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Sidetrack is one of Chicago’s longest-running gay bars with its original space opening back in 1982. It currently has a massive complex on Halsted Street in a section of Lakeview known as “Boystown” (or Northalsted if you call it by the name it was given in 2021 to be more woke. Note: no one calls it this and it’s quite laughable that an LGBTQ+ neighborhood needed to be more inclusive). The popular bar might soon be coming to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) as a proposal was submitted by restaurateur Germán González through a deal to license the name.
I was just at Sidetrack this weekend during Pride Fest and laughed to myself thinking about the bar opening an outpost at the airport. While I’m sure it would be a toned-down experience, it would also be the first gay bar in a US airport (it could also be the first airport-based gay bar anywhere in the world).
Book Club Chicago reports that Germán González, the managing partner of Somos Hospitality Group (Tzuco and Ummo), wants to open the bar in Terminal 1. Sidetrack co-owners and husbands, Art Johnston and José “Pepe” Peña licensed the name and brand. They will serve as investors, but would not be running the operation.
Johnson shared:
For a very long time, gay bars were the only place gay people could meet. And they weren’t always friendly. Chicago was not very friendly to the gay community, either. Most big cities weren’t. Everyone had a bar name. We were all so concerned about police harassment that we changed our names back then.
We protested, we marched, we signed petitions, we ran people for office and our community said we don’t want to be second-class citizens anymore. Because of this tenacious community and our enlightened allies, Chicago has become what we believe is the safest city in America for gay travelers.
There are people from red states who don’t think they’ve ever met a gay person — and they’ll get a look at who we are and how much a part of this city we are. People still tell bartenders everything. My bartenders keep hearing stories from people moving here from places like Texas and Florida, where they or their trans family members can’t get medical care. I love that Chicago continues to be a welcoming place.
Pepe and I, we’re just blown away by the notion, knowing the number of people who pass through here every day who could see that there are (gay) bars here, where the people there don’t have horns and tails, and we’re not trying to steal anybody’s children. We’re trying to live our lives and make life better for all of us. And O’Hare is, we think, a perfect next step in that direction.”
One of the things that I love about living in Chicago (in the spring, summer, and fall when I’m here) is that it is now consistently named one of the safest US cities for LGBTQ+ travelers. Misterb&b (a travel and social networking platform) recently highlighted this in its 2025 Queer Safety Index.
Anthony’s Take: Inclusivity and acceptance starts with understanding. Travelers being able to go to a “gay bar” in the airport will certainly help travelers find a spot to relax that is open to all. I’m sure there will be haters, but they can either go in and have a drink or go elsewhere like they can do today. Let’s see if this gets approved.
(Image Credit: Sidetrack.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
