Chicago O’Hare could soon become the first airport in the United States to host its very own gay bar after one of the Windy City’s longest-running LGBTQ establishments put in a bid to run a concession.
As part of a major expansion project taking place at Terminal 1, the City of Chicago has been running a massive procurement program for new concession spaces, and it turns out that the iconic Sidetrack Bar has submitted a bid.
If successful, Sidetrack would be the first gay venue in a US airport and potentially even the world.
The proposal was submitted by restaurateur Germán González, who has secured licensing permission to use Sidetrack’s name and brand on behalf of the venue’s co-owners Art Johnston and José ‘Pepe’ Peña.
Sidetrack first opened in a small, signless space back in 1982. Some 43 years later, Sidetrack has become one of Chicago’s best-known LGBTQ venues, taking up eight storefronts on North Halsted in the city’s famous ‘Boys Town’ district.
“We have made this a better city, a stronger city, and why not show that to the world?” co-owner Johnston told the Chicago Tribune about the bar’s plans to open a concession at O’Hare.
The idea behind opening a Sidetrack bar in a major international airport would “create ways for people to see gay people and see that not only have we done well in Chicago, we have thrived in Chicago,” Johnston continued.
González explained that the bar would be an inclusive space where people would be welcomed no matter their sexual orientation. “I mean, at the end of the day, it’s going to be a beautiful bar,” he told the Tribune.
“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,” Johnston said.
“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.”
O’Hare closed its application window for the new concessions on June 20, but it could take several months at least for officials to announce the winning bids.
