E3 Radio Raises $50,000 at Chicago’s Purple Tie Affair to Support Black Queer Journalism

Anna DeShawn’s independent media outlet met its fundraising goal as Frenchie Davis headlined a Chicago benefit supporting the Queer News podcast and Toward Pride.

E3 Radio raised $50,000 at its 12th annual Purple Tie Affair, meeting its fundraising goal as Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community gathered to support independent Black queer journalism, according to the organization.

The Oct. 3 concert and silent auction at Sidetrack will help sustain Queer News, the outlet’s Ambie Award-winning podcast, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Toward Pride. Organizers said the evening’s first live fundraising appeal brought in $10,000 in 10 minutes, prompting cheers from the crowd.

For Anna DeShawn, E3 Radio’s founder and CEO and the podcast’s host, the response underscored the stakes of keeping community-centered reporting alive.

“This is how we fight back against the forces trying to silence us. This is how we fight back against the forces trying to erase us. This is how we fight for our humanity,” DeShawn said. “We stand up for the storytellers. We stand up for local journalism. We stand up for a free press, because there is no democracy without one.”

Frenchie Davis headlined the benefit in what organizers described as her first performance since undergoing major surgery. Davis shared that detail onstage, adding a personal dimension to an evening built around music, community, and collective support.

Kenyotta & Kemistry performed live, while Trina Tru Luv hosted. Taylor’s Tacos served a taco bar with tortillas made to order, and a Ferrara candy bar let guests assemble bags to take home.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also attended. According to E3 Radio, Johnson delivered brief remarks affirming his commitment to the city’s LGBTQ+ community before spending time with guests, posing for photographs and visiting the photo booth.

The evening honored Otis Mack, continuing the Purple Tie Affair’s tradition of recognizing people whose work has helped shape LGBTQ+ life in Chicago. Attendees also received E3 Radio’s first printed LGBTQ+ business directory.

As Gaye Magazine reported ahead of the fundraiser, the event paired support for Black queer-owned media with fundraising for Toward Pride, formerly known as Pride in the Pews.

The benefit’s central purpose extended beyond the stage: helping a Black queer woman-owned outlet continue reporting on communities at the intersection of race, sexuality, politics and culture.

For DeShawn, that work is rooted in her hometown. The Chicago-born entrepreneur and award-winning podcast producer founded E3 Radio in 2009, building an online station that plays queer artists and reports on LGBTQ+ communities through an intersectional lens.

DeShawn also co-founded and leads The Qube, a podcast production company and curated platform that centers Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, including queer and transgender creators.

Her commitment to Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community earned her induction into the Chicago LGBTQ Hall of Fame in 2023. Across her ventures, DeShawn has pursued a shared mission: using digital media to amplify storytellers and musicians whose work deserves a wider audience.annadeshawn+1

Queer News, E3 Radio’s weekly podcast, brings that mission to its coverage of politics, culture and entertainment. Hosted by DeShawn, the podcast won an Ambie Award in the DIY category in 2023.

DeShawn brought that same spirit of community investment to the Purple Tie Affair in 2013, turning her 30th birthday into a benefit for local nonprofits, according to the organization. Since then, the event has directed more than $20,000 to Chicago organizations serving LGBTQ+ communities.

This year, that tradition also supported the outlet doing the storytelling. The $50,000 total met E3 Radio’s stated goal, and the response to its first live fundraising appeal showed the crowd’s commitment: $10,000 raised in 10 minutes to keep those stories on the air.