This story apparently broke a few months ago, but is only now making it's way into the mainstream media. It seems Venus Magazine publisher Charlene Cothran has found Jesus and realized the error of her formerly lesbianic ways. It all started back in 2004, when Cothran joined her queer comrades at Chicago's gay pride event, when she realized that she "doesn't belong" with the gays. Thus, last October, she released a statement, effectively rescinding years of lesbianism:

…I must come out of the closet again. I have recently experienced the power of change that came over me once I completely surrendered to the teachings of Jesus Christ. As a believe of the word of God, I fully accept and have always known that same-sex relationships are not what God intended for us…

With her change, Cothran said that her 13-year old magazine - one of the few for lesbians of color - will take a new, less homo-centric direction…

CONTINUED »

As we learned from the dearly departed Gay Speak, there's no shortage of insults for gay people. And, if given the chance, derogatory remarks can wear down one's sense of self. While this may be true, we're not sure how we feel about a case unfolding in Chicago.

A gay man named Nicholas Gutierrez is currently on trial for murdering and sexually assaulting a 51-year old woman named Mary Stachowicz back in 2002. Though he originally insisted he knew nothing about the woman's death, Gutierrez still managed to lead coppers to her body (conveniently enough, it was stuffed in his crawl space). Further, DNA evidence found on the body matches a sample taken from Gutierrez.

Obviously none of this looks good, so his defense team has taken a bit of an unconventional road, maintaining that Stachowicz repeatedly derided Gutierrez for being gay. In her opening statements, attorney Crystal H. Marchigiani explained, "It happened because she could not leave him alone in his lifestyle."

Okay. We don't like homophobes, but we really don't like murderers. While we definitely feel for Gutierrez, we have to say that's a pretty shitty excuse for murdering someone.

Also, in an especially disturbing twist (especially considering the sexual assault aspect, which is twisted in and of itself), Marchigiani claims that Gutierrez projected images of his abusive mother onto Stachowicz.

She must be so proud.

Chicago's Kit Kat Lounge and Supper Club is either the most forgiving gay bar — or has the most keen sense of generating publicity. Rather than joining the criticism of "fag"-calling White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, the Kit Kat has instead named a drink after him: The Effen Ozzie GuillenTini. The martini "is made with assorted fresh fruits, vodka and served with a complimentary Sun-Times sports section for $8.50." You can enjoy one during the bars next drag show &mdsah; and all the way through baseball season.

Straight up: Gay bar makes Ozzie GuillenTini [Chicago Sun-Times]
Related: All Ozzie Guillen Coverage

Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen made a formal apology last night for using the word "fag" to insult Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti. His word choice may have been inappropriate, he says, but not his message.

"I shouldn't have mentioned the name that was mentioned, but I'm not going to back off of Jay," Guillen said, using another profanity to describe Mariotti.

"The word I used, I should have used something different. A lot of people's feelings were hurt and I didn't mean it that way."

Meanwhile, Mariotti's column today is calling for Guillen's suspension. Sure, it takes him four paragraphs to get into his argument, but he's got a good case: This is the second time in less than a year Guillen has made disparaging remarks toward homosexuals; last year, he "greet[ed] a friend warmly" by saying "Hey, everybody, this guy's a homosexual! He's a child molester!'

Mariotti wants Guillen handed a two week suspension — just enough time for some decency to settle in and realize what a public embarrassment he's become for his team and the city of Chicago. Perhaps ironically, Mariotti actually supported Guillen getting the team manager spot, knowing he might be insensitive at times. But never egregiously so.

White Sox manager apologizes for 'fag' remark [AP]
Sensitivity the issue, Guillen the problem [Chicago Sun-Times]
Earlier: White Sox's Ozzie Guillen: I Can Say 'Fag' Without Being Homophobic
Earlier: Perhaps the White Sox's Ozzie Guillen Isn't So Anti-Gay, After All

The cause of the Chicago Public Library fire that burned through the gay and lesbian section is being attributed to a 21-year-old homeless woman, though officials are rebuking any notion that Erica Graham's actions contstituted a hate crime. She's been charged with one count of attempted aggravated arson for the fire that burned some 100 books, including some in the African-American section. Such an equal opportunity arsonist.

Woman charged in library arson [Chicago Tribune]

Remember yesterday's item about the White Sox's Ozzie Guillen calling Chicago Sun-Times Jay Mariotti columnist a "fag" and then recoiling with the defense that he has gay friends and all that? Perhaps his best defense would've been to remind everyone of this picture. Can you call a dude a homophobe if he's lip-locking with other jocks?

Weekend Caption Contest™ Winners [Wizbang Pop]
Earlier: White Sox's Ozzie Guillen: I Can Say 'Fag' Without Being Homophobic

For every modicum of progress made in gay men and women feeling accepted in the sports world, it only takes a single blow to knock the wind out of our headway. On Tuesday, it was Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen who stole this dubious honor.

Reacting to a column by the Chicago Sun-Times' Jay Mariotti about Guillen's handling of relief pitcher Sean Tracey, the Sox's manager said, "What a piece of shit he is, fucking fag." (Mariotti was covering the NBA Finals and wasn't there to witness the comments.) Fellow Sun-Times columnist Greg Couch addressed the issue and demanded MLB Commissioner Bud Selig to suspend Guillen over the use of a "hurtful homophobic" term. He also asked Giullen to defend himself.

Guillen's excuse? In his native country of Venezuela, using the word "fag" isn't offensive, apparently: "I don't have anything against those people. In my country, you call someone something like that and it is not the same as it is in this country." Oh, and he also has gay friends, goes to WNBA games, went to a Madonna concert and plans to attend Chicago's Gay Games. Nevermind the explicit meaning Guillen meant when he used the word "fag": that columnist Mariotti "was not man enough to meet me and talk about [things before writing]." Because anyone who's got gay friends and enjoys striking a pose could never say something homophobic.

Guillen calls columnist Mariotti homosexual slur [ESPN]

We wanted to pick just the right person to interview at Sidetrack, considering it was showtunes night, and no one impressed us more than Joe, who knew all the words to most of the songs and pretended to know the rest.

A very talented graphic designer/singer/emoter, we think Joe has a future in show business if he learns some of the male roles.

Read our full interview with Joe after the jump.

CONTINUED »

We heard that tonight was showtunes night at Chicago's "premiere video bar" Sidetrack and the thought of seeing a room full of homos singing along to a big video screen of Ethel Merman performing "No Business Like Show Business" proved too enticing for us to stay away.

So after a delicious dinner at local gay pan-Asian eatery Ping Pong (on N. Broadway and Buckingham), we strolled over to Sidetrack to catch a few tunes. There we met up with fellow blogger Rod 2.0 and shared a bit of catty blogosphere gossip that anyone else would find dreadfully boring.

But back to the scene: Sidetrack has an 80s futuristic decor that some would consider a bit cheesy, but we will let the photos speak for themselves. We really loved the wrought iron bathroom because walking in felt like leaving show choir rehearsal and entering a Falcon dungeon. We giggled at the contrast.

The bar is decked out with video screens everywhere and, as promised, they were showing video footage of showtune performances from all eras. Not as many patrons knew the words as we expected, but they were doing better than we were. Take the full tour after the jump.

CONTINUED »

A trip to the Windy City wouldn't be complete without a photo in front of the impressive Buckingham Fountain (aka the Married With Children Fountain), so here I am. Throughout our two-day visit here in Chicago, we have been so impressed with how clean and well-landscaped the city is. The waterfront is pristine and gorgeous, the sidewalks are free of poop and garbage, and even the cross-town expressway is attractive and well-designed. Walk with us after the jump.

CONTINUED »

Today we stumbled upon one of Chicago's hidden secrets: the plentiful and varied supply of lubes at the corner pharmacy! We have all been in a crunch and been forced to buy Astroglide or (God forbid) KY at CVS in the middle of the night, and the end result is never good. Well here in Chicago at Walgreen's, which is arguably the most conservative of all the big pharmacy chains, we found they sold more varieties of lube than they did celebrity perfumes (only Shania's and Britney's were in sight).

There was ID, Wet, Probe, and even something called "Elbow Grease" that came in intimidating tubs. We weren't even in the gay neighborhood, yet while shopping for a pen we came face to face with the biggest bottle of ID Glide we have ever seen. See the detail shots after the jump, along with the moral of this story.

CONTINUED »

Lewis came to Chicago via Belize, and wouldn't live anywhere else in the world, except maybe New York. He has done some "gay modelling" locally, but we won't delve too deeply into what that means.

We took a few minutes out of his evening at Roscoe's last night to ask him a few questions about his home city. He proved to be very friendly. Read his full interview after the jump.

CONTINUED »

Every Chicagoan who wrote to us before the road trip started said that we have to check out Roscoe's, and that even on a Sunday night it would be lively. Well it did not disappoint. What looks like a little neighborhood bar when you first walk in proves to be much larger, with four bars, an outdoor garden patio, a dark room for dancing in the back complete with dry ice and strobe lights, and lots of "cute young guys and the men who love them" as reader David described.

We enjoyed some $3 beer and watched campy music videos while soaking up the genuinely friendly and unpretentious attitude of the bar patrons. We're not sure if it's a midwestern thing, but we already feel at home here.

Photos of the bar and back room after the jump.

CONTINUED »

After recovering from the depression induced by the mall in Flint, MI, we arrived in Chicago just in time for the Captured! By Robots show. This band is the creation of J-Bot, who plays music with a band of home-made robots that all play their own instruments. The current tour is "I Got Married By Captured! By Robots," during which J-Bot, who is an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church, marries couples, gay, straight or otherwise during the concert (and offers instant annulments afterwards for the faint of heart).

Val and Ava, pictured above, were two lovely ladies who are in the same roller derby league and decided take their status as "league wives" to the next level. Check out photos of their delicious wedding cake as well as pictures of the band after jump.

CONTINUED »

• Egypt has an astonishingly low HIV infection rate, but not because everyone is using condoms. Gays are afraid to get tested because their hospital records might be used against them in police raids, so the freely available tests are underutilized. [Pink News]

• Black voters are repeatedly duped by the Republican party's homophobic tactics, according to a new study. [365 Gay]

• You can now officially find gay sex inside of Walmart. The Brokeback Mountain DVD will be sold as planned despite protests from Christian groups. [LA Times]

• The community of family-friendly Crystal Lake, IL will allow the Gay Games to send its perverted, homosexual rowers to compete on their beloved body of water. [ABC7]

• Syphilis is on the rise in Chicago. Shall we issue an orange alert or can citizens smarten up and start playing safe? [The Advocate]