeks to do the same thing as a rhetorical tool, but the problem is that it makes no sense. Even at a linguistic level, it means the opposite of what its heterosexual user thinks it means. “Hetero” means difference and “phobia” translates to fear, equaling “fear of difference” when you put them together. So, technically, heterosexuals are engaging in the exact kind of activity that they are attempting to shed light on. Call out fail, guys. You can do better.

On top of being etymologically nonsensical, inciting heterophobia (to quote my friend, Yasmin Nair) is the “most outrageous, insensitive, doltish, demeaning argument ever.” To use the term at any time in any context ever makes you Glenn Beck levels of ignorant, stupid and awful. It’s a disservice to linguistics, all argumentation ever (sorry, Socrates) and any dignity you have as a human being. Anyone who ever, ever believes that heterophobia and homophobia are even remotely equivalent should neuter themselves with a rusty paper clip, lest future generations mutate more clustercusses of stupidity.

Heterophobia, as straight people "define it," is a queer person making you check your privilege. Heterophobia is walking into a space that you don’t own and realizing that your rules might not apply here, and that you have to be mindful of your use of pronouns, chosen name and/or consent. Heterophobia is someone telling you that you need to be a better ally and pushing you to be more accountable and mindful in your relationships to others. Heterophobia isn’t a phobia at all but a part of life, realizing that you don’t know everything and that you have learning and growing to do.

If forcing straight people not to erase my bisexuality and be respectful of my gender and the identities of those around me makes me a heterophobe, then sign me up for heterophobia. I’m the biggest heterophobe the world has ever seen. I will march down the street waving my flag of heterophobia. I won’t stop until my heterophobia is recognized as being valid. I will not rest until we don't call it heterophobia anymore. We can just call it demanding respect.

I’ll tell you what heterophobia isn’t. Heterophobia is not equivalent to a systemic norm that bullies queer youth and tells them they aren’t good enough to live. Heterophobia didn’t push me down on the playground or throw my backpack in the garbage. Heterophobia didn’t whisper behind my back or make me feel like no one would ever be friends with me, if they knew who I really was. Heterophobia didn’t ignore me when I came out or ruin my relationship with my father or scream “Hey, there’s the f*g!” in my high school hallway. Heterophobia didn’t tell me I didn’t belong in church. Heterophobia didn’t tell me that God wanted me dead.

Because it doesn’t exist. It’s the tool of those want to believe that God is right but are too afraid to say it themselves. It’s the tool of cowards who would rather feel vindicated in their hatred than recognize it for what it is. It’s the tool of those who would rather keep the system the way it is, or refuse to recognize there’s a system at all, than work to change it. Heterophobia says you are wrong and irrational for critiquing the system. Heterophobia says that good queers don’t question their second class status, because their worth is conferred on them by agreeing with straight people. Heterophobia says that good queers stay quiet. Heterophobia says you shouldn’t fight back.

If there’s any good that’s come out of this, it’s that Tumblr users banded together to drown out the Tumblr homophobes by reclaiming the term and taking it back from anyone who even remotely believes the term to be valid. A Tumblr user who goes by the catchy name of “Shut the F*ck Up Straight People” proposed that followers “write a post (or numerous posts) about heterophobia. Like, why it’s not a thing or why it’s amazing or why you are one or anything you like, really.”

In response, Tumblr has seen hundreds of users flood the dashboard with posts turning the table on the term, showing how hollow and meaningless the idea is. Here’s a list of my personal favorite submissions:

1. From PunkCub: “You don’t go homo or bi or trans to hell. The expression is ‘going straight to hell.’ Wake up America.”

2. From PurpleBeards: “With all the oppression and heterophobia that’s been occurring recently, I feel it would really help if I tell them to their face that I for one am very open-minded and have no problem at all with them being straight. In fact, I know quite a few straight people, and I’ve never once had a problem with it. I’ve been to some straight weddings too, I don’t totally agree with it but I’ll support their rights all the same. I’m a gay ally.”

3. From CookingPyro: “Once someone pointed out a straight to me, but it was actually a pair of impeccably ironed slacks. One time, I tried starting a Straight-Straight Alliance club at my school to lure out the heteros, but all I got was a one piece swimsuit, a croissant, and a picture of Ben Stiller.”

4. From HowlsofExecution: “So, heterophobia isn’t a thing. Like, does everyone remember that time that show got boycotted and people were outraged over because a heterosexual couple kissed?! No? You don’t remember that? Oh, right. That’s because it never happened."

5. From Cleromancy: “Making heterophobia jokes may not advance ‘The Cause,’ but it sure as heck makes me feel better about the institutionalized oppression that I gotta deal with every day. So, how many heteros does it take to screw in a lightbulb?”

We can’t erase homophobia or mend decades of systemic oppression in one Tumblr post, but it feels a lot better when we fight back together.

Nico Lang blogs about LGBTQ life in Chicago. You can follow Nico on Twitter @Nico_Lang or on Facebook.

Marriage equality fight heats up in Illinois

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 05:00:00 -0500

Five years from now, Illinois’ campaign for marriage equality is going to make for a great docudrama on HBO -- or a soap opera.

Last week, queer and allied Illinoisians flocked to Springfield, awaiting a full House vote on equality legislation. As of March 15, the Windy City Times stated that the vote could “come any day,” which was the same thing that onlookers had been saying all week. Although Rahm Emanuel warned that the “clock is ticking” on equality legislation, the bill stalled as advocates struggled to rally the votes necessary to pass the bill.

The House needs 60 votes to pass the euphemistically titled “Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act” onto Gov. Pat Quinn, who has sworn to sign it. Chicago Magazine counted 43 affirmative “yes” votes, as well as another 20 “toss ups.” The Huffington Post claimed last week that the bill was still 12 votes away from passage, and Windy City Times has their own running count of how representatives will fall based on their previous votes.

With the fervent support of Emanuel, Quinn and GOP party leader Pat Brady, who stated that Republicans are “on the wrong side of the issue,” many thought the bill would sail through the House, based on its easy passage in the Senate. On Valentine's Day, the bill passed by a 13 vote margin, giving voice to the wide support for the bill in the state.

In the past week, national momentum has added pressure to our local conversation about marriage equality. Colorado passed civil unions at the same time that prominent politicians like Hillary Clinton and Ohio Republican Rob Portman have come out in support of equal marriage. Portman’s son, Will, came out to his father two years ago, and the conservative senator announced his change of heart on the issue last Friday. Even George W. Bush recently signed a brief advocating that the Supreme Court overturn California’s marriage ban. He was joined in his opposition to Prop. 8 by over 70 other prominent Republicans.

In March, Jon Huntsman advocated that the Grand Old Party officially embrace the issue as the GOP struggles to stay relevant in the Obama Era. For Huntsman, it’s not just that marriage equality is a conservative cause. It’s everyone’s cause.

So, what’s the hold up in Illinois?

Although Chicagoans often like to pretend we like in a totally Democratic state, this fight shows just how politically divided we are, between the Blue North and the Red South. Illinois is a little perfect petri dish of the national conversation, where polls show a wide majority of Americans (58 percent versus 32 percent just nine years ago) now support full marriage benefits for everyone, even though a sizeable minority of queer people live in states that offer them those rights. Only nine states have passed marriage equality legislation, and most of those are tucked away in New England.

Like Huntsman, the former governor of heavily conservative Utah, Pat Brady of St. Charles has supported marriage equality only to see his popularity plummet and his own party work for his removal. Although the meeting for his official ousting was cancelled, the Daily Herald claimed Brady would have been only one vote away from losing his position.

At a time when conservatives are allegedly loosening their grip on marriage opposition, Brady and Illinois Senator Jason Barickman’s experiences tell a different story. Barickman was the only Republican Senator to vote in favor of the bill on Valentine's Day. As he cast his vote, Barickman clearly shocked the room. One rumor mentioned boos in the audience, like something out of Lincoln. Rumors of Barickman's demise have been slightly exaggerated, but he has faced criticism from colleagues for stepping away from the party line and been attacked by a conservative lobby group.

Earlier this year, the National Organization for Marriage threatened to fight the reelection of any Republicans who vote "Yes" on the bill, and another conservative group posted Brady’s number online (ala MIA and the New York Times). The chairman’s phone quickly overflowed with angry calls and messages from same-gender marriage opponents. According to Pat Brady, he “didn’t know [those words] were in the Bible.” Exasperated with the excoriation by his own party, Brady said, “It just plays into a national narrative of the GOP as being close minded.”

According to the AP, just 47 Republican lawmakers have voted for marriage in the eight state legislatures surveyed, and all of them have faced party retribution for it. Interestingly though, Freedom to Marry statistics show that 97% of legislators "who voted for marriage and ran for re-election won," as well as 71% of Republicans. More than half of the Republicans who lost re-election did so for other reasons.

In Illinois, Brady isn’t the only one getting hounded for his stance. In robocalls from the ultra-conservative Chicago-based Family PAC group, PAC director Paul Caprio decried Hillsdale Rep. Mike Smiddy for receiving “homosexual money” in his campaign donations and (like our new virulently anti-gay pope) warned that "same-sex marriage denies children the right to know who their real parent is.”

This leaves me with two sets of questions:

1. Where can I get some of that homosexual money? Is it covered in glitter? Can I only use it at Homosexualland or is it valid everywhere?

2. Are Republicans against adoption in general? What about straight adoption? Are they in cahoots with the new Pope on this?

Elsewhere, Rep. Jeanne Ives of the strongly religious and wildly conservative Wheaton, Illinois continued Caprio’s line of argumentation. In a February radio interview for the Catholic Conference of Illinois, Ives argued, “To not have a mother and a father is really a disordered state for a child to grow up in and it really makes that child an object of desire rather than the result of a matrimony.” Ives went onto call same-gender partnerships a “disordered relationship” and to refer to the marriage equality fight as queer people “trying to weasel their way into acceptability.”

Ives has since (kind of) retracted her statements, after being criticized by Think Progress, Civil Rights Agenda director Anthony Martinez and Illinois Rep. Greg Harris.

As the issue continues to divide our parties and churches, and both opposition and support becomes more vocal, a recent email from Harris reminded followers that “this is our chance to make history.” The local leader of the marriage equality fight highlighted the campaign’s “incredible successes over the past several months.”

According to Harris, advocates have “grown support in every region of the state and made [the] case to lawmakers, Every time we’ve faced an obstacle, we’ve overcome it because of [Illinois’] commitment to moving marriage forward.” Although the bill is seeing short-term blockage, Harris stated that it could have never come this far without wide support. It’s about playing the long game.

When I spoke to Jim Bennett, the Midwest Director of Lambda Legal, he recognized that the bill faces obstacles to passage but assured that “we are confident that marriage is coming to Illinois, whether through the legislature or through the courts. No one should be satisfied with a second-class status.”

The organization is currently working with the Illinois Unites for Marriage coalition to get people to call their representatives.

“The most important thing any of us can do right now is to contact our representatives and ask for their vote on the marriage bill," Bennett said. "We have many priority areas, so we will continue to have plenty of work to do. Just because marriage is enacted doesn’t mean that the potential for discrimination disappears.”

Anthony Martinez, the Executive Director of The Civil Rights Agenda, (an organization I used to organize with) has been likewise working to keep the momentum going.

“With initiatives such as this one, that take such a long time to pass, we find that sometimes supporters get tired, and so we have to ensure that we are able to reinvigorate folks as we move forward,” Martinez said.

“Anybody who said this is a slam dunk is fooling themselves," continued Martinez. "Anyone who tried to put a timeline on this is fooling themselves and the community. The House has always been the heavier lift and we can do this, but the community must continue to push. This is not about public relations puffery, this is about getting the job done, and that is what we are doing."

I don’t know when we will see marriage equality pass in Illinois, but I know I can’t wait for the movie.

Nico Lang blogs about LGBT issues in Chicago. You can find Nico on Twitter @Nico_Lang or on the Facebook.

'I feel better knowing I have the option of not being a victim'

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:48:00 -0600

In WBEZ’s ongoing series, "Our Guns," we talked to gun owners about what role firearms play in their lives. In this segment, we spoke to a gay man and a transgender woman who own guns.

The idea to explore gun ownership from this perspective came from a national group called Pink Pistols. The group advocates gun ownership in the LGBT community. Their tagline is “pick on someone your own caliber,” and “armed gays don’t get bashed.”

Gwendolyn Patton of Pink Pistols says the group changes the perception that gay people are easy victims.

"We teach queers to shoot, then we teach the rest of the world we’ve done it," she said. "Because then they may think twice about using (LGBT people) as a target.”

It’s difficult to know just how big the Pink Pistols movement is— Pink Pistols doesn’t keep a national count.

LGBT leaders told us that gun ownership used to protect against hate crimes was rare. But Pink Pistols said that being out of the closet didn’t mean you were out of the gun cabinet, so there may be more gay gun owners than we know.

There isn’t currently an active Pink Pistols group in Chicago. But we did find to two local LGBT gun owners. Both say they own guns, in part, for recreational use. But protection played a role, too.

Tallie lives in Oak Park, Illinois and was initially scared of owning and operating a gun. So, she pushed herself to practice and has become more and more comfortable with using one. She said she believed it's her right to defend herself.

OT lives in Chicago Heights, Illinois. He's a small business-owner who first bought a gun to protect his business from burglary. He said he wants anyone thinking about causing harm or damage to think twice about messing with him.

Judge won't delay lawsuit over gay marriage ban

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 13:27:00 -0600

Attorneys for the Thomas More Society say they're not displeased that a Cook County judge ruled against them in a gay marriage case.

Chicago-based Thomas More Society attorney Tom Brejcha says instead they're looking forward to briefings on their motion to dismiss the case. A Cook County judge on Wednesday denied the law firm's request to delay the case pending U.S. Supreme Court action on gay marriage.

The lawsuits were filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and New York-based Lambda Legal. They are seeking legal gay marriage in Illinois. Lambda Legal says it's pleased the case will move forward. The ACLU called the delay request "a distraction."

The suit represents 25 couples who were denied marriage licenses in Cook County.

WBEZ responds to criticism that “Go Make Babies” ads leave LGBT people out

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 05:00:00 -0600

When WBEZ launched its new ad campaign, it knew it would push some buttons. As part of the station’s yearly member drive, WBEZ has been satirically urging listeners to “go make babies,” arguing that “interesting people make interesting people.” The idea is that WBEZ wants to get new listeners tomorrow, and the campaign saucily plays into that idea. Aimed at the “curious class” (the station’s pet name for its listenership), billboards and ads urge the WBEZ faithful to “do it…for Chicago.” Rick Kogan apparently just has an effect on people.

Although the station has never before delved into Jonathan Swift territory, it’s hardly the first tongue-in-cheek campaign from the local radio station. Last year’s summer fundraising campaign featured cat videos, having fun with the idea that cats are the superstars of the internet. The campaign’s tagline quipped, “Research shows that cat videos make people happy. Happy people donate.” One promotional video starred cats in wigs playing Terry Gross and Gene Simmons during a particularly tense interview, and others recreated segments with Bill O’Reilly and Kanye West as incorrigible felines.

However, while cats are politically neutral (although I imagine the dog lobby got barking mad), babies are different. The use of babies is inherently loaded, commenting on our national discourses on procreation, family planning and population control. In the past few weeks, the station has received concerned calls and emails from listeners who felt that the campaign promoted overpopulation and eugenics, and some were even concerned that the “Go Make Babies” message would inspire children to do the same.

According to Vanessa Harris, the Director of Marketing at Chicago Public Media, WBEZ anticipated some of these criticisms and assures people that the station doesn’t actually expect anyone to make children. It's about visibility, not babymaking. It's about people.

However, one criticism has been particularly close to her heart. In the weeks since the campaign launched, some LGBT Chicagoans have voiced their concerns that the campaign leaves them out of the discussion. After billboards began to pop up across the city, criticism of the ads quickly populated Facebook and social media feeds: What if we don't want kids? Do we have to be like straight people to be included? Is heteronomativity part of the deal? Others wondered whether their inability to make children makes them less valued as listeners. As someone who works for WBEZ, a friend of mine approached me to ask how she should respond to the ads. Not only does she identify as queer, but she and her partner might not be able to have children. She felt like the campaign was insensitive to her struggles with fertility.

The campaign’s heteronormativity gets more explicit when you log onto WBEZ’s new dating app, which you can access through GoMakeBabies.com. The app attempts to set you up with other “interesting” people in the Chicagoland area but assumes all its users are heterosexual. When I informed the app that I’m single and ready to mingle with a nice Chicago gentleman, it suggested some eligible straight men for me—even though our endless love might be bound to have a few, um, obstacles. The app thought I was a hetero lady. (Not that there’s anything wrong with hetero ladies.)

Last weekend, I sat down with Vanessa Harris at the Bourgeois Pig in Lincoln Park to discuss the campaign and address the LGBT community’s concerns about its rhetoric. I felt they had a right to feel marginalized, as the campaign potentially sends the wrong message, and that WBEZ had a responsibility to be accountable to that criticism. Harris said that she understood the concern and didn’t want any of the station’s viewers to feel excluded. Of all the concerns, Harris felt that this was the one that had the biggest potential to turn off a core group of the station’s viewership.

For Harris, this criticism is particularly relevant, as she made a decision fifteen years ago not to have children. However, to her, the campaign speaks to the idea of exposing a new generation to public radio. Harris stated that people are exposed to public radio in one of two ways. Either they were exposed to it in college, by a friend or a classmate, or they grew up on it. I’m a prime example of the latter, as my mother would listen to A Prairie Home Companion on the weekends when I was young, and I finally understood what Garrison Keillor was talking about when I got older.

Although Harris doesn’t plan on having children, she fully expects to help raise her sister’s children and “make them awesome.” She felt it was a part of our intergenerational exchange: “As an adult, you just want to seek children out and expose them to things.”

As an older brother, I understand the sentiment, and sometimes I feel like Zooey Deschanel in Almost Famous, passing down my wayward rock-and-roll records. (A recent mix included Beach House and Vampire Weekend.) The last time I visited home, I was determined to make my tween-aged brothers into Joss Whedon fans. Getting them to like Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog is one of the prouder moments of my life, although we’re still working on Buffy. They’ll come around eventually.

Harris and WBEZ want to pass public radio down to a new generation of young people, who often don’t surf the radio in traditional ways. For WBEZ, the problem becomes: “How do you stumble across public radio?” According to Harris, WBEZ has to “tell people we exist.” “We want everybody to give public radio a try,” Harris said. “People see millions of advertisements a day. Only one is going to stick with them. We wanted to do something to break through and reach people.”

According to Harris, society is changing, and LGBT people and same-gender families are a huge part of that. Examples like the TV program Modern Family show that people find themselves in families in “so many different ways,” whether that’s adoption or otherwise. There is no one way to have a family, whether that’s the one you’re born into or the one you choose.

The station hopes to further reach out to Chicago’s LGBT community through advertisements specifically oriented to a queer audience, which were meant to be released shortly after the start of the campaign. Forthcoming print and digital ads will ask queer listeners: “You know who loves rainbows? Infants.” They will be released in local LGBT publications like Windy City Times. According to Harris, the only reason WBEZ didn’t push them sooner was because the station didn’t want the ads to come out of nowhere, instead having them build on the preexisting campaign. Without context, the ads wouldn’t make sense.

When I asked her what she would say to that LGBT listeners who might have felt left out, she put it simply: “I’m sorry. I wish I could hug each and every one of you. We are completely dedicated to you as an audience. We’re in this together.”

If you would like to hear more bad animal puns, follow Nico on Facebook or on Twitter @Nico_Lang.

Chicago Pride may run two weekends

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:00:00 -0600

Chicago Pride is now going to run two weekends.

Well, sort of.

Chicago’s annual Gay Pride Parade consisted of the parade that recently underwent a route change to accommodate record-high crowds and Pride Fest, a two-day precursor to the parade.

The parade itself attracted large crowds, with estimates of 850,000 last year.

However, Pride Fest, a relatively new addition to the Gay Pride Parade organized by the Northalsted Business Alliance, acted more so as a holding area for the spillover crowds that patronized the area’s bars, which during Pride weekend have lines wrapping around a city block with near-hour wait times.

“It’s a pretty intense weekend when you have the festival and the parade. We looked at it, a lot of people have said in past years: ‘Why don’t we do it another weekend?’ When you have a festival on Friday it shuts down a major thoroughfare on a weekday,” said Jen Gordon, spokesperson for the alliance.

The alliance is seeking to have Pride Fest on the Saturday and Sunday before pride, June 22 and 23.

It’s not official. In order to have a parade or special event (outdoor festival) an organization or person must first obtain a permit from the city — and the organization is still awaiting approval from the city.

“We met with East Lakeview neighbors last night and this is what we’d like to go forward with it. Obviously the Pride Festival covers two different wards and in touch with Aldermen Cappleman’s and Tunney’s office,” Gordon said.

The Chicago Annual Pride Parde has a route that starts in Uptown, Alderman James Cappleman's 46th ward and Lakeview, Ald. Tom Tunney's 44th ward.

"We're still getting input from residents," said Sean Kotwa, co-chair for the alliance.

When asked if this would cure the problem of crowds or exacerbate it, giving bar-goers the opportunity to drink and party more on two weekends instead of one, Gordon said they believe it would split up the crowds somewhat, especially for tourists coming in from others states.

“A lot of the people are coming to Pride Fest for the entertainment line up, a lot more activity than the bars on the strip,” she said.

“We want to focus on the idea of celebrating pride and celebrating equality that whole week.”

The North Halsted Business Alliance, which organizes Pride Fest —but not the parade — is still awaiting permit approval from the city.

Comment from Tunney's office was not immediately available.

Year 25: Dan Savage

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 13:49:00 -0600

Dan Savage is best known for writing, talking and giving advice about sex.

He writes the widely syndicated relationship and sex column called Savage Love, and he also does a podcast by the same name.

You may have heard him on our air, as a contributor to This American Life.

He also is co-founder of the It Gets Better Project and he's authored a number of books.

He grew up in Chicago, but now lives in Seattle with his husband Terry Miller and their son, DJ.

Aren't you wondering what he was up to at 25?

Dan spoke with WBEZ's Lauren Chooljian for the Year 25 series about being 25 and living in Berlin.

The year was 1989 - the same year the Wall came down.

Cullerton wants gay marriage vote on Feb. 14

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 08:40:00 -0600

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Senate President John Cullerton says he wants to pass same-sex marriage legislation on Valentine's Day.

Cullerton tells the Chicago Sun-Times that he'd like the state Senate to pass the measure out of committee next week and vote to approve it on Feb. 14.

Cullerton says he believes the bill has the 30 votes needed to pass and move to the Illinois House.

Advocates have been pushing for legislation that offers same-sex couples marriage rights currently only available to heterosexual couples. They'd hoped to capitalize on momentum from other states and President Barack Obama's support.

Subject to Change anniversary highlights West Chicago's 'Queer Explosion'

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 05:00:00 -0600

This Wednesday, Logan Square’s Subject to Change dance party celebrated a milestone. January 31 marked one full year for the queer gathering, which takes place at the Burlington Bar on the last Wednesday of every month. Organized by Huffington Post Chicago editor Joseph Erbentraut and queer activist Lindsey Dietzler, the event seeks to give queer Chicagoans a safe space in which to express their identities, while also fundraising for local organizations.

In the past, Subject to Change has donated to About Face Theatre, El Rescate and Broadway Youth Center, bringing together Chicago’s activist and party scenes. Call it dancing for awareness.

As is STC’s way, the group kicked off another year with a clever theme. STC held their first Mx. Queer (U)SA pageant, whose proceeds benefitted the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance, a statewide non-profit that “promotes safety and support for LGBT youth in Illinois schools and communities.”

The event was hosted by Joe Varisco of JRV MAJESTY Productions and co-curator of local zine, Chicago IRL. Previous events have been hosted by local queer luminaries like drag artist D’Juana Cyber, who Zac Whittenburg of Time Out Chicago called “one of the most exciting things to happen to Chicago drag in years.” True to the STC aesthetic, D’Juana often performs with chest hair and a beard on full display—as a way to challenge the boundaries of gender presentation in drag. At Subject to Change’s “A Merry Misfit X-Mess,” Cyber performed as Mrs. Claus.

Part of West Chicago’s “Queer Explosion,” Subject to Change is just one of many dance parties and events that rethink the boundaries between performance and community, trans* and cisgender, queer and straight. Mx. Queer emcee Varisco also hosts LEX·IC·A the last Monday of every month as part of Jane Beachy’s Salonathon series at Beauty Bar on Chicago bringing their interest in collaborative performance work to a public space after getting started two years ago under the tutelage of former Northern Lights host Nicole Garneau and Shits & Giggles’ Trandroid.

Northern Lights recently celebrated its two-year anniversary, and Trandroid Presents: Nuts & Bolts, which takes place at Township (on California), will come back from a one-month hiatus with their first anniversary in May. There’s a lot of celebrating going around.

What unites all of these events isn’t just a shared interest in queer people (a less cumbersome and more inclusive label for the LGBTQQIP2SAA spectrum) but a revision of how that community operates spatially in Chicago. Events like these purposefully shift the center of the community away from the north and east—to show that queer Chicago is greater than the Andersonville and Boystown neighborhoods.

For Subject to Change co-founder Lindsey Dietzler, it was “important for [him] to seek alternative spaces that were affirming and welcoming of [his] trans* identity.” While out in Boystown, Dietzler was often read as a lesbian, and in Andersonville, he met “resistance about [his] gender identity,” often told he “was betraying femininity by starting testosterone.” Dietzler stated:

“What I experienced was this growing desire and need for…queer spaces that challenged mainstream gay culture, opened up dialogues about community and identity, and that most importantly, felt safe. Chances, Subject to Change, and Nuts & Bolts…offer a bolstering community full of understanding and acceptance, not to mention the ever important: gender neutral restrooms. These spaces also open up an opportunity for dialogue with folks outside of our community and the chance to educate about our identities and community needs. We create the spaces, the conversations and the connections not just to better understand one another, but to build relationships with future allies.”

Dietzler’s co-organizer, Joe Erbentraut, particularly looks at events like STC and Chances, one of the longest-running queer gatherings in Chicago, as a way to seek out “untraditional” spaces in Chicago. Discussing our reactions to the divisive Jezebel piece, “Get Out of My Gay Bar, Straight Girl,” Erbentraut noted that one of the strengths of these events is that they take place in bars that whose patrons are predominantly heterosexual. According to Erbentraut, doing so “breaks down the bubble of our communities and moves the dialogue past a shouting match that always devolves into awful, misogynistic hate mongering.”

If Subject to Change is going to create a space for the “misfits”—as Erbentraut puts it—they should create an inclusive space for all of them:

“One of my favorite aspects of doing the Subject to Change events is the reaction of people who came to The Burlington not expecting a queer night. It has, without exception, been a positive experience and I think that says a lot about the space we have worked…to carve out on the West Side. I can't think of a way to describe how amazing it feels to have a bar-goer who came to the venue for the noise-metal band playing in The Burlington's back room stopping by the DJ booth to both compliment the Janet Jackson-Kate Bush transition and also ask about our event, which provides an excellent and unique education moment.”

Nico Lang blogs about LGBTQ life in Chicago for WBEZ.org. Follow Nico on Twitter @Nico_Lang or on Facebook.

Breaking up with the church: A gay Methodist love story

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 05:00:00 -0600

In life, they say that it’s our choices that define us and make us who we are. In September, Michael Overman was faced with a big one. As a candidate for ordination in the United Methodist Church, the openly gay Overman would not be permitted to be in a same-sex relationship, despite having been committed to his partner, Frankie, for the past three years. (They met shortly before he entered the ordination process.) Before that time, Overman had been out about his relationship in his church and welcomed with love and open arms. However, to become ordained, Michael Overman would have to go back into the closet—professionally at least.

Overman had known other ministers who had done the same and sacrificed part of themselves for the purpose of sharing God’s love. They had chosen to follow the church's policy of celibacy. This was not his path.

During an ordination meeting in August, the committee gently informed Overman that—as far as the Methodist church was concerned—he would have to choose between being out about his relationship and his ordination, gaps in his personal and faith life that Overman was determined to bridge.

This year, Overman is working with the Marin Foundation, whose mission is to bring together the LGBT and evangelical communities, and during the ordination meeting, he shared his passion for helping make the church more inclusive. Like the Marin Foundation, Overman believes that “love is an orientation.” In a blog Overman wrote shortly after the hearing, he stated:

“One committee member asked me why I’d felt it important to mention my relationship in my paperwork, especially using such red-flag language as ‘significant other.’…He continued, 'There are people at the board level who will rip you apart if there’s even a hint of you being, well, you know.' Another person asked why I, with my passion for inclusion and with my knowledge and awareness of the state of our denomination not being inclusive, would stay here. Why not go elsewhere?...The committee certified me, and I felt no joy. It had been made clear what I would have to do and how I would have to portray myself in order to receive clerical credentials in the UMC.”

As an atheist and someone outside of the Methodist fold, I asked Michael Overman the same question his committee did: “Why would you submit your candidacy to a church that views your relationship as ‘immoral?’ What did you expect to happen?”

In response, Overman stated that when he came to the Methodist church, all he wanted was somewhere to belong. He had been working in a job he hated, and after six long years without a core faith community, Overman felt no purpose in his life. The church gave him a reason to be—but even moreso, a reason to hope.

The 2012 General Conference last May showed promise of a change in the denomination's stance on homosexuality, and like many LGBT Methodists and their straight allies, Overman hoped that the stance on homosexual relationships would move from “incompatible” to “agree to disagree.” Two such proposals, which would have taken a small but crucial step forward, were both “soundly defeated.”

Change did not come. And it wasn’t coming for Michael Overman.

In October, Michael Overman withdrew from the UMC ordination process and left Holy Covenant United Methodist Church, the place he had called home for the past three years. Having written publicly about his decision to leave, several in the church expressed concern than Overman’s “openness and honesty might impact the ways in which local district committees engaged with and treated queer candidates.” However, Overman said that most the feedback about his decision to leave was positive, and his congregation sent him off just as they had accepted him: with love and compassion. Overman knew this was the right thing to do—to bow out before he “lost himself."

According to Overman, the process of ordination helped him “discover one of the most vital parts of both [his] call to ministry and understanding of the Christian faith: authenticity.” The only way to be real and honest in his mission was to seek it elsewhere.

Instead of making a difference within the Methodist church—as Overman once strived to do—he now hopes to make a difference outside of it by “naming injustice.” In October, Overman spoke to the Chicago Tribune about his struggle for inclusion and the church’s embrace of the other. Since leaving the Methodist church, Overman has been sharing his story not just with the media but with other people of faith as a way of continuing to ask questions of organized religion and move the conversation forward.

During our interview, Overman stressed the necessity of religion to act as a force for good in the world—stating that, at its best, religion can show LGBT folks that “we’re not simply just creations gone wrong. We’re whole people of worth and value.”

According to Overman, queer people of faith have a part in that—which starts by speaking truth to power. Affecting change starts with being ourselves.

Nico Lang blogs about LGBTQ life in Chicago for WBEZ.org. Follow Nico on Twitter @Nico_Lang or on Facebook.