She is acutely aware of how the term “safe space” translates differently for women, depending on their ethnic and racial background, and that white women have historically been reluctant to make it out to what might be defined as a “Black space.”
The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) is currently hosting a series of LGBT immigration public forums in cities across the country. These events are designed to bring about public discussion of comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) and to educate LGBT Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities and allied organizations on immigrant rights. The group hosted one such exhaustive and detailed presentation March 8 at the Merlo Public Library in partnership with its local members and ally organizations Invisible to Invincible (I2I): Asian and Pacific Islander Pride of Chicago; Trikone-Chicago, an LGBT South Asian Group; and Akabaka Productions, a Queer Muslim Group. The panelists were Ben de Guzman of NQAPIA, Chicago queer Muslim activist Ifti Nasim and local immigration attorney Mimi Wilson.
Kenny Fries is a well-known gay writer and poet whose works have addressed the intersection of disability rights and queer identity. The author of the memoirs The History of My Shoes and the Evolution of Darwin’s Theoryand Body, Remember: A Memoir was in Chicago as part of a visit that included workshops at UIC followed by a presentation at Access Living March 19.
In a move that will send ripples throughout Chicago’s LGBTQ community, Howard Brown Health Center announced that two of its key staff members have been placed on paid administrative leave: President/Chief Executive Officer Michael Cook and Chief Financial Officer Mark Joslyn. The news came through a brief March 30 press release, issued via Leslie Schreiber, director of media relations at Winger Marketing.
Howard Brown Health Center (HBHC) recently placed two of its key personnel, CEO/President Michael Cook and CFO Mark Joslyn, on paid administrative leave. Since then, some hints about the reasons for their ouster have emerged. The Windy City Times report prompted an open letter from David Ostrow, soon followed by a press release from Michael Cook announcing his resignation; both documents have brought more questions and speculations into the open. Meanwhile, HBHC’s press releases have also prompted more unanswered questions.
Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore was recently in Chicago as part of a book tour for her latest novel, So Many Ways to Sleep Badly. The book is about life and politics in San Francisco as seen through the eyes of a radical queer activist. Sycamore was recently named one of Utne Reader’s “50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World.” Her previous work includes the anthology Nobody Passes: Rejecting the Rules of Gender and Conformity and the novel Pulling Taffy.
E. Patrick Johnson is the author of Sweet Tea: An Oral History of Black Gay Men of the South, which consists largely of transcribed oral narratives. Johnson, the department chair of performance studies and a professor of African-American studies at Northwestern University, began researching the book in 2004. In October 2006, he began enacting solo performances and recreations of the narratives. The performances (called “Pouring Tea”) are now part of his current book tour. Windy City Times spoke to Johnson about his book; the accompanying performances and the lure of the South.
