RuPaul’s Drag Race cast starts their engines in the Windy City for Season 18 Chicago got the first look at Season 18 of RuPaul’s Drag Race.  On Dec. 11, ahead of the much-adored reality series’s January launch, this season’s 14 new queens headed for the immersive Drag Race: The Experience…

NATIONAL Okla. assistant let go, Ohio ordinance, NSA lawsuit, TGNCNB emergency fund Transgender University of Oklahoma graduate assistant Mel Curth, who gave a student a failing grade on an anti-transgender paper, will no longer be teaching at the university, The Advocate noted. Curth had been…

SHOWBIZ ‘Wicked: For Good,’ Bob the Drag Queen, ESPN announcer retires, ‘Heated Rivalry’ The Universal film Wicked: For Good hit Premium Video on Demand on digital platforms on Dec. 30, Deadline noted. Moreover, the Jon M. Chu-directed sequel will be available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray & DVD on Jan. 20,…

New data reveals gaps in follow-through on transgender news coverage Transgender news coverage surged in 2023 as lawmakers introduced a wave of anti-trans legislation, but new data shows that attention quickly dropped off—leaving much of the real-world impact on trans people underreported. The…

WORLD Pushback in Uganda, Liberian Methodist, Malaysia items, ice-skating rule Pro-LGBTQ+ Ugandan organizations spoke out in unison on Human Rights Day, Dec. 10, against the growing restrictions on fundamental human rights, among other issues, Erasing 76 Crimes noted. The advocacy newspaper Kuchu…

SAVOR Perry’s honor, Dry January options and a new Niles spot  —Merry good: For those who celebrate Christmas, I hope Santa was good to you.  —All that jazz: Hey Nonny, Arlington Heights’ restaurant and live music venue, will host its 4th Annual Women’s Jazz Festival—the nation’s largest festival…

Life is Work marks the holiday season Santa Claus visits Life is Work Photo by Vern Hester Maria'h Foster and friend Photo by Vern Hester On Dec. 22, Life is Work held its "Meals for Christmas" Community Celebration in partnership with Toys for Tots, Rush Affirm and Chicago's Home of Chicken and…

NATIONAL Anti-LGBTQ+ foster-care rule, A Wider Bridge folding, library board dismissed, Adm. Rachel Levine Massachusetts has removed state rules requiring that foster parents support queer youth in their care after lawsuits from families and threats from the Trump administration, The Advocate…

SHOWBIZ Bowen Yang, Ben Whishaw, Hayley Kiyoko, Barry Manilow’s diagnosis, Billy Porter’s update Queer SNL cast member Bowen Yang exited the show in the middle of his eighth season there, Variety reported. His last turn as a cast member was the Dec. 20 episode that was hosted by his Wicked co-star…

WORLD African anti-LGBTQ+ ruling and arrests, cancer study, German filmmaker dies, Grindr items  Three months after the West African nation of Burkina Faso enacted a law against same-sex relations, its government sentenced the first man for violating that law and sentenced him to two years in…

PASSAGES Richard Earl Rivera Richard Earl Rivera, 79, of Chicago’s Lake View neighborhood—a retired interior designer, much-loved doorman and proud Vietnam War Veteran—passed away gently, surrounded by the love of family, on Dec. 19. Born in Chicago, Richard graduated from Lane Technical High…

Abughazaleh pitches grassroots strategy and anti-authoritarian agenda in 9th District primary Kat Abughazaleh, a journalist and researcher who has spent the past several years reporting on far-right extremism, is running for Congress in Illinois’ Ninth District—one of two openly LGBTQ+ candidates…

Demi Palecek brings working-class roots to 13th District House race Demi Palecek is one of three openly queer candidates running for Illinois House in the 13th District, joining Sunjay Kumar and Ridge Knapp in one of the most LGBTQ+-represented legislative races in the state. Palecek, who…

BUSINESS How an unsettling health journey inspired Ron DeRosa to found a men’s health clinic in Hinsdale When Ron DeRosa turned 40, what should have been a pleasant milestone arrived trailing a host of problems instead. “I had my first child," DeRosa recalled. "I remember holding my son, looking…

Where you live in Chicago can shape how long you live—especially for LGBTQ+ people Coming of age as a trans woman on Chicago’s West Side, Zahara Bassett used to spend hours traveling across the city just to access basic services. “It was two trains and a bus,” Bassett said, describing the trip she…

OPINION Community archives are the antidote to the erasure of LGBTQ+ history This month, President Trump chose to opt out of acknowledging World AIDS Day. It’s the first time the U.S. has not participated since the World Health Organization created this day in 1988 to raise awareness on HIV/AIDS…

U.S. House passes law criminalizing gender-affirming care for minors, with Democratic help On Dec. 17, the U.S. House passed a bill that would make providing gender-affirming medical care to transgender minors illegal, The Advocate reported. This marks the first time Congress approved a national…

THEATER Ice queens: Handbag’s ‘Housewives’ weather North Polar disorders Poor Ruth Claus. As Hell in a Handbag’s Christmas 2025 offering The Real Housewives of the North Pole opens, her year-long sobriety gets put to the test. Santa and other North Pole VIPs—Frosty the Snowman and Jack Frost among…

NATIONAL Pride nixed in Arlington, Philly anchor retires, Gavin Newsom, Georgetown’s president In Texas, the Arlington City Council voted five to four to suspend protections for its LGBTQ+ residents that are enshrined in the city’s anti-discrimination ordinance, per The Dallas Morning News.…

SHOWBIZ Jason Collins, Billy Preston, ‘Boots’ canceled, 2026 movies, best 2025 albums Jason Collins, the first out gay player in NBA history, told ESPN that he has stage 4 glioblastoma—an aggressive form of brain cancer, according to Gay City News. Collins’ news came just months after his family…

WORLD Archbishop speaks, Budapest mayor, Pussy Riot called extremist, 2030 Gay Games A retired Slovakian archbishop spoke out against a proposed change to the nation’s civil code that would automatically end the marriages of people who legally change their gender, per New Ways Ministry. Archbishop…

T-shirt fundraiser launches to support drag icon Joan Jett Blakk Joan Jett Blakk, the drag icon who made history in 1992 as the first drag queen to run for U.S. president, is the focus of a new limited-edition fundraiser supporting her long-term care following a major stroke. The fundraiser is…

Choose U ambassadors share lived experiences with HIV, personal reflections, and insights The Choose U World AIDS Day panel brought together three longtime advocates living with HIV to talk about care, stigma, and what living with HIV over the long-term means to them. The conversation featured…

OPINION The ugly history of whiteness as a marker for ‘real’ Americans   Nick Patricca Recent ICE and Border Patrol raids in the Chicago area—raids that swept up U.S. citizens and people with valid legal residence alongside the undocumented—have reopened old and unsettling questions about…

City health department highlights free mental health resources as holidays and winter heighten stress As the holidays and winter set in, many Chicagoans experience heightened stress, grief and loneliness—pressures that can be especially intense for LGBTQ+ people navigating family rejection,…

Anthony Rapp makes Chicago his Home for the Holidays Out and proud performer Anthony Rapp is celebrating his new life in Chicago with Home for the Holidays this season. This December, he presents an intimate show for fans inside the Lookingglass Theatre Company space right on the Magnificent Mile.…

SAVOR ‘Sugar Plum Parlour,’ ‘8 Crazy Nights’ and ’12 Days of Pizza’ —Toy story: That Harper Kid (THK)—led by pro basketball player Linnae Harper—will hold its 4th Annual Toy Giveaway on Friday, Dec. 20,12–4 p.m., at the Shine Bright Community Center, 8560 S. Cottage Grove Ave. Last year, the…

The Equality for Every Family Act signed by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker Gov. JB Pritzker. Official photograph CHICAGO – During these times of unrelenting attacks by the federal administration against the lives of LGBTQ+ people, advocates celebrated Governor JB Pritzker’s approval on Friday of…

OPINION In these crazy times: Hong Kong blaze sends a powerful warning to U.S. Sabrina Haake On Nov. 26, in a quiet northern suburb of Hong Kong, an aggressive fire broke out in the middle of the day. The fire was unusual in its intensity and duration, consuming seven of eight high rise towers in…

NATIONAL Univ. of Okla., killer sentenced, minister comes out as trans, GLAAD’s 20 Under 20 list The University of Oklahoma placed a trans graduate instructor on administrative leave after a student received a zero on a psychology assignment while describing transgender people as “demonic” and…

SHOWBIZ Kidman/Blanchett play, Madonna’s criticism, Erivo’s feat, reality-TV star dies NOTE: This week’s column mentions suicide. If you or someone you know needs mental health resources and support, please call, text, or chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit988lifeline.orgfor 24/7…

WORLD Project Not Alone, Senegal arrests, Ghana’s anti-LGBTQ+ law, Tasmania’s reparations Erasing 76 Crimes noted that eight gay men and two lesbians have been set free this year in Cameroon and Nigeria because of readers’ donations to Project Not Alone, which helps victims of African homophobia.…

Brave Space Alliance hosts World AIDS Day symposium On Dec. 1, Brave Space Alliance, in partnership with several community service organizations, held a symposium in observance of World AIDS Day. The event featured a panel discussion on PrEP, HIV awareness, safe sex, and the importance of adhering…

Trans Up Front Illinois announces grant from Born This Way Foundation The organization joins cohort of 55 youth-nominated organizations across eleven countries supporting youth mental health, wellbeing Chicago, IL — DECEMBER 10, 2025 — Today, Trans Up Front Illinois announced its selection as a…

Howard Brown Health presents World AIDS Day Brunch On Dec. 7, Howard Brown Health in partnership with Life is Work presented a World AIDS Day observance, Legacy and Liberation II: United in the Fight. Host Otis Mack Photo by Vern Hester The event, which took place at Gallery Guichard, 436 E. 47th…

D.C. appeals court keeps national trans military ban in place  Photo by Ducky for Pexels On Dec. 9, a split three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the Pentagon can keep enforcing its 2025 policy that bans transgender individuals from service while…

Lambda Legal urges Court to affirm ruling striking down military’s HIV Ban Attorneys Defend Landmark Victory That Eliminated Last Barrier to Military Service for People Living with HIV (Richmond, VA, December 9, 2025) — Attorneys challenging the military’s ban on enlistment of people living with…

CBGMC’s Love Fest focuses on multiple pleasures for 2025 On the afternoon of Dec. 7, Chicago Black Gay Men's Caucus (CBGMC) held its annual Love Fest, but instead of repeating formats from previous festivals this one aimed for something entirely different. This 2025 edition focused on pleasure…

SAVOR REVIEW Fioretta  Just how does a restaurant stand out from the other many fine-dining establishments in Chicago’s West Loop? For the Italian steakhouse Fioretta (“little flower” in Italian), the main difference involves its stunning architecture and decor. With its sheer drapes and dark…

Activist and makeup artist Alma Izquierdo on following passions and creating community Some people know what they want their life path to be from a young age. Not so for activist Alma Izquierdo. A Chicago native from the Uptown neighborhood, Izquierdo was recently honored with ALMA’s ALMA del…

Windy City Times 2025 holiday gift guide  Yes, it’s officially the holiday season (although some people would have to think that it started in October). And with the giving and/or receiving of gifts being part of the season, Windy City Times is offering a few ideas. —Carey’d away: Yes, Mariah…

Center on Halsted unveils two new winter art exhbitions On Dec. 5, Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., presented two art gallery openings by widely divergent artists, both of whom are expand the confines of the traditional canvas.  Kevin Lustik and Nick Mozek Photo by Vern Hester Chicagoan…

Illinois organizations release new resource to help survivors of conversion practices seek accountability Illinois Equality Illinois - Today, a coalition of mental health, legal, LGBTQ+ and survivor-advocacy organizations released the Illinois Guide for Survivors of Conversion Practices. This new…

Annual Santa Speedo Run aims to break records On Dec. 6, hundreds of scantily-clad Santas gathered at Sidetrack Video Bar, 3349 N. Halsted st., to indulge in what has become a distinctly gay-flavored Yuletide tradition, the Santa Speedo Run.  This year marked the event’s 14th anniversary. The run…

SAVOR ‘Hot Holidays,’ food trivia and a new Bucktown steakhouse —Warm vibes: Jewel-Osco is bringing a tropical holiday takeover to Water Tower Place on Dec. 13-14, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., transforming the shopping destination into a warm, festive escape. Hot Holidays. PR graphic At “Hot Holidays,” guests…

Lakeside Pride ensemble performance marks World AIDS Day On Dec. 1, the Lakeside Pride music ensemble Wilde Cabaret held an intimate concert in observance of World AIDS Day. The event, which took place at Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted St., was a benefit for the organization Season of Concern Chicago,…

Ridge Knapp campaigns for 13th District seat in one of Illinois’ most queer-represented races Ridge Knapp is running for state representative in Illinois’ 13th Distirct—one of the most LGBTQ+-represented legislative races in the state. Knapp, who identifies as bisexual, is one of three openly…

Chicago remembers Robert Joffrey and other artists lost to AIDS at Wrightwood 659 Chicagoans gathered at the Wrightwood 659 art gallery, 659 W. Wrightwood Ave., on Dec. 4 for a World AIDS Day remembrance of, among others, choreographer Robert Joffrey; his protégé, choreographer Edward Stierle; and…

Apply now for Windy City Times’ 2nd annual community journalism cohort Windy City Times is accepting applications for the second year of its paid community journalism course for anyone interested in storytelling for marginalized communities. Our Stories, Our Power is a 6-week course on telling…

Immigrating while queer: America has a complex history of exclusion This story was originally reported by Kate Sosin of The 19th. Meet Kate and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy. As The 19th makes plans for 2026, we want to hear from you! Complete our annual survey to let…