Chicago, USA
Introduction
Gangsters, pizza, house music, the blues, Chicago has left its mark on popular culture throughout the ages. These are all excellent reasons to visit the Windy City, but there’s something else also worth checking out in this town: the thriving lesbian culture.
There’s a huge variety of lesbian action in Chicago, from burlesque shows to a WNBA team (I know, the WNBA isn’t “officially” lesbian, but man, have you ever seen the crowds at one of their games!?) to two (!) female roller derby leagues to a whole slew of bent theatre troupes and production houses. Add in the bars and dyke nights, popular restaurants and a lesbohood, and there’s enough to keep any lesbian traveller plenty busy. To boot, their annual Pride festivities attract upwards of 400,000 people!
East Lakeview, aka “Boystown”, is the main gay village in Chicago. As the name suggests, it’s mainly boys, but bent girls can also be found around Halsted St. Many lesbians (and lesbian establishments!) prefer the Swedish-immigrant neighborhood of Andersonville, especially around Clark St.
Chicago also deserves one last shout-out for their new LGBT community centre, the Center on Halsted. The $40 million Center opened in summer, 2007 with much fanfare, and deservedly so. The 60,000 (!) square foot facility is a beautifully modern space that is a true home to the local queer community. Beyond meeting rooms, the Center offers a rooftop garden, the 9000 square foot Billie Jean King Recreation Hall, a 160-seat theatre space and a Whole Foods grocery store.
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