Mother-turned-activist-turned-author Judy Shepard will be in town tomorrow, Thursday, evening as the featured keynote speaker of H.E.A.L. Ourselves: Opening Eyes, Closing Wounds at the Center on Halsted in Lakeview. Shepard, thrust into the national media spotlight after her then-21-year-old son Matthew was brutally murdered because he was gay in 1998, has since become an outspoken advocate of hate crime legislation. more ›

Themed book clubs have plenty of benefits. Read books you like. Meet people like you. Discuss this and that, sometimes related to the book, sometimes not. If you’re into reading a particular genre and want to pursue your book club dream, we have some suggestions for you. more ›

Rachel Maddow is far from the only one speaking out against the Ugandan "Anti-Homosexuality Bill." Some 20 protesters braved the bitter cold and took yesterday, International Human Rights Day, as an opportunity to gather in opposition to the proposed bill outside of the Center on Halsted in Lakeview. more ›

With temperatures beginning to dip and the snow starting to fall, the holidays are officially upon us, and the city offers many opportunities to get into the spirit of the season: Christkindlmarket, the Lincoln Park Zoo's array of lights, ice skating on Millennium Park... But let's face it: Life isn't a Hallmark greeting card and sometimes you just need more drag queens to spice things up. This month, the city has more gay-centric holiday extravaganzas going on than you can shake a stiletto at. more ›

The gruesome murder of 19-year-old gay man Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado in Puerto Rico last week has shone new light on the potentially life-threatening dangers facing those who do not easily slide into our society's conventions of gender. He, and 161 others murdered due to anti-transgender violence and prejudice, are memorialized worldwide today as part of Transgender Day of Remembrance. more ›

Hey all you post-announcement sadsacks and sour Olympickles: Just because we won't be hosting those kick-ass trampoline and steeplechase competitions in 2016 doesn't mean you should spend the weekend all bitter and defeated-like. Go see some art! It's Chicago Artists Month, after all. In Chicago's art world, every day is like the Olympics — with the painting, drawing, and collaging equivalents of Mitch Gaylord and Bart Conner scoring perfect 10s in creativity and talent. Artists don't bankrupt the city, or inspire weird marketing decisions like "let's turn the water spritzies in Daley Plaza into an orange Faygo Fountain" (it looked so Juggalo!) or anything hokey and bullshitty like that. So pay 'em some respect by checking out these cool events: more ›

Another Friday, another round of activities taking place in our city — and they do not even involve Olympics, or Olympians, or Olympia Dukakis. Just look at some of the things you can do!: more ›

You've seen the photos of Christa Lohman here on this site many times. Posting under the Flickr name Chloeloe, her amazing photos have appeared in both our daily Around Town feature and we also used some of her photos in various Prop 8 galleries. And it's her Prop 8 photos that are getting more attention in the form of a new exhibit opening tonight. more ›

Yesterday's announcement by the California Supreme Court that they would upheld Prop 8 had many gay rights supporters upset, even here in Chicago. Over 600 supporters showed up in spite of the rain for a rally held in front of the Center on Halsted. more ›

Update: The California Supreme Court has voted to uphold the controversial Prop 8. The final vote was 6-1 in favor of upholding. The 18,000 gay and lesbian marriages already recognized will remain legal. Sister site LAist has more coverage. Salon has the full decision here [PDF, all 185 pages of it]. more ›

Think of a film series as a mixtape that you listen to one song at a time, once a week. Each title enriches the previous ones, and experiencing them in sequence means a heightened appreciation for all of them. Two upcoming series offer a great chance to see some classic (and not-so-classic) movies in context. more ›