Affinity Groups

We welcome everyone and anyone in Lakeside Pride. Do you want to find the band nerds who also have other things in common with you? Look no further. This are casual groups that gather at their own discretion. This is a way for us as members to find new group friends that we have something else in common with. Want to start an affinity group? Email members@lakesidepride.org and we will get you set up!

 

Bi-sexual / Pan-sexual

Are you bi-sexual or pan-sexual and wish you had a few other bi or pan friends? Look no further! This can be a fun hang out group or a safe place to talk about problems or whatever we want of it.  Email Anne Pluchar at bipan@lakesidepride.org for more information!

Broadway Book Club

Interested in joining a book club that celebrates one of our country's most fabulous art forms??  We're starting up a Broadway Book Club!  Once a season (or so?) we'll pick a book that a musical is based on, read it independently, then get together at someone's home to discuss and watch the actual show--with hopeful field trips to see the shows live in Chicago as well!  Email Brandon Strawn at broadway@lakesidepride.org for more information!

CINEMA CLUB

Do you love movies or tv shows? Do you wish you had someone to talk to about that epic season finale or your love for a character? Then consider joining our newly formed Cinema Club. For more information, please reach out to us at cinema@lakesidepride.org.

Fiber Arts

Do you knit? Crochet? Sew? Weave? Something else with fibers that I can't think of right now? Ever wanted to join a stitch n bitch? Yeah, me too. Lets make our own! Are you new to fiber arts and really wanted to try but don't know where to start? You should come too! This is a casual, peer learning, fun hang, and nerd out with your fellow fiber artists! Email Melissa Terrell at fiber@lakesidepride.org for more information!

Games

Calling all board game lovers.  Meet up with your band friends to play board games once a month. No experience necessary! Email Katy Okamoto at games@lakesidepride.org
 

HIV+

Are you a member or friend of Lakeside Pride who is HIV+? You are not alone! We are a social group for members who are poz to gather regularly and be happy and healthy in a caring and confidential community of friends. If you are interested in learning more, please send an email to hiv@lakesidepride.org. We have arranged for your confidential email to be sent directly to the organizer of the group who is also poz and a member of it. Together, we are stronger, safer, and happier!

People of Color

Are you a person of color looking to share our cross-cultural experience in LGBTQ and Lakeside Pride communities?  Look no further!  Currently looking to start this as a social group that meets roughly seasonally, but if people are interested in meeting more frequently and shifting to more focused discussions, I'm open to that too! Email bipoc@lakesidepride.org for more information!

Racial Justice Discussion Group

Earlier this year, I got to hear Board Chair at the time, Bradley Fritz, describe our very own Lakeside Pride as an organization committed to social justice. This was in front of funders at the Take the Stage Gala. It filled my heart!  When I joined the band in 1997, its name was Chicago Black Lesbian and Gay Marching Band. We have history and commitment to social justice. So, recently, when my racial justice book group stopped meeting, it occurred to me that there was no better place than Lakeside Pride to start a racial justice reading group!
 
The group is open to Lakeside Pride Members and their friends. We'll read fiction, non-fiction and poetry about race and racial justice and create brave space to share, listen, and grow understanding.
Email Rhonda Tullis at rjbg@lakesidepride.org for more information!
 

Gender Expansive

Lakeside Pride's first transgender affinity group, Gender Expansive, is a space for all transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary people. The name Gender Expansive was chosen to honor that not everyone identifies with certain labels, and we aim to be as inclusive as possible. Wherever you are on your gender journey, this group will serve as your one-stop shop for social meetups and support to better strengthen the community from within! Please reach out to genderexpansive@lakesidepride.org if you're interested.