If you thought chat rooms ended with the 90s, you’d be wrong. They’re more popular than ever, especially adult chat rooms.

There are two types: classic/text and video. Remember old-school AOL chat rooms? They’re a huge hit with adults looking to talk dirty on the Internet. And video chat rooms take the beauty of classic rooms and add video capability.

Adult chat sites have become the go-to for any busy adult looking for that quick gratifying fix. You don’t have to leave your couch to find excited sexy people who want to talk about naughty things. There’s a little something for everyone here, no matter how specific your sexual kink is.

But some sites do it better than the rest. It’s going to take far too much energy for you to peek through the Internet looking for the best. Some are too expensive, others are too boring, and some are just plain bad. Skip all that nonsense and read below to find the top free adult chat sites (or almost free) with the sexiest users.

Top 15+ Adult Chat Rooms for Sex Chat Reviewed

321 SexChat: Most entertaining siteChatAvenue: Runner-up best adult chat websiteJerkmate: Get off with sexy strangersChaturbate: Most well-known video chatChatRandom: Quickest way to meet someone newChatropolis: Kinkiest chat room categoriesAdultFriendFinder: Meet horny strangers on AFFFlingster: Most discreet option on this listAshley Madison: Best for affairsChatville: An adult site that offers a sense of communityChatzy: Old-school, no-frills chattingDirtyRoulette: Sexy roulette-style websiteChatroulette: Most active roulette websiteOmegle: Free chat site for random encountersiSexyChat: Share nudes with new friendsLewdChat: IRC platform for adultsFlirtLu: Sexiest webcam experience

Honorable Mentions

Flirt: A hybrid of erotic chat and a dating siteWeird Town: Chat about any weird thing you can think of. It doesn’t have to be weird sex, but it can be!CooMeet: Like Chatroulette with more attractive people!Cuckold Chat: Cuckold-oriented chat roomsChat Zozo: Run-of-the-mill free adult sex chat siteFreeChatNow: Quick free sex chat site with forums and discussion boardsKinksters Chat: BDSM and kink chat roomsChatPig: Sexy chat rooms with regular and adult actress usersTempoCams: Naughty roulette-style chatShagle: Meet new hotties through video chat!

1.  321 SexChat: Quirky and silly chat site

321 SexChat is for someone who doesn’t take their sex chat needs all that seriously. Don’t get us wrong, 321 SexChat has got the goods. It’s designed like a normal adult chat site, but it’s designed in a way that’s bubbly, over-the-top, exciting, and a whole lot of fun. It’s not dark or serious in any way, but it will seriously get you off if that’s what you’re looking for.

For one, 321 SexChat has tons of unique rooms for you to join, whether you are into furries, nymphs, saunas, or whatever else. All the rooms have fun names, too, like The Lurker Zone, Yes Daddy, or Pegging Palace. Once you are in the chat room, there are so many fun features for you to play with. You can send emojis, fun texts, memes, and even GIFs.

321 SexChat is a fun way to explore your adult fantasies with strangers online. It keeps everything lighthearted, which is a welcome change of pace in comparison to many of the other video chat sites on this list.

Pros:

Fun and quirky approachExtremely niche roomsFree

Cons:

Not a ton of users in the roomsMale users dominateSome ads

Price: Free

2.  ChatAvenue: Clean-looking naughty chat site

ChatAvenue is one of the cleaner options for chat sites on this list. If you’re concerned about someone checking out your Internet history or a nosy neighbor peering into your window and seeing what you’re up to, ChatAvenue will make you feel secure in its squeaky appearance.

ChatAvenue isn’t designed just for dirty talk. There are all types of rooms available to everyone, like sports, teen, and college chat. There are also flirtier options like dating chat. Of course, there’s an adult section, otherwise ChatAvenue wouldn’t make the cut for us!

The 18+ Adult Chat section on ChatAvenue is one of the most active adult rooms on the site. There are tons of users online at any given time with floods of messages from the moment you enter! Before you can come into the room, you’ll be agreeing to a list of reasonable terms. One of those terms is no solicitation, so you know you won’t be enticed to purchase anything you weren’t planning on buying. Offering services will actually get you banned from the room, which is good news when you just want a free good time! Also, there isn’t any registration required.

Pros:

No sign-up necessaryVery active roomSolicitation of any kind will get a user banned

Cons:

Only one adult chat room availableIt’s both good and bad that it is flooded with users

Price: Free

3.  Jerkmate: Masturbate with new friends

Jerkmate is a free sex chat site that claims you’ll never have to masturbate alone again. It also calls itself the ultimate live masturbation experience. It’s a bold claim, but a very real one. If you couldn’t tell by the name, Jerkmate will help you find a jerk-off partner through their group chat sessions or one-on-one chats. This person could be your average guy or gal, but they might also be a professional adult star.

Signing up for Jerkmate is fairly simple. Create a free account by adding your e-mail, nickname, and password. From there, you’re guided to a page full of beautiful people who want to share this journey with you. It can tend to feel more like an adult video chat experience, but it’s a fantastic way to meet someone.

Enjoy shows performed to a wide audience, or settle into a more private one-on-one setting. Use their great search features to filter by category, body type, or fetish. Aside from being a unique adult chat experience, Jerkmate has a lot to love in terms of usability.

Pros:

Fantastic enthusiastic usersHigh-quality showsTons of search options

Cons:

Can sometimes be a struggle to find someone hot enough to go one-on-one withMore cammy than adult chat

Price: Free, but can pay for upgraded features

4.  Chaturbate: Sexy online video chat

Chaturbate offers webcam video chat where you can message and watch the stunning users and their livestreams through the platform. There’s nothing that’s not drenched in hot sexual energy over at Chaturbate, which is why it’s one of the hottest places to engage in erotic chat room discussions with likeminded adults.

This site is one of the biggest players in the adult world, so they’ve got their ducks in a row in terms of functionality and navigation. It’s not a totally free site, though, which is the one drawback. Transactions on Chaturbate are done through a credit system, which you can use your credit card to purchase or even some forms of cryptocurrency.

The main pull to Chaturbate is that it’s a well-known site full of beautiful people. What’s not to love about that? You’ll need to shell out some cash to get the full experience, but it’s worth it on this amazing platform!

Pros:

Attractive usersWebcam video chatEnthusiastic members

Cons:

It’s not the cheapest option

Price: Credit-based system

5.  ChatRandom: Speedy random chat site

ChatRandom is a chat site that randomly pairs you up with others around the globe who are also on ChatRandom at the same time as you. You don’t have to do anything, aside from have a working camera and microphone, to find someone to talk with. Just allow the site to access your camera, and instantly you’ll be met with a new Internet buddy.

ChatRandom has over 35K daily users, so there’s never a shortage of people to meet while you’re engaged on this roulette-style adult chat. If you want to make the experience a little less random, you can filter by country or gender you wish to talk with.

Though it was developed a decade ago, it still has a modern feel and works very quickly. In fact, it’s way more modern than a site like Chatroulette or Omegle. That’s why it’s higher on our list! It also offers rooms in addition to random chat. These rooms have themes like gay, adult dating, role-play, flirt, and more.

Pros:

No sign-up requiredInstant random chatTons of people to meetChat rooms along with random one-on-ones

Cons:

No major filtering or search featuresChat rooms are on the smaller side

Price: $17.99/month

6.  Chatropolis: Most diverse chat room options

Chatropolis is fairly average in that it directs you to chat rooms once you’re on the website. The dark colors and nude images give you the indication that all these rooms are going to be adult themed. There are no gamer rooms or anime discussions on this website. What gives Chatropolis its edge (aside from the edgy colors used throughout the site) is the fact that it has a plethora of themes that cater to unique types of individuals. For example, there are chat rooms called Celeb Flesh, Cougars Till Dawn, and Office Seduction. There are plenty for you to choose from aside from these highlights, as well.

It would be surprising to learn that you didn’t find any room (among their 200+) that hit your sweet spot on Chatropolis. If you want to create your own room, that’s possible on this site! You can come up with the name, choose your colors, etc. However, in order to create a room, you need to sign up and pay for Chatropolis. It’s pretty reasonable, though, and won’t break the bank if you’re dead set on starting your own room.

Chatropolis gets a good amount of engagement and activity on a daily basis. You are able to be in multiple rooms at a time if you’re someone who likes a lot of action.

Pros:

Plenty of chat room themesPremium members can create their own roomsPretty active site

Cons:

Some of the rooms you might want to enter could be fullNo exciting features on Chatropolis

Price: $12.95/month

7.  AdultFriendFinder: Best way to find a new kinky chat

If you’re privy to the world of online adult fun, you’ve probably been introduced to AdultFriendFinder at least once. It’s one of the most popular ways for kinky adults to meet each other. While AFF has various means and methods of introducing people, their chat function is one of the best.

We love AdultFriendFinder because it has so many users. The site has millions of members, but about a quarter-million of those folks use the AFF chat capabilities. Members of AFF seem to love doing sex broadcasts that invite other users to join in and meet new users. There are also fantastic rooms and one-on-one options.

Being so popular, AFF does a fantastic job of creating unique categories and opportunities. You can search the site for various groups, forums, and chat rooms broken up by fetish. For instance, do you have a thing for older women? They’ve got you covered. Do you enjoy being a voyeur on your naughty neighbors? There’s a discussion for that too. Whatever you are into, you’ll find (and more) on AdultFriendFinder with plenty of other adults who are into the same thing.

Pros:

Tons of usersUnique groupsNo shortage of fun featuresEveryone is kinky

Cons:

ExpensiveTends to have a lot of annoying ads

Price: about $40/month (that price decreases if you sign up for a longer time)

8.  Flingster: Anonymous adult video chat

Flingster is another random video and chat site for kinky adults. You might be puzzled as to how it could be an anonymous video chat site. Well, Flingster makes anonymity a possibility by implementing two very important features.

For one, Flingster doesn’t require anything aside from choosing a gender to begin talking. Also, it allows you to mask your face if you wish! Think of this mask as something similar to a social media filter. You can cover your face with an emoji or disguise. These masks follow your face, so you can move around and your face will stay hidden. It’s a fairly advanced feature that other random chat sites don’t have, making Flingster totally unique!

It’s a free chat site unless you want to take advantage of its premium features. We don’t think you need it as you can access the video option without paying a dime. However, premium members do enjoy their ability to use the search features and perform non-video calls.

Pros:

Virtually no registrationTotally anonymousFun filters to cover your faceTons of users who get right down to business

Cons:

Some people report fake usersTends to have a lot of annoying ads

Price: Free unless you upgrade

9.  Ashley Madison: Chats between taken people

Are you someone who isn’t technically single, but you’re still looking to get your kink on with someone on the Internet? Listen, we aren’t here to reprimand you for your choices. Maybe you’re in an open relationship or separated! Again, we aren’t your parents. What we can tell you is that Ashley Madison is a fantastic way to meet others who want to have a naughty chat with you, taken or otherwise.

As far as chat sites go, Ashley Madison is a lot more personal than the others. It’s not totally anonymous (unless you disguise your identity, which you are welcome to do) and it doesn’t lead you to a page full of video models or chat rooms. It uses a matching algorithm to effectively pair you up with horny people in your area to have a sex chat with.

Ashley Madison attracts over 10K new users per day, so finding someone you’re attracted to is a cinch. It also gives you the ability to take your sex chat into a real-life experience.

Pros:

Easily meet real horny adultsGenuine interactionsNon-judgemental environment

Cons:

Video isn’t availableNeed to payLong registration process

Price: About $50 for 100 credits and about $150 for 500 credits

10.  Chatville: A video chat community

Chatville is an adult video chat room similar to the likes of Omegle. In fact, it dubs itself as the best Omegle alternative site. It also calls itself a virtual nightclub. Chatville does offer random one-on-one options similar to other roulette-style chats, but it also has features that set it apart from those.

For instance, when you hop onto the Chatville homepage, you’ll be given the option to instantaneously jump into a 16-way video group. It makes Chatville more of an adult video community than it is just a roulette-style adult site. You can also video up to four feeds at a time if you wish. Also, you can register, but you don’t have to. It’s free either way, which is another reason to hop aboard the Chatville train.

Chatville is a great mix of a chat site and a social network where you can meet new friends. It’s like a forum site but with video capabilities. You can create your own room if you want and become the moderator. There are tons of naughty rooms already, though, like Foot Fetish, Swingers, and Nudists. You’ll need to register to do that, but it’s not complicated and you won’t be asked for credit card information.

Pros:

Tons of options and roomsBest way to meet friends through videoOpen-minded users

Cons:

Not for beginnersCould be more user-friendly

Price: Free

11.  Chatzy: Old-school chat room

The ideal Chatzy user is someone who has been to chat rooms before, might be on the older side, and has an affinity for the classic setup. Chatzy is one of those sites that has been around for ages and really hasn’t changed with the times. It’s stuck in the early 2000s. It was created 20 years ago and refuses to add any bells and whistles, which we kind of respect.

If simplicity is important to you, Chatzy delivers. There are no confusing features, no additional portals, and no frills. There’s nothing to distract you from your chat. The only thing that might get in your way is that Chatzy is used for all sorts of discussions. They aren’t all kinky conversations. In order to find the juicy stuff, you’ll need to do a little bit of research, but it’s not complicated.

When you hit Chatzy’s home page, look to the left and click on the tab titled “Find More Rooms.” From there, you’ll be given the option to search for a phrase or word of your choosing. Look up your favorite fetish or anything related to sex. You will then be directed to the appropriate rooms.

Pros:

Simple as can beNo distractionsFree

Cons:

Not modern at allNeed to search for your room in the “Find More” section

Price: Free

12.  DirtyRoulette: Naked roulette video chat

DirtyRoulette is a site that’s powered by Flingster, so you can bet that it’s just as interesting and suitable for sexy video chat. It’s a free chat site that employs straightforward navigation capabilities rather than bogging you down with nonsense.

DirtyRoulette keeps things engaging while maintaining its simplicity. All you need to do is press the “Start Chatting” button to be launched into viewing a free random live sex chat. If you enjoy what you’re watching, you can stay on the show and begin chatting. If you’d like to see something else, you can hit “Next” to view another random feed. Once you land on something that whets your appetite, you can start communicating with the other DirtyRoulette users. Enable your own video camera if you wish to show off your raunchy side.

DirtyRoulette is a saucy platform that invites people to let their freak flags fly. There’s no prudishness on DirtyRoulette. The feeds load very quickly and you can also check it out on your mobile device!

Pros:

Easy navigationNo distractionsExciting and fresh

Cons:

A handful of reported fake usersSome users are boring

Price: Free

13.  Chatroulette: Best roulette chat site

Chatroulette used to be a roulette-style chat site that wasn’t for nudity. They’ve since updated their site to include two sections: Random Chat and Unmoderated. For the purpose of dirty sex chat, you’re going to want to enter the Unmoderated section. It still gives users the chance to report anything that they deem unsavory; however, nudity isn’t banned from this section.

Chatroulette is potentially the most famous sex chat site around. It’s a cure for boredom, a way to meet cool Internet folk, and totally addictive. The website has undergone some cosmetic changes over the years to keep it modernized and entertaining, and we think it’s done a really good job. For quick adult chat, there really isn’t a better option than Chatroulette.

There are over 30K people on Chatroulette at any given moment! In terms of what to expect, with that many people, you never really know what you are going to get. But that’s the beauty of Chatroulette. It’s completely random, mostly kinky fun!

Pros:

No sign-up requiredDownright addictingA huge amount of users online at any given time

Cons:

Seedy past reputationMust enable camera

Price: Free

14.  Omegle: Random free chat

Meet new friends without registering on Omegle, the ultra-famous randomized video chat site that allows you to plug in some keywords so that the site can match you according to your interests. Omegle is only for adults; however, like Chatroulette, there are two types of roads you can travel while you are on Omegle. You can either head into the monitored section, where dirty video chat isn’t allowed, or the unmonitored section. You’re going to want to swiftly head into that unmoderated section.

Unlike Chatroulette, Omegle will give you the opportunity to list things that are exciting to you, things that interest you, or keywords that help express what you’re looking for while on the site. This will inform the algorithm and help to pair you with someone you’ll enjoy chatting with.

Omegle is totally free and most people take advantage of the randomized video option; however, you can also go into “spy mode,” which means that your camera is off, but you can still chat with strangers. If anonymity is your thing, try Omegle with spy mode! Just don’t expect strangers to completely open up to you without that camera turned on!

Pros:

No registrationEasy way to meet hot strangersYou can plug in keywords for a more filtered random chat

Cons:

Not that modernA dime a dozen

Price: Free

15.  iSexyChat: Erotic free chat site with nudes exchange

iSexyChat is a really intuitive, welcoming, navigable chat site that gives you more control than many of the other websites we’ve covered. It’s free, anonymous, and completely dedicated to sexual chat between adults. Though it was started back in 2006, the site itself is very modernized, making going from page to page feel like a total breeze.

There are a lot of refreshing features on iSexyChat, but it doesn’t bog you down with unnecessary bells and whistles. We also appreciate that iSexyChat is transparent about the fact that it’s totally supported by ads. Something about mentioning that on the homepage makes the presence of ads way less annoying.

Ok, here’s what’s special about iSexyChat: The rooms are very pointed. Yes, there are your run-of-the-mill chat rooms like sex chat, video, gay, singles, live, and video. There are also neat rooms like Trade Skype/Kik?Etc. In a room like that, there’s no guessing as to what you’ll get. You are trading usernames for the purpose of sexting. There are also rooms titled Sex Modeling and Trade Pics.

Pros:

Unique chat roomsModern interfaceErotic-centric chat site

Cons:

Lots of ads, just be preparedSome rooms redirect to other sites

Price: Free

16.  LewdChat: Sext chat site

LewdChat is dubbed as an adult matching site, but it’s really an Internet Relay Chat platform that connects adults who want to sext. This free site allows for a seamless registration that will take you seconds. Once you confirm that you are over the age of 18, you will be brought to the chatting platform where you’ll be prompted to give your name, sex, age, and location.

LewdChat is pretty advanced in terms of the users it attracts. If you choose to enter the #Lewd room, you’ll be met with other online users on the gray message feature. While not all that complex, LewdChat doesn’t shy away from throwing you right into a chat room without any real explanation of what you’ll be met with. It’s essentially a sexting message forum filled with a handful of online members discussing sexual topics.

If you wish to head over to another channel, you can click the magnifying glass on the left-hand side. Then, click “Find More Channels” to be given the option to search for specific keywords. Those keywords will direct you to channels containing similar titles and you can explore from there.

Pros:

No hefty sign-up requiredLots of channels to choose fromTalkative members

Cons:

Small user baseLess than intuitive navigation capabilities

Price: $12.95

17.  FlirtLu: Video sex platform

FlirtLu is a video sex chatting platform that makes it easy to find women and men on camera who are willing to flirt with you. The site doesn’t require that you register at all; however, it will prompt you to register later by tempting you with free credits. These credits are what will allow you to have a private chat with anyone you meet on FlirtLu. Until then, you are welcome to watch the gorgeous people on FlirtLu in a group setting.

FlirtLu is not a random chat platform. It’s designed so adults can get their rocks off to beautiful people who are on their webcams. They are hoping you’ll want to pay for credits to enjoy private time with the people on the site, which you likely will. Your options for who to watch are laid out in the form of thumbnails, making it very easy to choose. You can easily move from room to room for free if you wish to look around.

When you click a thumbnail, you’ll launch into a model’s room and profile. There, you’ll find hot pictures and a livestream where you can join in on the chatting and sex conversation. The women on this site are absolutely beautiful, so there’s a good chance you’ll want to spend some money in order to spend some private online time with them.

Pros:

Beautiful usersVery erotic and sensualNo buffering on your computer or mobile device

Cons:

Need to pay for one-on-one actionFeels sort of cammy

Price: Free unless you decide to buy credits for private chat

Adult Chat Sites 101

How to have the best sex chat site experience:You’d think that chat rooms are pretty self-explanatory, but as you’ve read, these sites are all different with features that make them unique. In order to make the most of your adventures, you’ll want to be sure that you’ve found the absolute best adult chat site that fits your specific needs. Figure out if you want to find a website that introduces you to random strangers or one that allows you to learn about someone on a deeper level. Are you someone who gets off on one-on-ones, or would you prefer a group setting? These are questions you’ll want to ask yourself before landing on a site.

How we came up with this list:We’ve spent a fair amount of time on many websites and apps to determine which are the best. Essentially, the list came down to a handful of factors. We wanted to find the fastest, most effective, and most user-friendly sites that are either free or low cost. We looked at some reviews and reflected on our own time spent on each of the sites.

All the things you can do on sex chat sites:Believe it or not, sex chat sites serve many purposes. You can use them for sexting, video chatting, watching a livestream, broadcasting, sharing nudes, and meeting friends. People also love to get onto these sites when they’re going through a fit of boredom. There’s nothing more entertaining than meeting someone totally new on the Internet for some naughtiness. People also use these websites to link with folks they plan on meeting in the real world. If you go this route, make sure you do it safely.

Free adult chat sites vs. paid ones:Yes, there are plenty of free sex chat sites for you to enjoy. You’ve got nothing to lose by testing those sites out for yourself. Of course, the sites that want you to pay will offer a greater array of features and a bit more enjoyment. Most randomized chatting sites won’t make you spend a nickel, which is a nice touch. If that’s all you’re after, don’t bother paying anything. However, if you want something with a bit more excitement and frills, you might need to get your wallet out. Don’t worry though, these sites usually don’t cost that much and allow you to pay monthly. Usually it’s less than $1 per day, which is very manageable.

Are sex chat sites anonymous?All of the sites listed allow for anonymity. Discretion is important and the creators of these sites get that fully. But if you’re really worried about the outside world knowing your dirty little secrets, check out one of the sites that doesn’t require registration at all. They won’t ask for your e-mail, name, or anything else. These types of chat sites are also the quickest in terms of getting straight to the saucy stuff.

Safety tips:Make sure you’re speaking with an adult; some of the best chat sites aren’t fully adult. They include some PG-13-type rooms that attract a younger crowd. Tread carefully on this site. In other words, don’t pull out your junk on one of these non-18+ sites before figuring out who is on the other side of that webcam.

If you meet up, be careful. Most of these websites don’t cater to meeting up for a romp or a date. However, if you do decide that the person you’ve been hitting it off with online is worth a trip into the real world, make sure you meet in a public setting first.

Stay anonymous. All of these websites let you keep your identity a secret. When dealing with the combination of sex and the Internet, staying anonymous is the best way to stay safe!

Read More

Last week, amid the usual tsunami of grim news about inflation, mass shootings, pandemic, and war, came word that the New York Court of Appeals is considering whether the Bronx Zoo is violating the rights of Happy, an Asian elephant who’s lived there for more than four decades, by confining her to a portion of a one-acre exhibit.

The Nonhuman Rights Project, which is representing Happy, argues that she wants to make her own decisions about things like where to go and what to do, and that she is being illegally held. They’re seeking her release (to a sanctuary) through a habeas corpus proceeding. Habeas corpus is a procedure that allows “persons” to challenge detainment. The first thing the court will have to decide is whether Happy—all 5,800 pounds of her—qualifies as a person.

Meanwhile, in the sordid and conveniently livestreamed trainwreck of a defamation suit that Johnny Depp is waging against his ex-wife Amber Heard, her lawyers are arguing that the Washington Post op-ed she wrote about being a victim of domestic abuse is free speech, protected under the First Amendment.    

The First Amendment, ratified 231 years ago as part of the original Bill of Rights, is responsible for some of our most dearly held freedoms. It’s also pretty concise. Here it is, in its entirety:  “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

An important point to remember about it is that it only applies to actions of the government—not those of private individuals or privately-owned businesses. This can be a little confusing. Like how then does it apply to the Depp/Heard severed-finger-bottle-rape-poop-in-the-bed thing? As it happened, PEN America, the venerable national literary organization, was in town last week at the American Writers Museum, launching a yearlong touring series of discussions on this very topic: “Flashpoints: Free Speech in American History, Culture, and Society.”

The PEN panel was moderated by Northwestern University professor Brett Gadsden and included University of Chicago Law School professor and First Amendment expert Geoffrey R. Stone, who got a lesson on speech limits from his own students in 2019 that ended with him vowing to never again illustrate the fighting words doctrine by telling a story that employed the N-word. (“This is not about censorship, or about anybody telling me what to do or not to do,” Stone told Inside Higher Ed then. “This is something on which students have enlightened me.”)

At the panel, Stone noted that the First Amendment was around for 150 years before it got any attention from the Supreme Court. And that only happened because President Woodrow Wilson, who’d won election by promising to stay out of World War I, did an about-face and entered the war, and then wanted to suppress opposition to it. Congress cooperated by passing the Espionage Act of 1917, which, Stone said, “made it a crime for any person to criticize the government, the war, the draft, or the military in a way that would potentially undermine support for the war.”

It was a very broad broom.

Convictions under the Espionage Act brought the initial First Amendment cases to the Supreme Court, and the first few (including the conviction of Socialist Party leader and former presidential candidate Eugene Debs), were upheld unanimously. But, after a summer recess that allowed time to chew it over, two legendary members of the court, Oliver Wendell Holmes and Louis Brandeis, returned with changed positions. They had become convinced that freedom of speech is fundamental to American democracy and that people should have the ability to criticize the government unless “that criticism created a clear and present danger of grave harm to the nation,” Stone said.

From then on Holmes and Brandeis dissented on all Espionage Act convictions. It took until the 1960s for the rest of the court to follow them, but since then, Stone said, “the court has never upheld the conviction of any individual for engaging in speech on the theory that that speech might cause others to engage in illegal conduct.”

We’re at a turning point now, however, with the most conservative court we’ve seen in a century, Stone said. “Given the makeup of this court, and the length of time they’re likely to serve, we can expect revisions in the interpretation of women’s rights, individual rights, sexual freedom, and the definition of obscenity that will transform this nation to much more of what it was like in the 1950s than what it is like today.”

“One thing we can do is pass state laws that recognize these rights,” Stone said. But if, say, the court decided to extend constitutional rights to the unborn, even state laws could be limited protection. What they would do is buy time.  

So what about Johnny Depp and Happy? In a post-panel followup Stone said he’s not familiar with these cases but, “defamation is, by definition, a free speech issue. That’s because the government makes the rules that determine whether someone can sue, and the First Amendment determines whether those rules are constitutional or not.” Happy, however, might be out of luck: “If they’re basically claiming that Happy has constitutional rights, that’s a nonstarter.”

“Animals do not have constitutional rights.”

Read More

Six years ago, Brian Quijada and Teatro Vista teamed up to present Quijada’s solo show, Where Did We Sit on the Bus?, an endearing and poignant portrait of growing up in the Chicago suburbs as the child of Salvadoran immigrants. The title of that show came from a question young Brian had for his third-grade teacher after learning the story of Rosa Parks: Where did Brown people like his family fit into America’s history with race and oppression? His teacher’s response (“They weren’t around”) is emblematic of the erasure of Latine history from our cultural narrative. Quijada’s story, filled with hip-hop, loops, and poetry, combined his search to understand more about his heritage and his working-class parents’ struggles with his desire for his family to embrace his artistic dreams. 

Somewhere Over the Border
Through 6/12: Wed-Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 2 PM; Windy City Playhouse, 3014 W. Irving Park, teatrovista.org, $49.50 (Ten $15 Teatro for All tickets available each performance on first come, first served basis).

Now Teatro Vista returns to live performance under the new artistic leadership of Lorena Diaz and Wendy Mateo with the world premiere of Quijada’s latest, Somewhere Over the Border. But this time, Quijada dives into the story of his mother and her dangerous crossing from El Salvador through Guatemala and Mexico to the U.S. in the late 1970s, just as the terrible civil war in her home country was ramping up. Using the framework of The Wizard of Oz and a score (also composed by Quijada) that combines cumbia, hip-hop, Mexican boleros, and pop, it’s an exhilarating, smart, and soulful show that wears its parallels to L. Frank Baum’s tale well. (Though it’s worth noting that Baum was a racist who called for the genocide of Native Americans.)

Reina (Gabriela Moscoso) is a 17-year-old single mother in Chanmico, El Salvador, living with her mother, Julia (Claudia Quesada), and her brothers, including good-natured Adán (Tommy Rivera-Vega). (As the narrator, Quijada points out, “It just so happens that father figures don’t figure into this story.”) As Reina struggles to work on the family farm and at multiple jobs in town, she dreams, as so many immigrants have before her, of finding a better world in the U.S. for herself and her infant son, Fernando. When she finds out that she can pay a “coyote” 1,500 Mexican pesos for allegedly safe passage, she jumps at the chance, even though it means leaving her baby behind.

During her bus journeys to Tijuana, she meets a Mexican farmer, Cruz (Rivera-Vega), who wants to study advanced agricultural techniques; a brokenhearted innkeeper, Silvano (Andrés Enriquez), who decides to go in search of his wife and children in Pittsburgh; and a nun, Leona (Amanda Raquel Martinez), who really wants to be a rock star—if only she can summon up the courage to leave the convent. So you see where this is going.

They’re not so much easing on down the road as struggling to stay out of view of police and other officials. And the final crossing itself provides a snapshot of just how fraught and traumatic the experience is. But Quijada’s musical, directed with fire and precision by Denise Yvette Serna and filled with exuberant performances, also celebrates the same partners-in-adventure camaraderie as The Wiz. In its skillful reimagining of a familiar cinematic tale, it also reminded me of 16th Street Theater’s 2017 staging of Into the Beautiful North, Karen Zacarías’s adaptation of Chicagoan Luis Alberto Urrea’s novel about a young girl in Mexico whose town is being taken over by cartels. Inspired by multiple viewings of The Magnificent Seven, she decides to go north and find seven heroes to come back and kick some ass. 

The combination of fantasy and reality plays out with joy and sometimes heartache in Quijada’s songs, played by himself (on guitar) and three other terrific musicians (Thee Ricky Harris is music director.) Yvonne Miranda’s simple but evocative set features a stacking series of round platforms, with a pit in the center for the musicians and, yes, a yellow road painted on top, illuminated by Liviu Pasare’s projections of rainbows and desert landscapes.

But the great gift of Quijada’s show is that it never loses itself in the Oztropes. We see the similarities, of course—but what we mostly see are people desperate to find a way to live with dignity and pursue their dreams. There is hope, disappointment, uncertainty, and guilt for Reina. The latter mostly because she knows that she won’t see her little boy for a long time, and that she has left her own mother to raise Fernando amid the growing storm clouds of war and oppression. Quijada doesn’t delve deeply into the politics that tore his parents’ country apart. Instead, he lets Reina and her friends and family speak (and sing) for themselves. 

The show opens and closes with “Everyday Towns,” a paean to the little places that people live in, and sometimes must leave in order to find peace and prosperity (though Reina’s story makes it clear that neither of those things is guaranteed even for those who survive the crossing). Somewhere Over the Border offers one woman’s story, but the love and humor and warmth that Quijada brings to Reina’s tale stand as a defiant rejoinder to the xenophobic forces that dehumanize and criminalize Brown people at our border and in our own everyday towns.

Read More

Read More

Front lawns crowded with campaign yard signs and TV commercial breaks flooded with attack ads can only mean one thing: primary elections are around the corner. For Cook County voters, that means a hefty ballot that includes the sheriff, dozens of judges, the most expensive governor’s race in Illinois history, and more. 

Often overlooked is the race for Cook County Board of Review. I don’t mean the more high-profile Board of Commissioners, though all 17 seats for that are up for election, too. I’m talking about the county’s three-member property tax appeals board. All three seats are up for election this year, but unless you own a few properties on Michigan Avenue, you probably didn’t know that. 

The Board of Review is easily one of the least understood bodies of government in Cook County. Every year, homeowners, landlords, and business owners receive an assessment, or estimated value, of their property from the Cook County Assessor’s office that ultimately determines their property tax bill. If you’re mad about paying higher property taxes because your assessment increased, the Board is the independent body you can appeal to. 

Every county in the state has a property tax appeals board, usually appointed by the assessor or county board. In Cook County, board members are elected by the public. Commissioners are elected from three separate districts equal in population. They serve four-year terms while alternating a two-year term. Unlike other jurisdictions, Cook County commissioners are not required to hold a real estate law license. 

Cook County homeowners can file an online appeal at the Board’s website. Unless you’re a commercial property owner, you don’t need an attorney to do so. All three commissioners review each appeal, and if two out of the three agree that a reduction is warranted, then the property assessment is lowered. 

If a property owner is unhappy with the Board’s decision, they can also file an appeal with the state’s property tax appeal board or file a lawsuit through the Circuit Court of Cook County. 

The problem is that not a lot of homeowners know they can appeal their property taxes.

Take Irma Morales for example. She’s been a homeowner in Little Village for more than 20 years. When the county reassessed property values last year, she says homeowners in her neighborhood were the last to find out that they could appeal their property taxes with the assessor and she didn’t know about the independent appeal process through the Board of Review. 

“I couldn’t even figure out how to fill out the forms,” said Morales, who primarily speaks Spanish.   

Únete la Villita, a community organization Morales cofounded, staged a protest along with other community groups outside the assessor’s office last summer to express concerns over high property taxes that they feared would displace small business owners and longtime residents.

Moises Moreno, executive director of Pilsen Alliance, told the Reader he and his wife could no longer afford to live in Pilsen, due in part to high property taxes. “We’re trying not to get taxed out of the city,” he said. “I know there are families, homeowners, and small business owners whose assessments have gone up astronomically and have to decide between selling their house or risk losing it.” 

Moreno says Pilsen Alliance helps homeowners appeal their taxes through the assessor’s office, but that they can only do so much. Like Morales, he was unfamiliar with the Board of Review. He says the appeal process is a Band-Aid solution to unfair property assessments that benefit real estate developers at the expense of longtime residents.

“I think what folks are really asking for is reform at the state level,” he said.

Some people are more familiar with the Board of Review than others. Take Alderperson Ed Burke (14th Ward), who’s currently facing federal corruption charges. Before the FBI raided his office in 2019, he was a partner at a law firm specializing in property tax appeals. His clients included big corporations such as AT&T, Walgreens, and ComEd. 

According to a 2017 investigation by the Tribune and ProPublica, Burke successfully knocked $865 million off of his clients’ property tax bills between 2011 and 2016. When property taxes—the main source of revenue for schools, parks, and police—are reduced for one taxpayer, another, like Morales, has to pick up the tab. 

For decades, former Illinois House of Representatives speaker Michael Madigan was similarly banking on property tax appeals. His law firm, Madigan and Getzendanner, has dominated the property tax appeals game for years. Madigan is still a partner at the firm and is currently the subject of a federal investigation into an alleged bribery scheme involving ComEd. 

Southwest-side neighborhoods like Pilsen and Little Village are in the district represented by Board of Review commissioner Michael Cabonargi. He admits it’s a challenge to ensure everyone in the county has access to an appeal process that is independent of the assessor’s office. 

According to data provided by the Board of Review, homeowners on the south and west sides are less likely to appeal their property taxes than homeowners on the north and northwest sides. Cabonargi says language and Internet access can be barriers for homeowners trying to appeal, adding that his office does extensive outreach to areas in his district.

Last year, the Illinois General Assembly redrew the district boundaries for the Cook County Board of Review (it’s required to do so every ten years), meaning all current board members are up for reelection. In an effort to preserve minority representation on the board, the first district boundaries were redrawn to include predominantly Latinx Chicago wards and suburbs such as Cicero, Berwyn, and Hanover Park. 

Shortly after the new map was introduced, 12th Ward alderperson George Cardenas announced he was running for the Board of Review to unseat the first district incumbent  Tammy Wendt. The new boundaries for the first district would include Little Village, Brighton Park, McKinley Park—neighborhoods Cardenas has represented as alderperson for 19 years. 

But Irma Morales and Moises Moreno say the Board of Review is just a power grab for Cardenas.

“Look at his record,” Moreno says. “Look at the donations he’s taking. Is he friendly with developers? Because developers are the ones who don’t want the change we’re asking for, which is a fair property tax assessment.” 

Since 2003, Cardenas has accepted donations from dozens of real estate developers. Among his biggest donors are Pacific Star Capital CEO Aria Mehrabi, who has given him $25,000, and Bertco Development, which has donated $16,000. 

Cardenas did not respond to our request for comment. 

The Illinois primary elections are on June 28, 2022. The general election will be held on November 8. Election information can be found on the Cook County Clerk’s website.

“Cook County Uncovered” is a new Reader series that looks into the various ways county government and services function. Have a question about Cook County? Tell us below!

Read More

Front lawns crowded with campaign yard signs and TV commercial breaks flooded with attack ads can only mean one thing: primary elections are around the corner. For Cook County voters, that means a hefty ballot that includes the sheriff, dozens of judges, the most expensive governor’s race in Illinois history, and more. 

Often overlooked is the race for Cook County Board of Review. I don’t mean the more high-profile Board of Commissioners, though all 17 seats for that are up for election, too. I’m talking about the county’s three-member property tax appeals board. All three seats are up for election this year, but unless you own a few properties on Michigan Avenue, you probably didn’t know that. 

The Board of Review is easily one of the least understood bodies of government in Cook County. Every year, homeowners, landlords, and business owners receive an assessment, or estimated value, of their property from the Cook County Assessor’s office that ultimately determines their property tax bill. If you’re mad about paying higher property taxes because your assessment increased, the Board is the independent body you can appeal to. 

Every county in the state has a property tax appeals board, usually appointed by the assessor or county board. In Cook County, board members are elected by the public. Commissioners are elected from three separate districts equal in population. They serve four-year terms while alternating a two-year term. Unlike other jurisdictions, Cook County commissioners are not required to hold a real estate law license. 

Cook County homeowners can file an online appeal at the Board’s website. Unless you’re a commercial property owner, you don’t need an attorney to do so. All three commissioners review each appeal, and if two out of the three agree that a reduction is warranted, then the property assessment is lowered. 

If a property owner is unhappy with the Board’s decision, they can also file an appeal with the state’s property tax appeal board or file a lawsuit through the Circuit Court of Cook County. 

The problem is that not a lot of homeowners know they can appeal their property taxes.

Take Irma Morales for example. She’s been a homeowner in Little Village for more than 20 years. When the county reassessed property values last year, she says homeowners in her neighborhood were the last to find out that they could appeal their property taxes with the assessor and she didn’t know about the independent appeal process through the Board of Review. 

“I couldn’t even figure out how to fill out the forms,” said Morales, who primarily speaks Spanish.   

Únete la Villita, a community organization Morales cofounded, staged a protest along with other community groups outside the assessor’s office last summer to express concerns over high property taxes that they feared would displace small business owners and longtime residents.

Moises Moreno, executive director of Pilsen Alliance, told the Reader he and his wife could no longer afford to live in Pilsen, due in part to high property taxes. “We’re trying not to get taxed out of the city,” he said. “I know there are families, homeowners, and small business owners whose assessments have gone up astronomically and have to decide between selling their house or risk losing it.” 

Moreno says Pilsen Alliance helps homeowners appeal their taxes through the assessor’s office, but that they can only do so much. Like Morales, he was unfamiliar with the Board of Review. He says the appeal process is a Band-Aid solution to unfair property assessments that benefit real estate developers at the expense of longtime residents.

“I think what folks are really asking for is reform at the state level,” he said.

Some people are more familiar with the Board of Review than others. Take Alderperson Ed Burke (14th Ward), who’s currently facing federal corruption charges. Before the FBI raided his office in 2019, he was a partner at a law firm specializing in property tax appeals. His clients included big corporations such as AT&T, Walgreens, and ComEd. 

According to a 2017 investigation by the Tribune and ProPublica, Burke successfully knocked $865 million off of his clients’ property tax bills between 2011 and 2016. When property taxes—the main source of revenue for schools, parks, and police—are reduced for one taxpayer, another, like Morales, has to pick up the tab. 

For decades, former Illinois House of Representatives speaker Michael Madigan was similarly banking on property tax appeals. His law firm, Madigan and Getzendanner, has dominated the property tax appeals game for years. Madigan is still a partner at the firm and is currently the subject of a federal investigation into an alleged bribery scheme involving ComEd. 

Southwest-side neighborhoods like Pilsen and Little Village are in the district represented by Board of Review commissioner Michael Cabonargi. He admits it’s a challenge to ensure everyone in the county has access to an appeal process that is independent of the assessor’s office. 

According to data provided by the Board of Review, homeowners on the south and west sides are less likely to appeal their property taxes than homeowners on the north and northwest sides. Cabonargi says language and Internet access can be barriers for homeowners trying to appeal, adding that his office does extensive outreach to areas in his district.

Last year, the Illinois General Assembly redrew the district boundaries for the Cook County Board of Review (it’s required to do so every ten years), meaning all current board members are up for reelection. In an effort to preserve minority representation on the board, the first district boundaries were redrawn to include predominantly Latinx Chicago wards and suburbs such as Cicero, Berwyn, and Hanover Park. 

Shortly after the new map was introduced, 12th Ward alderperson George Cardenas announced he was running for the Board of Review to unseat the first district incumbent  Tammy Wendt. The new boundaries for the first district would include Little Village, Brighton Park, McKinley Park—neighborhoods Cardenas has represented as alderperson for 19 years. 

But Irma Morales and Moises Moreno say the Board of Review is just a power grab for Cardenas.

“Look at his record,” Moreno says. “Look at the donations he’s taking. Is he friendly with developers? Because developers are the ones who don’t want the change we’re asking for, which is a fair property tax assessment.” 

Since 2003, Cardenas has accepted donations from dozens of real estate developers. Among his biggest donors are Pacific Star Capital CEO Aria Mehrabi, who has given him $25,000, and Bertco Development, which has donated $16,000. 

Cardenas did not respond to our request for comment. 

The Illinois primary elections are on June 28, 2022. The general election will be held on November 8. Election information can be found on the Cook County Clerk’s website.

“Cook County Uncovered” is a new Reader series that looks into the various ways county government and services function. Have a question about Cook County? Tell us below!

Read More

The Chicago Bulls finally made the playoffs for the first time since the 2016-2017 season with much credit to head coach Billy Donovan for getting the team there.

He has been part of the organizational turnaround that underwent after Jim Boylen, Gar Forman, and John Paxson were all let go. Donovan is a respected coach who has seen consistent success wherever he has been both in the NBA and NCAA.

Read More

BOSTON — Midway through the third quarter Monday night as the Celtics were pushing their lead to as much as 32 points, Rudy Gobert couldn’t resist.

“This Boston defense is tough” the Utah Jazz center tweeted.

This was both innocuous and accurate at a time when the Celtics were smothering the Miami Heat and rewriting a slew of records on their way to a 102-82 victory that tied the Eastern Conference finals at 2-2.

But Gobert, it sure seemed, was subtweeting. He had a point, though maybe not his preferred one.

Gobert was noting the Celtics looked great on defense even though Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart was out because of an ankle injury.

Gobert, a three-time DPOY, appears to still be salty that Smart beat him for the award.

What Gobert was saying without saying, though, is the Heat were powerless to score against Boston in the half court, Smart’s absence notwithstanding.

The Heat are hurting at the moment, and they look like they’re going to need some help to take two out of the three games left to reach the Finals. Be it the injury gods, the Celtics themselves or some yet to be discovered offensive savior.

2 Related

They don’t see it this way, at least publicly. They projected a strong and satisfied front after the loss, looking forward to going back home for Game 5 with home-court advantage.

“This is part of the playoffs, there are these extreme highs and lows,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We’ve proven that we can find solutions offensively in a lot of different ways.”

Spoelstra is speaking the truth. The Heat have shown throughout the season they can manage adversity. They were walloped by injuries and constantly changing lineups, yet in the end still had the No. 1 seed in the East.

Spoelstra was once again a Coach of the Year candidate for his ability to consistently piece together a functional engine. The situation Miami is in at the moment, though, is a real test of that track record.

Three of their most important offensive players are dealing with bothersome injuries. Tyler Herro, the Sixth Man of the Year, missed Game 4 because of a groin injury and is having trouble running without pain. Jimmy Butler is playing through inflammation in his right knee and looked to have issues getting lift and separation, and shot just 3-of-14.

After getting to the line 26 times in the first two games, Butler has been there just twice in the past three halves as the knee issue has flared up. Kyle Lowry is still coming back from a hamstring injury and is just 5-of-17 shooting in the two games since returning to the lineup.

There is just one day’s rest between games in the conference finals — it has long been such for television purposes, the effect of the quality of play notwithstanding — and three hours of flying on the off days. The injuries don’t have much time to heal.

The NBA75 celebration continues with the NBA playoffs, which runs through June, when the league will crown a champion for its milestone season.

East finals: Heat 2, Celtics 2
o Boston’s defense is too much for Miami
o Celtics’ ‘sense of urgency’ fuels G4 rout
o How Boston keeps bouncing back

West finals: Warriors 3, Mavs 1
o Mavs’ Doncic reflective after 40 in loss
o ‘OMG WIGGS’: Reaction to poster dunk
o The best version of Draymond Green

MORE: Scores, full schedule and more

“No excuse for how I played tonight. It don’t got nothing to do with my knee,” Butler said, despite what the results showed. “I’ve just got to be better. I will be better. I’m not too worried about it.”

Said Heat star Bam Adebayo: “Injuries is a part of this, it’s a part of playoffs. You learn to adapt … you’ve just got to find a way to win.”

This attitude under the circumstances is part of the Heat’s long-standing mantra: “We have enough.”

That has been Spoelstra’s guiding principle when faced with adversity through the years, and it remains so now. But against this Celtics team and this defense, which has been the star of their playoff run and impressive enough for an expert such as Gobert to offer approval, the Heat’s optimism is a harder sell.

When the Heat pulled out the surprising Game 3 win on Saturday, they were aided by a load of Celtics turnovers that fueled offensive chances, leading to an astounding 33 points. Even then, the game wasn’t decided until the final minutes.

The Celtics shut off that spigot on Monday; they turned the ball over just three times in the first half and gave up just seven points off turnovers for the game. With Butler slow, Lowry slower and Herro in courtside couture, that wasn’t survivable.

Miami started the game incredibly 0-of-14 from the field and only marginally improved from there, finishing at just 33% shooting.

Derrick White, in the starting lineup for a third time this postseason in place of Smart, was spectacular in protecting the perimeter for Boston, notching three steals. Jayson Tatum, Al Horford and Robert Williams III combined for eight blocks.

And everyone wearing green and white was locked in on the game plan, which included keeping bodies in front of Adebayo and forcing midrange shots. Miami had a measly eight points in the paint in the first half — when the game was decided.

Spoelstra, as is his nature, batted the worrisome situation away and termed it temporary.

“We are not making any excuse,” the coach said. “We can do it in the mud. We can win it ugly. We can win it when the floodgates come open hitting 3s. We can do it with Jimmy taking over a game. We can do it when he’s facilitating. We have the mental fortitude and the collective toughness to be able to embrace what we have. It’s just a very competitive, good series.”

This Heat team has thrived all season on disrespect. At the start of the playoffs, sportsbooks had them as low as fifth in the odds to win the East despite their top seed. Adebayo was furious he didn’t get recognized in the top three for Defensive Player of the Year — Gobert took the last finalist spot. The Celtics were the significant favorite coming into this series, but the Heat have yet to trail.

Doubting them here could indeed be a mistake. But there are red lights all over the dashboard now, and pulling this out might take something special.

“This is what you want,” Spoelstra said. “We’ll take this hit. We’ll do this together and then we’ll get back to Miami and we’ll get ready for Game 5.”

Read More

Drummer Makaya McCraven has always been a bit of a rabble-rouser. He mixes audio from his live gigs with studio overdubs in intricately layered tracks that feel like jazz approached with a DJ’s sensibility. Like McCraven’s 2020 Gil Scott-Heron tribute, We’re New Again (XL Recordings), last year’s Deciphering the Message remixes snippets from a source outside his band—this time the hefty catalog of Blue Note Records, one of the towering tastemakers of jazz, with a special focus on material by Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. Blue Note also released Deciphering, making McCraven the first Chicagoan in more than a decade to sign to the legacy jazz label. The album follows in the footsteps of other sample-happy Blue Note experiments from the 1990s and 2000s (Madlib’s Shades of Blue, for example, or the label-released compilation The New Groove). For Deciphering the Message, McCraven selected Blue Note tracks and diced them up, shuffling them into new grooves often animated by terse supporting motifs. “Autumn in New York,” derived from guitarist Kenny Burrell’s version of the standard off Blue Lights (1958), trades balladic sweep for a skipping soliloquy based on a petite guitar motif, and McCraven’s take on Horace Silver’s “Ecaroh” builds a funky pyramid from the pianist’s chromatic hook. At his upcoming shows at Lincoln Hall, McCraven will riff on tracks from Deciphering as well as from his back catalog, accompanied by five of his seven compatriots from the album: bassist Junius Paul, saxophonists Greg Ward and De’Sean Jones, trumpeter Marquis Hill, and guitarist Matt Gold. Think of them as remixing the remixes—all live and always a surprise.

Makaya McCraven, Jeremy Cunningham & Dustin Laurenzi, Fri 5/27, 9 PM, Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln, $25, $20 in advance, 18+

Makaya McCraven, Mxmrys, Sat 5/28, 9 PM, Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln, $25, $20 in advance, 18+

Read More