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Welcome to Chicago
Gay Chicago
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Gay Chicago
Chicago is a fun and welcoming city for the gay and lesbian community throughout the year. The city is the hub of gay life for much of the Midwestern heartland, drawing visitors for nightlife and weekend getaways from throughout Illinois and neighboring states. Chicago is also considered one of the premier gay and lesbian travel destinations in the U.S., especially during major annual events such as Market Days, Pride and International Mr. Leather (IML).
Chicago's active and politically powerful lesbian and gay community has roots back to the 1920s, when Henry Gerber founded the "Society for Human Rights," which was focused on educating the heterosexual community about homosexuality and the laws that criminalized it. Gays and lesbians were very visible at the time, especially in "Towertown," a neighborhood of artists, poets, lesbians and gay men close to the Water Tower at Chicago and Michigan avenues. Chicago's Mattachine Society chapter was founded in the early 1950s, and is credited with developing a handbook of gay and lesbian legal rights with the help of lawyer Pearl Hart. Hart and Gerber are remembered as important community leaders at the Gerber Hart Gay and Lesbian Library (1127 W. Granville, 773-381-8030).
After the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, Chicago's gay and lesbian community became more politically active and demanded equal rights. Activists founded the Chicago Gay Liberation, which led political activities and hosted a forum attended by a large number of gay rights organizations in 1972. In the 1980s, the gay and lesbian community emerged as an important constituency in Chicago politics which continues today.
The epicenter of gay life in Chicago is Northalsted - also referred to as Boystown - where a concentration of gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses line North Halsted, Belmont, Clark and Broadway. Head to North Halsted and Roscoe to place yourself in the middle of it all. Take the Red Line to the Belmont stop to start at the southern end of the strip, or the Addison stop to land on the northern end. Don't be surprised when you see Wrigley Field pop up at the Addison stop. The famous ballpark and rows of sports bars are just yards from the gay neighborhood. The Number 8 bus also runs up Halsted.
Northalsted is more than bars and clubs - it is a microcosm for the gay and gay-friendly, and a true center for the community. The lively strip of shops, nightlife and restaurants is surrounded by a beautiful residential neighborhood that, like so many LGBT areas, has experienced a magnificent renaissance. Quiet neighborhood-style pubs, leather bars, late-night dance clubs, piano bars and drag show lounges meld in with art galleries, bed-and-breakfasts, fine restaurants and eclectic shops.
Chicago offers more than one gay-friendly neighborhood from which to choose. North on Broadway from Northalsted between Lawrence and Foster is Uptown, a growing neighborhood that offers a smattering of bars, restaurants and shops.
Further north is Andersonville, a charming neighborhood where its historically Swedish influence mixes well with a growing gay and lesbian population. Clark Street - between Argyle and Bryn Mawr - is lined with a tapestry of shops offering antiques, housewares, Swedish gourmet foods and jewelry, alongside gay-friendly restaurants and bars. The main strip is five blocks west of the Red Line's Berwyn or Bryn Mawr station, or can be reached by the Number 22, 36 or 92 bus lines.
The gay-friendly village of Oak Park is famous as the home of author Ernest Hemingway and architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and the site of more Wright-designed houses than anyplace in the world. Take the Green Line from Downtown to visit Wright's home and studio, the Hemingway Museum and Unity Temple, and shop and dine in one of Chicago's most welcoming suburbs.
Chicago may be known as "Boystown," but the city's neighborhoods and nightlife cater to lesbians as well. Women can be found in most of the bars and clubs, but The Closet in Northalsted, and T's and Stargaze in Andersonville are popular lesbian gathering places. Andersonville is also a popular residential neighborhood for lesbians.
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