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 ›

We awoke to rain and thunder yesterday morning and, for just a moment, we thought it might put a damper on yesterday's Pride parade. Luckily, though, by the time the parade stepped off, the rain had moved on and the skies cleared up for a gorgeous - if somewhat hot and humid - afternoon for a fantastic parade that featured country singer Chely Wright as grand marshal and the Stanley Cup as well as dozens of floats, creative costumes, politicians (save for GOP Gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady), and a hell of a lot of fun. more ›

We've mentioned more than a few Pride-related events and even talked about why the parade still matters. So here's hoping you don't forget the big show this weekend, the 41st Annual Pride Parade. The parade starts tomorrow at high noon (12 p.m. to you number-oriented folks) at Halsted & Belmont and then heads north on Halsted until it hits Broadway, then turning and heading south on Broadway until Diversey. From there, it heads east on Diversey until Canon Dr. in Lincoln Park. Country singer Chely Wright has the honor being this year's Grand Marshal and there's lots more to look for, including Mr. Cub himself, Ernie Banks, in the first Pride Parade float ever sponsored by the Cubs. And, oh, a little piece of hardware that the city has been excited about for a few weeks will also make an appearance on the Crew float. 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 ›

For some gay men and lesbians, the thought of going to the Gay Pride Parade is slightly cringe-inducing (the crowds! the noise! the heat!), vaguely uncool, and spiritually unsatisfying, and so they stay put on their housecoats and catch the highlights online or on the evening news. Gay Pride Parade fatigue is likely more common with older generations who have seen it all, or think they have, but in reality there are gay men and women of all ages that avoid the parade—which to them feels more like an excuse to party, than a political statement. more ›

As June approaches its end and the weather becomes increasingly unpredictable, one of the city's biggest and most rainbow-intensive annual parties also looms. This Sunday, the 41st annual Chicago Pride celebration in the city culminates with the raucous parade down Halsted, an event that typically attracts upwards of 500,000 drunk people and politicians to Boystown. But the parade is only part of the grandiose gayness the city has to offer for those looking to show some Pride this week. more ›

What, you thought hockey season was over? Just a few weeks after the Blackhawks brought home the Stanley Cup for the first time in 49 years, there's still plenty of news to report on the team. more ›

There were so many good shots, we decided to do one more round of pics from this year's Pride Parade. If you missed yesterday's post, check it out here. And you can see more of Kate's photos here. more ›

A collection of reader-submitted Pride Parade pics. more ›

There are a few changes in this year's Pride Parade, happening this weekend, but one of the biggest will be the installation of barricades along the parade route. The report comes from Michael Lehet at What's A Boy To Do (via WBEZ): more ›

This year Gay Pride Month in Chicago, a.k.a. June, kicks off with a brand new documentary premiering tonight on WTTW. Out & Proud in Chicago highlights almost 150 years of the city’s LGBT history – from the Civil War era through present day. The documentary serves to illuminate the path to liberation for Chicago’s LBGT community, coupling historical milestones with personal vignettes and individual reflection. From the WTTW pressroom: more ›

We were so excited about checking out the new Whole Foods Market in Boystown which opened last week, that we accidentally grabbed our Trader Joe’s reusable bag instead of our Whole Foods one (we figure it’s the thought that counts, right?). But walking around the large airy store with Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Starting Something” playing in the background, we quickly forgot all about our faux pas as well as that of Whole Foods CEO... more ›

The annual Pride Parade roared through the streets of Lakeview this afternoon. Through its 38 years, the parade has become more corporate and mainstream. Channels 2, 5, 7, and 9 had a presence, as did every major bank in the city, Jewel, Whole Foods, Pepsico, AT&T, and many other corporations. Former NBA star John Amaechi, the first NBA player to come out as a gay man, welcomed the crowd as the parade’s grand marshall. A... more ›

We alluded to it earlier, but this is one hell of a weekend for music in our fair city. One of the upswings of the indiefication of America has been the steadily improving street festival bills, so we can at least enjoy good tunes with our processed meats and flat beer, and this weekend sees two of the best line-ups all summer unfortunately going head to head with each other. The inaugural Switchyard Festival is... more ›

There is so much to love about this week's contest winner, taken during yesterday's Pride Parade, we don't even know where to begin. We'd start with the wig, but then we realize there are those nifty sunglasses to consider. But somehow Chicagoist thinks that the sunglasses wouldn't be half as fantastic were it not for the mask holding the sunglasses in place. more ›

It's the end of June and that can mean only one thing - Pride Weekend. A celebration of diversity at its finest, Pride festivities are varied and the list is long - everything from workshops to plays, cocktail parties to religious services, there is something for everyone. Be sure to check out the Howard Brown Youth Center for youth-oriented activities. The Dyke March kicks off tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. at the corner of Ashland and... more ›

No, Chicagoist isn't promoting the return of short pants for the White Sox. What happened in the 70's should stay in the 70's. But with so much going on around the World Champs yesterday, we figured we'd give a quick run-down of a few items. Sure it Wasn't the Bears and Rams? The White Sox had a night to remember at the plate last night, clobbering the St. Louis Cardinals 20-6 at the Cell. The... more ›

Yesterday, around 400,000 Chicagoans and visitors gathered to watch the 36th annual Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade. Politicians, drag queens, go-go boys, dykes on bikes, and moms and dads of gay kids paraded up Halsted and down Broadway under the hot June sun. more ›

Chicagoist knows Lincoln Park has a "hot" real estate market, but we didn't understand just how hot. Enter Ella, a craigslist seller who knows all the juicy details. She's got her unchaste mitts all over some hot, steamy property, and you can read all about it in this raunchy ad: more ›

Two Chicago Boystown caterers, Hearty Boys' Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh, won their own show on the Food Network. Dancing and merriment was seen on Halsted after the annoucement, although it's unclear as to whether celebrations were due to the response to the Food Network annoucement or spillover from the earlier Pride Parade. Dan and Steve beat out seven other contestants in a month-long competition. The couple's new show starts this fall.... more ›

An estimated 350,000 people crowded Lakeview to watch the 35th annual Pride Parade on Sunday. The second largest parade in Chicago and certainly the most colorful, Grand Marshal Esera Tuaolo -- an openly gay former NFL football player -- lead 230 groups that participated in the parade representing a huge variety of politicians, political and social causes, organizations, businesses and nightclubs. An increasingly mainstream event, Chicagoans -- straight and gay alike -- came out to show their support and enjoy the pagentry. more ›