Chicago benefitted from the contributions of gay and lesbian residents long before it realized. But it has spent many years making up for lost time, and, today, says documentarian Daniel Andries, Chicago is known as “one of the most GLBT-friendly places in the world.”
The WTTW11 production Out and Proud in Chicago co-produced by Andries tells the rich story of how this diverse community and the city found their good fit and continue to work together.
Gay pride is at home throughout the city and in communities such as Uptown and Andersonville – but it’s most visible in Boystown, where rainbow pylons installed in 1998 are a colorful invitation to the epicenter of gay life in Chicago. The area (in the vicinity of North Halsted, Clark, Belmont, and Broadway) is a beautiful neighborhood with many gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses – shops, galleries, restaurants, nightlife, and more – interspersed with residences.
One important focal point for this burgeoning community is the Center on Halsted which meets a wide range of social, recreational, cultural, and social service needs of youth and adults in a safe, inviting and nurturing environment.
Northalsted is also the stepping off point for the annual and amazing Pride Parade and uninhibited North Halsted Halloween Parade as well as the site of Northalsted Market Days, the Midwest’s largest two-day street fair – all spectacular events and all gaining steadily in participation and audience appreciation.
For other GLBT, resources, check out the following websites and guides:
Chicago: inside out - a quarterly e-newsletter for GLBT travelers
Explore Chicago
Navigaytour