By Andrew Davis
On June 29, Kathie Bergquist and Robert McDonald held a reading and question-and-answer session at Women and Children First, 5233 N. Clark, regarding their collaboration, A Field Guide to Gay & Lesbian Chicago, a comprehensive and often-comical look at activities ranging from sports to nightlife to shopping. ( There's even a section on how to get to and around the Windy City, whether it's by car or public transportation—which the out-of-towners coming here for the Gay Games will no doubt appreciate. )
'It's so thrilling [ to have this book out ] because it's such a labor of love,' Bergquist told Windy City Times. 'It's something that we conceived a long time ago.' For Bergquist, among the biggest surprises she encountered while putting the book together were the depth and breadth of the queer features in Chicago. 'We thought we knew everything there was to know,' she said with a smile. 'It ended up being a lot more than we ever imagined. Now, neither one of us has very much patience for anyone who says there nothing to do.'
On a smaller scale, she was pleasantly surprised by The Jeffrey Pub, a South Side institution: 'I was a little apprehensive, but [ people were ] extremely warm. We wouldn't hesitate to go back.' McDonald told the audience that the Granville Anvil was a nice surprise for a reason in addition to the cordial environment: cheap beer.
A Field Guide to Gay & Lesbian Chicago is available in bookstores everywhere ( including the larger chains ) , although Bergquist subtly advocated going to the smaller LGBT-related busineses to purchase it: 'I'm happy that [ the larger chains ] are carrying it. However, it's also available at bookstores with a long history of supporting the gay and lesbian community, such as Unabridged Bookstore and Women and Children First.'