Category: February 2023

Harrisburg restaurant, drag community, LGBTQ youth group weather religious furor spreading to library board elections

HARRISBURG, IL — First, a coalition of conservative Christian churches began attacking an LGBTQ youth group, calling it a recruitment tool to the “transsexual and homosexual lifestyle.”

Then, the coalition attacked the public library, and a moderate local church. Next up: drag performers and the gay-owned restaurant that started hosting them.

Now, two anti-LGBTQ candidates are running for the Harrisburg Public Library Board.

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Killman holds candidate event, Rainbow Cafe calls out Tennessee anti-LGBTQ bills, and more

A bathroom bill that doesn’t even require multi-gender bathrooms triggers an Illinois state representative to cancel a planned appearance in Edwardsville.

Meanwhile, a Carbondale nonprofit is putting out a call of support for LGBTQ activist groups in Tennessee, where two anti-LGBTQ bills have advanced and are on the verge of becoming law.

You can also learn about some pivotal Carbondale City Council happenings: a “Meet the Candidate” event by Clare Killman, and a gun violence study before the City Council Tuesday.

it’s all part of the TRM Southern Illinois Weekly Update.

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Western Iowa to have LGBTQ Pride events in Sioux City, Fort Dodge, Orange City and Omaha/Council Bluffs

If you live in western Iowa, you have at least four LGBTQ+ Pride events to choose from this year.

Read about plans underway for SUX Pride June 2 and 3, Fort Dodge Pride Fest coming June 24, Heartland Pride for Omaha and Council Bluffs on July 15, and Pride Orange City in October.

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LGBTQ Pride plans announced for Galena, Quad Cities, Kewanee; two new dispensaries may open in Moline

The Galena Pride Picnic, the Pride Party at Bass Street Landing in Moline, and the first-ever Kewanee LGBT Pride Fest are among the Northwest Illinois LGBTQ Pride events coming together.

Read about them here, along with the new name for the group that runs the Quad Cities Pride Fest, happening this year June 2 and 3.

Plus, learn about the cannabis dispensaries aiming to open in Moline.

It’s all part of the TRM Northwest Illinois Weekly Update.

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Poet Rainey performs with colleagues, Clock Inc. speaks out, marriage equality pioneer Jim Obergefell visits Iowa City, and more

You can take in an evening of music with singer/songwriter Namoli Brennet, or a night of poetry with Caleb Rainey and friends. Or, you can hear marriage equality “accidental activist” Jim Obergefell give a speech.

Learn, too, about Clock Inc.’s strong stance against the anti-LGBTQ moves in the Iowa State Legislature, plus a new name for the former Quad Cities Pride Festivals. It’s now called Quad Cities Pride Alliance.

It’s all part of the new TRM Eastern Iowa Weekly Update.

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Learn about 19th-century transgender war hero in Russia, “second-wave Klan” roots in southern Illinois

Acclaimed sci-fi author Cheryl Morgan, the first-ever openly transgender winner of the Hugo Award for literary achievement, will lead an online talk Feb. 21 about Aleksandr Aleksandrov, a Ukrainian-born Russian war hero in the 19th century who lived as a man after being born a woman.

Historian Darrel Dexter will share his research Saturday into the “second-wave Klan” history of southern Illinois. Dexter’s talk at the Carbondale Public Library, also available online, will outline the rise and fall of the Klan during its second life in the early 1900s.

These two online events are part of TRM’s new weekly Online Event of the Week, highlighting virtual events that help present a more complete picture of society that includes marginalized identities.

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Black History Month Art from ‘Embracing Our Differences’

Embracing Our Differences has grown from a Florida effort to an international cause involving tens of thousands across 119 countries.

Its leaders gathered submissions that resonated with Black History Month and gave The Real Mainstream a chance to share that work here.

Check out this specially curated collection, featuring nine pieces from eight different artists exploring different themes of Black history, and excerpts from their Artists’ Statements.

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