Bonnarens is a former Chicagoan now living in Germany. Her activism included fighting back against bigots at the University of Chicago in the 1980s. She was among LGBT students targeted and threatened by right-wingers on campus, and the gay students tried to get the university administration to treat their cause seriously. Bonnarens is also former art director at Outlines newspaper, which merged with Windy City Times in 2000. She is an artist of many talents, now living with her partner as a German citizen.