St.
Sukie de la Croix is an internationally published journalist, columnist,
fiction author, playwright and photographer. Besides having written dozens of
short stories and poems for anthologies and magazines, Mr. de la Croix has seen
his dance plays “A White Light in God’s Choir” and “Two Weeks in a Bus Shelter
with an Iguana” take life on stage. Teaming up author Rick R. Reed, the
prolific duo produced the novel “Ambrose and the Waif,” a compelling story of
madness, greed, love, and murder revealed through a series of letters.
Born
in Britain, Sukie became a recognized journalist writing articles for
underground and alternative presses. After he moved to the U.S., his frank,
outspoken viewpoint of the world around him, as well as his photographic skills,
landed his work in numerous periodicals, including a ten week historical series
in the Chicago Tribune.
Sukie’s
love and passion for history began his ten year journey into Chicago’s past, culminating
in the book “Chicago Whispers: A History of LGBT Chicago before Stonewall.”
Obviously, in order to track events that began in the 1670s, Sukie spent hours
on end researching archives, studying photographs and artwork, and piecing
together long silenced voices to reestablish a forgotten and many times
suppressed evolution of LGBT history in the Windy City. From civil war vice
dens to Jane Addams (founder of Hull House) to artists and authors to
playwright Lorraine Hansberry (“Raisin in the Sun”), Sukie examined every
pebble he could find that might reveal a grain of fact. But, true to his
character, Sukie spent as much time on the street, tape recorder in hand,
interviewing people and capturing their stories and lives for posterity.
Whatever event Chicago could produce, Sukie was there.
On
Rick R. Reed’s recommendation, I purchased a copy of “Chicago Whispers.” What I
found was much more than the “abc” style documentation readers sometimes find
in history books. Sukie has a voice, a very powerful and distinctive voice,
that not only resonates with the reader but lingers in our minds like a trusted
friend sharing his time and experiences, encouraging us to ponder the past’s
defeats and victories, and accept that history is a signpost to tomorrow.
“Chicago
Whispers” is indeed a book that ends with the reader’s beginning.
Q)
I am in awe at the diligence required to bring this story to life. What
compelled you to begin your decade long journey that became “Chicago Whispers”?
A)
When I visited a gay bookstore and was told there was no book about the history
of the LGBT community in Chicago, I decided to write one myself. Having
said that, it's easy to start writing a book, but finishing a book is something
else entirely. The most common observation I've received from readers is about
my attention to detail, and that came from a blind stubbornness to "get it
right." I'm very aware that the lives of LGBT's who have gone before me
should be treated with respect, and therefore I tried to keep my own analysis
and opinions out of it and let the documents from the period speak for
themselves. I've stayed very close to my sources.
Q)
Chicago is notorious for its “that’s Chicago” attitude of social and political
surrender. How did you manage to burrow through that barrier?
A)
Corruption has been, and still is, rife in Chicago. It's a part of the city's
make up and is what makes it so fascinating. I interviewed 70-year old drag
queens who talked about working for the mob with all the ease of a current 20
year old saying they're a barista at Starbucks. I was also shocked by the
extent of police corruption and I tried to find something positive to write
about them, but the truth is they were vile, as were the politicians, the
lawyers, the judges, and organized crime. LGBT's were just a cash cow to them.
Q)
You went beyond the obvious, digging deep into political figures, celebrities,
and all races and genders. What was the greatest difficulty you had in piecing
together Chicago’s LGBT past?
A)
I tried to keep the chapters in some sort of timeline, but certain people and
issues overlapped into different chapters and periods in time. After much
gnashing of teeth and pulling my hair out, I decided to just keep writing and
worry about chapters later. In the end it all fell into place on its own. I
focused on one issue, one person, at a time, and researched until the well was
dry. Uncovering gay history is more detective work than anything else, so I
waxed my mustache and used my "little grey cells" like Hercule
Poirot.
Q)
It is a bit ironic that a ‘Brit’ did what no one else had. Do you believe your
foreign roots helped or hindered your efforts?
A)
History books are written by people who weren't there. American authors write
about European history all the time, and vice versa. Books about the American
Civil War and the Roman Empire are written by people who weren't there. Helped
or hindered? Never thought much about it until reporters started bringing it
up. I do think the accent helped me in gaining access to some libraries that
required a membership card I didn't have.
Q)
“Chicago Whispers” doesn’t end on a contemporary note. How soon can we look
forward to the next installment? Yes, we want one.
A)
I've written the sequel, which is now with my publisher, the University of
Wisconsin Press. It covers the period June 1969 until June 1975 and documents
the radical Gay Liberation Front and the making of a gay community in Chicago. I've
also just completed a memoir of growing up a little sissy boy in Post World War
II England, and I'm currently writing a novel about lesbians in 1924. After
that I'm writing a book of essays. I'm busy.
Q)
Any parting comments for those who haven’t read your work yet?
A)
My mission in writing Chicago Whispers was partly to reclaim the contributions
made by LGBT's to the culture of a great American city. The words to
"America the Beautiful" were written by a lesbian after she visited
Chicago, Katherine Lee Bates. That song belongs to us, and it's a lesbian song.
Let's take it back. I also wanted to document the lives of a wondrously diverse
group of people whose only common bond was their sexuality, but who somehow
carved a niche for themselves in a society that rejected them. And I also
wanted to retrace the path of those who set out on the long road to our
liberation.
DA Kentner is an
author and journalist www.kevad.net
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