Though we may think of political leaders as being dry-witted and doggedly serious in their pursuit to effect change, trans activist Riki Wilchins demonstrates how humor can be just as important a tool for disseminating information and channeling energy on issues to other activists. Wilchins is an accomplished author, one of TIME magazine’s 100 civic innovators, and the founder and executive director of Gender Public Advocacy Coalition (GenderPAC), which works toward breaking others of looking at gender as a hard-coded binary structure.

Her One Trans Show, The MANgina Monologues, discusses her personal story of transition along with pop cultural and political swipes relating to the perception of the larger transgender community.

Live dating show Single Mingle gives queer Chicagoans an entertaining Valentine’s weekend

by Kevin Sparrow

Dimmed lighting; dark, oblong ottomans and booth-like sofas; the sounds of Lady Gaga and Beyoncé pounding over subdued conversation: you may think you’ve just walked into a gay man’s basement, and you would be close. Chicago’s weekly live dating show, Single Mingle, held their first Big Gay Valentine’s Day event this past Saturday, February 13 at Spybar. Although the first queer-oriented evening, this is Single Mingle’s third show since opening on January 23, and they have been winning over admirers since. “It’s fun, it’s classy, and I like that there’s good people here… it’s a good idea because sometimes it’s hard to meet people,” says audience member Karen.

The innovative program not only has fans who are voyeurs; the participants feel that the event is helping breathe some new life into the queer community. “I think Chicago could really own itself more in its queerness,” says contestant Jessica. “I used to live in Boystown, but there was something almost desperately adolescent about it… I’m really excited for Chicago to mature in its queer scene.” Not only does Single Mingle allow a reprieve from typical nightspots of the Chicago LGBT community, it also helps those who are entering that community for the first time, as contestant Keith relates with his motivations for signing up. “I just moved to the city. I don’t know anyone up here yet, so it’s a good way to meet people.”

The show is split into two sessions, this night featuring a group of lesbians followed by a group of gay men engaging in a humorous mixture of meet-cute and ribaldry. Single Mingle’s main bachelor or bachelorette learns more about the three people on the other side of an expertly placed screen through a brief Q&A, friend testimonials, and some assistance from audience applause during a blind-folded couple’s dance with each contestant. “I think it’s definitely good to break it up,” says audience member Gwen of the dance portion of the program. “You can’t just ask a lot of questions, people get flustered.” Their tied tongues were loosened by loquacious hosts Tana McFarlane and Mitchel Migliore as well as special guest host JaJa Galliano, who helped by combing the audience for friends of the contestants to provide crucial personal information.

Interspersed with the main show were an interstitial performance of “Plastic Barbie” by JaJa, a raffle for champagne and opportunities for current singles to sign up as future contestants. The final couples were provided a $75 gift certificate to Rosebud Trattoria for a romantic first date, and audience members were supplied free condoms, gift cards to SEE eyewear and a memorable show.

by Kevin Sparrow

The history of military service is pervasive in American society, from the early Revolutionary and Civil Wars that fill our History textbooks to the image of Navy sailor passionately kissing a women on his return to shore to the activism sparked by misguided directives of the Vietnam War. As we approach the seventh anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq this month, a secondary issue that has influenced the military for the past 17 years is being hotly debated: the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. A misconceived corrective to keep LGBT service members from being discharged outright, this policy has recently been a focal point for politicians and the public at large as they muddle through a conflict of which many Americans are still critical.

Two polls conducted this past week show that the majority of civilians now support allowing gay, lesbian and bisexual soldiers to serve openly in the military. An ABC News-Washington Post poll shows that 75 percent of respondents would be in favor of homosexual servicemembers serving openly, with a 64 percent support rate from Republican respondents. A CBS News-New York Times poll released the day before shows seven in ten respondents supporting open service by gay and lesbian people. There is a caveat with this data; both polls used “gay and lesbian” and “homosexual” alternately to describe LGBT servicemembers and found respondents were less willing to support “homosexuals” serving openly than “gay and lesbian” people.

This data reveals a positive shift in the perception of openly gay and lesbian people and their commitment to current American values; however, a repeal could easily lead to an acceptance of some troubling fallout from this policy’s history. RaceWire recently pointed out that black women are disproportionately affected by DADT, contributing to 3.3 percent of all discharges based on this policy, but only making up less than one percent of servicemembers. Many of these discharges may not even be based on actual sexual identity or behavior but on perception or vindictiveness by other servicemembers. A repeal of this policy will not help black women in the military generally if they are running up against sexist and racist authorities, but because there is no policy in place keeping them from serving, these slights will be more easily overlooked with a widespread repeal of DADT. By conceding to one minority group’s needs with a very tangible, another’s plight may be diminished.

By repealing DADT and policies that keep openly gay LGBT from serving, we must not forget that there is more that needs to be done to reform the U.S. military. Beyond removing current obstacles, protections need to be put into place that allow all servicemembers to interact in respectful and egalitarian ways. A third recent poll Military Times conducted exclusively with those serving in all branches of the military found that 51 percent of respondents did not support a repeal of DADT policies, a much higher percentage of opposition than the general public. Ensuring that minority servicemembers are accepted by their units and treated with dignity is an important consideration that should influence any new policies going forward. History repeats itself if its lessons are not realized, but we have the opportunity help promote an honorable military that treats all members equally. Hopefully, this lesson is one that works to influence all American society.

At the annual National Prayer Breakfast on February 4, President Obama condemned Ugandan legislation that would penalize homosexual people for engaging in homosexuality. Speaking before a room filled with sponsors of the breakfast, the Fellowship Foundation–an organization linked to efforts to pass the anti-LGBT bill–Obama called the measures “unconscionable” and “odious.”

60 members of Congress have signed a letter addressed to President Obama urging him to pass the comprehensive immigration-reform Uniting American Families Act with language that allows LGBT U.S. nationals to sponsor their partners
in binational families.

The European Parliament reaffirmed today that securing LGBT rights were an important consideration for candidate countries applying to join the European Union.

A school program for LGBT students recently opened in Los Angeles. A collaboration with Opportunities for Learning, the anti-harassment school would offer around 40 7th through 12th graders an alternative program with an independent study angle. Students meet with an instructor twice a week and spend the other weekdays completing a full day of schoolwork at home.

If you are planning on spending your Valentine’s weekend eating pints of Chubby Hubby and watching Love, Actually fourteen times, fear not! Single Mingle will be hosting their Big Gay Valentine’s Day show at Spybar (646 N. Franklin) on Saturday, February 13. Single Mingle utilizes familiar dating game elements in a live environment that allows the crowd to size each other up and pair off while three predetermined contestants vie for the hand of one lucky lonesome. Doors open at 6 PM followed by two shows separated by an intermission.

If you’re looking for something to do with a special someone this weekend, head to Chicago’s Freedom to Marry Day events, which will include a demonstration by the LGBTQA Liberation Network on Valentine’s Day outside Holy Name Cathedral (735 N. State St.) picketing Cardinal Francis George and his efforts within the Catholic church to staunch equal marriage. Meet up at 10:30 AM, just in time for mass! London will be holding a similar demonstration that day to protest a visit by the Pope, organizing for a secular Europe as well as LGBT and women’s rights.

Female hip hop stars are akin to major metropolitan areas in the central United States: they can be few and far between. In a male-dominated industry that some perceive as generally misogynistic, it takes a strong voice both literally and lyrically to stand apart and prove that hip-hop is more than a boys’ club. Nicki Minaj has proven her skills at the age of 25 by being signed to Lil Wayne’s Young Money label and putting out four mixtapes in the last four years that combine samples from other artists with Minaj’s original work.

Although Minaj has had to work through the same issues that have plagued many female emcees, namely sex appeal being valued over substance and public scrutiny of her sexual orientation, her work is picking up thousands of fans and showing the viability of different forms of expression for young females everywhere.

It’s 2010, and Cul de sac is back in session. We decided to kick it old school by starting off with our nouveau classique series, Musician Mondays. Marina Diamandis is a 24-year-old Greek-Welsh singer based in London who plugs into sounds ranging from ’80s new wave to modern pop, dance and synth-rock. Her surname literally translates as “Diamonds” and is used as a stage moniker to denote her fans, not her backing band. Marina and the Diamonds‘ debut album, The Family Jewels, will be released on February 22 in the US.

Marina’s voice recalls strong female alt-musicians from Kate Nash and Lily Allen to Kate Bush and Imogen Heap, and her lyrics touch on identity-formation, commercialization and female sexuality. She is currently touring her native UK, heading across the pond for a few dates in New York this March. The first single from the album, “Hollywood” is set to be officially released on February 1 (our editor-in-chief’s date of birth!), but you can watch the video below:

by Jacob McPherson

British indie-powerhouses The XX and Friendly Fires are touring together.  They will be playing a sold-out show at Bottom Lounge in Chicago on Tuesday, December 1st.  Although the two produce music that differs greatly from each other, the pairing is unsurprising.  The XX debuted in August of this year and create music that shows influences of R&B and 80’s guitar.  Deep bass complemented by well-tuned vocals drives their sound.

Friendly Fires have been on the scene since September of 2008.  They create a sound that can be best described as Britpop dance-punk.  It seems appropriate that The XX are opening for them, as they will get the mood started out right for the high energy that Friendly Fires will bring.  Both artists are on the Beggars roster and are of equal caliber.

Although I will not be seeing this show, I have seen both of these acts separately.  The members of Friendly Fires are true rock stars and will have everyone dancing to tracks like “Jump in the Pool” and “Photobooth.”  The XX forces the audience to pay attention and become part of the music.  With tracks like “Crystalize” and “Islands,” a melodic journey is sure to take place.

by Jacob McPherson

Friday night, I ventured over to the Metro to experience the Peaches concert.  Amanda Blank opened, and I was a little underwhelmed with her performance, given all the hype around her.  However, she was still enjoyable and made an appropriate opener for Peaches.  Since this was my second time seeing Peaches, I knew what to expect from the performance.

I first saw Peaches at The Music Hall of Williamsburg. Drag personality Sherry Vine was in the VIP section; it is very hard to compete with that, but Peaches still delivered an incredible show.  What I enjoy most about her is that she truly is a performer.  She wears the most ridiculous outfits, walks across the crowd, and brings a third dimension to her music.

As expected, the majority of the crowd was queer.  With risqué songs like “Tent in Your Pants,” “I Feel Cream,” and of course, “Fuck the Pain Away,” it was pretty much like a Friday night at Berlin.  Although her latest album, I Feel Cream, put out by XL Recordings, has been out for a while, it is still a must for any party mix.

by Jacob McPherson

Sweden keeps producing strong musical acts.  Saturday night, I thoroughly enjoyed myself when experiencing the music of Little Dragon.  They played a free show for the fifteenth anniversary of Double Door in Chicago.  It was one of those concerts where the energy of the music was absorbed through the entire crowd, creating a surreal atmosphere.

Led by Japanese vocalist, Yukimi Nagano, the group pumped out electronic soul music that sounded retro yet modern at the same time.  Nagano’s vocal skills were well complimented by beats created by Erik Bodin, Fredrik Wallin, and Hakan Wirenstrand.  Although the group can be compared to acts such as Bjork, Miike Snow and Kate Bush, their experimental sound sets them apart.  There are traces of 80s pop and jazz, all blended into one amazing package.

If you haven’t been actively avoiding Wal-Mart like it was H1N1, now you have more justification: a gay couple was recently banned for life from the chain after being harassed by Niles, MI store security for reportedly shoplifting, claims that were quickly verified by local police as untrue. Litigation to sue the couple at ten times the amount of items claimed as stolen is underway, the rationale being they were “uncooperative” by refusing to enter a closed-off detention room with their 11-year-old twins. While the couple talked to the police, the young boys were kept in the detention room and are now experiencing nightmares and other emotional trauma. The smiley-face mascotted store that purports to be family-friendly apparently stops short of that definition when it comes to same-sex couples.

On the other side, current enemies to gay rights legislation may be seeking some unity with the LGBT community: Salt Lake City passed two bills endorsed by the Mormon Church that ban employment and housing discrimination against LGBT people, the first city in Utah to do so. Even with a predominately Church-affiliated legislature and a governor who has stated that discrimination against LGBT people should not be made illegal, things are starting to look on the progressive side for the state.

An open and affirming church in (veh-ry) conservative Orange County, CA has decided to stage a performance of the controversial play “Corpus Christi.” The play follows a narrative positing Jesus as a gay Texan man in the 1950s, which is sure to angry up the blood of more than a few Bible-thumpers in the area. Church of the Foothills state that their intention is to begin a dialogue about the intersection of sexual orientation and spirituality with what they deem a respectful handling of the issue by playwright Terrence McNally.

An Alabaman teen who was recently denied attendance to her school’s prom if she brought her girlfriend as a date may be able to attend after all. After intervention by the ACLU and a near-cancellation of the entire event, Tharptown High School officials say the will allow Cynthia Stewart to attend with her girlfriend as long as the out-of-district teen passes a screening. Stewart is part of the prom planning committee and helped raise more than $200 to fund the dance.