LGBT people nationwide have been rocked this week with the tragic news of at least five recent suicides of male students, all committed as a result of being bullied for their actual or perceived sexual orientation in their middle schools, high schools and universities. Here in Chicago, activists are planning a vigil to honor the victims' lives. more ›

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 ›

A planned Oct. 9 performance by Jamaican reggae performer Capleton at The Kinetic Playground, 1113 W. Lawrence, has set the Gay Liberation Network (GLN) in motion against the singer's controversial, anti-gay lyrics. The LGBT organization is currently in negotiations with the Uptown venue to either cancel the gig or face community protest. more ›

The Chicago Commission on Human Relations' Advisory Council on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues announced this week the names of 11 individuals and four organizations that will be inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame later this year. more ›

While the list of potential successors to Mayor Daley continues to grow daily, one name on that list - State Sen. James Meeks - has already put the city's LGBT community on alert with a record that has consistently demonized and fought against legal protections for gay men and lesbians. more ›

A councilman in South Bend, Ind. - located a two-hour drive east of Chicago - is coming under fire for comments made about an LGBT community group - i.e. "those people" - in a video posted on that council's website. The video shows David Varner describing his opposition to an LGBT job protections bill. more ›

Nationally-syndicated conservative radio host Dr. Laura Schlessinger announced Tuesday that she would not be renewing her show's contract, up for renewal at the year's end, following the media blitz surrounding her racist 11 "n-words" in five minutes on-air tirade last week. more ›

Yesterday, the SPLC-designated hate group Americans for Truth kicked off their three-day "Truth Academy" - designed to "‘de-brainwash’ young people of the many myths advanced by homosexual activists" - at the Christian Liberty Academy in Arlington Heights, attracting a better attended counter-demonstration sponsored by the Gay Liberation Network. more ›

The PR hits just keep coming for Target. The Minn.-based, growing retail empire is already under fire for donating $150,000 to a PAC backing Tom Emmer, an anti-gay Republican gubernatorial candidate in the land of 10,000 lakes who reportedly has ties to a Christian rock group advocating the murder of LGBT people. And, as reported by The Awl yesterday, the company's CEO Gregg Steinhafel and his wife are also on the record for donating $10,000, the maximum allowable contribution, to Rep. Michele Bachmann. more ›

Remember that suburban Chicago-based Americans for Truth About Homosexuality setting about a youth-oriented "Truth Academy" to "train 'pro-family' advocates how to counter so-called 'homosexual misinformation?'" Well it appears plans are still moving forward for the Southern Poverty Law Center-designated hate group's event, to be held Aug. 5-7 at the Christian Liberty Academy in Arlington Heights. more ›

Chicago seemingly got the shaft in a Daily Beast piece published yesterday and misleadingly titled: "America's Top 20 Gayest Cities," but given the piece's problematic focus on only one of any number of metrics of queer life, we wouldn't take it too much to heart. Home to our raucously rainbow-infused annual Pride, the annual International Mr. Leather and a robust local queer scene, we know in our hearts Chicago is here and queer to stay. more ›

President Obama's Tuesday announcement of a National HIV/AIDS Strategy, the first of its kind to come from a White House administration, outlined a number of ambitious goals to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS domestically, but failed to address where funding to achieve such goals would be available for already-strapped service providers in Chicago and nationwide. more ›

Last weekend's Pride Parade held special significance as two of the city's major-leaguers - both the Blackhawks and the Cubs - were represented with floats in the day of epic gayness. The Blackhawks, Stanley Cup in tow, brought along defenseman Brent Sopel to the gayla. The Cubs, meanwhile, enlisted "Mr. Cub" Ernie Banks to head up their contingent alongside the Ricketts family. While the teams' decisions have been celebrated by many, not everyone was thrilled with the Cubs and Blackhawks' newfound pride. more ›

While many folks will be taking in the sights of hundreds of drag queens, a lesbian country starlet, the newly gay-friendly-fied Stanley Cup and even a giant cat head (courtesy of Threadless) this Sunday for the 41st annual Pride Parade in Boystown, the day also carries a perhaps more serious meaning: National HIV Testing Day. more ›

SLPC-designated hate group Americans for Truth About Homosexuality announced a new venture this Wednesday: Their new "Truth Academy," to be held August 5-7 in Carol Steam, which will train "pro-family" advocates how to counter so-called "homosexual misinformation." more ›

Usually when we're walking along the streets of Boystown, the area's history is all too frequently lost on our bar- or brunch-focused minds. But a brand-new walking tour highlighting the gayborhood, presented by improviser Margaret Hicks of Chicago Elevated, lends a deeper, historical perspective to the area known for its overwhelming gayness and well-endowed rainbow pylons. more ›

Former Arkansas governor and rumored presidential wannabe Mike Huckabee may have missed his first shot at dinner with the Hearty Boys - Steve McDonagh and Dan Smith - in April, but perhaps the addition of another notable guest, Congressman Mike Quigley, might be a game changer for the Fox News commentator? more ›

The news that two main staffers at the Howard Brown Health Center were being placed on paid administrative leave came as a shock to Chicago's LGBT community last week. And in the days that have passed since the brief press release unveiled the news, it seems those involved with the Midwest's premier gay and lesbian health center remain tight-lipped on details. more ›

The finals are arriving a bit early for a different kind of March Madness, as the Gays Got Talent variety show contest culminates with its finals at Sidetrack in Boystown on Saturday. more ›

In recognition of National Freedom to Marry Day, the Chicago-based LGBT advocacy organization Gay Liberation Network has planned an informational picket of Chicago's Holy Name Cathedral for Sunday, Feb. 14. The picket is intended to "highlight the role the Church’s leadership has played in promoting inequality." more ›

Remember a few weeks back when the Cook County States Attorney's office denied a leaked rumor that Anita Alvarez would be letting the embattled, allegedly anti-gay, undeniably fishy Richard Fiorito off the hook? Turns out the rumor held some truth: As of Monday evening, Alvarez' office has ended its "nearly-year-long" investigation into the allegations facing Fiorito and, perhaps unsurprisingly, has decided not to press criminal charges, ABC7 reports. more ›

And the dress code is, simply, "fabulous." Tonight, Trikone, a Chicago-Midwest group for LGBTQ South Asians, is set to host "Jai Ho: Bollywood Jalwa," the latest installment of a once-every-three-months party that has generated a lot of buzz in the community. The party starts at 8 p.m. at Big Chicks. more ›

Ever regret not signing up for that mysterious LGBT Studies course while in school? Hit the books before such things existed? Or are you just curious to learn more about the gay community beyond what Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert tell Barbara Walters? Luckily, Chicago plays host to two lectures exploring issues facing the community Thursday. more ›

Recent months have seen a number of setbacks for gay marriage advocates, including notable losses in Maine, New York and - most recently - New Jersey, but Illinois activists have hit the ground running in their quest for same-sex civil union protections in the new year. more ›

When we were alerted to a tip, earlier this week, from the Gay Liberation Network (GLN) that the Cook County States Attorney's office was planning to let the embattled Chicago police officer Richard Fiorito off the hook, we were a bit unnerved. The officer is currently the subject of 37 civil lawsuits alleging the police veteran repeatedly singled out gay, lesbian and other drivers for false DUI charges. In some cases, he is said to have used anti-gay slurs toward motorists. But the States Attorney's office claims the tip is untrue as the investigation continues. more ›

Obama again enraged the religious right with his recent appointment of Amanda Simpson, a transgender Chicago native who now calls Tucson home, to a position as the Department of Commerce's senior technical adviser within the Bureau of Industry and Security. Simpson, 49, is reportedly the first known transgender presidential appointee. more ›

Looking for lady love? You'd better move fast because the city's only remaining full-time nightspot for the lesbian community - Stargaze - will be closing its doors for good following its New Year's Eve celebration Thursday evening. 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 ›

This, my friends, is a very important week for LGBT folk. And no, it has nothing to do with National School Bus Safety Week, Open Access Week or Canada's (very important) National Infection Control Week also slated for this week. This, instead, is a week dedicated to you non-gay friends of the very same "gay magic" Tina Fey described last week on Letterman. more ›