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Calendar.
September 1-4. Elmwood Park
September 5. 10:00 a.m. Harwood Heights.
September 6. 11:00 a.m. Edgewater Mutual Aid Network.
September 7. 11:00 a.m. Edgewater Presbyterian Church
September 7. 2:00 p.m. Mary Beth
September 8. 9:00 a.m. Harwood Heights.
September 9. 1:00 p.m. Homeland Security Fall Religious Observance Safety and Security Briefing
September 13. 8:30 a.m. Chicago Presbytery Assembly at Garrett Theological Seminary
September 20. 9:00 a.m. Harbart Payne Park Cleanup for Evanston Nouveau Rotary Club
September 27. 10:00 a.m. Session Records Review Meeting at First Presbyterian Church of Chicago
October 23. TBA. Purple Pinkie Fundraiser at Sketchbook Brewing Co. Evanston for Evanston Nouveau Rotary Club
Announcements.
Gerry became President of Evanston Nouveau Rotary Club on July 1, 2025.
Gerry was appointed to the Chicago Presbytery Assembly as Elder Commissioner.
For business related to the former publications Gay Chicago Magazine, Chicago Phoenix, and Opus Media, please refer to legal counsel.
Gerry is currently on leave as editor of GoPride.com—Chicago’s LGBT news site.

President of Evanston Nouveau Rotary Club 2025-26
Recent reading.
Did you know? Gerry reads every single day for at least one hour. He’s even successfully done this through two stays in the ICU at the hospital.
As of August 8, 2025, Gerry has read 1,578 days in a row or 227 weeks in a row, non-stop.
Recent writing.
Due process protects citizens; when it’s taken away, you may be next
Due process is not about protecting people we like. It exists precisely to protect everyone—especially those on the margins—because the power of the government must have limits.
Cinco de Mayo can be an inspiration for anti-Trumpism
This is not a holiday about tacos and margaritas. It’s a story about anti-imperialism, people power, and standing up to global bullies.
Undocumented immigrants have been holding economy together, says data
In 2022 alone, undocumented immigrants paid a staggering $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes.
Even the worst Americans are Americans; keep them in U.S. prisons
Citizenship isn’t a prize you lose when you fall from grace.
Cynics, the lot of you! And it ain’t right
We cannot afford to stay this cynical. Not if we want anything worth passing on.
Illinois makes PrEP available from pharmacist without Rx
Thanks to a new standing order from the JB Pritzker Administration, you can now get PrEP—a medication that prevents HIV—directly from a pharmacist without needing to see a doctor first.
$5K baby bonus ignores real crisis facing U.S. families
It’s a laughable band-aid on a gaping wound, ignoring every structural barrier that actually makes parenting in America a daily act of resilience.
Schakowsky’s leaving Congress; but Kat is wrong for this district
The Ninth deserves better than a parachuted campaign from someone whose connection to our neighborhoods is thinner than a Metra ticket stub.
Girl Scout Cookies deserve a good wine or soft drink pairing
While wine pairings can elevate the experience with this biccy fest, not everyone drinks alcohol. So I have pairings for that, too.
Stalinist film ‘Ivan the Terrible’ is echoed by Trump, Musk
I couldn’t help but draw the unsettling parallels between the Stalinist messages of the movie and the political chaos unfolding under President Trump and Elon Musk.
Hemingway and me
At 15 years old, I was offended when a teacher likened my writing to Hemingway. So I vowed never to read another of Ernest’s novels.
Ilocano 101: Atang—Honoring the dead
Learn about the indigenous Ilocano faith tradition called Anitism.
Ilocano 101: Kasla gloria ti Hawaii—The Hawaiianos
What is an Ilocano and Hawaiiano? I love to answer this question about my ethnicity and its Hawaii variant.
Almost a martyred hero—Rev. Edgar Saguinsin
We take for granted our freedom to write and protest the powers that be in America. And there are heroes among us who’ve faced true oppression for doing the same.
The big pineapple—eulogy for Rudy Farinas
Rudy Farinas leaves a living legacy that Carrie’s his love into a new generation—through his granddaughters.
The inkwell
A homily delivered at the memorial service of Jay Westerman of Chicago, Illinois.

this is an lgbt safe space
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black lives matter
Please support: Black Lives Matter NAACP Color of Change
