Under a clear blue sky on Sept. 27, Barbara&Barbara Salon presented the inaugural Barbara Fest in a secluded field across from First Presbyterian Church of Chicago at 6400 S. Kimbark Ave. The event aimed to raise funds for ALMA, Lace and Liberation, and Brave Space Alliance while also celebrating the city’s BIPOC LGBTQ+ Community. The festival also presented a variety of queer venders, local artists, grassroots community service providers, makers and small businesses.

Not fAIr: On Thursday, Oct. 1, at 1 p.m., an independent coalition of artists and musicians will rally at Dirksen Federal Plaza, 219 S. Dearborn St., to highlight the devastating effects of generative AI on the music industry. Many of the artists who will gather to voice their concerns are also members of the SCL (Society of Composers and Lyricists), the Recording Academy (Grammys) and many other music organizations.

More than two decades after helping launch a theater company to put Puerto Rican stories on Chicago stages, UrbanTheater Company (UTC) co-founder and Executive Director Ivan Vega is being recognized for his work building community through the arts. Vega was one of eight people named recipients of the 2026 Leaders for a New Chicago Award, a joint initiative of the…

Erin Bell, left and Roland C. Hansen Photo by Vern Hester James Conley with Ken Nunley right Photo by Vern Hester The Sapphire Gayla: 45 Years of Gerber/Hart was the theme of this year’s Gerber/Hart Library and Archives (Gerber/Hart) celebration Sept. 24 at Rockwell on the River. Emmy Winning NBC-5 Chicago Today executive producer and host, NBC-5 Chicago Matt in the Morning…

Under crisp and sunny blue skies on the morning of Sept. 26, approximately 2,000 participants gathered at Soldier Field for this year’s Resist, Restore and Renew-themed AIDS Foundation Chicago’s (AFC) AIDS Run and Walk. During the event’s 25-year history, over 36,500 participants have helped raise more than $11 million to eradicate HIV. More than $300,000 has been raised as of this publication with 

When lifelong Chicagoan and Sisters in Cinema Founder and CEO Yvonne Welbon started her Master of Fine Arts in film and video program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1991 she knew the name of only one African American woman director, Julie Dash. “When I asked one of my professors to help me find others, they said, ‘Maybe you are the second one,’” said Welbon.

For over 35 years, TaskForce has served LGBTQ+ youth of Color in Chicago’s West Side. The young people who walk into our building come to find resources and on-site referrals, HIV/STI screening and education, and a safe space for fellowship and community. Oftentimes, members of our staff are the first affirming adults they have interacted with, especially since many arrive from households that refuse to accept who they are.  

Warning: This column mentions violent activities. NATIONAL Marianne Duddy-Burke has decided to step down from being executive director of the LGBTQ+ Catholic organization Dignity USA. On Facebook, she stated, in part, “The past few years have brought significant challenges and opportunities, a great deal of travel, and I am ready to make more space for time with my family, do more of the writing and speaking that I love, and take life a little more slowly.

Queer Chicago performance artist, director, producer and playwright Scott Bradley died Sept. 8 surrounded by family in Half Moon Bay, California after a brief battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 60. Bradley was born July 27, 1966, in Des Moines, Iowa and spent his childhood and teen years between there and Colorado. He graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of General Studies degree with a concentration in performing arts and culture studies.

Christian Mitchell—a former Illinois state representative and deputy governor—is on the statewide election ticket alongside Gov. JB Pritzker in a bid for lieutenant governor, as his running mate seeks a third term. (Outgoing Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is running for the U.S. Senate.) Mitchell graduated from the University of Chicago in 2008, and planned on attending law school and obtaining a high-paying job.

Gender(Cool) theory: The GenderCool Gala—featuring the theme “Together We Thrive”—will take place Sept. 24, 5-8 p.m., in Chicago. Organizers promise a magical evening supporting 1) families raising transgender kids and 2) LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion. Early-bird tickets, a VIP reception, and corporate and personal sponsorship opportunities are available here. —”Pleasure” principle: Honey Pot Performance (HPP) invites Chicagoans to the…

When ENJOY, An Urban General Store (ENJOY) owner and president Rebecca Wood moved to Chicago in 2002, she lived near Lincoln Square and spent lots of time exploring the small businesses on Lincoln Ave. “The 4700 block fascinated me…and the neighborhood felt like a village inside this big city I was still getting to know,” said Wood. “I knew I wanted to open a store in a Chicago neighborhood, and I soon realized Lincoln Square was exactly what I'd been looking for.”

In the first chapter of My Way of Life, Joan Crawford’s 1971 tome intended (according to its dust jacket) “for every woman who wants to live beautifully and successfully,” Crawford pontificates on the idea of regret.  “People are always asking me if there’s anything I regret, or would change,” she writes. “The answer is no! Not a thing. If I hadn’t had the pain I wouldn’t be me.

Warning: This column mentions details of violent activities. NATIONAL The Georgia Department of Administrative Services paid $250,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by former Georgia Southern University employee Gemma Skuraton, who said she was fired after opposing decisions affecting LGBTQ+ students, WTOC reported. Skuraton—the university’s former director of student wellness and health promotion—objected after the university rejected a proposal to provide free chest binders to students.

CHICAGO LGBT HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES 2026 INDUCTEESInduction Ceremony Set for Nov. 5, 2026The Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame, the only city-sanctioned LGBT Hall of Fame in the world, has announced its slate of 2026 inductees: 13 LGBT-identified individuals, two LGBT-identified organizations and three friends of the community, or allies. The 2026 inductees represent a wide cross-section of the diverse Chicago community.

CHICAGO (Sept. 17, 2026)—Chicago Stars FC announced that it has added Vlatko Andonovski as Chief Soccer Officer. Bringing a wealth of experience as a sporting director, multiple-time NWSL Coach of the Year and champion, NWSL Shield winner, and U.S. Women’s National Team head coach, Andonovski will lead all technical and sporting initiatives at the club. In his role, Andonovski will oversee all sporting efforts at the club, including working closely with the head coach on roster building, on-field strategy, scouting, transfers, and player development.

Chicago will host its first End-of-Life Expo on Sept. 26 at Sleeping Village, 3734 W. Belmont Ave., bringing together death doulas, attorneys, funeral professionals, educators, authors, artists and other organizations for an afternoon focused on planning, caregiving and conversations about death.Created by death doula Erica Reid Gerdes, author Becky Robison and comedian Alison Zeidman, the event is designed to help people prepare for the practical and emotional realities surrounding the end of life through educational sessions, resources, interactive activities and Zeidman's comedy show, 

Evanston-based LGBTQ+ business owner and executive coach Skip Sams posted an Aug. 10-15, 2026, Gay Men of Integrity Leadership Summit virtual event on his Gay Pride Music Page. He paid $10 on Aug. 5 for this to be ad boosted for one day as a test to see if this would help with engagement numbers. Sams original post was done on July 28.

On Friday, Sept. 18, at 8 p.m. CT, PBS will premiere Joffrey Ballet: The Next Movement, a new documentary produced by Kartemquin Films that follows the winners of the 14th annual Joffrey Ballet’s Grainger Academy of Dance’s Winning Works program. (The program showcases emerging minority choreographers and provides them with a platform to showcase their original and innovative works.)

Some mystery plotlines are less straightforward than the ones seen on Murder, She Wrote and Columbo reruns. Amateur sleuths who love solving those more emotionally complex puzzles will find plenty to enjoy with Open Space Arts' current production of Guillem Clua's The Swallow.  What begins as a simple voice lesson here soon turns into a twist-filled journey, tempered with true emotional catharsis.

Queer Black South Shore-based performing artists and married couple Storie Devereaux and Tovi Khali met each other as fellow performing artists about 14 years ago. They discovered they had a shared dream of owning a theater or creative space so they could curate and produce multidisciplinary work. Storie Devereaux. Photo by Charan Ingram Tovi Khali. Photo by Charan Ingram Their mutual passions led them to launch…

On the warm and partly sunny afternoon of Sept. 15, LGBTQ+ activist Robert Castillo hosted the second annual Bisexual Pride Flag raising ceremony in Logan Square Park near the Centennial Monument to mark the start of Bisexual Awareness Week (Sept. 16-23). The ceremony was co-sponsored by Ald. Anthony Quezada (35th Ward), Bisexual Queer Alliance Chicago (BQAC) and the John Pennycuff Legacy Fund (JPLF).

Melanie Chisholm became part of a cultural pop phenomenon as Sporty Spice in the Spice Girls before she carved out a career as a solo artist. Nine albums later, she headlines a 25-city North American Tour that bringing her Sweat to the Windy City this September.The record’s title track “Sweat” samples Diana Ross’ “Work That Body” and captures the spirit of this talented dancer.

Sabrina Haake On Trump’s social media posts, he keeps depicting himself in fantasy roles:  Superman, Jesus, the Pope, Sci-Fi leader of dystopian death machines and a larger than life military commander. His fantasies are sometimes “official,” communicated to the American public directly under White House insignia, and they frequently come in waves of multiple fantasies at one time.

On the afternoon of Sept. 12, hordes of giddy fairies gathered at Hydrate 3458 N. Halsted St., to participate in the Second Annual Tooth Fairy Sprint, which aimed to raise $10,000 for the Harrison Mackler Dental Center at Howard Brown Health. Participants either brought or were provided with wings and wands as part of the sprint, which went east from the corner of Halsted Street to DuSable Lake Shore Drive and back again, bewildering many passersby on their way to the Cubs game.

On Sept. 11, Batty Page and Rabbi Manny Schevitz welcomed a sold-out crowd to L'Shana Tada: A Queer Jewish New Year to mark the beginning of Rosh Hashanah. The cabaret- style variety show took place at Stars and Garters at 3914 N. Clark St., while making a point of mixing queerness with tradition without political debate or comment. The celebration included traditional songs and instruction provided by Schevitz for the audience to participate and sing along with, as well as a line-up of performers presenting decidedly giddy non-traditional entertainment.

The fiercely talented queer performer Carlos González has yet to visit the Windy City in person, but he is set to appear virtually for two Spanish-language projects at the second-longest-running LGBTQ+ film festival in the world. La Bola Negra kicks off opening night of the 44th edition of Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival at the Music Box Theatre on Sept.

After the “Press 3” option offering resources for LGBTQ+ youth was unceremoniously dropped from the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in July 2025, U.S. legislators did not take long to try reinstating the funding. Funding for the option was quickly added to a piece of existing legislation, $33.1 million dollars was appropriated to pay for it, and President Donald Trump even signed that legislation.

Warning: This column mentions details of killings. NATIONAL In Indiana, six candidates for Owen County township offices in the November election are coming out to voters, introducing themselves on two billboards, WISH noted. The promotion, paid for by the Stonewall Democrats of South Central Indiana, marks the first time the organization has endorsed any candidates in the rural, conservative county. The candidates include Jacob Balash, Clay Township board; Stephanie Barlow, Morgan Township board; Shea Finnegan, Franklin Township board; Collin Rotella, Morgan Township trustee; Phillip O’Neil, Washington Township trustee; and Ruth Jones, Washington Township board.

Flower power: Rosemont is inviting residents and visitors to explore the community in a whole new way this fall with the announcement of installation locations for “Rosemont in Bloom: Where Art Takes Root,” a new public art initiative celebrating the village’s 70th anniversary. Rosemont in Bloom's "Phyllis," by James Jankowiak. Photo credit Village of Rosemont There will be 20 eight-foot rose sculptures—each uniquely designed and painted by a local professional artist, school art program or nonprofit arts organization—installed throughout Rosemont.

Special to Windy City Times. Richard Knight, Jr. is narrative features co-programmer for the Reeling festival. The fall film awards season is upon us with some of the most eagerly awaited movies premiering at prestigious film festivals in the country before arriving in theaters. Since the early 2000s some of those have been LGBTQ themed films. Far From Heaven, …

For activist Lluvia Ramirez, helping out others has always been a constant. Her activism extends to various communities, many of which she belongs to. At the root of it all, her intersectional identity drives what she does. Ramirez is currently the senior program manager for public health at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation; president of FLUX Chicago, an AHF affinity group for transgender people; and capacity building assistance provider for the San Francisco Department of Public Health.

Brendan Fernandes (he/they) is one busy individual.  The third Veteran Art Triennial and Summit—titled Resisting the Long War: A Revolution of Values—runs Sept. 12, 2026 through different times next year, starting at the Elmhurst Art Museum before moving to other spaces such as the Hyde Park Art Museum, the Chicago Cultural Center and Walls Turned Sideways. (The summit will be Nov.

In journalism, we’re taught never to bury the lede. So here’s the lede: The LGBTQ+ community could be an important part of what happens in November’s midterm elections. We keep hearing predictions of a possible Democratic wave that could change control of Congress and, if that happens, place a congressional check on President Donald Trump. But anyone who has been around politics for more than five minutes knows the old saying: A week is a lifetime in politics.

CHICAGO—The Board of Directors for Planned Parenthood Illinois Action (PPIA)—the non-partisan political and advocacy arm of Planned Parenthood of Illinois—announced endorsements for the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. Candidates were selected based on their promotion of bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive health care and their commitment to protecting the health and rights of all Illinoisans. The full list of endorsements, a voter guide and more information is available at 

Brendan Fernandes (he/they) is one busy individual. The Chicago-based contemporary artist—a Canadian with Kenyan and Indian roots who examines everything from migration to queer issues through interdisciplinary performance—will host Brendan Fernandes:Score for the Murphy Auditoriumat the Driehaus Museum on Sept. 16 (4-6 p.m.), Oct. 14 (5-7 p.m.) and Nov. 14 (3-5 p.m.); there will also be open rehearsals and other events (e.g., film screenings) around those dates.

Almost 12 years ago, nonbinary lesbian Chicago documentary filmmaker and photographer Katie Scheuber created Katie Makes Films video, a production company to showcasing their love of visual storytelling, while still working as a social worker. In 2022, Scheuber’s wife Noemi Heras encouraged them to do the video work full time. Last year Scheuber created Stay Tuned Productions and opened their studio space in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood.

Set in the 1960s, the 1987 Dirty Dancing movie was a popular summer love story between a young girl, Frances “Baby” Houseman, and a dance instructor, Johnny Castle. The plot covered class division, reproductive rights and personal growth, among other topics.The soundtrack sold over 40 million copies worldwide and won Best Original Song at the 60th Academy Awards for “(I’ve Had) the Time of My Life.”

The Midwest Pet & Handler Contest returned to Chicago the weekend of September 4-6, kicking off with a meet-and-greet at Jackhammer, 6406 N. Clark Street, where the two contestants, Pup Shimmer and Pup Defiant, were introduced and asked various questions about themselves, pet play and the community at large. MPAH Judges Panel 2026 Photo by Joe Stevens This year, the Chicago Rose, 6525 N.

Gloria Steinem is being remembered as a feminist leader and icon. But the Chicagoans who interacted with her said she never made the movement about her—it was about all of us. “She treated everyone like a peer,” said Illinois State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, who met Steinem several times, starting when Cassidy worked for the National Organization for Women’s (NOW) Chicago chapter in the early 1990s.

Warning: This column mentions physical violence and sexual assault. NATIONAL In a historic development, Dr. Everett Blair Jr. won the special election to replace the late Rep. David Scott in Georgia's 13th congressional district following Scott's death in April, USA Today noted. Defeating Scott’s daughter, Blair, 34—the child of Jamaican immigrants—will be the third openly gay Black member of Congress (following New York’s Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones); he is also the first-ever Black and openly gay member elected from a Southern state.

Illinois joined 21 other states in challenging a federal rule restricting Medicaid funding for gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

On March 24, 2004, Kevin Clewer, 31, was found in his Northalsted apartment at 3444 N. Elaine Pl.. He was the victim of dozens of fatal stab wounds after a night out locally. His killer has still been at large—and Clewer’s murder has now been considered a cold case. Specifically, about that fateful night, what is known is that Clewer brought home a man, then in his early twenties, whom the police refer to as “Fernando.” Fernando allegedly attempted to rob Clewer while he slept.

CHICAGO (Sept. 3, 2026)— The Joffrey Ballet today announced that President and CEO Greg Cameron will depart in December 2027, concluding a 15-year tenure that transformed the organization’s financial and institutional strength and elevated its standing in Chicago and the international dance community. The transition follows a succession plan Cameron and the Joffrey Board of Directors developed three years ago. The Board has formed a search committee and is finalizing the selection of a national search firm.

Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus (CGMC) kicks off its 43rd season with Rhythm & Blues, a cabaret celebrating one of America’s most influential musical genres. Performances will take place Friday-Saturday, Sept. 25-26, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St. in Chicago. From old-school favorites to more recent hits, Rhythm & Blues explores the music that has defined generations.

Julie Burton, President and CEO of the Women’s Media Center (WMC), released a statement on behalf of the Women’s Media Center mourning the passing of WMC Co-Founder Gloria Steinem  Julie Burton noted, “Gloria once wrote a letter to Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, author of the Roe v. Wade decision, thanking him for saving more women’s lives than anyone in U.S.

Nick Patricca When the Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani won election as mayor of New York City, alarm klaxons went off across the internet and the mainstream press. Commentators declared it the end of the Democratic Party and the decline of America — a socialist takeover of the nation's largest city and cultural capital. The hysteria took me back sixty years, to when I announced I'd been accepted to study at the University of Chicago.

Novice Sister Hagatha Bundy—a member of Chicago’s Second City Sisters Abbey of the Irreverent Bean—grew up in the South. As such, Dolly Parton was a constant, almost ethereal presence in her household.  “My mom loved Dolly, so Dolly was very much part of our childhood,” Novice Sr. Hagatha told Windy City Times Aug. 31. “My mom kept telling us how Dolly would say, ‘It takes so much money to look this cheap.’ My mom would say that no matter how you looked, Dolly would love what you looked like.”

(New York, NY - September 1, 2026) - GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, is responding to the targeted shooting at an LGBTQ bar in Tucson, and sharing additional responses from local LGBTQ groups and allied leaders. Early Monday morning in Tucson, AZ, a gunman reportedly targeting LGBTQ-associated businesses opened fire on patrons outside local LGBTQ bar “Venture-N,” killing two people.

Sabrina Haake Have you ever woken in the morning steeped in a sense of nonspecific dread? It’s undefined, and even though you have no idea what it’s about, it’s palpable.You recognize that it’s just a feeling, not a fact, yet the heaviness presses. You scan the night’s memories for a bad dream… nothing in jackboots chased you through a field, the mean girls didn’t take your coat.