Writing
LGBTQ+ Politics In Chicago's 2023 Election
I covered LGBTQ+ issues and support in a historic election of nine LGBTQ+ alderpeople, making Chicago's City Council the gayest in the country. I also wrote a deep dive into the LGBTQ+ rights platforms of both mayoral candidates, Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas.
Photos: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Queer Families Series
I celebrated Pride Month in 2023 by writing a five-part series profiling queer families — chosen and biological — across Chicago. I wrote about:
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"The Pepperonis," a chosen family of Chicago transplants who found a sense of home in each other.
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A trailblazing Black transgender couple raising two kids while taking local politics by storm.
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A newly engaged queer couple who found love and stability amid uncertain times.
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A lesbian couple who went from planning club parties to raising twins and organizing queer family hangouts.
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A rising drag house, which is a form of chosen family among drag performers and their closest loved ones.
Photo: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
Walsh Security Investigation
I dug into Chicago police records and court documents to find that a prominent security firm within the Chicago's LGBTQ+ community was owned by a cop accused of a racist attack in 2013. This reporting, along with pressure from activists, led to Walsh Security being dropped by the city's largest LGBTQ+ community center and the annual Pride Festival.
Anti-Trans Violence In Chicago
I wrote obituaries for Brianna Hamilton and Disaya Monaee Smith, two Black transgender women who were murdered in Chicago. They are among several transgender women to be murdered in Chicago within the past few years, and their deaths are among a spike in murders of trans people seen across the country.
