From Drag Balls to Vogue Balls

By Rachelle Bowden in Arts & Entertainment on May 26, 2004 5:28AM

Out at CHS, organized by the Chicago Historical Society, is spending the year exploring the LGBT past by hosting a series of events that celebrate the illustrious history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people in Chicago and throughout the country.

Tomorrow night, George Chauncy, an author/historian from the University of Chicago, and Jonathan David Jackson, a dance scholar from Goucher College, are conducting a presentation that explores how, from the gay drag balls of the late 1940s to the ballroom scene of the 1970s, dance has reflected the creativity and energy of African American gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered people.. and how it has set trends for the rest of the country.

This event runs from 5:30 - 8:30 pm and you can buy tickets online for only $10 ($5 for students). Also, there is a ton of information available about the LGBT community and its rich history, achievements and goals at the International Museum of Gay and Lesbian History.

In related news, Cardinal Francis George told all priests in the Chicago Catholic Archdiocese to deny communion to any gays or lesbians who are open about their sexual orientation and choose to participate in the Rainbow Sash Movement, a protest for gay recognition in the church.