ern hardt ▁had ▁been ▁on ▁the ▁original ▁staff ▁of ▁Gay Life ▁newspaper . ▁Di Le o ▁had ▁worked ▁as ▁a ▁types etter ▁for ▁the ▁Sun - Times . ▁Gay ▁Chicago ▁began ▁as ▁Gay ▁Chicago ▁News ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 7 , ▁mode led ▁after ▁Gay ▁Community ▁News ▁week ly ▁out ▁of ▁Boston . ▁In ▁April ▁ 1 9 7 8 , ▁Gay ▁Chicago ▁News ▁became ▁Gay ▁Chicago ▁Magazine . ▁ ▁Dam ski ▁wrote ▁for ▁Gay ▁Chicago ▁News ▁starting ▁in ▁December , ▁ 1 9 7 7 ▁and ▁continued ▁with ▁Gay ▁Chicago ▁Magazine ▁until ▁ 1 9 8 2 . ▁He ▁also ▁participated ▁in ▁its ▁sister ▁publications : ▁Mil w au kee ▁Calendar , ▁which ▁became ▁Gay ▁Mil w au kee , ▁which ▁became ▁Es cape ', ▁and ▁then ▁a ▁short - l ived ▁month ly , ▁Mid west ▁Times . ▁Al ong ▁with ▁Gay ▁Detroit ▁and ▁Gay ▁Ohio , ▁Dam ski ' s ▁columns ▁became ▁widely ▁distributed ▁in ▁the ▁American ▁Mid west , ▁to ▁towns ▁in ▁Wisconsin , ▁Illinois , ▁Indiana , ▁Michigan ▁and ▁Ohio . ▁ ▁Dam ski ' s ▁" Nothing ▁Personal " ▁columns ▁were ▁known ▁for ▁their ▁forth right ▁observations ▁of ▁the ▁Chicago ▁lives ▁who ▁had ▁begun ▁to ▁come ▁together ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 9 7 0 s ▁and ▁recognize ▁in ▁themselves ▁a ▁nas cent ▁community . ▁In ▁mirror ing ▁what ▁he ▁saw , ▁Dam ski ▁regularly ▁used ▁" street ▁language ," ▁( to ▁the ▁dis may ▁of ▁some ▁readers ) ▁and ▁wrote ▁with ▁a ▁mix ▁of ▁styles ▁rem