They led the fight for marriage equality
Obergefell and Arthur’s fight to have their marriage recognized by Ohio ultimately led to nationwide marriage equality.
- A Chicago restauranteur has proposed opening a branch of the popular gay bar Sidetrack at O’Hare International Airport.
- If successful, this would be the first airport gay bar in the United States.
- Sidetrack’s owners believe an airport location would increase LGBTQ+ visibility and representation.
If a Chicago restaurateur’s plans work out, the city could soon be home to the country’s first airport gay bar.
The Chicago Department of Aviation, which operates O’Hare International Airport, is looking for vendors to fill open concession spaces in the terminal. Among the recent bidders is Germán González, a managing partner of Somos Hospitality Group (Tzuco, Ummo), who wants to open a satellite of Sidetrack – arguably the Windy City’s most popular gay bar – at O’Hare.
The Chicago Tribune was the first to report on González’s bid, and it said it would likely take months before the airport operator decided who should fill the space.
Still, the owners of Sidetrack’s main location in Boystown/Northalsted, Chicago’s historic LGBTQ+ neighborhood, told the paper it would be a huge deal if their bar gets a location at one of the city’s gateways to the world.
“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,” Art Johnston, co-owner of Sidetrack, told the paper. “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.”
Johnston co-owns the bar with José “Pepe” Peña. The pair opened it in a small space in 1982 and it has since grown to a multi-level staple of Chicago’s queer community. If González’s bid is successful, Johnston and Peña will license the Sidetrack brand to Somos, which would operate the bar.
González said a Sidetrack location at the airport could also help show that LGBTQ+ people are part of the community in Chicago and beyond.
“At the end of the day, you know, we need to have presence. We need to have a seat at the table. We need to have representation everywhere,” he told the Tribune.
“And it’s not like you need to be gay to go to the bar,” he said, pointing out that any airport passenger could stop by the Sidetrack location if it opens in O’Hare, just as all are welcome at the main location in the city.
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.
