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

Feb 27, 2023 | 2023, LGBTQ+, News and Features, Politics and Voting, Social Justice, Southern Illinois

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.

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

Feb 19, 2023 | 2023, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, News and Features, Social Justice, 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.

Black History Month Art from ‘Embracing Our Differences’

Feb 15, 2023 | 2023, Arts Showcase, News and Features, Social Justice

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.