September 15, 2020
For 35 years, Windy City Times led the way for Chicago’s LGBTQ community. It informed us about ourselves, as members of Chicago’s LGBTQ community, as members of a larger community of LGBTQ people, and served as our advocate to the rest of the world. This was also true of the newspaper's reporting about HIV, especially during the desperate days of the epidemic. In Chicago, WCT set the standard for journalistic storytelling and news. Under the leadership of Tracy Baim, WCT's longtime publisher and executive editor (prior to her move to the Chicago Reader, where she is now publisher), WCT flourished as the go-to source for local news, national stories, and unique reporting on LGBTQ lives and issues affecting our community. On the national landscape, WCT has been one of the most notable papers and news sources for our community, standing alongside respected newspapers like the Washington Blade and the Village Voice. WCT has been a hub for cutting-edge reporting, community organizing, and vital information to countless readers in its 35 years of publication. As Windy City Times publishes its final print edition, we at POSITIVELY AWARE pay tribute to our respected colleagues and fellow journalists who have made WCT a leader and a voice of our community.
Most poignantly, WCT was on the front lines of the HIV epidemic. We remember how the paper was the place to rally activists in response to the early crisis, dispel fear and misinformation through powerful reporting, and inform LGBTQ people about HIV/AIDS. POSITIVELY AWARE (PA) is proud of its long-standing relationship with WCT including its nine-month AIDS at 30 series in 2011 and the Creating Change conference in Chicago in 2016, out of which grew a collaboration between PA, POZ, Plus Magazine, and TheBody.com in the form of a syndicated column, “Positive Thoughts.” The WCT and its staff and alumni have had a powerful impact in our HIV-affected community—for readers in Chicago and across the nation.
As a leader in delivering HIV-focused news and health treatment information, POSITIVELY AWARE has always stood shoulder to shoulder with our WCT colleagues, in deep respect and solidarity. Because informing our community empowers us all.
We invite our readers and followers to help pay tribute to the Windy City Times and honor its place in the history of our community.
Share WCT online.
Support WCT in recognition of its 35th Anniversary issue.
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