Chicago's O'Hare Could Offer Flyers the First Airport Gay Bar

Forget the mile-high club: Chicago's O'Hare might be poised to offer queer travelers the chance to raise a glass on the concourse with others of a like persuasion at 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," USA Today reported.

"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 story was first covered by local newspaper the Chicago Tribune (story is behind a paywall).

USA Today noted that "Sidetrack's main location [is] in Boystown/Northalsted, Chicago's historic LGBTQ+ neighborhood," but the bar, if it were to open, would be in the airport's Terminal 1.

"Somos would operate the bar," Block Club Chicago detailed, "while longtime LGBTQ+ activists and Sidetrack owners [Art] Johnston and his husband, José 'Pepe' Peña, would serve as investors and license the Sidetrack name."

Johnston reflected on how times have changed, telling Block Club Chicago that it's within his own memory how "gay bars were the only place gay people could meet" and "Chicago was not very friendly to the gay community, either. Most big cities weren't."

Johnston went on to recall a time when "Everyone had a bar name" as a safety measure. "We were all so concerned about police harassment that we changed our names back then."

Now, he said, the city is completely transformed, thanks to the tenacity and community involvement of members of queer Chicagoans.

"Misterb&b, a travel and social networking platform, recently named Chicago the safest U.S. city for LGBTQ+ travelers in its 2025 Queer Safety Index," the site noted.

Johnston envisioned how a gay bar at an international airport could further transform how the wider world views the queer community.

"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," he told Block Club Chicago. "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," Johnston added. "I love that Chicago continues to be a welcoming place."

Perhaps best of all would be the inherent inclusivity of the venue. Noted Johnston, "it's not like you need to be gay to go to the bar," USA Today relayed.