The Chicago Ordinance on Human Rights, which banned discrimination against gays and lesbians and other minorities, was passed on December 21, 1988. Gerber/Hart Library, 1127 W. Granville, recently organized a panel discussion to mark the occasion.
Five years ago, the Cook County Clerk’s Office established a domestic-partnership registry, with John Pennycuff and Robert Castillo being the first to register. Since then, 1,500 couples have registered for domestic partnership benefits, with the most recent (as of Oct. 1) being Jim Konold and Tim Hackett.
The Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted, recently hosted a silent and live auction-events that had previously been part of its annual Human First Gala. This year, according to Leslie DeMonte, director of special events and volunteer services, the decision was made to separate the two functions so that the gala could draw more focus to itself.
