Marked with its giant rainbow pillars, Chicago’s Boystown has long been a haven for the LQBTQ+ community and its allies. While not the only gay enclave in the Windy City—Andersonville also deserves props—Boystown is HQ for political activism and moving the social and political needle forward, with prosperous businesses supporting the cause. In the '80s, Boystown was shaped by gay bars, with Sidetrack on North Halsted at the helm, and now it might take flight as the first gay bar might open in a U.S. airport. (And no, the Delta Sky Club doesn't count as a gay bar.)
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Chicago’s largest and arguably most iconic gay bar, Sidetrack, has put the wheels in motion and applied to open a specialty location at O’Hare International Airport. This would make the City of Big Shoulders home to the very first gay bar inside of an airport in the United States.
Submitted just this month by restaurateur Germán González, managing partner of Somos Hospitality Group, this move is part of Chicago’s valiant efforts to update airport concessions—finally. (González partnered with Michelin-star chef Carlos Gaytán and opened Tzuco in 2019; in 2023, he opened an Italian restaurant called Ummo—both wildly successful endeavors in Chicago's River North.)
With Somos taking charge of all of the hands-on operations, and Sidetrack co-owners and LGBTQ+ activists Art Johnston and José “Pepe” Peña serving as investors and licensing the name and brand, this O’Hare Sidetrack bar would open in Terminal 1, if all goes to plan.
A gay bar in one of the busiest airports in the world would shine a positive light on not only Chicago, but also LGBTQ+ communities around the globe—we hope we’re cleared for takeoff!