Author: Jessica Danielle Followell

The month of June marks LGBTQ Pride. Follow along on our blog and social media platforms as we explore Chicago’s vibrant LGBTQ community and take a look at influential LGBTQ people from Illinois.  #PrideMonth

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“If a bad actor can be elected president, why not a good drag queen?”

— Joan Jett Blakk

Joan Jett Blakk is  the drag persona of Chicagoan performer Terence Smith.  Blakk started her career in 1974. She was also one of the founders of the Chicago chapter of Queer Nation, a political action group focused on enhancing the visibility of queer people and queer issues at the height of the AIDS crisis.… Read More

The month of June marks LGBTQ Pride. Follow along on our blog and social media platforms as we explore Chicago’s vibrant LGBTQ community and take a look at influential LGBTQ people from Illinois.  #PrideMonth

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Lorraine Hansberry was an African-American playwright and writer from Chicago. She was born in Chicago on May 19, 1930 to middle-class parents. Hansberry grew up in a racially restricted neighborhood in Southside Chicago, where her father fought all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court for them to live. She is most well-known for being the first black female author to have her play, A Raisin in the Sun, performed on Broadway.… Read More