A Lesbian Feminist First

The Artemis Singers, the first Lesbian Feminist chorus in the USA is from Chicago, Illinois and celebrating 35 years of pozitive change in cultural assumptions regarding women and women artists while increasing Lesbian feminism.

StonewallAGAIN's Bisexual liaison, Br. Michael C. Oboza (ret) who is also a feminist went to Artemis Singers's Women in Music a Celebration concert 2014. Afterward, Oboza was unprepared, yet, grateful to interview some Chorus members asking why Artemis Singers?

Mary (Soprano 2) "I went from audience to joining. I love this Lesbian Feminist group of women who like to make music together. ...We may not be all lesbians, but we are all feminists."

Allison (Soprano 2) "Amazing community" with musical and social... "So, that if you are strong musically and socially, it makes you a better musician."

Rennie (Alto 1) "I was a teacher and went to Artemis Singers concerts... It was empowering to sing the songs and meet the singers. I was persuaded to join Artemis Singers, a community and a sence of support. It made a huge impact on my life as a result."

Marianne (Alto 1) "I continue singing with Artemis Singers, because I learned about the beautiful music... I got hooked. Again." After all, "there is a connection to women's music that extends over decades that I was not exposed to."

Loraine (Soprano 2) Even though, "I have been a Soprano 2 all of my life." I am a Chorus member for over 25 years "because it is wonderful to grow as a musician in a group that always changes." (Loraine smiled while she shared how wonderful being in Artemis Singers is for her.)

Diana (Alto 2) "I joined Artemis Singers, because I love singing in choruses. And it is Lesbian Feminist..." And the music that we perform "is not heard in many different places."

Copia (Alto 1) "I am a radical feminist... I wanted to sing with other radical feminists and was looking for a Feminist community. I found Artemis Singers... I first joined as a token Straight woman... Four years later, I came out Lesbian feminist."

Mickey (Soprano 1)  "In the early 1970's, I was 17-18 years old going to bars. That was the only place to go to find people like myself, a lesbian. I remember being in a bar called The Midget Inn and hearing someone yell "Raid!" The police were coming in to raid and arrest us for being gay and lesbian. "I was so scared that I hid under a pool table..." In the early years of Artemis Singers, "I suggested fundraising to help the chorus." Then later on, "I joined as a Chorus member in 1998, because I like to sing in a Women's group.... This is a gift to belong to a chorus of all women who understand me as a woman and lesbian." I remember being with Artemis Singers on a flat bed truck in the 1999 Chicago Gay Pride parade. We had an Artemis statue and a sign that read, "2,000 lesbians in Chicago and only 16 sing." Mickey smiled, "I am amazingly happy to belong to Artemis Singers... It is ours! We created it!"

First Gay Awards 2014

In 2014, the Hollywood Film Awards (HFA) were televised for the first time...

StonewallAGAIN's Bisexual liaison, Br. Michael C. Oboza (ret) watched the award show praying, hoping, wishing the the movie about Alan Turing, The Imitation Game may win one award. After all, Alan Turing was the father of Computer Science and broke the Enigma code during World War II.

"I was in a grateful place when the movie won three major category award," Oboza smiles, "Because I am grateful for any minority equal visibility... And to find out Alan Turing was gay and died very young... I am left beside myself and speechless."

For more information on Alan, please visit www.legacy project chicago.org/Alan_Turing.html

Gay Veterans Matter

On Veteran's day 2014, StonewallAGAIN's founder, Mike Lackovich and StonewallAGAIN's Bisexual liaison, Br. Michael C. Oboza (ret) spent the day together at a ceremony.

During day, the crowd stood for the Color guard while they presented arms presenting the American flag. After the American National anthem, the crowd sat and Veteran speakers shared their wisdom.

At the end, an Anglo Saxon straight male veteran mentioned that all veterans are forgotten when they take their uniforms off. And then, the same veteran happen to have created The Peace Garden, a Veteran's memorial mentioned the mistreatment of Veteran minorities such as African americas, Latinos and Gay brothers and sisters.

The person next to Lackovich, Lackovich and Oboza got emotional. They were moved by the visible equality of the minorities mentioned. Also, Oboza was rarely so moved that he asked to hug Lackovich. He said yes... "Thank you for what you do," Oboza shared with Lackovich, "You are stronger than I am."

Veronika with a K

StonewallAGAIN's Bisexual liaison, Br. Michael C. Oboza (ret) knows the one and only Veronika Boundless, Trans Lesbian activist. For years, she always reminded him... "I am Veronika with a K...." Oboza was honored to interview her for StonewallAGAIN.

"It would have been around 1989. I was about 10 years old," Boundless remembers, "I told my mother, a evangelical christian, that I was a girl. She didn't respond well. For years, I repressed all memory of the events that followed as well as my gender identity."

"In my early 20's, I had the Internet which made a lot of information about trans people readily available. But I was uncertain," Boundless shares, "Because most of the trans people I read about were apparently straight and femme. It was not until 2004-not long after I had become a queer rights activist and having face-to-face interactions with trans people for a first time-that I started identifying as trans."

"I didn't really figure out my sexual orientation until 2009," Boundless reflects, "I was reading the incomparable Emi Koyama's "Whose Feminism is it Anyway" ...Something clicked and I said to myself, "I am a woman. And I must be a dyke too." 

The following is a brief summary of something Boundless experienced during her many years as a Queer rights activist that may help empower someone else to never give up or give in to anyone else's judgement of you. After all, according to Boundless, "we will be facing an uphill battle" and she "does not imagine that anything will change if we do not talk about it." 

"In 2009, I started organizing with The Chicago Dyke March Collective (CDMC) when a cis woman violated my privacy..." Regarding "as long as I do not expect equal time with cis women. As long as I do not make too much noise if a cis woman violates my boundaries. As long as I do not take up too much space."

"To this day, I cannot enter queer and trans activist spaces in Chicago without being wary," Boundless explains, "Our community is very inclusive- inclusive of people who violate trans women's boundaries. But it has a long way to go before it can offer trans women spaces where we feel safe."

Marriage Equality Anniversary

According to the 2014 book entitled, The Fight for Marriage Equality in the Land of Lincoln written by Tracy Baim and Kate Sosin, the fight began in the early 1950's in Illinois. For countless decades after, the fight was worked on in many different ways. Even during the year that led up to March on Springfield for Marriage Equality, StonewallAGAIN's founder, Mike Lackovich and Bisexual liaison, Br. Michael C. Oboza (ret) brought StonewallAGAIN to several anti-marriage equality rallies and protests.

Following StonewallAGAIN's historic recorded activism... It was on October 22, 2013, Tracy Baim, matriarch and founder of March on Springfield for Marriage Equality asked Lackovich to help record the day and Oboza to be one of the diverse speakers, regarding Bisexuals in Marriage Equality. Ironically, Illinois Governer Pat Quinn signed Illinois Marriage Equality bill into Illinois law after that successful day.

Before the one year anniversary of March on Springfield for Marriage Equality, Lackovich married his husband, Marc Cohen after eleven years together. Their daughter, Catie and the humbled Oboza were their Wedding witnesses. On October 22, 2014, one year later, StonewallAGAIN, a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT)  inclusive project continues helping confront homophobia, lesbianphobia, biphobia, transphobia and heterophobia.

Illinois LGBT Voter History

He first came out gay.... Like some.... Not all true bisexuals do....

But... StonewallAGAIN's Bisexual liaison, Br. Michael C. Oboza (ret) remembers being asked to leave three Voter polling places nearest to him "back in his gay days."

"I was told... We are closing up, about four hours early from one place," Oboza remembers, "Then "my kind" was illegal or abomination and I was asked to leave. I remember being escorted out from the last Voting place because of my sex and sexual orientation."

He has fought and worked for LGBT equality for years, even in some Lutheran churches on Same Sex blessings in the North shore where he resides. To see his and countless others' work show it's success, progress and hope so far is "About time....," whispers Oboza.

Oboza asked all Illinois residents who are over the age of 18 to vote on Election day, November 4, 2014... Vote YES to Proposed Amendment to the 1970 Illinois Constitution Section 8 Article III, Suffrage and Election article that includes voters of all sex and sexual orientations to their equal rights to equally vote in Illinois.

Brother Michael Retired

After 20 years of being part of Chicago's GLBT then LGBT activism leadership, StonewallAGAIN's Bisexual liaison, Br. Michael C. Oboza (ret) hosted his Activism Leadership retirement at PRIDE Alliance at College of DuPage on September 26, 2014.

After he gave his last Bisexual history lesson, "because Queer theory often forgets bisexuals," Oboza explained, "Who is more important than me, a part of past Bisexual history is you all... Awesome you... The future generation... The next generation."

The most exciting moment of Oboza retiring from leadership to the sidelines to continue to at least volunteer for the LGBT cause happened during an encore of Question and Answer.

"I had a public conversation with a student that became a heart to heart moment. Even some PRIDE student board members thought the moment was beautiful," Oboza shares, "I was so moved that I offered the student my Bisexual flag. With tears in his eyes, behind his glasses, the student said yes. I gave him my Bisexual flag and he wore the flag like a cape for the rest of the day.... My life is half complete."