''Windy City Times'' is an
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term ...
newspaper in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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that published its first issue on September 26, 1985.
History
''Windy City Times'' was founded in 1985 by Jeff McCourt, Bob Bearden, Drew Badanish and
Tracy Baim, who started Sentury Publications to publish the paper.
In 1987, Baim left Sentury Publications to found a new newspaper called ''Outlines''. ''WCT'' and ''Outlines'' were the two primary LGBT newspapers in the region for more than 12 years. In 2000, Baim purchased Windy City Times from McCourt, and merged the two publications.
In 2018, Baim became Publisher of the Chicago Reader and remains as owner of Windy City Media Group.
Terri Klinsky is now Publisher, Andrew Davis is Executive Editor, Matt Simonette is Managing Editor, Kirk Williamson is Art Director and Ripley Caine is Business Manager. Long-time writers include
Rex Wockner, Yvonne Zipter, Bob Roehr, Richard Knight Jr., Jonathan Abarbanel. Jean Albright is Director of New Media and Circulation.
McCourt died in 2007.
''Windy City Media Group'' announced on Sept. 9, 2020 that, as of Sept. 30, 2020, the biweekly print version will cease. News and feature coverage will continue digitally at www.windycitymediagroup.com.
The site has archived 70,000 articles from Windy City Times and other previous products including ''Nightspots''—a biweekly, four-color, glossy entertainment guide—and ''Identity'', a monthly online magazine. WCMG has also produced a twice-weekly podcast, ''Windy City Queercast'', online videos, and a weekly e-newsletter. All products are now archived at windycitytimes.com.
''Windy City Times'' is a member of the
National Gay Newspaper Guild, and has received numerous honors for its work, both from journalism organizations and from the LGBT community. Awards include from the
National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association
NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists, is an American professional association dedicated to unbiased coverage of LGBTQ issues in the media. It is based in Washington, D.C., and the membership consists primarily of journalists, students, e ...
, the Peter Lisagor Awards, and the Studs Terkel Award for Baim. Among groups honoring WCMG and Baim:
Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame
The Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame (formerly Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame) is an institution founded in 1991 to honor persons and entities who have made significant contributions to the quality of life or well-being of the LGBT community in Chic ...
;
ACLU of Illinois;
Human Rights Campaign;
NOW
Now most commonly refers
to the present time.
Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to:
Organizations
* Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization
* National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization
* Now ...
;
March on Washington Chicago Committee; Dignity/Chicago; Affinity; Greater Chicago Committee; Association of Latin Men in Action; and more.
In 2017, journalist Gretchen Rachel Hammond was removed from her job after she published a story about three LGBT women who were expelled from a Gay Pride march for carrying a rainbow flag featuring a
Jewish Star
The Star of David (). is a generally recognized symbol of both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles.
A derivation of the ''seal of Solomon'', which was used for decorative ...
.
Shortly after, she was hired as a reporter for
''Tablet''.
In 2021, the newspaper won the Barbara Gittings Award for Excellence in LGBTQ Media at the
32nd GLAAD Media Awards
The 32nd GLAAD Media Awards is the 2021 annual presentation of the GLAAD Media Awards, presented by GLAAD honoring the 2020 media season. It was held on April 8, 2021. The awards honor films, television shows, video games, musicians and works of ...
.
References
External links
*
Windy City Media GroupWindy City Times Twitter
{{Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame
Free newspapers
LGBT culture in Chicago
LGBT-related newspapers published in the United States
Newspapers published in Chicago
Newspapers established in 1985
1985 establishments in Illinois
Inductees of the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame