Author: Staff Reports

Springfield’s Pridefest, Bloomington’s Transgender Resource Fair, Peoria’s River City Pride, and more

CENTRAL ILLINOIS — Though the big Ritz gala this weekend in Springfield is sold out this weekend in Springfield, central Illinois is bursting with LGBTQ affirming events in coming weeks.

Bloomington offers a Transgender Resource Fair March 31. The UP Center of Champaign County offers “Five Lesbians Eating a Quiche” April 1.

PFLAG Galesburg, Skate Palace and six other groups team up for Leading with Love Skate Night April 8.

And Springfield PrideFest starts raising money for its big festival (coming May 20) with Golden Girls Drag Queen Bingo April 21.

Check out our first TRM Weekly Update for Central Illinois.

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Carbondale town hall, forum focus on LGBTQ; Royalty Pageant coming; Mt. Vernon Pride event, and more

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS — Starting with Monday’s Town Hall, Rainbow Cafe has four big events coming up along with its daily work of providing support and resources to LGBTQ youth and adults.

Plus, Southern Il PrideFest sponsors a Carbondale City Council Candidate Forum.

Check out Mt. Vernon’s early start to the Pride season. And find links to learn about the Choate Mental Health crisis and how family members and activists are reacting.

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

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Protests, Banned Book Storytime, St. Patrick’s Day, billiards in Fairfield, plus Pride in Iowa City, Ottumwa, Fort Madison

Starting with rallies today in Davenport and Cedar Rapids, eastern Iowa is bustling with LGBTQ affirming and intersectional events coming up.

Read about Pride happenings in Iowa City, Fort Madison, Ottumwa, and more.

Find out about some fun sports opportunities soon: a huge women’s professional billiard tournament and related events in Fairfield, biking and disc golf in Iowa City, and roller derby in Eldridge near the Quad Cities, and Iowa City.

Plus, it’s a great time to make your own earrings at Beadology Iowa in Iowa City. And if you’re looking for a few recommendations for corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day, we have two starting suggestions.

It’s all in the latest TRM Eastern Iowa Weekly Update.

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Pride plans from Bolingbrook, Elgin, Plainfield, Naperville and more; Green book exhibit, Elgin Juneteenth fest honor Black history

Northern Illinois is bursting with LGBTQ+ Pride events and more, including two great ways to honor Black history.

Check out Pride events this weekend and coming up in Bolingbrook, Elgin, Naperville, Plainfield, and Rockford.

Plus, explore an LGBTQ+ ‘gayming’ event in Shorewood, the upcoming Juneteenth Festival in Elgin, and a somber exhibit about The Green Book of the mid-20th century, at Skokie’s Holocaust Museum.

It’s all in the new TRM Northern Illinois & Chicagoland Weekly Update.

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Central Iowa businesses oppose anti-LGBTQ bills, ‘UNI Seven’ honored, Waterloo conversion therapy ban delayed, Postcards with Pints in Ames, more

More than 69 businesses in Ankeny, the West Des Moines community of Valley Junction, and Des Moines’ East Village have all joined statements opposing the anti-LGBTQ legislation moving fast through the Iowa Legislature.

Plus, learn about the UNI Seven and the stance they took in March 1970 that led to the Cedar Falls university’s Cultural Center.

Coming up, Ames Pride offers a “Postcards with Pints” event and showing of a renowned documentary as part of the International Day of Transgender Visibility coming up.

It’s all in the new TRM Weekly Update for Central Iowa.

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A second Sunday protest event, fundraising for pet welfare, DBQ Pride Family Picnic, MCC fun, and more

There are now two big protest events happening in Des Moines Sunday, starting at 12:30. Read more about the March on Iowa for LGBTQ Rights and the Rally to Resist.

You can also check out this weekend’s annual Beadology Iowa tradition, Voices of the Stones, happening today and Sunday.

Coming up soon, explore a couple of events at Davenport’s MCC of the Quad Cities, and a supper-time “carry-out” fundraiser for companion animals in Cedar Rapids.

And finally, Dubuque announces its June 3 Pride Family Picnic and Block Party. It’s all in TRM’s Eastern Iowa Weekly Update.

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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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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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