Set in 1920s Denmark, in 1960s New York, in 1970s San Francisco and elsewhere, these absorbing stories make for perfect Pride Month viewing.

In recent years, we’ve seen more LGBTQ+ characters in movies and on streaming series and films and on broadcast TV than ever before and more actors and filmmakers who are open about their identity.

As a mirror of society, Hollywood is a long ways from perfect, and the conversations will be ongoing and the road to equality might never be 100% complete. But the progress is real, and that’s a wonderful thing.

To commemorate and celebrate Pride Month, here’s my list (in alphabetical order) of some of the best LGBTQ+ movies of all time.

‘The Boys in the Band’ (original and remake)

The great Chicago treasure William Friedkin (“The Exorcist,” “The Conversation”) directed the 1970 adaptation of Mart Crowley’s groundbreaking play about a group of gay men gathering for an unforgettable evening in an apartment on the Upper East Side. This was one of the first major films centering exclusively on gay characters. A half-century later, the remake starring openly gay actors Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto and Andrew Rannells, among others, worked as a reminder of a time when even in New York City in the times-are-changing 1960s, most gay men felt free to be themselves only behind closed doors and among their own ranks.

‘Brokeback Mountain’ (2005)

Heath Ledger posthumously won the best supporting actor Oscar for his portrayal of the Joker in “The Dark Knight” and rightfully so, but his best performance came a few years earlier as the ranch hand Ennis Del Mar, who shares a long and complicated and hearbreaking love affair with Jake Gyllenhaal’s Jack Twist. “Brokeback Mountain” won Oscars for Ang Lee (director) and Diana Ossana and Larry McMurtry (adapted screenplay), but somehow the best-directed and best-written film of the year lost best picture to “Crash,” a decision controversial to this day.

‘The Celluloid Closet’ (1996)

Hollywood holds a mirror to itself in this comprehensive, sly, funny and beautifully rendered documentary about the history of gay characters — identified or implied — in cinema. We see clips of gay characters in silent movies (Thomas Edison made a short depicting two men dancing in 1895), later eras when they were almost always portrayed as villains or weak-willed, and keen insights from actors and filmmakers. Setting up a clip from “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” the brilliant writer Paul Rudnick (“In & Out,” “Jeffrey”) notes the dancers are “a gym full of body builders who have absolutely no interest in Jane Russell.”

‘The Danish Girl’ (2015)

Loosely inspired by the true story of one of the first recipients of sex reassignment surgery, Tom Hooper’s sensitive and quietly powerful period piece film set in the early 20^th century stars Eddie Redmayne as Einar, who becomes Lili, and Alicia Vikander as Gerda, Einar/Lili’s supportive wife. Both performances were lovely and resonant and garnered Oscar nominations, with Vikander winning best supporting actress.

‘Love, Simon’ (2018)

The easy shorthand I’ve employed to describe Greg Berlanti’s irresistibly funny and sweet story is that it’s a John Hughes high school comedy/drama, only this time the main character is gay. Nick Robinson is a 21^st century Matthew Broderick — handsome and self-deprecating and smart and likable — as the title character, who knows he’s gay and is trying to find the right moment to share that with the world. With Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Garner as the kind of parents every gay teenager deserves.

‘Milk’ (2008)

Sean Penn is magnificent as the legendary and groundbreaking Harvey Milk, the first openly gay individual elected to public office in the state of California, and James Franco delivers one of his most memorable performances as Milk’s partner, Scott Smith. Directed by the versatile and gifted Gus Van Sant (“My Own Private Idaho,” “Drugstore Cowboy”), “Milk” is a powerful slice of 1970s/1980s political history, and an empathetic biography.

‘Moonlight’ (2016)

Writer-director Barry Jenkins’ Oscar-winning adaptation of a play by Tarell Alvin McCraney is really three films in one, chronicling the life and times of Chiron, who is played by Alex Hibbert as a child, Ashton Sanders as a teen and Trevante Rhodes as an adult, as he endures a hardscrabble life and wrestles with his identity. It’s a gorgeous, tough, gritty, emotionally impactful film that will make your heart soar one moment and shatter the next. “Moonlight” is showing at several AMC and Regal theaters this week in observance of Juneteenth.

‘Personal Best’ (1982)

Writer-director Robert Towne celebrates the physicality of athleticism and sexuality in the story of an up-and-coming track-and-field athlete (Mariel Hemingway) who becomes romantically involved with an established star (real-life track and field competitor Patrice Donnelly). This is an underseen gem that deserves a new audience.

‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’ (2019)

This exquisitely rendered, dreamlike, 18^th century lesbian love story set on the western coast of France has Adèle Haenel and Noémie Merlant turning in simmering and great work as Heloise and Marianne, respectively, who become friends and eventually more. Their romance is a slow, sultry, intense build, and director Celine Sciamma paints each frame with the unmistakable signature of an original artist.

‘Tangerine’ (2015)

Shot entirely on iPhone 5s smartphones (relics!), director Sean Baker’s fast-paced, furiously funny, screwball indie comedy/drama stars transgender actresses Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor as Sin-Dee and Alexandra, respectively, sex workers who get involved in a series of madcap adventures on the streets of Los Angeles on Christmas Eve. A wild, raunchy, profane and farcical buddy comedy, with Rodriguez and Taylor making for an explosively hilarious and original duo.

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There is no announced timeline and the earliest expansion would be possible is likely 2023 if there are no big snags.

College Football Playoff expansion took another step forward as the full group of commissioners who manage the postseason system spent about six hours over two days digging into a proposed plan for a 12-team format.

“This is the beginning of a long, ongoing process,” Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said Friday as he departed Big Ten headquarters in Rosemont. “It’s going to be months before we come to any closure on any of this.”

There is no announced timeline and the earliest expansion would be possible is likely 2023 if there are no big snags.

Last week, the CFP unveiled a plan to expand from four to 12 teams. Six spots would be reserved for the highest-ranked conference champions and and the other six would be at-large spots. The plan calls for first-round games played on campuses and quarterfinal and semifinal games played in bowls.

The detailed proposal was developed over two years by four members of the CFP management committee: Bowlsby, Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey, Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick and Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson.

“You can imagine how many pages of notes I have on two years of work. And that’s what we’re trying to bring everybody else up to speed with,” Bowlsby said.

This week’s meeting was the first chance for the entire 11-person management committee to discuss the proposal in person. The other members include the commissioners of the Big Ten, Pac-12, Atlantic Coast Conference, American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, Sun Belt and Mid-American Conference.

“Four of us were at one place. Now I think we have 11 of us at that place,” Bowlsby said. “Now, we move to talk to the presidents and see if we can get them at that place.”

Next week, the group reconvenes in Dallas to present the plan to the CFP’s Board of Managers, the university presidents who have final say on what would be a momentous change in college football, with financial ramifications for bowls and conferences alike.

Before anything becomes a done deal, the commissioners want to hear from their local constituents: athletic directors, coaches and players. What do they think about all this?

“This is an enormous undertaking with dozens and dozens of moving parts and it’s not going to be a rapid process,” Bowlsby said. “This is going to be at least (this) fall before we have the necessary conversations and possess the necessary information to make informed decisions.”

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The mayor was poised to suffer another bitter political defeat after a compromise was hammered out that would give a civilian oversight panel the final say in disputes over police policy.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot was spared a bitter political defeat Friday on the pivotal issue of civilian police oversight by the narrowest of margins.

By a 10-9 vote, the Committee on Public Safety refused to consider an eleventh-hour compromise hammered out without the mayor’s input that would give a civilian oversight panel the final say on police policy disputes.

About an hour before the vote, Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35^th) predicted that the votes would be there to approve the stronger oversight ordinance over Lightfoot’s strenuous objections after proponents agreed to “split out” a binding referendum that, if passed, would give the civilian panel even broader powers.

“We know we don’t have the votes in the Public Safety Committee to pass that referendum. But we do have enough votes to pass the portions of the ordinance that do not include the referendum,” Ramirez-Rosa said.

“So, we agreed this morning to remove the referendum from the ordinance being voted on today. And that should secure us more than a majority in the committee to pass this.”

But Public Safety Committee Chairman Chris Taliaferro (29th) refused to consider the compromise distributed to aldermen only 30 minutes earlier.

When Ald. Nick Sposato (38th) made a motion to table consideration of the new compromise, Taliaferro called for a vote. The roll was called. The vote was 10 to 9 in favor of the motion not to consider the compromise.

“We’ve waited four years to vote on this matter. … A majority of the City Council is on board,” said a disappointed Ald. Harry Osterman (48th), City Council champion for civilian oversight.

Sun-Times file

Taliaferro said he objected to immediate consideration of the compromise because he “screamed from the rooftops” for supporters to “pull the referendum and you would have support.”

“No one listened” until Friday, Taliaferro said.

Taliaferro also condemned what he called the “threats, intimidation and harassment” by proponents of civilian police oversight who show up at the homes of Chicago aldermen “plaster things in front of their doors” and put their spouses and children “in harm’s way.”

“I can’t support that type of conduct. … That’s not democracy at its best. Democracy is protesting peacefully,” Taliaferro said.

The committee then voted on a motion to adjourn the meeting until Monday at 1 p.m., when the compromise would be considered. The vote was 9-to-8 not to adjourn. That set the stage for aldermen to consider the mayor’s ordinance, which lacks support, and the old version of civilian review that has been supplanted by the compromise.

But Ald. Jason Ervin (28th) made another motion to adjourn that was accepted.

Lightfoot finally has delivered her own plan for civilian police oversight, but it did not include the sweeping policymaking, budgeting and hiring and firing powers she promised during the mayoral campaign.

Instead of allowing the seven-member commission she offered to create to choose Chicago’s police superintendent, Lightfoot would retain that coveted power for herself and future mayors.

Sun-Times file

Ramirez-Rosa championed the more extreme version of civilian oversight proposed by the Civilian Police Accountability Council before helping to forge the compromise with the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability.

The new compromise gives the civilian oversight commission the final say in disputes over police policy.

The panel would also be empowered to take a vote of no-confidence in Chicago’s police superintendent that could set the stage for the top cop’s removal if the City Council agrees by a two-thirds vote, he said.

“The mayor was not part of these conversations. She had her opportunity to work with the coalition on meaningful civilian oversight. The ordinance that she introduced was not a serious proposal for civilian oversight,” Ramirez-Rosa said.

“Her staff reached out to us earlier this week and put nothing on the table. All they said was, ‘Will you postpone the vote?’ The vote’s been postponed how many times? How many years? It’s time to pass this ordinance.”

Like Lightfoot, Taliaferro has argued that the mayor “wears the jacket” for public safety and needs to have the final say on police policy disputes and the fate of the police superintendent.

“It should be within the authority of the mayor to hire and fire the superintendent, the Police Board and the COPA administrator. If she’s gonna wear the hat for any good or bad that happens within the police department, she needs to be able to hire and fire the chief executive of those offices,” Taliaferro told the Sun-Times last month.

“I can’t imagine being the mayor of a municipality and you have no say-so in the direction of the police department.”

Lightfoot campaigned on a promise to empower a civilian oversight panel to hire and fire the police superintendent and have the final word in disputes over police policy.

Civilian oversight was a pivotal recommendation by the Task Force on Police Accountability she co-chaired in the furor that followed the court-ordered release of the Laquan McDonald shooting video.

After the election, Lightfoot changed her tune, just as she has on her support for an elected school board bill approved by the Illinois House this week over her strenuous objections.

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Here comes the bride! Wedding season is BACK and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate love in the Windy City. Depending on your budget, there are plenty of amazing local talent that will capture your big day in the best way. Here’s a quick roundup of the top wedding photographers in Chicago. 

Layla Eloa Photography

Cue the heart eye emojis. Born in São Paulo, Brazil, award-winning photographer Layla Eloá has been photographing weddings since 2007. Her work has been featured on The Knot, bridal magazines and conferences as well as many online publications. Layla’s authentic style sparks joy and happiness in every photo she captures. 

Sprung Photo

During her 14 years in business, Victoria Sprung has shot over 550 weddings! She’s an animal lover and one of the official photographers of the Tree House, a humane society based in Chicago. Victoria and her team have won several awards from WeddingWire and they’ve made The Knot’s prestigious Hall of Fame.

Christopher F Photography 

Looking for something different? Award-winning photographer Christopher says, “Defining my style can be difficult. I try to create a unique and creative portrait session for each couple.” He enjoys experimenting and trying new things. And the best part? Everything is done in camera, no Photoshop tricks here.

Michelle Lytle Photography 

Michelle is an expert photographer based in Chicagoland. For over 15 years, she’s worked with 500+ couples documenting and preserving moments of their special day. Recently, she has enjoyed turning her camera on her own family as she raises her two children along with her wife, Robyn.

Noelle Adams Photography

Sometimes your photographer just blends in with your family. That’s Noelle in a nutshell. She likes to see how you interact with your loved ones to capture those special moments. Whether you’re wild and carefree or more calm and lowkey, Noelle will adjust her style to match your vibe.

Lauren Ashley Studios

How would you describe Lauren Ashley’s style? One word: stunning. Lauren and her team work hard to create timeless photography with emotion and romance. No need to worry about overly posed or mundane photos. When you choose Lauren Ashley Studios, your photographs will make you laugh, cry, and maybe even scream in delight.

Featured Photo by Hisu lee on Unsplash

The post 6 Incredibly Talented Wedding Photographers in Chicago appeared first on UrbanMatter.

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Father’s day is around the corner (June 20th in case you forgot) and I personally feel like this year we should celebrate them a little better than just gifting socks or ties. Last year was a nightmare and with Chicago being 100% open, now is your chance to experience Chicago with your dad full force. 

Cubs Tickets

The Cubs have been doing really well this year and it’s a perfect time to gift your dad tickets. And with many more games to come and summer in full swing, there’s no better time than now to catch a game and eat some Chicago-style hot dogs.

You can find tickets here. 

Cubs/Sox/Bears Memorabilia

I know it seems kind of lame to buy your dad a shirt or a hat or any piece of clothing for that matter. BUT, if you’re dad is anything like mine, I know he would love to have anything that has Cubs or Bears on it. Seriously, he has so many Cubs t-shirts and he STILL loves getting more. 

You can find Cubs memorabilia here. 

Reservations to Quality Crab & Oyster Bah 

You can never go wrong with a dinner reservation. Seriously, dads love to eat. And Chicago has some of the best crab and oyster restaurants. That’s why gifting a reservation to the Quality Crab & Oyster Bah is a perfect gift for those dads who love crab (or oysters). But be aware that reservations are hard to secure so if youre planning on making one be sure to do it ASAP. 

You can make reservations here. 

Revolution Brewery Tour

Beer I feel like is a staple in any dad’s home. And what perfect way to fulfil all his beer dreams than a tour of a Chicago based brewery. The best part of this (aside from sampling some delicious beer) is this won’t break the bank. Tour starts at $10, so you can bring your whole family with you too (provided they are 21 and over)! 

You can find tour tickets here. 

Chicago Bears Decanter Set 

For dads who are die-hard Chicago Bears fans or just love drinking whiskey, this gift might be the way to go. It’s a perfect way to show his support and keeps his whiskey in a cool bottle. 

Shop decanter ideas here.

The post 5 Father’s Day Gifts for the Die-Hard Chicago Dad appeared first on UrbanMatter.

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The mayor was poised to suffer another bitter political defeat after a compromise was hammered out without her input that would give a civilian oversight panel the final say in disputes over police policy.

A City Council committee was poised Friday to hand Mayor Lori Lightfoot a bitter political defeat after hammering out a compromise that would give a civilian oversight panel the final say on police policy disputes.

Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35^th) said the votes to approve the stronger oversight ordinance over Lightfoot’s strenuous objections in the Committee on Public Safety and in the full City Council were secured after proponents agreed to “split out” a binding referendum that, if passed, would give the civilian panel even broader powers.

“We know we don’t have the votes in the Public Safety Committee to pass that referendum. But we do have enough votes to pass the portions of the ordinance that do not include the referendum,” Ramirez-Rosa said.

“So, we agreed this morning to remove the referendum from the ordinance being voted on today. And that should secure us more than a majority in the committee to pass this.”

Lightfoot finally has delivered her own plan for civilian police oversight, but it did not include the sweeping policymaking, budgeting and hiring and firing powers she promised during the mayoral campaign.

Instead of allowing the seven-member commission she offered to create to choose Chicago’s police superintendent, Lightfoot would retain that coveted power for herself and future mayors.

Ramirez-Rosa championed the more extreme version of civilian oversight proposed by the Civilian Police Accountability Council before helping to forge the compromise with the Grassroots Alliance for Police Accountability.

The new compromise — minus the referendum — was hammered out without Lightfoot’s input, Ramirez-Rosa said. It would give the civilian oversight commission the final say in disputes over police policy.

The panel would also be empowered to take a vote of no-confidence in Chicago’s police superintendent that could set the stage for the top cop’s removal if the City Council agrees by a two-thirds vote, he said.

“The mayor was not part of these conversations. She had her opportunity to work with the coalition on meaningful civilian oversight. The ordinance that she introduced was not a serious proposal for civilian oversight,” Ramirez-Rosa said.

“Her staff reached out to us earlier this week and put nothing on the table. All they said was, ‘Will you postpone the vote?’ The vote’s been postponed how many times? How many years? It’s time to pass this ordinance.”

Public Safety Committee Chairman Chris Taliaferro (29^th), a former Chicago Police officer, could not be reached for comment.

Like Lightfoot, he has argued that the mayor “wears the jacket” for public safety and needs to have the final say on police policy disputes and the fate of the police superintendent.

“It should be within the authority of the mayor to hire and fire the superintendent, the Police Board and the COPA administrator. If she’s gonna wear the hat for any good or bad that happens within the police department, she needs to be able to hire and fire the chief executive of those offices,” Taliaferro told the Sun-Times last month.

“I can’t imagine being the mayor of a municipality and you have no say-so in the direction of the police department.”

Lightfoot campaigned on a promise to empower a civilian oversight panel to hire and fire the police superintendent and have the final word in disputes over police policy.

Civilian oversight was a pivotal recommendation by the Task Force on Police Accountability she co-chaired in the furor that followed the court-ordered release of the Laquan McDonald shooting video.

But, after the election, Lightfoot changed her tune, just as she has on her support for an elected school board bill approved by the Illinois House this week over her strenuous objections.

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Butt, who was plagued by knee injuries with the Broncos, will compete for a roster spot.

The Bears signed a former Super Bowl champion and two former Michigan standouts to their roster Friday.

All three tried out for the team during mandatory minicamp this week.

Tight end Jake Butt, who was plagued by knee injuries with the Broncos, will compete for a roster spot. So will another former Michigan player, offensive lineman Tyrone Wheatley Jr. The Bears also signed defensive lineman Mike Pennel, who spent three years with the Packers, two with the Jets and the last two with the Chiefs. He went to two Super Bowls in Kansas City, winning one.

The Bears cut defensive lineman Thomas Schaffer and offensive lineman Gunnar Vogel to make room. They had an extra roster spot heading into mandatory minicamp this week.

Bears veterans broke camp for the summer on Thursday and will return for training camp on July 27. Rookies will stay at Halas Hall for one more week.

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The plan is to honor as many Chicago basketball stars as possible. Right now, Parker has the jerseys of Isiah Thomas, Kevin Durant and Simeon star and Chicago high school basketball icon Benji Wilson on deck.

Before Candace Parker played a single game for the Sky, she was planning what she’d wear to Wintrust Arena for the home opener.

Parker was sitting on the TNT set with fellow Chicago-area native, Dwyane Wade when she posed an idea to him.

“I want to do something special going home,” Parker said to Wade. “I think I’m going to rock all jerseys but I don’t want to rock all professional jerseys. I want to rock some high school ones.”

Parker started making a list right then. She also tapped Wade and Hall of Fame Pistons star and St. Joseph’s legend Isiah Thomas to make lists of their own. She didn’t want to overlook anyone.

The first one she wore was Michael Jordan’s Bulls jersey. She followed Jordan’s by showing up Thursday night in Wade’s No. 25 Richards High School jersey.

Chicago Sky

Right now, Parker has the jerseys of Thomas, Kevin Durant and Simeon star and Chicago high school basketball icon Ben Wilson on deck. She plans to wear her brother Anthony Parker’s high school jersey at some point, too.

She’s going to leave wearing her own Naperville Central jersey to her daughter, Lailaa.

Parker said she’s trying to get her hands on some tough throwback jerseys. She wants to honor the men and women who inspired her career, but she wants to do it by honoring where their careers started. That is, if she can find them.

She purchased Wade’s Richards jersey online and is working to find a Cappie Pondexter Marshall high school jersey.

“I’m having a hard time finding Cappie Pondexter’s high school jersey,” Parker said. “I just cannot rock a Phoenix Mercury jersey to a game.”

Pondexter’s WNBA fashion has been significantly influential in the way we see players in the WNBA show up to games today. Before teams were documenting players’ walk-ins for social media, Pondexter was showing up flexing for nobody but herself.

Her drip was never slacking. You’d often see her in the latest exclusive sneakers paired with a dress one day and an oversized pair of sweats with a sport coat the next. Nothing was off-limits style-wise for Pondexter.

Today’s WNBA players are keeping that same energy. Whether it’s Diamond DeShields walking in wearing a white pinstripe suit with a chain-link belt or Lexie Brown donning a “not settling for anyone’s dusty ass son” graphic tee, the walk-in has become a moment to make a statement.

The Sky are back at Wintrust Arena Saturday at noon when they host the Sun for their second of two consecutive matchups.

Thursday night’s 81-75 win was a grind. The team came out and faced offensive lulls in the first half. Their second in the league defense never wavered.

The Sky held the Sun’s second-leading scorer, DeWanna Bonner to just 10 points. An offensive resurgence in the second half, that led to five Sky players finishing in double digits scoring, helped the Sky to their fourth straight win.

Parker had 15 points, eight rebounds, three assists and one steal in front of a capacity crowd that included her parents and Lailaa.

She didn’t share how she’s showing up to Saturday’s game, but one thing’s guaranteed Parker will be representing Chicago.

“I grew up watching all of those hoopers,” Parker said. “Coming back that’s what I wanted to do and it’s been a lot of fun reminiscing on watching them play.”

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