lu calzada

Progress Pride flag raised in Logan Square to kick off Pride Month - Windy City Times Chicagoans gathered in Logan Square June 1 for the second annual raising of the Progress Pride flag in celebration of Pride Month. The short gathering drew a crowd of LGBTQ+ community members and thei...

Chicagoans gathered in Logan Square June 1 for the second annual raising of the Progress Pride flag in celebration of Pride Month.

✍️: @lumcalzada.bsky.social for @windycitytimes.com

Issues facing immigrant communities at forefront of ALMA town hall - Windy City Times As immigrants across the country face uncertain futures and attacks from the federal government, elected officials at ALMA’s Spring town hall spoke on May 15 about their hopes for immigrant communitie...

finally, i covered alma's spring town hall this past week where elected officials spoke on the issues facing the latino lgbtq+ community, specifically the immigrant community
windycitytimes.com/2025/05/20/i...

Queer Latino stylist takes thrifting to new heights - Windy City Times Stylist Matteo Frausto didn’t always care about the clothes he put on his body, but that changed when he came to terms with his gender expression and identity. By styling thrifted pieces beyond the bo...

this was a fun one: i profiled matteo frausto, a queer latino stylist, about his journey with gender identity and fashion
windycitytimes.com/2025/05/13/q...

The story of En La Vida: How a community newspaper amplified Chicago's queer Latino voices - Windy City Times In 1996, a group of queer Latino writers in Chicago launched En La Vida, a groundbreaking monthly newspaper that gave voice to a community often overlooked—even within LGBTQ+ spaces.  Covering politic...

i also had the pleasure and privilege of speaking with some folks from the initial run of en la vida about their time working on the newspaper. i so appreciated our conversations about the history they were a part of and i'm grateful to be part of en la vida today
windycitytimes.com/2025/05/12/t...

Jamie Frazier  discusses Lighthouse Foundation’s role in the time of Trump - Windy City Times Jamie Frazier on how Lighthouse Foundation supports Black queer communities amid Trump’s return, from equity efforts to self-care recharges.

in the world of windy city times, i spoke with executive director of the lighthouse foundation jamie frazier on how the organization is working and prioritizing issues in the midst of the second trump admin
windycitytimes.com/2025/04/22/j...

LGBTQ+ Business Bootcamp aims to uplift and guide queer entrepreneurs  - Windy City Times This story is part of the Digital Equity Local Voices Fellowship lab through News is Out. The lab initiative is made possible with support from Comcast NBCUniversal. With the Trump administration’s ha...

for comcast nbcuniversal, i highlighted the work done by the illinois' lgbt chamber of commerce's lgbtq+ biz boot camp!
windycitytimes.com/2025/04/16/l...

Cuts to HIV funding and health services could hit LGBTQ+ communities hard - News Is Out Advocates warn HIV funding cuts and health rollbacks under Trump could harm LGBTQ+ communities, especially those most at risk.

been a minute! here's what i've been up to at windy city times and beyond :)
for news is out, i spoke with hiv experts on how the trump administration's actual and potential program cuts could affect the lgbtq community.
newsisout.com/2025/04/cuts...

PrEPárate campaign aims to provide PrEP information to queer Latines - Windy City Times Despite recent sweeping cuts to HIV-related funding under the Trump administration, a Chicago collective is still pushing through to inform its community about healthcare and risks.  PrEPárate, a camp...

finally, if you missed the april 11 kickoff event, don't fret! cql collaborative's PrEPárate campaign aims to be a yearlong campaign dedicated to educating the queer latine community on PrEP
windycitytimes.com/2025/04/04/p...

PRCC’s Trans Chicago still in the dark about federal funding - Windy City Times Following the initial news of funding withdrawal for the Puerto Rican Cultural Center’s Trans Chicago Empowerment center, it’s still unclear how the organization will be able to continue its work. A l...

as federal funding continues to be pulled from organizations benefiting marginalized communities, i spoke to folks at the prcc's trans chicago empowerment center about what that means for them:
windycitytimes.com/2025/04/04/p...

DePaul Latino fraternity hosts drag night to stand against machismo - Windy City Times Across the country, fraternities often have a reputation of being hubs of toxic masculinity. A Latino-based fraternity at DePaul University hosted an event on April 2 hoping to change that. Sigma Lamb...

i also attended a drag show put on by depaul latino fraternity sigma lambda beta, highlighting the theme of dismantling machismo:
windycitytimes.com/2025/04/04/d...

Lisa Isadora Cruz reflects on decades of giving back to Chicago’s trans community  - Windy City Times Many young trans people in the U.S. seek out stories from trans elders—those who survived under much harsher conditions and lived to tell their stories. In Chicago, one of those is Lisa Isadora Cruz. ...

i'm now in my second month as en la vida's newsletter coordinator and it's been so amazing to be a part of this project! here's some of the things i've been working on this past month:
first off, i spoke with the legend the moment the icon, lisa isadora cruz
windycitytimes.com/2025/04/04/l...

been a minute since i've posted, but i'm so honored to be a lisagor finalist! thanks so much to windy city times, news is out and comcast nbcuniversal for supporting me/this work!

Chicagoans condemn Trump’s anti-trans executive order: ‘This is nationally sanctioned violence’ - Windy City Times Chicagoans are bracing for the impact of an anti-trans executive order signed by President Donald Trump stating the U.S. will only recognize two sexes and rolling back other protections for transgende...

The executive order, signed by Trump hours after he took office Monday, takes aim at federally issued identity documents, trans people under incarceration and federally funded organizations serving the trans community.

More on @windycitytimes.com.

Chicago choreographer creates space for Black feminist empowerment through movement  - Windy City Times This story is part of the Digital Equity Local Voices Fellowship lab through News is Out. The lab initiative is made possible with support from Comcast NBCUniversal. Jenn Freeman was “bouncing around ...

i spoke to the lovely chicago choreographer jenn freeman about their burlesque dance journey and larger project, house of the lorde for @nbcuniversal.com / @windycitytimes.com. check it out !!
windycitytimes.com/2025/01/14/c...

Queer Chicago artist highlights underrepresented queer experiences in her work - Windy City Times Andy Bellomo’s glassworks art practice was sparked from a place often filled with turmoil for many in the queer community—the Christian church. Bellomo’s love of art blossomed while she closely observ...

spoke to the lovely artist andy bellomo about her art journey/current projects!
windycitytimes.com/2024/12/18/q...

How Birdwatching Makes Chicago Winters Less Miserable — And More Magical With fewer leaves on trees and rare Arctic visitors passing through the city, now is the time to grab your binoculars and get outside.

How birdwatching makes Chicago winters less miserable — and more magical.

'Real Housewives of Orange County' End-of-Season Deep Dive with Alec Karam Podcast Episode · Gabbing with Gib · 11/26/2024 · 50m

I joined @gibsonoma.bsky.social for a deep dive on Season 18 of #RHOC! listen here (or wherever you get your podcasts): podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/g...

tea

Unfortunately timely reminder, per @transjournalists.org style guide: Please avoid publishing unedited verbatim quotes where someone misgenders/deadnames a trans person. Bracket it out or write around.

See: styleguide.transjournalists.org#deadnaming

Speaking JUST for me, NOT TJA:

Share the style guide! And read it!!! Personally, knowing my cis colleagues are all on the same page about how to write about and frame these stories frees up brain capacity for other things.

styleguide.transjournalists.org

Eli’s Tea Bar continues to grow as a Chicago non-alcoholic queer haven - Windy City Times This story is part of the Digital Equity Local Voices Fellowship lab through News is Out. The lab initiative is made possible with support from Comcast NBCUniversal. When people talk about non-alcohol...

heyyyyy people anyways here's my latest for @windycitytimes.com !! loved chatting with the folks at eli's tea bar :)
windycitytimes.com/2024/11/13/e...