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THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

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  WINDY CITY TIMES

Windy City Times 30th anniversary issue: Coverage
Selected front pages from 1985-1987
2015-09-23

This article shared 12419 times since Wed Sep 23, 2015
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October 10, 1985

The death of actor Rock Hudson Oct. 2, 1985 made front-page headlines around the world, including in the gay media of the day. For the straight community, his was the first high-profile death from AIDS, and something that forced even President Ronald Reagan to acknowledge the disease. Hudson was also outed as a gay man, compelling Hollywood to acknowledge its long-standing forced closeting of leading men and women.

October 31, 1985

There were constant signs of hope in fighting AIDS, yet almost all of them eventually proved failures, including this French "breakthrough." The Pentagon threatened people testing positive for HTLV-III ( later HIV ) with ouster from the service. The annual conference hosted by Horizons ( now Center on Halsted ) was held, and a witness came forward in the infamous raid on Carol's Speakeasy, one of the last big police raids on a gay club in Chicago.

January 30, 1986

Saying that "irrational commentary" in the Sun-Times reduced the discussion of gay and lesbian civil rights "to the level of mudslinging," the Illinois Gay and Lesbian Task Force called for a meeting with the paper. South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu visited Chicago to discuss the horrors of apartheid in his country. Tutu thanked Chicagoans for helping fight for a new South Africa "where all of us will be free." Tutu also later came out strong for LGBT rights.

March 6, 1986

Mayor Harold Washington's Committee on Gay and Lesbian Issues, COGLI, held a meeting with police and paramedics to make sure there was no mistreatment of gays as a result of AIDSphobia. Linda Rodgers is pictured with Ted Hoerl, and Chris Cothran with Dr. Ron Sable. The paper also covered the first residents moving into a Chicago House facility, a license renewal for Seahorse II bar in Calumet City, and testing rates at a testing site for HTLV-III.

April 10, 1986

Mayor Harold Washington's liaison to the gay and lesbian community, Kit Duffy, kept that post at the same time she took the reigns of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago in its founding year. Duffy, a straight ally, is still active in progressive politics today. The paper also covered the rejection by the Supreme Court of an appeal in the Karen Thompson-Sharon Kowalski case, where Thompson wanted custody of her injured partner.

April 17, 1986

Pioneering Chicago dancer and choreographer Joseph Holmes died April 11; his family waited several years before it would confirm that his death was AIDS related. State Sen. William Marovitz introduced a bill that would require mandatory reporting for AIDS/HTLV-III antibody infections. That bill was tabled and replaced by one backed by gay activists. Gov. James Thompson's AIDS Interdisciplinary Advisory Council was poised to make recommendations.

May 1, 1986

Mattachine Midwest was marking 20 years. The Northwest Gay and Lesbian Association with its leader Ken Jacobson met with aldermanic candidate Manuel Torres, running against Luis Gutierrez in the city's newly drawn 26th Ward; Gutierrez had met with them before the primary. Meanwhile, Baton Show Lounge owner Jim Flint ran for Cook County Commissioner and lost, but garnered votes from all 50 wards ( the seats were citywide at the time, not by district ).

May 8, 1986

New York-based Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation ( GLAAD ) met with members of the Illinois Gay and Lesbian Task Force about plans to become a national group. Luis Gutierrez won in the 26th Ward, as did Marlene Carter in the 15th, adding to Mayor Washington's City Council block. Ann Christophersen and Linda Bubon were honored at IVI-IPO's Independent Gay and Lesbian Caucus Glynn Sudberry Awards, as was Rep. Woods Bowman.

July 3, 1986

More than 140 entries and 60,000 people were estimated at Chicago's 17th Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade in 1986. Mayor Harold Washington spoke at the post-pride rally in Lincoln Park, reaffirming his commitment to gay and lesbian rights. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Georgia's sodomy law in the Bowers v. Hardwick case. And there were rumors that the City Council would soon vote on the proposed gay and lesbian rights ordinance.

July 10, 1986

The battle for Chicago's gay and lesbian rights bill dominated the gay press headlines that summer. Here, WCT listed out the possible Yes and No votes, and those who were on the fence. The fallout from the Supreme Court's upholding of the state of Georgia's sodomy law in Bowers v. Hardwick was discussed in this issue. And Harvey Grossman ( lower right ) joined anti-gay Rep. William Dannemeyer and others on an Oprah show about the sodomy ruling and AIDS legislation.

July 17, 1986

"If not now, when!" began this cover story in Windy City Times. The City Council once again delayed a vote on a gay-rights bill. The Archdiocese of Chicago issued a statement against the bill at the July 9 Council meeting, causing several Catholic alderman to get cold feet. On the cover of this issue, Windy City Times printed the phone numbers of all 50 Chicago aldermen, urging readers to pressure the elected officials.

July 24, 1986

Chicago's Catholic leader, Cardinal Bernardin, still withheld his support of the city's gay rights bill, and activists demanded a City Council vote to know who was truly with the community. Activists Marie Kuda and Jim Bussen are pictured speaking at a meeting of 150 gays and lesbians pushing for action. Bussen, a Catholic activist, said he was "embarrassed by my church." Meanwhile, Tom Norton, co-owner of Unabridged Books, died suddenly at age 29.

July 31, 1986

Writer/activist Achy Obejas, fist raised, symbolized the anger of activists who were pressuring a vote in the City Council later that week. The vote happened, and it was not good: 18 for and 30 against. People sang "We Shall Overcome" as they slowly exited the Council chambers that Tuesday. Mayor Washington died Nov. 25, 1987. On Dec. 23, 1988, the gay-rights bill passed 28-17 and was signed into law by Mayor Eugene Sawyer. It was first introduced in 1973.

August 7, 1986

More than 300 AIDS educators and service professionals and others attended a national conference in Washington, D.C., which focused on the impact of AIDS on the Black community. National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays Executive Director Gil Gerald said the crisis "is five years old, but in the black community it's an issue we've kept in the closet." Team Chicago athletes readied for the Gay Games II in San Francisco. Businessman Ira Jones died at age 61.

September 11, 1986

As a followup to the Blacks and AIDS conference, WCT reprinted a Chicago Reporter article looking at local AIDS statistics, which showed 40% of Chicago's diagnosed cases were among Blacks and Latinos. The cover photo is of activists Richard Gray and Tim Offut of the Kupona Network, a group focused on fighting the disease among African Americans. Also featured, Dr. Ron Sable's uphill battle to unseat incumbent 44th Ward Ald. Bernie Hansen.

October 9, 1986

Hyde Park was experiencing a string of anti-gay bigotry. This cover story was about stickers plastered around the area saying "Clean Up Hyde Park; Stop AIDS: Castrate Gays." The right-wing Midway Review newspaper also published two anti-gay viewpoints. Dr. Ron Sable's campaign office hosted some 300 supporters when it opened. The Gay $ Campaign launched by Frank Kellas and Marge Summit continued its push to fight bigotry and show the community's clout.

November 27, 1986

Lane Bank was refusing to take bills marked with the Gay $ campaign's stamper, so gays were threatening a protest. Mayor Harold Washington attended the Chicago House holiday benefit; he's pictured with CH's Executive Director Thom Dombkowski. Washington gave a $45,000 check from a city grant for the agency. The Illinois Gay and Lesbian Task Force hosted a rights confab. Speakers included Dr. James Tinney, Rosemary Kuropat and Darrell Yates Rist.

December 18, 1986

A lawsuit for $15.75 million was filed in federal court against officers of the Northwestern Metropolitan Enforcement Group for the drug raid on Carol's Speakeasy Sept. 12, 1985. The suit was filed on behalf of three patrons. Pictured were Richard Bubel along with "John Doe." Protests began against Lane Bank's Diversey branch, the Lakeview Trust and Savings Bank, because they were destroying bills stamped with Gay $. Pictured: Rick Karlin and artist Jon Reich.

February 6, 1987

Still furious at aldermen who voted against the gay-rights bill, organizers of the Gay and Lesbian Town Meeting set candidate forums in races for City Council seats in key wards. The photo is from a fundraiser for Ald. Luis Gutierrez, who voted for the bill, with Kit Duffy, Dr. Ron Sable, Gutierrez, Gloria Chevere and Ernest Barefield. Meanwhile, WCT co-founder Bob Bearden, the partner of co-founder Jeff McCourt, died of AIDS complications Jan. 29.

February 27, 1987

While Washington won his Democratic primary, gay Dr. Ron Sable lost to Ald. Bernie Hansen in the 44th Ward. Hansen had 53.6% to Sable's 46.3%, but Sable's supporters declared victory because it was the most successful campaign of an openly gay candidate in the city's history. Sable ran again, and lost, four years later. He died Dec. 30, 1993 of AIDS complications; that next year Tom Chiola won his race for judge, becoming the city's first openly gay elected official.

April 23, 1987

An ad hoc committee lobbied for $1 million in state funding for organizations working on AIDS. The gay Black and White Men Together group visited historic areas of Chicago's South Side in a tour curated by Dr. Margaret Burroughs, president emeritus of DuSable Museum. Ald. Bobby Rush and his wife also participated. The push to get Chicago Dept. of Public Health Commissioner Lonnie Edwards fired continued, with activists saying he badly handled the city's AIDS response.

May 7, 1987

The anti-gay threats continued in Hyde Park and at the University of Chicago there, but now at least one of the perpetrators had a name—Jeffrey Benner, a staff member of the right-wing student paper Midway Review. Harold Washington was inaugurated for the second time as mayor of Chicago, and he included gays and lesbians in his speech. Former Mayor Jane Byrne was in attendance. The other cover story was on increased anti-gay violence reports.

June 18, 1987

Rep. Jesse White and Sen. William Marovitz were criticized for trying to exempt insurance companies from confidentiality requirements for those testing positive for the HIV antibody. Also noted: An event planned to honor Bayard Rustin on his 75th birthday at a Chicago event June 29. Rustin died Aug, 24 of that year. A U of C student, Russell Miller, was suspended after being suspected of being part of the anti-gay, racist Great White Brotherhood of the Iron Fist.

July 2, 1987

70,000 participated in the Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade. Many protested and pushed for Gov. Thompson to "Veto!" AIDS legislation that mandated tracing of sexual contacts of those diagnosed with AIDS and AIDS-Related Complex, and those testing HIV-positive. Mayor Washington, at the post-pride rally, also called for a veto. Gay Olympics organizers lost their appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to use the word Olympics; they changed the event to the Gay Games.


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