Born January 12: Tracy Baim, Kieron Richardson

In 1985, the year after she graduated from Des Moines' Drake University, Tracy Baim and three men co-founded Chicago's lgbt newspaper Windy City Times. Two years later she left to start a new queer paper, Outlines, which she ran for 12 years until she bought WCT and merged the two publications. While so many other gay weeklies folded, WCT is thriving and Baim is still publisher and executive editor. She was also co-vice chair of Chicago's Gay Games VII from 1999 to 2007, and with her new free time in September 2008 she launched the website ChicagoGayHistory.org in tandem with the release of her book Out and Proud in Chicago [Kindle]. Among her many other books are Obama and the Gays: A Political Marriage [Kindle], Mom: A Tribute to Mothers of LGBTs, Leatherman: The Legend of Chuck Renslow, Jim Flint: The Boy From Peoria, and a novel about lesbians in the military The Half Life of Sgt. Jen Hunter [Kindle]. Baim also produced a lesbian movie starring Sharon Gless called Hannah Free, winner of five Best Feature awards from lgbt festivals in Miami, Philadelphia, Austin, St. Louis, and Montreal. Days ago she released her newest book Gay Press, Gay Power: The Growth of LGBT Community Newspapers in America [Kindle], with an introduction by John D'Emilio and contributions from ten writers including Sarah Toce, Yasmin Nair, and Lou Chibbaro.

After two years of plot twists, fans of the British drama series Hollyoaks finally got what they wanted the week before Christmas: Ste Hay left his husband Doug Carter to return to his Irish ex, Brendan Brady. Former bad boy Ste (prison for car theft) is played by Kieron Richardson who came out at 24 in September 2010. He said he was inspired by Joe McElderry, the X-Factor winner who came out at 19 two months before him.

If Kieron's agent or manager told him to tone it down, he didn't listen. He posed for this cover of Gay Times. He had already skated his way to 3rd place finish wearing tight, hot pink spangles on Dancing on Ice.

Last year he began co-hosting a weekly "lifestyle and entertainment gossip programme" on the Gaydio radio network from Manchester, which you can listen to live every Sunday.

You can also follow him on The Twitter.

Comments

[Bob Smith]

Tracy Baim is a wonderful woman.

[Tracy Baim]

Thanks for including me with Keiron!