Arts & Entertainment
Best of LGBT Chicago
‘Windy City’ anthology of stories, poems a mixed bag
‘Windy City Queer’
By Kathie Bergquist
University of Wisconsin Press
$24.95/246 pages
The beach is sounding pretty good right now.
You’ve survived the holidays, the crush of shopping, the insanity of parties and family get-togethers and a year’s worth of weird weather. You’ve lived through downsizing at work, upsizing at lunch and the changing of the middle class.
This new Chicago-based gay anthology makes an interesting beach read. (Image courtesy University of Wisconsin Press)
Now the New Year is calling, and the beach is beckoning.
Since no sand-sit is satisfying without a book, what to take is the next big question. The answer may be “Windy City Queer,” edited by Kathie Bergquist.
“What distinguishes LGBTQ writing from Chicago from its well-documented counterparts in New York or San Francisco?” asks Columbia College Chicago teacher and editor Kathie Bergquist.
In seven basic sections, Bergquist answers that question by pulling together more than 30 contributors of “national renown and distinction,” winners of awards, and writers for whom Chicago is a “vestige of a past life.”
And that past life might’ve been filled with mistakes. In “Marriage and Commitment” by Owen Keehnen, an off-hand volunteer gig brings a young man face-to-face with painful memories and a horrifying possibility.
Strength arrives in the back of a taxi in “Cold Cab” by Byron Flitsch. When a cabbie spots two men making out in the back of his vehicle, he overreacts and tries to kick them out. The date is quickly over, but the war has just begun.
As the saying goes, if Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. But what if Mama is listed as Daddy? In “I Am My Daughter’s Dad” by Coya Paz, the distinction is both hilarious and irritating.
In “The Mudroom” by Nadine C. Warner, the presence of a toddler enriches his mothers’ lives but causes “lesbian bed death.” Can feng shui, a sense of humor, and paint restore their dance together?
And sometimes, you really have to relax and learn to remain unfazed. That’s especially true when you’re the passenger in a car driven by someone who was born male but is transitioning and dressed to kill, and you’ve just been stopped by a serious-looking state trooper. In “Darla Speeding” by Deb R. Lewis, you’ll see why life is much more interesting when you roll with the flow.
Like so many anthologies, “Windy City Queer” is a mixed bag.
There will be stories in here that you won’t like. There are poems you might not understand. A few of the contributions will seem too long, while others will make you growl in frustration because of their brevity. Some will make you laugh, some will make you hate and some will break your heart.
The good news is that you don’t have to read everything. Editor Kathie Bergquist has pulled together a nice variety of works to fit a variety of readers and moods, which makes this an easy book to browse for five minutes or for five hours.
And there’s the beauty of a book like this: when you’re busy, restless, or you’re packing for vacation, you want a pick-up-and-put-down kind of read. A perfect fit, “Windy City Queer” probably sounds pretty good right now.
History
Julius’ Bar ‘sip-in’ laid groundwork for Stonewall
Tuesday marked 60 years since four gay activists held protest
While Stonewall is widely considered the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement in the U.S., a lesser-known protest inside a Greenwich Village bar three years earlier helped lay critical groundwork for what would follow.
Tuesday marked 60 years since the Julius’ Bar “sip in.”
On April 21, 1966, four gay rights activists — Dick Leitsch, Craig Rodwell, John Timmons, and later Randy Wicker — walked into Julius’ Bar and staged what would become known as a “sip-in” to challenge state liquor regulations on serving alcoholic beverages to gay men — with a drink.
Modeled after the sit-ins that challenged racial segregation across the American South, the protest was designed to confront discriminatory practices targeting LGBTQ patrons in public spaces.
At the time, the Mattachine Society — one of the country’s earliest gay rights groups — was actively pushing back against policies enforced by the New York State Liquor Authority. One of those policies could have resulted in the loss of liquor licenses for serving known or suspected gay men and lesbians. The participants had visited multiple establishments, openly identified themselves as homosexual, and requested a drink — with the anticipation of being denied.
Their final stop was Julius’, where reporters and a photographer had gathered to document the moment. When Leitsch declared their identity, the bartender covered their glasses and refused service, reportedly saying, “I think it’s against the law.” The next day, the New York Times ran a story with the headline, “3 Deviates Invite Exclusion by Bars,” cementing the moment in the public record.
Though initially framed with disrespect — the term “sip-in” itself was coined as a play on civil rights protests — the action marked a turning point. It brought national attention to the systemic discrimination LGBTQ people faced and helped catalyze changes in how liquor laws were enforced. In the years that followed, the protest contributed to the emergence of licensed, more openly gay-friendly bars, which became central social and organizing spaces for LGBTQ communities.
The Washington Blade originally covered when the bar was officially added to the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
Today, historians and advocates increasingly recognize the “sip-in” as a key pre-Stonewall milestone. According to the New York City LGBTQ Historic Sites Project, the protest not only increased visibility of the early LGBTQ rights movement but also exposed widespread surveillance and entrapment tactics used against the community.
Marking the 60th anniversary of the event, commemorations have taken place in New York and across the country. Reflecting on its enduring legacy, Amanda Davis, executive director of the NYC LGBTQ Historic Sites Project, spoke about the event.
“Julius’ Bar is a place you can visit and viscerally connect with history,” said Davis. “We’re thrilled to have solidarity locations across the country join us in commemorating the ‘sip-in’’s 60th anniversary and the queer community’s First Amendment right to peaceably assemble.”
For current stewards of the historic bar, the responsibility of preserving that legacy remains front of mind.
“It’s a privilege and a responsibility to be the steward of a place so important to American and LGBTQ history,” said current owner of Julius’ Bar, Helen Buford. “The events of the 1966 Sip-In here at Julius’ resonated across the country and inspired countless others to stand proud for their rights.”
The timing couldn’t have come at a more important moment, Kymn Goldstein, executive director of the June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives, explained.
“At a time when our community faces renewed challenges, coming together in resilience and solidarity reminds us of the power in our collective resistance,” Goldstein said.
The American Civil Liberties Union, an organization dedicated to defending rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution, is currently tracking 519 anti-LGBTQ bills across the U.S. The majority are targeted at restricting transgender rights — particularly related to gender-affirming care, sports participation, and the use of public bathrooms.
Some additional groups and bars that held their own “sip-in” as solidarity events to uplift this historic milestone are from across the country include:
Alice Austen House at Steiny’s Pub, Staten Island, N.Y.
Bellows Falls Pride Committee at PK’s Irish Pub, Bellows Falls, Vt.
Brick Road Coffee, Mesa, Ariz.
Brick Road Coffee, Tempe, Ariz.
Dick Leitsch’s Family at Old Louisville Brewery, Louisville, Ky.
The Faerie Playhouse & LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana at Le Cabaret, New Orleans
Harlem Pride & John Reddick at L’Artista Italian Kitchen & Bar, New York
JOYR!DE KiKi at Loafers Cocktail Bar, New York
Matthew Lawrence & Jason Tranchida / Headmaster at Deadbeats Bar, Providence, R.I.
Mazer Lesbian Archives at Alana’s Coffee, Los Angeles
New Hope Celebrates at The Club Room, New Hope, Pa.
Queer Memory Project at the University of Evansville Multicultural Student Commons / Ridgway University Center, Evansville, Ind.
Sandy Jack’s Bar, Brooklyn, N.Y.
St. Louis LGBT History Project at Just John Club, St. Louis
The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund National Champagne Brunch was held at Salamander Washington DC on Sunday, April 19. Gov. Andy Beshear (D-Ky.) was presented with the Allyship Award.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The umbrella LGBTQ sports organization Team D.C. held its annual Night of Champions Gala at the Georgetown Marriott on Saturday, April 18. Team D.C. presented scholarships to local student athletes and presented awards to Adam Peck, Manuel Montelongo (a.k.a. Mari Con Carne), Dr. Sara Varghai, Dan Martin and the Centaur Motorcycle Club. Sean Bartel was posthumously honored with the Most Valuable Person Award.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
I don’t see the point in a relationship
Julius’ Bar ‘sip-in’ laid groundwork for Stonewall
Trans parent charged with kidnapping, allegedly fled to Cuba with child
Rehoboth Summer Kickoff Party set for May 15 with Ashley Biden
Curve magazine honors Washington Blade publisher
Inside the lonely world of MAGA gay men
Wagons ho! High-class, head-turning haulers
Rorschach stages ‘Dragon Play’ in unlikely, raw space
‘Big Mistakes’ an uneven – but worthy – comedic showcase
