Anna DeShawn

10/08/2025

Big shoutout to The Buckeye Flame for featuring Anna DeShawn in “This News Is So Gay: Trailblazing and Hustling in Q***r Journalism.” 🏳️‍🌈🎙️

This story dives into the real work happening behind the mic, how independent, q***r-led newsrooms like Q***r News are reshaping media and redefining what representation looks like.

Anna joins This News Is So Gay host Ken Schneck to talk about storytelling, impact, and what it means to build something lasting for our community.

Read the full feature!

***rNewsDoneRight ***rJournalism ***rMedia

On this week's episode, we chat with Anna DeShawn, a media visionary who creates unique spaces for Black and indigenous people of color and for q***r and trans people of color.

10/06/2025

Family, we’ve got BIG news! 🌟

Anna DeShawn and Q***r News have been nominated for four Black Podcasting Awards this year! 🏆

✨ 2025 Legend Award
🎙️ Best Solo Host
🌈 Best LGBTQ Podcast
🗞️ Best News & Politics Podcast

This recognition is a reflection of everything Q***r News stands for: truth, representation, and community. It’s proof that independent, Black, and q***r voices belong in every room.

Read the full press release and show some love: https://www.pr.com/press-release/949653

***rNews ***rMedia

10/04/2025

Tonight is the night, family! But first, the Purple Tie Affair wouldn’t be possible without the incredible support of our sponsors and host committee. Thank you for believing in the power of independent, Black & q***r-owned media. 💜

🌟 Sponsors:
Affinity Community Services, AIDS Foundation Chicago, Center on Halsted, Sidetrack The Video Bar, The Qube, Chicago Sky, Equality Illinois, Lambda Legal, 1440, World Business Chicago.

🌟 Host Committee:
Mary Morten & Willa Taylor, Kim Hunt, Susan Blake & Pat Evert, Jackie Boyd, Chris Smith, Maureen Brunell, Precious & Myles Brady-Davis, Keith Green, Nobody's Darling, Doug Curtis, Sandra Hoyt, Tracy Baim, Antonio King, Kelly Suzanne Saulsberry, Terrence Chappell & Dan Nisbet, Channyn Lynne Parker, Roderick K. Hawkins, Angelique M. Smith, Lora Branch, Human Rights Campaign-Chicago, Lynne Perryman, Amy Lawless.

We are so grateful for this community of leaders, organizers, and champions for LGBTQ stories. 🙏🏾

👩🏾‍⚖️ Auction info: https://galabid.com/purpletie2025
🎟️ Tickets: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/e3radio/1781024

***rMedia ***rJoy

10/03/2025

Tomorrow is the day! The Purple Tie Affair is about sustaining independent, Black & q***r-owned media.

When you buy a ticket, you:
✨ Help keep independent, Black & q***r-owned media alive and thriving
✨ Ensure LGBTQ stories continue to be told, amplified, and celebrated in our community
✨ Support Taskforce Prevention & Community Services

📆 Tomorrow, Saturday, Oct 4 • 6–9 PM
📍 Sidetrack The Video Bar, 3349 N Halsted, Chicago

Your ticket does more than get you in the door. It helps keep E3 Radio on the air, telling our stories the way they deserve to be told.

🎟️ Grab your ticket today: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/e3radio/1781024

***rMedia ***rJoy

10/02/2025

The Purple Tie Affair silent auction is packed with one-of-a-kind items and experiences you won’t find anywhere else. Every bid supports E3 Radio’s mission to amplify Black, q***r voices through media and storytelling.

Live music. Fierce drag. Powerful community. And your chance to take home something unforgettable while making a real impact. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Register today so you’re ready to start bidding on Saturday at 12 pm CT.

👩🏾‍⚖️ Auction info: https://galabid.com/purpletie2025
🎟️ Tickets: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/e3radio/1781024

***rMedia

10/01/2025

3 days left to get your tickets for a night celebrating independent, Black & q***r-owned media!

Meet the lineup for this year’s Purple Tie Affair! ✨

This year's hosts and performers are going to bring the house down!

🎤 Kenyotta KenChris – performer bringing the vibes
🎤 Cleopockalipps – host + performer guaranteed to light up the stage
🎤 Trina Tru Luv – your host keeping the energy flowing all night

This is more than a fundraiser—it’s a celebration of Black, q***r joy and storytelling.

📅 Saturday, October 4
🕕 6–9 PM CT
📍 Sidetrack | 3349 N Halsted St, Chicago
🎟️ Tickets: https://bit.ly/PurpleTieAffair2025

***rJoy ***rMedia

09/29/2025

Family, we hit 300 EPISODES of the Q***r News podcast today 🎉

When this podcast started I never dreamed we’d be here. I didn’t think about episode counts or winning awards. I wanted to report on the news impacting q***r folks & make a living doing it full time. And fours later I’m still here. My dream is my reality.

This work, brings me immense joy and a great sense of responsibility. I'm so grateful for every listener, every share, and every member of the QCrew who makes our financial sustainability a reality.

To celebrate this massive milestone, it’s time for an upgrade: New Podcast Artwork!
I’m finally ready to put my face on the artwork and claim this space. I’d love you to help me pick!

🚨 VOTE NOW! 🚨
https://forms.gle/LH2JsmMkE1ZU1QBM9

We all we got.

Tune-in to the Q***r News podcast every week on your favorite podcasting apps. We are ***rNewsDoneRight then ***rnews ***r

09/29/2025

Family, this is why Purple Tie Affair matters! 💜

We Googled “media outlets owned by Black q***r women,” and the list is short. E3 Radio is one of the few. That’s exactly why we throw this party every year—to keep independent, Black & q***r-owned media alive, loud, and working for our community. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🙌🏾

When you buy a ticket, you’re fueling the storytelling that centers us, our joy, our politics, our culture, and making sure our voices don’t get erased.

📆 This Saturday, Oct 4 • 6–9 PM CT
📍 Sidetrack (3349 N Halsted, Chicago)
🎤 Live music, fierce drag, and a one-of-a-kind silent auction—all to power E3 Radio.

🎟️ Get your tickets now: https://bit.ly/PurpleTieAffair2025

If you can’t make it, share this post with a friend who can. Our stories are worth it.

09/28/2025

Want to be part of the Purple Tie Affair magic? 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🙌🏾
We’re recruiting volunteers for Sat, Oct 4 at Sidetrack (3349 N Halsted).

✔️ Pick a shift: 4–6 PM (pre) • 6–8:30 PM (in-event) • 8:30–10 PM (wrap)
✔️ Perks: enjoy the event for free, meet great people, and support Black & q***r media.

Must be 21+. Email: [email protected] with your name + preferred shift (subject: Volunteer – Purple Tie).

🔗 https://forms.gle/VXy4qSwQtHoK5BqCA

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***rChicago ***rJoy

09/24/2025

This year’s Purple Tie Affair is giving folks their flowers. 🙌🏾

We’re honoring Pat & Vera, the powerhouse duo behind Executive Sweet, with our Build Your Own Table Award. For 40+ years, they’ve built, protected, and celebrated space for Chicago’s Black le***an community. Let’s show up and say thank you, in person.

📆 Saturday, Oct 4 • 6–9 PM CT
📍 Sidetrack – 3349 N Halsted, Chicago
🎶 Live music, fierce drag, and a one-of-a-kind silent auction, all to power community storytelling with E3 Radio.

🎟️ Grab your tickets: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/e3radio/1781024

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***rChicago ***rJoy

09/23/2025

Ge**er Hart Library and Archives's award-winning podcast Unboxing Q***r History is back for a second season!

This season includes 8 new episodes featuring grassroots archiving, public access media, religious self-discovery, and heartfelt dialogue with community leaders, volunteers, researchers, and local historians. Produced and edited by an amazing team of Chicagoans - if you love archival deep dives, conversations with LGBTQ+ people, and q***r history, this is the podcast for you!

The first episode, "Lost and Found: Le***an Bars and the Music Box Lounge," drops today—Tuesday, September 23rd. Episodes will be released every other Tuesday through December.

Learn more about the season here: https://bit.ly/469Qzqc