Huge, positively shocking news from the LGBT desk today. Equality Illinois cut ties with its longtime director of public policy and co-founder, Rick Garcia. Equality Illinois CEO Bernard Cherkasov confirmed the announcement to Windy City Times, after a meeting today with Equality Illinois stakeholders the night before. 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 ›

Openly gay Ald.Tom Tunney announced this week he may consider a mayoral run should Mayor Daley not seek re-election. His announcement - joining the ranks of Mike Quigley and Rahm Emanuel as other potential successors to the crown - begs the question if Chicago could join the ranks of cities like Berlin, Paris and, weirdly enough, Houston by electing a gay mayor. 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 ›

The arrest of Governor Rod Blagojevich yesterday may have been the final nail in the coffin for a proposal to allow civil unions between same-sex couples in Illinois. The bill, the Illinois Religious Freedom and Civil Unions Act, was first introduced in February of 2007 and has been stalled in the state legislature ever since. Now time is running out for the bill, as the current General Assembly will expire at the end of the year. With only two remaining legislative days left, some political watchers say it is unlikely that the proposal will gain traction as the state tackles a growing budget crisis that so far includes a $2 billion deficit. more ›

A few weeks back, we looked at the possibility of a LGBT high school here in Chicago. That possibility is now on its way to becoming a reality. The proposal for Chicago's first lesbian, gay, bi, and transgendered-friendly high school was formally announced yesterday along with 20 other new public schools. Pride Campus of Social Justice High School (doesn't that sound a bit like an HQ for superheroes?) is slated to open in 2010 but a location for the school still hasn't been finalized. more ›