Queeries: Audio interview with Jacqueline Boyd on inclusive queer community and tackling segregation

Queer Choir director and fellow fierce fat femme Jacqueline Boyd recently sat down with Joe Varisco of JRV MAJESTY Productions and Chicago IRL magazine to discuss Boyd’s work with Chances Dances grant funding board and Chicago’s queer community at large, among other things. “If we want [community] to change and if we ourselves want to be made better by actually being inclusive … Continue reading »

TDoR: Remembering the dead, preserving history and critiquing our community

Transgender Day of Remembrance is a day to honor transgender people who were killed because of their transgender identity. The event began in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder in 1998 kicked off the Remembering Our Dead web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil. The Trans Oral History Project debuted a video exploring violence against trans … Continue reading »

Election 2012 resources for American voters

‘Tis the season to head to the polls, but voting isn’t as easy as just showing up. So, if you are casting a ballot, check out these resources: Verify your voter registration status, where to vote and what sort of identification is required to cast a ballot at CanIVote.org. Many states allow early voting. Check with … Continue reading »

Touchdown Jesus rises again

Behold! Jesus has risen again. And Huggy Jesus is so boring compared to his predecessor. Touchdown Jesus — the 6-story King of Kings statue emerging from the lake in front of Solid Rock Church on I-75 between Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio — went from this: to this: when a so-called act of God in the … Continue reading »

“White only” swimming pool policy lands Cincinnati landlord in hot water

A Cincinnati landlord, Jamie Hein, is under fire for posting a “public swimming pool, white only” sign on the gate of the pool of her duplex in May 2011. She posted the sign after the hair products of a bi-racial 10-year-old girl made the pool “cloudy” while swimming during a visit with her father, tenant Michael Gunn. The … Continue reading »

Chicago’s first transgender, gender non-conforming and intersex pride

Hundreds of people celebrated Transgender Pride in Union Park July 29, for the first Chicago Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming and Intersex Freedom (TGIF) Rally and Picnic. Trans Pride, themed “enterprising from the margins,” focused on transgender people of color and honored the community members lost this year, including Paige Clay. Attendees also wrote down names of transgender people … Continue reading »

Free birth control and other health care reforms go into effect

Today marks the implementation of several key aspects of the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. health care reform and ObamaCare), including free birth control and coverage of crucial disease screenings. The following services are now available without copays: screening for gestational diabetes counseling and screenings for HIV counseling and screenings for domestic violence birth control, including … Continue reading »