Chicago

Chicago has one of the biggest LGBT populations in the United States, according to Wikipedia, with ~150,000 identified residents. The scene is concentrated in Northalsted (Lakeview), with 60+ LGBTQI+ bars, restaurants and clubs around the Halsted Street axis. Classic venues: Sidetrack (videos and showtunes), Roscoe's Tavern (mixed, terrace), Hydrate (after-hours), Baton Show Lounge (drag since 1969).

Complemented to the north by Andersonville (more lesbian and family-oriented since the 80s) and to the west by Wicker Park and Logan Square (alternative queer). The scene runs 7 days a week, with strong seasonal swings (summer explodes, winter retreats indoors).

The Chicago Pride Parade has been held on the last Sunday of June since 1971 — the first edition was in 1970, with barely 150 people, as a political march. Today it tops a million attendees, according to Wikipedia, running along Halsted Street and Broadway through Northalsted/Lakeview. It is one of the biggest Prides in the United States.

Supporting calendar: Northalsted Market Days (a street festival in August, the neighbourhood's second-biggest event), Pride Fest (June, the street festival before the parade) and Andersonville Midsommarfest, with an LGBT presence, in June. Chicago hosted the Gay Games VII in 2006 (15-22 Jul). Hotel prices +100-200% during Pride week.

Northalsted (formerly Boystown) is the first gay neighbourhood officially recognised by a municipal government in the United States. In 1998, Mayor Richard M. Daley approved a $3.2M restoration of the North Halsted Street corridor and installed the iconic rainbow pylons that mark the neighbourhood's limits.

The core: the Halsted & Roscoe junction and the axis along Halsted between Belmont and Grace. Its boundaries with Lakeview East: Irving Park to the north, Broadway to the east, Wellington to the south, Sheffield to the west. In November 2020 it was renamed from Boystown to Northalsted on the initiative of local businesses (for inclusivity); the colloquial name Boystown is still in use. The Legacy Walk (Halsted Street) presents itself as the world's only outdoor LGBT museum, with plaques commemorating historic LGBT figures. CTA Red Line Belmont station and Brown/Purple Line Wellington.

Chicago is key in the history of US LGBT activism: the Society for Human Rights (Henry Gerber, 1924) was the first formal gay rights organisation in the United States, officially recognised by Illinois on 10 December 1924. The Henry Gerber House (Bryn Mawr Ave, North Side) is a National Historic Landmark. Illinois was the first state to repeal its sodomy laws (28 July 1961) — eight years before Stonewall.

Community infrastructure: the Center on Halsted (the biggest LGBT community centre in the Midwest, serving 1,000+ people a day since its 2007 expansion). Howard Brown Health (1974) is one of the first LGBT-specific health clinics in the country, with sites in Northalsted, Edgewater and the South Side. It offers PrEP, trans hormones, testing and care without insurance. Lori Lightfoot (mayor 2019-2023) was the first openly lesbian and first African-American woman mayor in Chicago's history.