City of Dividing Lines

Navigating borders  [READER]( During Pride Month, I am usually overwhelmed going from event to event, speaking on panels, and moderating discussions. This year, I thought I’d be off the hook, but it seems like I did more panels and interviews than ever. Some were with students who want to know LGBTQ history, or journalism history. Others were with sports teams (the [Chicago Sky]( and Cubs), E3 Radio, [Curious Minds]( podcast, [WBEZ]( WCPT, [Karen Kring]( LGBTQ groups, companies, and more. I really am happy to share stories of the “old days” and current ways we might improve our city, journalism, and our communities. But it does seem weird to me, because for most of my career, I have been the “odd woman out” doing my work more behind the scenes, and certainly away from the mainstream glare. I was in a cocoon of the LGBTQ community, and now I feel more part of this whole city. The photo accompanying this post is me interviewing Mayor Harold Washington in 1986 at his City Hall office. I was 23 at the time, and you can bet I was nervous. In the [final piece that ran in Windy City Times]( which was reposted in 2010, you can see I even asked about the rumors about him being gay. This was a tactic then, and even now, to try and cut down people with rumors, and anti-Washington aldermen were really good at spreading rumors and fighting his push to change this city—a push that included backing the gay-rights ordinance and starting a mayor’s Committee on Gay and Lesbian Issues (COGLI). His answer to my inquiry was great. Washington broke the mold of what the city had experienced for decades, especially under Mayor Richard J. Daley. He fought mightily during the council wars, and was in support of gay rights and other progressive reforms. His history is integral to the city’s history, and to that of the LGBTQ community. He never saw the gay-rights ordinance pass. Washington died the next year. But his successor, Mayor Eugene Sawyer, did get to see the law finally pass, with much lobbying and public protest by the community and its few allies at the time. Tracy Baim interviewing Mayor Harold Washington in his office in August 1986. Photo by William Burks Sincerely, Publisher For more details on the Reader, see [www.chicagoreader.com]( and for ways to support, see [www.chicagoreader.com/support](. [Old comrades Peter Brötzmann and Fred Lonberg-Holm reunite on Memories of a Tunicate]( By [Bill Meyer]( [Silicone Prairie sound like new wave played at the wrong speed]( The hyperactive Kansas City punk act recently released a two-song EP that includes a cover of notorious Chicago band the Mentally Ill. By [Leor Galil]( [@imLeor]( [Shea Couleé, here to stay and slay]( The Drag Race all-star challenges racism both onstage and off. By [Catey Sullivan]( [@CateySullivan]( [Moving to the music at home with SummerDance]( Social distancing can't stop the beat for this beloved Chicago festival. By [Irene Hsiao]( [@IreneCHsiao]( [Ghost Light: a roundup of offstage performing arts news and notes]( Victory Gardens and Raven name new leadership; J. Nicole Brooks wins a prestigious playwriting grant. By [Kerry Reid]( [@kerryreid]( [Issue of Jun 25 - Jul 8, 2020 Vol. 49, No. 38]( [The Pride issue]( [Download Issue]( (PDF) [DONATE]( [View this e-mail as a web page]( [@chicago_reader]( [/chicagoreader]( [@chicago_reader]( [Chicago Reader on LinkedIn]( [/chicagoreader]( [chicagoreader.com]( [Forward this e-mail to a friend](. Want to change how you receive these e-mails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. Copyright © 2020 Chicago Reader, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: Chicago Reader 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Ste 102Chicago, IL 60616-3228 [Add us to your address book](