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OUTinCHI Issue 6 Feat.Christina Lopez. Chicago's HOTTEST alternative magazine for young professionals, covering issues from every spectrum of the community, all inclusive in every sense of the word. Indulge in an upscale show of Chicago's LGBT glamorous life, or give into the Chicago experience. CURIOUS? Come explore with us!

TRANSCRIPT

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!"#$%#$$&'()*%!)%+,)*%!"#$%"&'()"*"+,%Anthony explains the do’s and don’ts of eyebrow maintenance -),%.$%/#,0$%-$.,/#,"*'0%1)+discusses the challenges of being a transgender girl in a hetero-centric world./'!%1#22'3%2%3).#'!..%&%Guide to looking your best at a moments notice45#05%678&''9%4*##$)5'67.8)##'9':$%#%8.*1$).The art of transitioning to a queen/5:%;5,#$%4*;5)<<'-%=,)<<%Three weeks in Le Manais1#7"#'5!$%2,>$,)'?,)/#).$)@#Disotto Enoteco<5=5!#)9%*#!")&!%>#$7,#?#95!#)9%A*&B%"'C7D/%"Explaining the currentl situation in Illinois what would prevent gay parentsfrom adopting foster children@"5!%"5A'%:)&%3)9'%!)35:B%6.)"#':)..%##,On the true meaning of gay pride<)33C$%<&9'$%E%DD':*7</%"Pride fest Music, Review: Owl City Bright and beautiful, and a brief bio

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(H@%<H%+1H@L%!OECPOQ'(RO!OSTPFrom what I have seen over the past few years; there is a lot of confusion on how your brows are supposed to be shaped. Shaping your brows is one of the most important practices in your beauty routine. They not only frame your eyes, but in reality they frame your entire face. Here are a few tips on how to shape your brows, fill them in, and keep them looking fabulous!

First, you are going to need to shape them. Most people get their brows waxed, and there are some of us that tweeze them ourselves, or get them threaded. This is all left up to preference but there are a few things you need to remember when doing them/getting them done. To properly shape your brows there are three points in which you need to remember and those three points are what will change the direction of your brows. The start of your brow will generally start right above the inner corner of your eye. An easy way to find the perfect spot is to take your index finger, line it up vertically with the side of your nose, and where the tip of your finger touches is where that brow should start. The next point you need to find is where your brow should arc. This is easily found if you have a makeup brush with a thin handle on it. To find this spot, simply take your brush and touch it to the end of your nostril, then (looking straight forward) line it up at an angel going directly over your pupil. The brush should reach a point on your brow and that is where it should arc. Now to find the place where your brow should end. This is also simple, and all you need to do is take the same thin makeup brush handle, line it up once again at the end of your nostril and make a line, touching the very end or outer corner of your eye. The brush will pass the end of your eye and where the brush lays, is where your brow should come to an end. Now you may run into a common problem; you do not have hair where your brow is supposed to start and/or end. This is where filling them in comes into play.

There are multiple ways to fill in brows but I will teach you the two most common ways. Brow pencil is used most often and there are pros and cons to using this. Brow pencils may leave little lines that are noticeable when people look at you. Those are generally cause by very firm pencils. If using a soft brow pencil, those lines are not as noticeable, however, soft brow pencils rub off easily, and if you find yourself commonly touching that area throughout the day, that would not be a wise choice. Pencils are supposed to be used for people that do not have many hairs at all anymore, and really need to make their brows more noticeable. The other option is brow powder, and this may seem tricky to people, but this is my personal favorite thing to do! In addition to the powder, you will also need an angled brush with firm bristles. You will fill your brows in like you would with a pencil. Using the brush may just take a little bit more practice. Powder is meant for those of us that just need to extend our brows a bit or fill in a tiny bit if you have a few spots that don't seem to be as thick. If you are unsure of which to use, ask a local makeup artist, and they may also be able to advise you.

Finally, you need to keep those brows in place. This can be done using brow gel, or wax. I would not really advise you use actual hair gel on your eye brows however. Use the things specifically for those areas. These will not only help to keep your brows in place all day, but they will also create a nice barrier for your brow pencil or wax, so you do not accidentally wipe it off throughout the day, and will keep you looking beautiful all day long!

Do you have question for Anthony?Email him at [email protected]

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ISSUE 6 JUNE 24, 2011|

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Like other girls like myself, I was once a little boy. For as far back as I can remember my feminine symptom presented itself at a very early age. At that time I found myself playing with barbie dolls and other girl-ish knickknacks. I can recall being about !"#$%&$'()$*#+,'$&-.$+/.$0#(/1$'#/%$%&$%2#$3,(/4(3+-5'$&6!4#$6&,$7#+,(/1$+$'8(,%$.9,(/1$3-+*:%(;#$+%$'42&&-<$I remember being shocked when Mr. Principal had stated to me, “Micheal why are you dressing in 7&;#/5'5$4-&%2#'=$>&95,#$+$0&*<?$@$'+%$%2#,#$'2&48#.$because I felt what I had done was totally natural. It was then that I realized I was very different from the other boys.

Though that abashing moment that day in the prin-4(3+-5'$&6!4#$'#%$%2#$%&/#$6&,$72+%$7+'$%&$4&;#$(/$my future, I did have a rather happy childhood. My Mother raised me without my real father and pro-vided me with the best life she could. What an amaz-ing job she did with sometimes so little. All through my pre-adolescent days my friends were girls, they accepted that I did not like to do boy things and I was seen more like the girls. Nonetheless, before High school as far as homophobia went I still did not understand the true meaning of the term until I #)3#,(#/4#.$(%<

High school was more like a gay boot camp. Eve-ryday I had to gain enough strength to walk into the -(&/5'$.#/$@$4+--#.$;*$'42&&-<$A(%2$%2#(,$3(%426&,8'$and torches my verbal-bashers berated me. Like the roar from a wolf pack their negative

statements blocked out my cries and yet I kept my head held high. I learned to use their harsh comments as strength to keep me go-ing.

A%$'()%##/$@$0#1+/$0#+9%*$'42&&-$+/.$-+%#,$completed. During my studies in beauty school I worked in a high-end salon along side many talented hair artists. It was a mostly female atmosphere and they were all very strong women of all ages. There at the salon I not only perfected my craft of doing hair, I also picked up sharper ways to be a woman and perfect my look as such. It was at that time at twenty years old I began my hor-mone therapy at the Howard Brown Center. Though I was nervous at the beginning of transitioning into a woman, I embraced it the more I realized the dramatic changes the therapy had on my once boyish body. To this day I thank those that molded me into the '%,&/1$4&/!.#/%$7&;+/$@$2+"#$0#4&;#<$

As a Cancer I am much like my sign: emo-tional, loving, intuitive, imaginative, shrewd, cautious, protective and sympathetic. I am also a normal person just going through day to day like anyone else. Perhaps this is a new +1#$0#4+9'#$@$2+"#$4&;#$%&$!/.$@$+;$+44#3%-ed warmly in many different social settings. So for other T-girls that feel as though the world will not bend for us eventually, I can as-sure you it is beginning to and you are loved.

I love my sector of the GLBT community and we should all be strong along side one another.

Remember, if you do not stand for something you will

fall for anything.

ISSUE 6 JUNE 24, 2011|

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/'!%1#22'3%1)J',!%N,,):)!'X7,>G'5%.G%7#'@%.'*'3)*>$'3%D&Actors and models can look toned in the pages of magazines. This is due to the quick workouts that involve pumping up their abs, chest, and arms minutes before a photo shoot. I like to utilize a dynamic/static/dynamic approach. The key is to move as explosively as possible after the hold. This creates a decent pump without a lot of sweating. Why shouldn’t you do the same before you hit the beach? Here’s Arroyo’s quick, get ripped workout for the beach.

ECR'-T2-YTEZ2)1)*#'L'E,B)/[:7<<\71/'Do three standard pull-ups. Pause at the top of the third rep, keeping your chin above the bar. Hold for 10 seconds, then lower your body and do three more reps.

:7/$\71/Do four standard push-ups. Keep your abs tight and your back straight. On the fourth rep, lower your body until your chest is and inch off the floor and hold for 20 seconds. After the hold, do four more push-ups.

6%D&\A),8$#'WX7*#/Keep your back straight and bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Push up through your heels. That’s one. Do Five. Pause in the low position of the fifth rep. Hold for 30 seconds, then do five more squats.

C*"8,"8']"))'2*,/)/Jump and grab a bar an underhand grip. Keep your arms and back straight and raise your knees to your chest. Do six reps. Pause at the top of the sixth rep and keep your knees close to your chest. Hold for 40 seconds, and then do six more.

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lailamcqueen

photography by matthew burgett

“I’m going to be famous.”A self proclaimed “Hot Mess” when starting drag at the age of sixteen, Laila McQueen has all the confidence of a seasoned performer. “I’m going to be famous,” she says.

She gains a sense of power, and a rush of energy when she is able to perform her art. She loves the transformation, and the ability to take on an entirely new character.

With the absence of a “Drag Mother,” Laila takes her inspiration from the slight guidance of big queens in Puerto Rico such as Jessica & Yara.

“ . . . The best part of drag is putting it all on,

and taking it all off.”

When she is out in drag, she is treated for what she is, a Queen.

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lailamcqueen

photography by matthew burgett

“I’m going to be famous.”A self proclaimed “Hot Mess” when starting drag at the age of sixteen, Laila McQueen has all the confidence of a seasoned performer. “I’m going to be famous,” she says.

She gains a sense of power, and a rush of energy when she is able to perform her art. She loves the transformation, and the ability to take on an entirely new character.

With the absence of a “Drag Mother,” Laila takes her inspiration from the slight guidance of big queens in Puerto Rico such as Jessica & Yara.

“ . . . The best part of drag is putting it all on,

and taking it all off.”

When she is out in drag, she is treated for what she is, a Queen.

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Having just come back from the City of Light +/.$B&"#$ @$ 4+/$ '+6#-*$ '+*$ %2+%$ %2#*$.&/5%$ 4+--$ (%$CD+*$E+,('?$6&,$/&%2(/1<

It is always a privilege to be able to immerse one-self in another culture, but going another step 69,%2#,$ +/.$ #)+;(/(/1$ +$ 6&,#(1/$ 4&9/%,*5'$ 1+*$community is nothing short of amazing. For the last three weeks I have been in Paris, France, for a short-term study abroad. When I found out that my hostel was in the middle of the Marais, one of the oldest areas in Paris, I knew I was going to be embarking on an unforgettable trip in this ancient and beautiful city with its new and thriv-ing gay scene.

The Marais treads the third and fourth arrondis-sements (the individual districts of Paris), known as Temple and Hôtel-de-Ville respectively. Mean-(/1$C%2#$;+,'2?$ (/$F,#/42G$B#$H+,+('$ ('$+/$&-.$and lively district that has undergone a great

cultural shift in the last several decades. The southern portion is renowned simply for its grand medieval architecture. In more recent years however, it has become known as the hot spot 6&,$ %7&$ ;+I&,$ (.#/%(%*$ 1,&93'J$ K,%2&.&)$ L#7'$and LGBT (mostly gay male) citizens. These two 1,&93'$-("#$'(.#$0*$'(.#G$;942$-(8#$(/$M#7$>&,8$N(%*5'$O+'%$P(--+1#G$+/.$4&/%,(09%#$'%,&/1-*$%&$%2#$cultural atmosphere of the district.

It is easy to see that gay life in the Maris is rela-tively young, but not so much in age demograph-ics. Historically I was reminded of the images and .&49;#/%#.$ -(6#'%*-#$&6 $ %2#$QR5'$ 1+*$ 4&;;9/(-%(#'$(/$M#7$>&,8$N(%*$+/.$S+/$F,+/4('4&<$@/$%2+%$aspect, many of the gay men in this community are in their thirties and forties; the younger gay community seemed, at least to me, more spread out over the city rather than concentrated in this district.

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T2#,#$7+'$+-'&$+$3#,"+'("#$0+%22&9'#$+/.$'#)$4-90$49-%9,#G$%2&912$'+6#:'#)$+."&4+4*$+/.$+7+,#/#''$was reassuringly just as strong with brochures and free condoms in many of the clubs that fea-tured back rooms (I did not go into any of the '3#4(!4$'#)$4-90'$09%$7+'$%&-.$0*$-&4+-'$%2+%$'+6#:'#)$+7+,#/#''$7+'$3,#"+-#/%$2#,#$%&&U<

Despite the strong community I found in Le Ma-rais, it was also quite apparent that France has a long way to go in terms of equality for its gay citizenry. I saw many posters demanding mar-,(+1#$ #V9+-(%*<$ N&/'(.#,(/1$ %2+%$ F,+/4#5'$ /#(12-bor, Spain, received gay marriage rather recently, I was hopeful about this prospect. At the same time, the Sarkozy government is quite conserva-tive and I was told by my new Parisian friends that upcoming elections between the current ad-ministration and a disturbingly fascist-sounding party meant that this struggle for equality might 0#$%&912#,$%2+/$%2#$!12%'$6&912%$2#,#$(/$W;#,-ica.

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RichieatsDiSotto Enoteca

200 E. Chestnut St. (Basement) Chicago, IL 60611 (Streeterville/Gold Coast) (312) 482-8727

Hours:

Mon-Thu & Sun: 5pm-1amSat: 5pm-3am

Transportation:

Red Line Chicago stop; Bus #10, 66, 125, 143, 144,145, 146, 147, 148, 151; Valet parking

Tastes:Service:

Ambiance:Bang For your Buck:

Acceptance:

richie diesterheft

Just off the crowded Magnificent Mile and under the John Hancock’s towering shadow exists a hidden secret (although not for long). The name DiSotto Enoteca, translated as “underground wine repository,”says it all. Some of the more masculine may refer to itas their “Man Cave,” while I would call it a Wine-O’s home away from home. To find your way, step into theSeneca Hotel’s Francesca’s on Chestnut, and followthe gaudy floral carpet downstairs…

Before you know it, you’re transported to a Tuscan wine cellar with arched, vaulted brick ceilings, hanging talian cured meats, and a chill, low-light ambience. Once you find a nook to sit in, the queen of the lair, Amy, will make her way over to you. The fabulous welcoming and boisterous Jacqueline-of-all-trades knows the menu by memory, partially because she’s been with DiSotto since it’s opening at the beginning of 2011. Knowing this, I submissively let her take the reigns of my evening while she started me off with a global tasting tour of her top picks: 75&Co. Cabernet Sauvignon (California), Barbera D'Alba (Italy), and Guilberteau Cabernet Franc (France). All were full of flavor, yet pleasantly light on the palate. I couldn’t help myself from accompanying my glasses of vino with infamous house specialty, Truffle egg toast with fontina cheese and asparagus (Toast con Uova, Fonti-na e Asparagi - $9). Whether you whisk the over-easy

egg yolks with your fork, or just slice away with the knife, you will helplessly be taking one bite after another of this decadent antipasto. I continued on my sojourn indulging on their bruschetta of rapini, pancetta, provolone and spicy olive oil that was perfectly crisp with an ever so slight kick of spice ($8).

Finally, I finishing off with a selection of cheeses, recommending to everyone the trio of smooth Caprini Misti goat cheese rolled in chives, paprika and pepper.

With a wine selection of 35 by-the-glass pours and 130 bottles focusing on Italy and Spain, half a dozenbruschette, and a myriad of cheeses and salamis, you’ll become cozy and at home to escape the Pride craziness.

Keep in mind that DiSotto is open late on the weekends, but do not accept reservations.

?)"",/'WJ'*</%'.)=,)5)D'?,/%##%'R"%#)>*%"'%"'P'02R7)?'

Fabulous. Perfect. I love it. Please stay away.

Our neighborhood has added a fabulous little wine bar, with great wines,

comfortable and classy decor, attentive service, good cheeses (but too few),

excellent small plate food, but not much room. It's already crowded by

mid-evening on the weekend.

Since Cru closed we've been hoping for a replacement place to relax on

Friday nights. This is it, even better and, for us, even closer. No outside

tables for people watching, but a really enticing decor. Its an Italian wine

cellar with a glass walled aging room at one end and the bar at the other.

Its hard not to order some prosciutto when you can see it hanging through

through the glass wall.

With a nice bottle of wine we had their truffle egg toast with fontina cheese

and asparagus. Interesting, different, not exciting. Then we had their

"Montenaro" - prosciutto, fontina cheese again, and a salsa with poscini

mushrooms on bruschette. It's a great combination of flavors, simply

delicious. We munched our way through that, along with a side dish of

olives, then went for the cheeses we'd ordered when we arrived: taleggio,

pecorino, and a capreni combination - one piece of capreni with chives,

one with paprika, one with pepper. The cheese portions were very generous,

which allowed us to sit and savor long enough that we needed more wine.

A suggestion: Cheeses in most restaurants are served too cold. They don't

sell enough to count on selling all the cheese each evening, so they leave it

hilled until its ordered. Serving cheese cold means the flavors do not come

through. It normally needs to be out for at least several hours to have full

flavor, 4-6 hours for some soft cheeses. So at DiSotto Enoteca we ordered

our cheeses as soon as we were seated, asking them to cut them and place

them aside until we asked for them. Try it - it makes a world of difference.

DiSotto Enoteca is everything we want in a wine bar. But please don't go.

Too many people have discovered it already, and I want to be able to get a

table on Friday nights.

Page 19: OUTinCHIissue6

RichieatsDiSotto Enoteca

200 E. Chestnut St. (Basement) Chicago, IL 60611 (Streeterville/Gold Coast) (312) 482-8727

Hours:

Mon-Thu & Sun: 5pm-1amSat: 5pm-3am

Transportation:

Red Line Chicago stop; Bus #10, 66, 125, 143, 144,145, 146, 147, 148, 151; Valet parking

Tastes:Service:

Ambiance:Bang For your Buck:

Acceptance:

richie diesterheft

Just off the crowded Magnificent Mile and under the John Hancock’s towering shadow exists a hidden secret (although not for long). The name DiSotto Enoteca, translated as “underground wine repository,”says it all. Some of the more masculine may refer to itas their “Man Cave,” while I would call it a Wine-O’s home away from home. To find your way, step into theSeneca Hotel’s Francesca’s on Chestnut, and followthe gaudy floral carpet downstairs…

Before you know it, you’re transported to a Tuscan wine cellar with arched, vaulted brick ceilings, hanging talian cured meats, and a chill, low-light ambience. Once you find a nook to sit in, the queen of the lair, Amy, will make her way over to you. The fabulous welcoming and boisterous Jacqueline-of-all-trades knows the menu by memory, partially because she’s been with DiSotto since it’s opening at the beginning of 2011. Knowing this, I submissively let her take the reigns of my evening while she started me off with a global tasting tour of her top picks: 75&Co. Cabernet Sauvignon (California), Barbera D'Alba (Italy), and Guilberteau Cabernet Franc (France). All were full of flavor, yet pleasantly light on the palate. I couldn’t help myself from accompanying my glasses of vino with infamous house specialty, Truffle egg toast with fontina cheese and asparagus (Toast con Uova, Fonti-na e Asparagi - $9). Whether you whisk the over-easy

egg yolks with your fork, or just slice away with the knife, you will helplessly be taking one bite after another of this decadent antipasto. I continued on my sojourn indulging on their bruschetta of rapini, pancetta, provolone and spicy olive oil that was perfectly crisp with an ever so slight kick of spice ($8).

Finally, I finishing off with a selection of cheeses, recommending to everyone the trio of smooth Caprini Misti goat cheese rolled in chives, paprika and pepper.

With a wine selection of 35 by-the-glass pours and 130 bottles focusing on Italy and Spain, half a dozenbruschette, and a myriad of cheeses and salamis, you’ll become cozy and at home to escape the Pride craziness.

Keep in mind that DiSotto is open late on the weekends, but do not accept reservations.

?)"",/'WJ'*</%'.)=,)5)D'?,/%##%'R"%#)>*%"'%"'P'02R7)?'

Fabulous. Perfect. I love it. Please stay away.

Our neighborhood has added a fabulous little wine bar, with great wines,

comfortable and classy decor, attentive service, good cheeses (but too few),

excellent small plate food, but not much room. It's already crowded by

mid-evening on the weekend.

Since Cru closed we've been hoping for a replacement place to relax on

Friday nights. This is it, even better and, for us, even closer. No outside

tables for people watching, but a really enticing decor. Its an Italian wine

cellar with a glass walled aging room at one end and the bar at the other.

Its hard not to order some prosciutto when you can see it hanging through

through the glass wall.

With a nice bottle of wine we had their truffle egg toast with fontina cheese

and asparagus. Interesting, different, not exciting. Then we had their

"Montenaro" - prosciutto, fontina cheese again, and a salsa with poscini

mushrooms on bruschette. It's a great combination of flavors, simply

delicious. We munched our way through that, along with a side dish of

olives, then went for the cheeses we'd ordered when we arrived: taleggio,

pecorino, and a capreni combination - one piece of capreni with chives,

one with paprika, one with pepper. The cheese portions were very generous,

which allowed us to sit and savor long enough that we needed more wine.

A suggestion: Cheeses in most restaurants are served too cold. They don't

sell enough to count on selling all the cheese each evening, so they leave it

hilled until its ordered. Serving cheese cold means the flavors do not come

through. It normally needs to be out for at least several hours to have full

flavor, 4-6 hours for some soft cheeses. So at DiSotto Enoteca we ordered

our cheeses as soon as we were seated, asking them to cut them and place

them aside until we asked for them. Try it - it makes a world of difference.

DiSotto Enoteca is everything we want in a wine bar. But please don't go.

Too many people have discovered it already, and I want to be able to get a

table on Friday nights.

Page 20: OUTinCHIissue6

<5=5!#)9%*#!")&!>#$7,#?#95!#)9O%#',@'-*#$%<,>'-$*.,#,)/'$*=)'*"&#$,"8'D%'5,#$',#J'J'J

A*&B%"'C7D/%"

Catholic Charities in Illinois continues to make newsin the wake of the state’s passage of the “Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act”, which granted Illinois’ same-sex couples state-level relationship recognition. They already made good on their threat to pull out of foster and adoption services in three diocese so far over the contention they did not want to place children with “same-sex or unmarried couples.” Catholic Charities has now filed a lawsuit looking to get a blanket “religious exemption” under state law in how they administer their services.

At the heart of the issue is the over

$30 million dollars that Catholic Charities receives from the state of Illinois for foster care and adoption services. This effectively moves them from a private faith-based organization, which does have built-in religious exemptions as the name of the civil unions law implies, to an administrator of state-funded public services. The are essentially acting as an agent of the state.

Catholic Charities provides foster care and adoption services for roughly one out of five children in the state of Illinois. That is a huge number of children who would fall under the whims and religious convictions of a church, not state law. It is also a huge number of prospective parents who would be cut out of the system. Catholic Charities is looking to be able to pick and choose who they provide their service to based on their religious dogma. By allowing the church to ignore the laws of the state in the public sector while using state funds, it in essence uses tax dollars to discriminate. This is a radical new expansion of religious exemptions that creates many troubling issues.

While they only claim to want the ability to discriminate against same-sex and unmarried couples, the giving of a broad, blanket, self-defined exemption based on a religious organizations “rules of conscious” opens many doors that move well beyond the LGBT community. Under their reasoning, Catholic Charities would be able to turn away anyone they choose, like married couples of other faiths, since they don’t follow their religious dogma. Anyone who doesn’t fall under a plethora of other “rules of conscious” and religious beliefs are now free to be cut out of a public, tax dollar funded service.

Groups like Catholic Charities already have religious exemptions. As a country who has a founding principal of religious freedom, we have always carved out the right of private religious institutions and organizations to think, believe, and act how they see fit. What we don’t allow is for the religious organizations to move out of the private realm using public funds and make their own laws and rules that affect us all. If we do, what is the point of making secular laws at all?

As we are nearing the end of Gay Pride Month I began to think about what pride actually means. Pride is defined as a high sense of the worth of one's self, or a pleasure taken in the contemplation of these things. Pride is not a luxury that is given freely. It has to be earned and it's not always easy to do so. It is understandable why many minority groups hold pride events. Being a gay man and a witch I completely understand the need for pride. Being part of minority groups that mainstream society doesn't understand is not always easy. People love labels and stereotypes. Sadly these are not usually used in a positive manor but as a away to isolate and separate by what they think they know about different groups of people. Even when most of their perceptions are completely wrong or a bizarre caricature of who people really are. With attitudes like this it can be hard to build a sense of pride in one's self with ignorance and hatred thrown about. Pride is earned.

Discovering the gay community was a wonderful asset. My mom introduced me to many wonderful gay films which helped me see others who felt like me and to see I'm a normal person.

.We'd take trips to Boystown and see the parade and be among family. I also had many friends who began to come out at the same time, allowing us to be a support system for each other. I also had to deal with my spirituality and coming out of the broom closet as a pagan as well. I had to deal with hurtful stereotypes on both fronts. People would judge me without knowing the person that I was, and it still happens today. There can be people who see me as the fun gay guy at work, but then there are others who see me for me. Being gay and a witch shape how I view the world. The challenges I have faced because of it have helped and will continue to help me grow as a person. Living life as my authentic self enables me to grow a rich sense of pride. It takes deep introspection, to become self-aware and honest. With out those components pride doesn't have a chance to grow and bloom. I live my life on my terms. I am always me. I know there are many people who I have helped or touched and that I have made a difference in their lives. I give of myself more than I ask of others. It is by our own actions that we can gain pride, and it is definitely worth celebrating. So remember as Gay Pride month draws to a close, be proud of all that you are. Everything you are contributes something to what you give to the world. I'm a gay, a witch, a poet, a knitter, an animal lover, a son,a friend. I can take pride in these things. They are all apart of me but none of them define me. They are the mosaic that makes us all. So . . . what have you done today to make you feel proud?

@"5!%"5A'%:)&%3)9'%!)35:B6.)"#':)..%##,

Page 21: OUTinCHIissue6

<5=5!#)9%*#!")&!>#$7,#?#95!#)9O%#',@'-*#$%<,>'-$*.,#,)/'$*=)'*"&#$,"8'D%'5,#$',#J'J'J

A*&B%"'C7D/%"

Catholic Charities in Illinois continues to make newsin the wake of the state’s passage of the “Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act”, which granted Illinois’ same-sex couples state-level relationship recognition. They already made good on their threat to pull out of foster and adoption services in three diocese so far over the contention they did not want to place children with “same-sex or unmarried couples.” Catholic Charities has now filed a lawsuit looking to get a blanket “religious exemption” under state law in how they administer their services.

At the heart of the issue is the over

$30 million dollars that Catholic Charities receives from the state of Illinois for foster care and adoption services. This effectively moves them from a private faith-based organization, which does have built-in religious exemptions as the name of the civil unions law implies, to an administrator of state-funded public services. The are essentially acting as an agent of the state.

Catholic Charities provides foster care and adoption services for roughly one out of five children in the state of Illinois. That is a huge number of children who would fall under the whims and religious convictions of a church, not state law. It is also a huge number of prospective parents who would be cut out of the system. Catholic Charities is looking to be able to pick and choose who they provide their service to based on their religious dogma. By allowing the church to ignore the laws of the state in the public sector while using state funds, it in essence uses tax dollars to discriminate. This is a radical new expansion of religious exemptions that creates many troubling issues.

While they only claim to want the ability to discriminate against same-sex and unmarried couples, the giving of a broad, blanket, self-defined exemption based on a religious organizations “rules of conscious” opens many doors that move well beyond the LGBT community. Under their reasoning, Catholic Charities would be able to turn away anyone they choose, like married couples of other faiths, since they don’t follow their religious dogma. Anyone who doesn’t fall under a plethora of other “rules of conscious” and religious beliefs are now free to be cut out of a public, tax dollar funded service.

Groups like Catholic Charities already have religious exemptions. As a country who has a founding principal of religious freedom, we have always carved out the right of private religious institutions and organizations to think, believe, and act how they see fit. What we don’t allow is for the religious organizations to move out of the private realm using public funds and make their own laws and rules that affect us all. If we do, what is the point of making secular laws at all?

As we are nearing the end of Gay Pride Month I began to think about what pride actually means. Pride is defined as a high sense of the worth of one's self, or a pleasure taken in the contemplation of these things. Pride is not a luxury that is given freely. It has to be earned and it's not always easy to do so. It is understandable why many minority groups hold pride events. Being a gay man and a witch I completely understand the need for pride. Being part of minority groups that mainstream society doesn't understand is not always easy. People love labels and stereotypes. Sadly these are not usually used in a positive manor but as a away to isolate and separate by what they think they know about different groups of people. Even when most of their perceptions are completely wrong or a bizarre caricature of who people really are. With attitudes like this it can be hard to build a sense of pride in one's self with ignorance and hatred thrown about. Pride is earned.

Discovering the gay community was a wonderful asset. My mom introduced me to many wonderful gay films which helped me see others who felt like me and to see I'm a normal person.

.We'd take trips to Boystown and see the parade and be among family. I also had many friends who began to come out at the same time, allowing us to be a support system for each other. I also had to deal with my spirituality and coming out of the broom closet as a pagan as well. I had to deal with hurtful stereotypes on both fronts. People would judge me without knowing the person that I was, and it still happens today. There can be people who see me as the fun gay guy at work, but then there are others who see me for me. Being gay and a witch shape how I view the world. The challenges I have faced because of it have helped and will continue to help me grow as a person. Living life as my authentic self enables me to grow a rich sense of pride. It takes deep introspection, to become self-aware and honest. With out those components pride doesn't have a chance to grow and bloom. I live my life on my terms. I am always me. I know there are many people who I have helped or touched and that I have made a difference in their lives. I give of myself more than I ask of others. It is by our own actions that we can gain pride, and it is definitely worth celebrating. So remember as Gay Pride month draws to a close, be proud of all that you are. Everything you are contributes something to what you give to the world. I'm a gay, a witch, a poet, a knitter, an animal lover, a son,a friend. I can take pride in these things. They are all apart of me but none of them define me. They are the mosaic that makes us all. So . . . what have you done today to make you feel proud?

@"5!%"5A'%:)&%3)9'%!)35:B6.)"#':)..%##,

Page 22: OUTinCHIissue6

Todd with September.

Born in the Chicago suburbs, Bridgeview, Todd has had music surrounding him since the day he was born. Being raised by a classic-rock loving mother, and later surrounded himself around an indie-rock alternative aunt, Todd found himself loving all types of music.

To break away from what he was hearing daily he turned to Classical and then into the Oldies. Discovering the roots behind all modern day music, he finally joined the present at age 13 when he joined his high school radio station, WARG. His passion to be a radio DJ may have started there, but it certainly didn’t end there. After graduating, he went on to Columbia and earned his degree in broadcasting. There, he also hosted an alternative/indie show on WCRX, while also running and participating in an alumni radio show program at his former high school, Argo.

After graduating from college, Todd realized that radio broadcasting was a hit-or-miss kind of career, so he took some time off from it and ventured into other venues. From managing an aquatics pool, to an A&F, no matter where he was, music had to be in the background and he made sure of it; making music discs and playing them on the overhead speakers.Currently, Todd teaches middle school history at a private school on the Westside. During his language arts lessons, he and his students pick songs every week and discuss the lyric content, and then pick apart music videos.

On the side, Todd does love TV, movies, and theater…almost as much as music, but feels that music is a soundtrack to one’s life, and nothing else can fulfill that. On his time off, he’s checking the concert calendar, going to a show, meeting musicians, and seeing whose albums have dropped. He has been to over 300 concerts (his first being Q101’s Twisted 4 at age 18), and has over 36,000 songs on his i-Tunes.His future goals/plans are to move into high school teaching, and possibly take up an offer to run his former high school radio station in the fall. You can find him posting something about music, among other things, daily on his facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/paulson.tm

Happy listening!

;,#3'%-'$!%MSTT%6&$#7%4#9'U&2This year’s 2-day Festival on Halsted Street is yet again another mix and match that has a little bit for everyone…and their inner diva.

On Friday, the festival opens its doors at 3pm. Head over to the north stage to find the Pride Drag Show at 5pm (also to repeat at 8pm, and then again on Saturday throughout the day). A couple hours after you can Absolutely enjoy Deborah Cox at 7pm, and Things Ain’t gonna be The Same. Soon after, feel Free to stick around for head-liner Ultra Nate.

On the opposite end of the street, at the south stage, you will find The Personnel opening the south end of Halsted at 6pm. Cheer for Chicago with the Chicago Spirit Brigade at 7:30pm, and enjoy a list of 80’s covers from Sixteen Candles at 8pm.

The following day’s highlights begin with Miss Foozie’s Pet Parade at 1pm to open up the north side stage. Lady Marmalade herself, Mya, will be all Sugar & Spice, so blow her a K.I.S.S. at 2:30pm. Later in the evening, the must-see Gypsy queen, Crystal Waters, performs 100% Pure Love and then some at 7pm. The Nite Life will continue after with Kim English, and Hold Your Head Up High for headliner, Inaya Day. For more information, head to the North Halsted web-site: http://www.northalsted.com/pages/chicago_pride_fest_/30.phpreview

P5<'-,#&'_'!<<'E$,"8/'6.,8$#'*"D'6)*7#,@7<

You may remember Owl City back in 2007 when we were given an eye-popping music video of 80’s throw-back toys that most of us (some?) had in our toy chests and closets; they all came to life and danced around Adam Young’s room as he sang “Fireflies”. Adam Young and toys seem to go hand-in-hand and All Things Bright and Beautiful shows how well he can use them.This time around Adam uses his toy techniques’ to allow for ear candy catches that won’t let you turn any of the songs off, first listen. However, the substance of the material inside the candy won’t end up on anyone’s mix tape to that special someone, but will come highly requested during those house parties, and sleep-over’s.

What’s interesting is how each song that Owl City puts out, allows the listener to not put themselves into Adam Young’s shoes, but into Adam’s world, as if you are watching it as a story, set to music. Most impressively, Owl City is a one man band, so you are really getting an autobiographical story from each song, no matter how lax the content.“The Real World”, the album opener, takes you to a time during autumn, where his adjective knowledge gets used to describe a girl. “A Deer in the Headlights” is a time when he met a girl and got pepper sprayed. On Adam’s lonely nights he hopes for an Angel to wake him letting him know that she is out there, in “Angel’s”. And with the single, “Alligator Sky”, Adam sings about leaving earth, and how much he’s never going to let her go. It’s only when guest vocalist, Shawn Chrystopher, raps about questioning our limits that we see this is more than a song about a girl and a guy, finally.

Owl City has made another good feeling album, with not a lot of substance. But it can show those who are in love, used to be in love, or want to be in love that not everything needs to be dark and ugly, life can sometimes be bright and beautiful.

For more on Owl City, check out their direct page: http://www.owlcitymusic.com/

1'A#'*

<)33C$%<&9'$E%DD':*7</%"

Page 23: OUTinCHIissue6

Todd with September.

Born in the Chicago suburbs, Bridgeview, Todd has had music surrounding him since the day he was born. Being raised by a classic-rock loving mother, and later surrounded himself around an indie-rock alternative aunt, Todd found himself loving all types of music.

To break away from what he was hearing daily he turned to Classical and then into the Oldies. Discovering the roots behind all modern day music, he finally joined the present at age 13 when he joined his high school radio station, WARG. His passion to be a radio DJ may have started there, but it certainly didn’t end there. After graduating, he went on to Columbia and earned his degree in broadcasting. There, he also hosted an alternative/indie show on WCRX, while also running and participating in an alumni radio show program at his former high school, Argo.

After graduating from college, Todd realized that radio broadcasting was a hit-or-miss kind of career, so he took some time off from it and ventured into other venues. From managing an aquatics pool, to an A&F, no matter where he was, music had to be in the background and he made sure of it; making music discs and playing them on the overhead speakers.Currently, Todd teaches middle school history at a private school on the Westside. During his language arts lessons, he and his students pick songs every week and discuss the lyric content, and then pick apart music videos.

On the side, Todd does love TV, movies, and theater…almost as much as music, but feels that music is a soundtrack to one’s life, and nothing else can fulfill that. On his time off, he’s checking the concert calendar, going to a show, meeting musicians, and seeing whose albums have dropped. He has been to over 300 concerts (his first being Q101’s Twisted 4 at age 18), and has over 36,000 songs on his i-Tunes.His future goals/plans are to move into high school teaching, and possibly take up an offer to run his former high school radio station in the fall. You can find him posting something about music, among other things, daily on his facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/paulson.tm

Happy listening!

;,#3'%-'$!%MSTT%6&$#7%4#9'U&2This year’s 2-day Festival on Halsted Street is yet again another mix and match that has a little bit for everyone…and their inner diva.

On Friday, the festival opens its doors at 3pm. Head over to the north stage to find the Pride Drag Show at 5pm (also to repeat at 8pm, and then again on Saturday throughout the day). A couple hours after you can Absolutely enjoy Deborah Cox at 7pm, and Things Ain’t gonna be The Same. Soon after, feel Free to stick around for head-liner Ultra Nate.

On the opposite end of the street, at the south stage, you will find The Personnel opening the south end of Halsted at 6pm. Cheer for Chicago with the Chicago Spirit Brigade at 7:30pm, and enjoy a list of 80’s covers from Sixteen Candles at 8pm.

The following day’s highlights begin with Miss Foozie’s Pet Parade at 1pm to open up the north side stage. Lady Marmalade herself, Mya, will be all Sugar & Spice, so blow her a K.I.S.S. at 2:30pm. Later in the evening, the must-see Gypsy queen, Crystal Waters, performs 100% Pure Love and then some at 7pm. The Nite Life will continue after with Kim English, and Hold Your Head Up High for headliner, Inaya Day. For more information, head to the North Halsted web-site: http://www.northalsted.com/pages/chicago_pride_fest_/30.phpreview

P5<'-,#&'_'!<<'E$,"8/'6.,8$#'*"D'6)*7#,@7<

You may remember Owl City back in 2007 when we were given an eye-popping music video of 80’s throw-back toys that most of us (some?) had in our toy chests and closets; they all came to life and danced around Adam Young’s room as he sang “Fireflies”. Adam Young and toys seem to go hand-in-hand and All Things Bright and Beautiful shows how well he can use them.This time around Adam uses his toy techniques’ to allow for ear candy catches that won’t let you turn any of the songs off, first listen. However, the substance of the material inside the candy won’t end up on anyone’s mix tape to that special someone, but will come highly requested during those house parties, and sleep-over’s.

What’s interesting is how each song that Owl City puts out, allows the listener to not put themselves into Adam Young’s shoes, but into Adam’s world, as if you are watching it as a story, set to music. Most impressively, Owl City is a one man band, so you are really getting an autobiographical story from each song, no matter how lax the content.“The Real World”, the album opener, takes you to a time during autumn, where his adjective knowledge gets used to describe a girl. “A Deer in the Headlights” is a time when he met a girl and got pepper sprayed. On Adam’s lonely nights he hopes for an Angel to wake him letting him know that she is out there, in “Angel’s”. And with the single, “Alligator Sky”, Adam sings about leaving earth, and how much he’s never going to let her go. It’s only when guest vocalist, Shawn Chrystopher, raps about questioning our limits that we see this is more than a song about a girl and a guy, finally.

Owl City has made another good feeling album, with not a lot of substance. But it can show those who are in love, used to be in love, or want to be in love that not everything needs to be dark and ugly, life can sometimes be bright and beautiful.

For more on Owl City, check out their direct page: http://www.owlcitymusic.com/

1'A#'*

<)33C$%<&9'$E%DD':*7</%"

Page 24: OUTinCHIissue6

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