JUST IN TIME FOR LGBT HISTORY MONTH

What do Leonardo da Vinci, Freda Kahlo and George Washington Carver have in common? All were either gay or bisexual, and the world would be a lesser place if they’d never lived. To honor them and dozens of other artists, intellects, academicians, politicians and others more famous for their accomplishments than their sexual orientation, the Illinois Secretary of State is hosting a portable exhibit at the state library, 300 S. Second St., that tells the stories of gay, bisexual and transgendered people who range from astronaut Sally Ride, who kept her lesbianism a secret during her life, to Christine Jorgenson, who caused a sensation during the 1950s when she fl aunted the fact that she had sexual reassignment surgery in Denmark and became a woman. The exhibit, which consists of a 40-foot-long wall and includes digital links that allow viewers to learn about the contributions of non-heterosexual people to the world, is limited to people who are no longer living, so don’t look for Caitlyn Jenner. The exhibit is modeled after a permanent installation in Chicago and debuts today. It will be up through the end of October, which is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History Month in the United States. The Legacy Project, a Chicago nonprofi t organization that created the exhibit, plans on taking it on tour in Illinois through 2016 before installing it in other states starting in 2017.