“It was quite a fun club,” remembers DJ Danny Goss. After a couple of name and location changes (Carol’s Pub and Carol’s in Exile), Carol established this members-only club at 1355 North Wells Street and ran it until passing away in September 1979. Carol (Richard Farnham), was a grocer who first opened a gay bar called Coming Out Pub in 1972. In October 1978, Mother Carol took over the Den One space in Old Town where famous house DJ Ron Hardy first spun. The beloved club was torn down to make way for a parking lot in 1982. “Who else could put a thousand miles of mylar ribbon down the outside of a building and cover a corner with glitter – right across the street from a police station?” quipped impressionist Allan Lozito of Dugan, as quoted by the Chicago Tribune. The club’s sixth anniversary featured nine mirror balls and four mortar guns shooting foam stars. As Danny Goss, DiVito’s alternate for many years, recalls, “Lou was the first DJ I ever heard mix on beat and in perfect pitch.” DiVito became Chicago radio’s first “hot mixer” in 1979, recording mixes for WDAI from his DJ booth.Įach year the club’s interior was refreshed in preparation for an anniversary bash. Billboard named DiVito “best regional dee-jay” in 19. An interior decorator, DiVito assisted in designing the club’s layout and sound and light systems. Lou DiVito became the Bistro’s main DJ in 1974.
Dugan alluded to the club’s restrictive door policy in a 1974 Chicago Tribune article, explaining, “We’re primarily gay, and we don’t want straights filling the place up so our regular clientele can’t get in.” On some nights, the line of people waiting to get in stretched an entire block, just north of the iconic corn-cob shaped towers of Marina City. Go-go dancers, including a drag queen known as the Bearded Lady, often performed above the large dancefloor, which was surrounded by three bars and decorated by a pair of bright neon lips. If you wish to have a grand old time with friends energetically dancing and drinking or meet a stranger to flirt a little, head on to any of the mentioned LGBTQ hotspots in Downtown Chicago.Eddie Dugan opened The Bistro, Chicago’s first big, influential disco, in May of 1973, at what had been an old French restaurant. But despite being a regular occurrence, all the shows are packed with attendees, so it’s better to make a reservation, especially on weekends, to avoid any last minute admission troubles. The place is known for its iconic drag shows that happen every week from Wednesday through Sunday. Baton Show Lounge, DowntownĪnother famous gay bar in downtown Baton Show Lounge, is also one of the most aged LGBTQ nightspots in all of the Midwest. Jeffrey Pub also hosts electrifying drag shows on weekends for its patrons to celebrate diversity and demonstrate inclusivity. The ambiance at this monumental nightspot is always super lively, thanks to the upbeat music played for the crowds to dance to on the cramped dance floor. Built 40 years ago, Jeffrey Pub was one of the first places where gays and lesbians could get together and not be shamed or harassed for their choices.
It is often regarded as a historical spot for the city’s LGBTQ community. Jeffrey’s is the other gay bar in the south of Chicago that caters to African Americans. But during the week, Escape’s affordable yet refreshing drinks keep the customers coming. The popular LGBTQ hangout is located on the south side and is particularly packed to the gills on the weekends because of its engaging drag shows. EscapeĮscape is one of the two gay bars in town that are predominantly frequented by Afro-Americans however, it’s equally friendly and welcoming to anyone who wants to have fun. Here’s a quick rundown of the best LGBTQ friendly places in downtown Chicago. Who would want to sit behind the wheel for 1/3rd of an hour after a tiring day at work just to grab a drink? You guessed it right, nobody! So what does one do if they want to enjoy a minute of leisure at an LGBTQ-centric nightspot without having to make a haul for it? Well, then they go to the buzzing bars in downtown! Although the city center doesn’t offer a lot of hangouts, the ones it does are unapologetically entertaining and inclusive. That said, the northern part of the city is the wealthiest in terms of having gay-friendly bars and clubs getting to those places necessitates unnecessarily long drives from the inner city, and that can be too much on a weekday. Hence, the LGBTQ community owes a lot of its success in gaining rights to the Windy City.īeing such a sanctuary for the queer community, naturally, Chicago houses many great LGBTQ hangouts all over town. Though the city itself barely survived a calamitous fire in 1871, it has always given refuge to people looking for acceptance.
Witness to illustrious LGBTQ history, Chicago is undoubtedly among the most LGBTQ-friendly towns in America.