Jim Flint was the first guest in a series that O' Keeffe said will feature other notable "movers and shakers" within the LGBT community. A small group of people came out to see the live taping, including Mimi Marks and Maya Douglas, both of whom form part of the cast at The Baton Show Lounge. The evening was recorded for posterity and for future viewing at The Leather Archives and Museum.

The majority of the questions were based on Flint's life as a Chicago entrepreneur and LGBT activist which was recently the subject of the biography, Jim Flint: The Boy From Peoria, written by Tracy Baim and Owen Keehnen.

Flint joked throughout the night as he reflected on his early life in the marines and his first attempts at winning female impersonator competitions, which eventually lead to him starting Miss Continental.

He also got serious when he answered questions about his involvement in the Chicago mob trials in the 1980s, saying it was the "most terrifying thing you could ever go through."

Throughout its 40-year history, The Baton has attracted big names like Madonna, Joan Crawford and Jennifer Hudson. Even Oprah Winfrey was known as a regular at the River North establishment during the initial part of her career as a talk-show host. When asked who had left the biggest impression Flint said Janet Jackson, describing the singer as a "great person ... because she has been the greatest to our club," adding that she has spent hours during her visits and on her last tour stop she invited the cast to join her on stage at her concert.

The Baton is one of the oldest and successful venues for female-impersonation shows, but it has at also been a meeting space for the LGBT community. Flint recounted a meeting with five other people who were concerned about doing something about the AIDS crisis during the beginning of the epidemic. This meeting would eventually form Chicago House and Social Service Agency.

For more information on future A Fireside Chat events, visit www.centeronhalsted.org .