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."

Alan Cumming in Chicago

Alan Cumming, actor, director, writer and Tony Award winner for the Emcee in Cabaret was in Chicago for his 2014 book tour, entitled, Not My Father's Son A Memoir.

StonewallAGAIN's Bisexual liaison, Br. Michael C. Oboza (ret) sat in the front row of a crowded The Music Box theater for An Evening with Alan Cumming in Chicago.... Thank you to Oboza's awesome mom who bought Oboza the ticket.

Alan shared bits of his book reading excerpts from his book. The book explores Alan's journey of reclaiming no shame surviving his own Child abuse to later finding success he earned himself later in life. Profound! Poetic! Honest! Alan's words left the theater speechless, concentrating on his words as he read from his book. Then the theater applauded over and over after every time he read.

During Question and Answer, Oboza expressed how humble he was to be a part of I Am Visible campaign (alongside with Alan.) Alan then said on the microphone, "Bisexual." Most of the theater applaused his word, bisexual. Oboza then offered Alan a Bisexual bracelet. Alan said yes. As Oboza approached the stage to hand Alan the bracelet, Oboza bowed. And Alan whispered, thank you to Oboza. The theater applaused again louder like echoing Ocean waves of excitement.

At the end of the event, during a book signing, Alan showed Oboza the bracelet, saying, "I am visible." Also, Alan agreed to a selfie with Oboza after he signed a copy of his book to Oboza. The pictures are out of focus, because no flash was allowed. "At the end of my life," Oboza shares, "Memories out live their pictures, out of focus or not."

National Coming Out Day 2014

On October 11, National Coming Out Day, StonewallAGAIN's Bisexual liaison, Br. Michael C. Oboza (ret) was a 4'th year Legacy Project Chicago (LPC) volunteer with their Legacy Walk, the first Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) Outdoor History museum.

Victor Salvo, founder of LPC put a Gay Rainbow and not a Bisexual flag over Babe Didrikson Zaharias's history plaque as he put Rainbow flags on all LGBT plaques since 2012. However, the plaque, itself, mentions Babe was a pioneer and bisexual. Never the less, Oboza brought a Bisexual flag out of respect.

The event was well attended and has grown in the last four years. At the end, Oboza was asked about his flag that he wore. The student who asked about his flag came out bisexual to Oboza. Oboza then asked if he may give the High school visiting volunteer his Bisexual flag. The student said yes with a smile while wearing Bisexual flag color shoes.

MaMa Gloria

StonewallAGAIN's Bisexual liaison, Br. Michael C. Oboza (ret) is known to have come out Transgender female. While surviving, there was one diva of an inspiration for Oboza and her name is MaMa Gloria, an activist in Chicago from the 1960's who shared some of her legacy with Oboza on September. 29, 2014.

"In the 1950's, I lived on a farm... But, I later moved to Chicago. City life was not so friendly. I had to adjust to it like it had to adjust to me," MaMa Gloria continues, "I lived on 59'th and State street on the south side of Chicago. State street was jump'n in the 1960's. You know State street that great street."

"In 1963, Transgender didn't exist.... Let them tell it," MaMa Gloria shares, "I had rocks and bottles thrown at me outside of 59'th and State street. I was arrested in South Park and Englewood. Many girls were arrested for wearing wigs and bras. So, I always had to snatch off my wigs and wear bigger t-shirts to cover my bras. We also needed 3 pieces of i.d. to get into bars."

"Yes, I had supportive family and church who accepted me even though I was "different." You heard it takes a village to raise a child," MaMa Gloria remembers, "Yes, I knew girls like me who fought for resources. We spoke up! I knew girls that were arrested, beaten and murdered, because they were "different" like me."

Before taking the picture for the blog, MaMa Gloria finishes the interview. "In the 1970's, I moved to the northside of Chicago to my own apartment. The police were worse up there to Transgender women of color and still are even to today. My advice to Transgender women of color is stay in school. Get an education! Education is a big step in life. It helps you with style and tenacity. That's what we had to do in my day. The youth today have more resources than we had. There was nothing... Nothing for Transgender women of color in the 1950's-1960's. No Transgender support groups and no Transgender inclusive Health insurance. We also had to hide to have underground parties trading, buying and selling hormones. The parties were illegal and dangerous....We are all the same and can better ourselves today more than we could back in my day."

Herstory is Better than History

StonewallAGAIN's Bisexual liaison, Br. Michael C. Oboza (ret) knows about Bisexual Erasure. After finding out that Chicago's Boystown police station had become a 2014 LGBT friendly apartment complex. Oboza quickly learned it once housed the 1960's Known Homosexual book, a documented picture record book that most police used to fill quotas and ruin lives. One of the arrested was Toni Armitage, a friend of Oboza and whom like him is also in 12 Step Recovery for 30 years. During their interview, Armitage had a difficult time seperating lesbian and gay, because "back in her day, it was not so specifically naming the different sexes... The common saying was, "We are gay."

"Beside having feelings for other girls in my childhood," Armitage begins sharing, "It wasn't until Reform school that I asked to go (rather than being placed in homes with nuns) were another girl called me lesbian, where I first heard the word. I knew then that's what I am.... I left Reform school when I was 16 and state emancipated. I went to the southside of Chicago to Lesbian bars. It was 1963 or 1965. There were no other places to meet other Lesbian and Gay people and there was no Lesbian and Gay youth groups or internet at that time."

"My first bar was Maxzine's. It was never raided. That I know of... I was first busted at Hyde Park Liquior, a Lesbian and straight bar. They only took the lesbians out. Like during a witch hunt. And we got arrested for just walking down the street with a zipper in the front of our pants. After that, we were forced to turn our pants around where the zipper would be in the back... It was C and C lounge, the biggest raid I had ever been in. We were 2 train car loads full. It was featued on WVON, a famous black radio station." Armitage continues, "I moved to the northside and went to The Why Not, a Female impersonater bar, but a lesbian hangout. It was mobed own and never raided."

"The police raided bars, restaurants, and house parties from 1964 to 1969. I was at Lesbian places that were raided like Bug House Square park, The Ritz resturant, Feast on a Bun resturant, and The 169 bar," Armitage pauses, "And The Century, a lesbian bar next to the Century theater in 1968. That bar was one of many bars where we had to pay more money than heterosexuals. When it was raided, some of us ran to jump out the back door and windows. That bar was raided so much that it only stayed open for about two weeks or so. In order to have fun and not get arrested or harrassed, we went to Calumet city every weekend. There were two Lesbian bars there."

During the interview, Armitage got emotional. She shared, "I was once dragged by my feet down a street by three heterosexual men. They shoved a steel rod into my back and beat me with it, because I am lesbian. I still got scares from all my beatings from back in my day." She then showed Oboza some of the scares. After that moment, during interview, Armitage named Oboza an Honorary lesbian.

"It seems like after the Stonewall riots in 1969, police stopped raiding the Lesbian bars in Chicago. Then the police waited until we came out of the bars, followed us, then arrested us. During the early 1970's when I went to school to later become the 5'th female Men's Barber stylist in Illinois, I opened a Men's Hair Styling shop in downtown Chicago," Armitage smiles, "It was 1977 or 1978, Mayor Jane Burne, the first female Chicago mayor publicly announced on t.v. to the police, "Leave the homosexuals alone." So, when we were arrested on the streets, outside Lesbian bars like Cie La Vie, Chez Ron (who also owned a carwash where only lesbians including myself worked to wash cars) Frog Pond, Lady Bug (a Lesbian bar in what is now called Boystown,) The MS (first northside Lesbian disco) Petunia's, C.K.'s, Augie's, and The Lost and Found; We would yell to the lesbian hating cops who arrested us, "Remember what Jane said, "Leave the homosexuals alone." Many of the lesbian hating cops often continued verbally abusing us. Their solution for us lesbians was "what we need is a good stiff dick" And said that about Mayor Jane Burne too."

"I am grateful you wrote the blog Michael," Armitage remembers, "But, I am not done, yet... Even in 1980, when my friend and I had tailored clothes and short hair. I parked my car in front of my apartment. When I got out of my car, the police assumed we were lesbians which we were and searched us, stold my friend's $100 bill out of her sock and then arrested us to the old Town Hall police station in Boystown where the captain even questioned the arresting officers, "What did they do?" But, we still had to post bond. There were four police stations that arrested us. On the southside, it was 63rd and Cottage Grove area.Then on the northside, there were Chicago and Clark area also Summerdale on Foster and Damen. The worst was Addison and Halsted, the old Town Hall police station in Boystown which is now condemned and part of the Lesbian and Gay apartments," Armitage laughing, "See if you can guess the name of the Lesbian and Gay apartments?" Armitage still laughing, "Give up? It's called TOWN HALL APARTMENTS.... We finally won! The joke is on them..." 

Armitage asked Oboza to please put in the blog, "After 1980's, Lesbian bars had buzzers on their door or female bouncers some with black belts in karate. This was to allow only lesbians and men that they knew to come into the bar. Reason be is that lesbian haters just came inside the bar to beat, sexually harrass, or try to rape us.... It happened.... Where gay men were assumed physically stronger than lesbians and where attacked outside of their Gay men bars. When all said and done, I want everyone to know that I had alot of fun, got well educated, and met alot of beautiful lesbians, gay men... And yes... There are some heterosexuals that are really great and think we are great too... My advice to lesbians today is to be grateful for those who died, were sexually harrassed, got beaten, arrested, and forced out of fear to stay in the closet to never be themselves...This not only happened in the recent past but also centuries ago... We should also have the utmost respect and gratitude for the Lesbian and Gay activists that fought for us to be as free as we are today and let these stories be known... Because it was never as easy as it is today."

Gay Saint of 9/11

On September 11, 2014, StonewallAGAIN's Bisexual liaison, Br. Michael C. Oboza (ret) was invited to the film discussion of Saint of 9/11 The True Story of Father Mychal Judge sponsered by The Old St. Patrick's Church Gay & Lesbian, Friends & Family Outreach with guest Legacy Project Chicago during the 13'th annual anniversary of 9/11.

Oboza is also an awarded and recognized volunteer of Legacy Project Chicago.

Victor Salvo, founder of Legacy Project Chicago and The Legacy Walk, a first Outdoor Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) History museum introduced the organization to the crowd. "On National Coming Out Day, October 11,  Fr. Mychal Judge will be inducted into the museum," Salvo continued, "The Fr. Mychal Judge history plaque was donated with a generous donation from Dignity Chicago, Dignity USA, Dignity New York and Archdiocesan Gay and Lesbian Outreach."