Programs
Pride Month
Join the Chicago Public Library in honoring Pride Month this June. We are celebrating with film screenings, music performances and thought-provoking programs. Be on the lookout for our contingent in the Chicago Pride Parade on June 30.
Same-Sex Marriage: Recommended Reads »
Pride Month Calendar of Events
Film Screening: How Do I Look
Tuesday, June 4, 6:00 p.m.
Harold Washington Library Center
Cindy Pritzker Auditorium
The documentary How Do I Look (2006) examines Harlem’s famed ballroom scene, which brought the world the “voguing” sensation. The film focuses on many of the artists from the scene in the years after the international success of the Paris Is Burning documentary and the social and cultural issues they continue to face. Director Wolfgang Busch will be present for a post-screening discussion.
Music in the Library: The shhh…OUT! Lakeside Pride Jazz Ensemble
Wednesday, June 5, 6:00 p.m.
Harold Washington Library Center
Cindy Pritzker Auditorium
The dynamic shhh…OUT! Lakeside Pride Jazz Ensemble, conducted by Omar Fong-Bances, appears in concert. Each member of the band, which includes trumpets, trombones, saxophones and rhythm, is LGBT or an ally. The band will perform a wide variety of music, including pop, swing, Latin and Broadway. Presented in cooperation with the Chicago Public Library’s Music Information Center.
The Essential Comic Book Queer Reader
Saturday, June 8, 2:00 p.m.
Harold Washington Library Center
Chicago Authors Room, Seventh Floor
Panelists from the popular Comic Book Queers podcast discuss important LGBTQ moments in comic book history, including how portrayals of LGBTQ characters in comic books have changed over time and how those portrayals have influenced them. The panel will provide a reading list to introduce a new LGBTQ reader to comic books. Comic Book Queers is Chicago’s most outrageous comic book podcast; it was voted as one of the top 10 podcasts by PopCandy. The podcast features longtime and new readers discussing hot comics with a mix of reverence, snark and love for the art form.
Film Screening: Mosquita y Mari
Wednesday, June 12, 6:00 p.m.
Humboldt Park
Writer-director Aurora Guerrero’s tender coming of age story, Mosquita y Mari (2012), focuses on a friendship between two young Chicanas that slowly blossoms into more. A complimentary DVD of the film (courtesy of Wolfe Video) will be raffled off. Queer Film Society Founder/President Richard Knight, Jr. will lead a post-screening audience discussion.
Film Screening: On the Downlow
Tuesday, June 18, 6:00 p.m.
Logan Square
On the Downlow (2004) tells the story of Isaac and Angel, two young men living in Little Village. They have a secret love affair in a world where such secrets can cause complications more painful than either of them foresees. DVDs of the film will be available for purchase. Director and co-writer Tadeo Garcia and co-writer Roger B. Domian will be present for a post-screening discussion.
Queue Tips: Discovering Your Next Great Movie
Wednesday, June 19, 7:00 p.m.
Sulzer Regional Library
Queer Film Society member Rob Christopher presents an overview of his 2012 book Queue Tips, a guide to help movie fans decide what to watch next while utilizing the DVD selections from the local library. Writer-performance artist David Kodeski presents a multimedia version of his contribution to Queue Tips, a chapter titled “That Magic Moment, Homoerotic Display in Heternormative Cinema” which delves into the homoerotic content in the 1961 Susan Hayward-John Gavin film Back Street and other movies. Christopher will sign copies of his book, which will be available for purchase.
Homophobia and the Black Church: How Faith, Politics and Fear Divide the Black Community
Saturday, June 29, 1:00 p.m.
Woodson Regional Library
Author Anthony Stanford presents his case linking the reasons blacks are intolerant of deviation from acceptable sexual behavior to the 1960s struggle for racial equality; and tying longstanding black sexual mores to present-day politics, social conservatism and the lure of federal funding to religious and social organizations. Stanford will sell and sign copies of his book after the program.