Dennis Rodkin writes about real estate and talks about sex. The Crain's Chicago Business reporter churns out real estate news during the week, but on Saturdays, he unearths stories of carnal trailblazers and maniacs in his Sexual History of Chicago walking tour. Rodkin presents Chicago through a lens of sexual evolution. "I am trying to show that we have increasingly been open to experimentation and that we've become more accepting," he explained. "With this path we've been on, we've gone from point A to point G, and in the tour, there is an implicit suggestion to move onto points L, M, and N. We need to keep that progress going."Delivering his lines with bravado, Rodkin often garners puzzled looks from passersby who hear talk of monkey testicles and prostitution. "I'm still laughing about the stranger who caught up with us, heard what the topic is, and called us all 'Normal-Looking Perverts,'" wrote Rodkin on the tour's Facebook page. "Normal Looking Perverts'" Jorge Newbery and Dennis RodkinAlthough the tour visits sites of historical debauchery, all lewdness remains in the past: the naked ladies and brothels that Rodkin recollects are now ghosts of Chicago's architecture. "It's about history and it's about people who helped move the boundaries of self expression," said Rodkin. During his twenty-five years of real estate reporting in the Windy City, Rodkin has discovered sexual stories behind historic buildings, homes, and estates. "They all went into a file over the years and eventually I had so many, I knew I had to make use of them." The two-hour tour explores downtown's Loop as Rodkin shares tales of sexual activists and deviants alike. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Chicago became a commercial capital of America. Its central location and railroad system brought farmers, executives, and characters of all kinds to and from the city. "Chicago at the time was one of the most modern American cities," explained Rodkin. "There was a lot more experimentation and a lot more people breaking the rules."Throughout the tour, he details the history of these rule breakers, including a transgender man who in 1906 fooled multiple wives into believing he was anatomically male. The man, an employee of the Russian Consulate in Chicago, had two marriages and a fetish for showgirls. When he died, however, it was discovered that he was actually a woman wearing a prosthetic penis. "It's one of the reasons that I like to tell the stories in person instead of writing them and sharing them online," said Rodkin. "I want to see people respond because they just go gaga when they hear that story! It's a crazy one, but it links up to a lot of the transgender questions we have today."In an era when gay rights and transgender identities dominate social discussions and legislation, Rodkin's tour destigmatizes sexual preferences. "Conversations with friends at dinner about what happens to them sexually or what they're interested in are conversations that your parents would never have discussed. But I think it's great, I mean, why not'" asked Rodkin. "There was a whore house in Chicago in the 1960s that had 'Why Not'' painted on the blinds and I think that's a theme of this tour," he said. "As adults, why not discuss it' It's just sex."The Sexual History of Chicago walking tour continues through October 15th. Visit www.sexualhistoryofchicago.com for tickets, dates, and information. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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