Andy Thayer

Even if you have no plans to protest May's G8 & NATO summits, if you want to oppose a school closing, a greedy employer or a clinic shut-down, your rights are in the cross-hairs.

Over the past few weeks Mayor Rahm Emanuel has pulled a classic Chicago bait-and-switch.

Last...

A small group of us LGBT activists went to Madison today to join the tens of thousands of people from there and around the region standing up for union rights against the vicious union-busting campaign of Republican Governor Scott Walker. Just 48 hours before, Walker rammed a bill through the...

Chicago's Cardinal Francis George recently took pro-gay activists to task for our protest Sunday morning in front of Holy Name Cathedral against his anti-gay policies. Cardinal George issued the following statement:

Some members of the Gay Liberation Network [GLN] demonstrated in front of Holy Name Cathedral on Sunday,...

In an important victory for LGBT rights activists and for civil liberties in general, on Tuesday the top legal official for the City of Chicago sent the American Civil Liberties Union a letter saying they would not arrest protesters at a forthcoming February 13th Gay Liberation Network (GLN) protest for...

Either way, we will not win on November 2nd. Sure, party hangers-on hoping for sweetheart contracts and other favors care, and are working overtime using the issues we care about, and fears about what "the other guy" might do to us, to try to make us care who wins...

He got out just in time.

At the outset of the recession, the city already was a financial basket case, slipping dramatically further once the Olympics announcement was safely out of the way.

The huge web of legal (and illegal) corruption, including vast inefficiencies of sweetheart deals to...

In his speech to the nation Tuesday night, President Obama essentially claimed to be ending the U.S. war in Iraq, and preparing to wind up U.S. domination in Afghanistan and by implication, elsewhere. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Taking a look at Iraq alone, the violence that the...

Beginning August 5, a group which calls itself Americans For Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH) is organizing what they call an "academy" to "train young people (as well as older pro-family advocates) how to answer 'gay' activist misinformation and fight the homosexual-bisexual-transsexual agenda."

AFTAH has a long history of telling...

I just listened to Chicago Public Radio -- not Fox News -- run its top of the hour news capsule, followed by its syndicated BBC Newshour.

The top story on both? Israel announcing a partial lifting of its blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Both Chicago Public Radio news capsule...

Final Post From Moscow Pride 2010

Many people around the world followed the UK Gay News' informative and often amusing live blog by Andy Harley in the days leading up to today's Moscow Pride. If you haven't seen it yet, it's a must-read.

Due to security reasons,...

MOSCOW, Russia, May 26th, eve of Gay Pride - This afternoon in their final court date before Moscow Pride, gays and lesbians here predictably were rejected once again by the authorities. The Tverskoi District Court of Moscow upheld the ban on tomorrow's Pride march. On Thursday night, the Taganskiy District...

Protests providing the fuel for progressive legal change for gays

MOSCOW, Russia, early morning, 5/27/10 -- While the bigoted mayor of this city has once again banned gay pride this Saturday, vowing to "bring to bear on them the full force and justice of the law," there are plenty of...

Despite the hostility of the authorities, I am proud to be currently traveling to Russia at the invitation of lesbian and gay activists there to participate in a gay pride demonstration banned by the Moscow city government.

Mayor Yury Luzhkov has repeatedly labeled gays "satanic," and last year had about...

On Monday night hundreds came out to the Broadview Detention Center in suburban Chicago to protest the growing racism against immigrants epitomized by passage of an Arizona law widely seen as promoting racial profiling of Latinos.

The following morning, dozens were arrested in an attempt to blockade vans taking deportees...

Last Thursday's Tea Party at Daley Plaza in Chicago drew about 1500 participants. Belying their alleged "grassroots" nature, the rally's organizers were heavily aided by pre-rally publicity in the corporate press -- including not only the inevitable wall-to-wall Fox News coverage, but also a front-page lead article in the...

"We've died the Chicago River red to symbolize the senseless death of more than a million people," say non-violent peace activists.

CHICAGO -- At noon today local peace activists poured blood -- synthetic, non-toxic blood-colored dye -- into the Chicago river and are picketing and leafletting over...

Federal Judge Wayne R. Andersen issued a historic ruling Friday allowing a suit charging former Defense Secretary with authorizing torture.

Rumsfeld asked the court to dismiss the case because he is a high-placed governmental official and argued that he was immune from suit even for allegations of torture. Mr. Rumsfeld...

Dear Mayor Daley,

After nearly 7 years of war in Iraq and over 8 in Afghanistan, we heartily thank you for joining the peace movement now that your son is facing another deployment to the war theater!

As reported by WBEZ-FM's sister station Vocalo...

On Monday afternoon, Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez announced that she was taking a pass on criminally prosecuting a Chicago police officer who currently faces 34 federal lawsuits alleging that he cooked up phony DUI charges in a ploy to collect tens of thousands of dollars in overtime pay...