Club Krave's Party Bus To The Chicago Gay Pride Parade!!

Club Krave will be bringing you the the Party Bus ONCE AGAIN this year for the biggest event in the LGBT community, The Pride Parade. (To save money for everyone this year, we decided to get a school bus instead of a motor coach) Come take a ride to pride as we provide breakfast at the bar including mimosas, bloody mary's and Vodka lemonades, the ride to the parade (with all the beer you can drink on the way down there) and a ride back to Club Krave ( With all the beer you can drink on the way back)  at 5pm to have an awesome PRIDEful Dinner. Plus we will party the rest of the night with Star Finder Karaoke until close!! Here's the best part... Ride to pride tickets are only $25.00 from May 1st until June 10th, then $30.00 up until the day of the parade (providing tickets are still available!!) So don't waste time!! Get your tickets before they run out!!

Saturday, June 2nd Amateur Stip Contest

Do yo have what it takes? Can you strut your stuff? Come out and prove it. Win Great prizes...men and women! If our judges think you have what it takes (Men) we will contact Sarabia to have you audition to become part of their elite group.
Drink specials for the night will be $12.00 over sized mixed drink pitchers, plus $3 long or blue island iced teas and $12.00 domestic buckets of beer. DJ Kyle R all night.

Friday, June 1st Hot, Sexy, Wet, Dancers!!

Hot and Sexy featured dancer night!!! DJ Kyle R burnin down the house with the hottest music on the south side!!! Eric and Brian behind the bar with 10$ domestic and 16$ import bucket specials. 1$ off all vodka cocktails. Shot Boy Brian will be serving up the shots all night! And our sexy bar back Ryan struttin his stuff around the bar!

Lights out Fetish Party at Club Krave 5-26-12

IML Weekend Starts on May 25th

Ms Theresa Dawn: Club Krave's Ms Club Krave 2010-2011

Theresa Dawn has emerged as one of the most versatile, Drag Queen, Television and Comedy personalities!  While she is well-known in the Chicago area hotspots, she has taken the art of Female Impersonation from Gay nightclubs to true TV. Theresa Dawn is known for her role in "Limo Bob", which can be seen on True TV.  As an MC and hostess and a DJ she adds both panache and humor.  In Chicago, Theresa Dawn is always pushing boundaries and striving to make Gender Impersonation and alternative gender expression a more accepted and appreciated form of art and way of being!  

Born as Terry Romo in 1/11/1974 Terry comes from a very small town called Walker Mo. Theresa  eventually found her way to the windy city Of Chicago to become a sweet blossom in the Chicago social and nightlife swirl.  Theresa  started doing drag at Halloween and then at Pride Parades and events. She became Miss Queen Of Hearts 2006/2007 and Miss Crew Queen Royal 2007. She then moved to the burbs of  Chicago where she stared doing shows at Club Krave. She went on to be Miss Club Krave 2010/2011 and you can see her Dj There every Wednesday. 

SO thats it a small town boy now living his Dream in a big City

Your Friday night Bartender ...Eric

Eric Brouwer was born on July 26, 1978.  He grew up In Evergreen Park Illinois and graduated from Evergreen Park High School in 1996. He has 3 brothers and 1 sister.   He attended Moraine Valley Community College and St. Xavier University were he majored in communications.    Eric has been in the bar business since he was 17 years old, starting as a stock boy in a bowling alley.   In  March of 2001, Eric joined the bar staff of The Edge, which later became Club Krave.  He worked at the Edge from 2001-2006, took a brief break, and joined the staff of Club Krave in May of 2009.  Primarily, Eric can be seen behind the bar on Friday nights. He has seen hundreds, if not thousands of drag shows in his time behind the bar, and has even judged the 2011 Ms Club Krave pageant.  He enjoys karaoke where he sings songs from Johnny Cash and Neil Diamond.    Eric's main hobby is bowling.  Some of his accomplishments include a silver metal in the 2006 Gay Games and a number of 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishes in the annual Chicago Pride Invitational Bowling tournament.  In addition, he has a 299 and 300 game to his credit.   Come visit him and say hello!

From Chris Evans: Captain America

Jerome....does it surprise you?

I been with krave since the start. I like finger painting and juice. My favorite thing to do is drink beer and annoy Jim Scott. Every once in a while I like to put on panties and dance like a girl. I don't have hobbies. Unless you consider eating mass amounts of food and putting air in glasses. I love betty white. I hate people who whistle. My favorite beer is coors light. Goodbye.

Featured Club Krave Dancer: Anthony Jay

Originally from Chesterland, Ohio, a conservative town twenty miles east of Cleveland, I was raised Catholic, and as often happens in a family of these beliefs, my parents had a difficult time dealing with my sexuality. As luck would have it, my two older brothers are also gay, so the typical emotions that come with having a gay son were in fact tripled, and all the more trying.

I made the decision to come out the summer before entering high school. When I told my mom, her response was, “You need to fight this!” as if the feelings I had, and homosexuality itself, were a disease. At the time, she had no idea what being gay truly meant, and to her defense, I don't blame her, since I didn’t really know either. My mom was brought up in a strict Italian Catholic family, where homosexuality was never a topic of conversation. In fact, until 1973 the DSM referred to homosexuality as a mental illness. So, I figured that her opposing beliefs were influenced by generational differences. Fortunately, my dad is a bit more liberal, and has a great sense of humor. In which case he seemed to be more understanding. I believe he knew and had already accepted it, even before I did.

One would fathom that the support from two older brothers would be conducive to an easier adjustment through my teenage years. However, at a mere fifteen years of age, I was the first brother to disclose this information to my parents. My oldest brother moved out of the house after high school, and came out shortly after. As a benefit, he was spared the need for any in-depth conversations about it with my parents. My other brother, contrary to stereotypical beliefs, devoted his time in high school to football, wrestling, and a steady relationship with his girlfriend. Later on he left for college, and as the high school pressures of conformity began to dissipate, he realized that he no longer needed to keep a secret.

Throughout high school, I withstood many hardships that tested my resiliency and strength. I presume many high school students experience this, but I believe that when you are gay, it is escalated beyond what most teenagers experience. I was a “momma’s boy” as a child, and I depended on that type of relationship, even after it was no longer cool. After coming out, there were times when my mom and I would go days without talking to each other. Both being stubborn Italians, the silences grew and if we did talk, it would end in a tumultuous debate about our conflicting beliefs.

Around the same time, some very serious health issues came up. I started having sharp pains in my back, and then I noticed blood in my urine. Medical examinations led doctors to believe that a tumor had developed in my left kidney. So at sixteen, I went under the knife, hence the scar across my stomach. It was an 8-hour surgery and a near-death experience. But at the time, the whole gay issue was put on the back burner. I was in recovery at the hospital for seven days and my mom stayed by my bedside the whole time, day and night. I‘ll never forget that.

Luckily, after the surgery, the doctors determined that it was a benign tumor, and I have been in good health ever since. This experience did prove to be somewhat advantageous, in the sense that it mended the combative relationship between my mom and I. I became more appreciative of family and friends. I felt compelled to empathize, listen, and share amongst others, in response to how fortunate I was to get a second chance.

In the midst of all this, I managed to maintain academic success in high school, and I took responsibility in forming our school’s first GSA (Gay Straight Alliance Student Organization). I planned and lead after-school meetings, once a week, for LGBTQ students and allies. Prior to the first meeting, I remember being under a lot of pressure. Groups of oppositional students threatened to cause a riot. This caused the other leaders of the GSA to back out, and so, the position of leader fell into my hands. Luckily, the hostility expressed by the students gradually began to subside, and the GSA proceeded to accrue in popularity and support from students, faculty, and parents. The GSA meetings served as a safe place for LGBTQ and allies to socialize, as well as advocate for safety and equality in school. Predominantly, my interest in helping youth succeed in school began as a result of this experience.

After graduating high school, I went on to attend college at Kent State University, where I obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. I embraced my new freedom and independence, but quickly learned that with college came the enormous expense. As a full-time student, time management was particularly difficult as well. Over the weekends, I began dancing at various clubs/bars around Cleveland and Akron, in order to make ends meet.

Personally, I tend to be more of a dork. I come off as socially awkward and introverted at times. I am sometimes a little shy. But as a dancer, I was coerced into becoming more socially extraverted. It was more effective in getting the audience to attend to me. I became a very confident exhibitionist who enjoyed soaking up the spotlight, while being the center of attention. I found that dancing was very similar to certain aspects of theatre and acting. The performance involved the ability to express sexuality and desire through physical form and movement, and it is quite therapeutic as well. As a result to this newly found confidence in myself, I became more competent in my social interactions with people in other settings.

After graduating college, I decided that before I committed to graduate school, I wanted to gain work experience in the field of psychology, particularly in work that involved children with special needs. Additionally, I deemed it imperative to escape the confinements of a mundane rural life in Ohio. So, through subliminal planning, I gathered some things, packed up my car, and drove to New York City. I had imagined it would be challenging to adjust to the Big Apple, but after staying there for just a week, I determined that it wasn't the right fit for me. In fact, most of my time in NYC consisted of viewing excessively-priced, cockroach infested studios, feeling pressed for time even when I had no obligation to be anywhere, downing countless cups of Starbucks coffee in order to feel adequate, and almost losing my vegetarianism to a foreign street vendor. If I were to live there, I know I would be compelled to conform to the New Yorker’s busy, fast-paced mentality. Consequently, this compelled me to give up and drive back to Ohio.

My spirits were down after the NYC fiasco, but I immediately started forming an alternative plan. I stayed home, in Ohio, for only a few days before I built up enough courage to hit the road again, this time heading toward Chicago. I arrived at night, and as I drove down Lakeshore for the first time, I felt an overwhelming sense of joy. Similar to that feeling you get as a kid, upon arriving up to an amusement park. The view of the city juxtaposing the lakefront had me in complete awe. At one point, I remember swerving in and out of lanes, as my attention shifted toward the skyline. I drove past a few late night joggers on the Lake Shore path, and hoped that that would be me someday soon.

It was my second night in Chicago, and my first time in Boystown. Anxious to see what it was like, I walked down North Halsted like a wide-eyed kid in a candy store. I went into Spin and was offered a job as a bar back. The next day I was interviewed for a position as a teaching assistant, at a private school for children with autism. I was hired on the spot, and I began training that day. I didn't know whether it was destiny or just beginner's luck, but everything seemed to fall into place.

On the weekends, I began working for a dance company that handled the bookings for me at different bars and clubs around Chicago, such as C.ockTail, @tmosphere, Hunter’s and Club Krave. This past summer, I signed up for a model search competition to become the next Bud Boy, and I won by receiving the most online votes. As a result, I was paid to appear at different venues and promote Budweiser products. The prize for winning consisted of a free all-inclusive trip for two at a resort in Cancun, Mexico. So, during the the first week in December I treated my mom to three relaxing days of bottomless margaritas on the beach, and many mother-son bonding moments.

I love living near Boystown. It’s great to have access to a neighborhood of bars, restaurants, and shops where I feel free to be myself. The first time my parents came to visit, I took them out to dinner at Kit Kat Lounge. They ended up loving the food and entertainment. Over dinner my mom said, “I wanted to tell the drag queen she smelled really good, but she was too busy singing.” I absolutely adore my mom, and it’s amazing to see how far she has come over the years. I realize that you can’t force your parents to change their beliefs, but they must learn through their own experiences and you can help guide them along the way. I am fortunate that my relationship with both of my parents continues to grow stronger. They have even accepted the fact that I dance, and they are totally fine with it, which is pretty awesome.

It has been over a year since I arrived here, and I am so glad that I did. This past year has been an amazing experience, especially with my job as a teacher's assistant at a school for children with autism. I considered it to be more fun than it was a job, and it reinforced my passion to want to work with special needs children in school. I have finally found my niche. Recently, I started graduate school to become a School Psychologist and make a career out of helping youth succeed academically. Living here has provided many opportunities for me. And I look forward to putting in my time here so that I can one day call Chicago my home.

Howard Brown exists to eliminate the disparities in health care experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people through research, education and the provision of services that promote health and wellness.

Howard Brown is the Midwest’s premier lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) health care organization, and leads the region in addressing the comprehensive health care needs of people in the LGBT community. Our multi-site operation includes a main health center in Uptown, Triad Health practice at Illinois Masonic Hospital, the Broadway Youth Center, and four Brown Elephant Resale Shops in Chicago and Oak Park. Howard Brown provides an expansive network of programs and services, accomplished with a diverse and qualified staff of licensed doctors, nurses, health care practitioners, renowned research professionals, and prominent community leaders.
Founded in 1974 to provide testing and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases within the gay community, Howard Brown and a group of volunteers made an early and significant contribution by serving as a community-based research site for testing and approval of the Hepatitis B vaccine.

Howard Brown then responded to an entirely new challenge: HIV/AIDS. At the onset of the HIV epidemic in 1980, Howard Brown became the Midwest’s reliable source for HIV education with the area’s first information hotline. In 1982, Howard Brown was chosen by the National Institutes of Health to participate in the largest study of HIV and AIDS in the world. (More than 20 years later, the MACS study still continues at Howard Brown, and among other things, follows the general health and the longitudinal progression of HIV in its HIV-positive subjects.) Soon after, confidential HIV testing and prevention education were offered, and the first HIV case management and support services program was begun. In response to growing community needs, in 1991 our services expanded to include comprehensive HIV primary care, counseling, and psychotherapy for those living with HIV.

In addition to the extensive demands for the care and treatment of HIV and AIDS, Howard Brown recognized the community’s need for non-HIV services. When Howard Brown opened its new facility in October, 1997, services included general primary care, counseling, behavioral health, and case management for the LGBT community.
Howard Brown now administers a range of medical and behavioral health services, with sliding scale rates, to ensure that everyone in these underserved populations receives essential healthcare needs, in addition to ongoing research.

More than 30 years ago Howard Brown was established on the premise that healthcare in the LGBT community should be a readily accessible right, not a luxury - that those who lack the privilege of adequate health coverage or access to competent providers should be able to find care in a confidential and supportive environment.                                   

Today this mission inspires us to provide cutting-edge services to more than 20,000 clients each year. To ensure that we continue to serve those community members who need us most, we turn to you.  Your dedication to furthering the mission of Howard Brown through a generous financial contribution will serve as an outstanding example of leadership in our community and will be put to immediate work:

If you would prefer to make your gift by mail, please send your check, payable to Howard Brown Health Center, to:

Jeanne Newman
Development Manager
Howard Brown Health Center
3837 N. Broadway, 2nd floor
Chicago, IL 60613-2010. 
Credit card donations can also be made by calling (773) 388-8998.
All contributions to Howard Brown Health Center are fully tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.