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Masks required in Abakanowicz Research Center; optional for rest of Museum MORE

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Did you know that Chicago is home to the very first LGBTQIA+ rights organization in the US (1924) AND the first Pride Parade in the world (1970)?

On this tour with guide Mike McMains of Tours with Mike, discover Chicago’s hidden LGBTQIA+ stories from the 19th century to today while exploring the city’s downtown area. Learn why LGBTQIA+ people were forced to live in the shadows in fear of legal and social repercussions, how they began to claim their own spaces in the city, and the development of one of the largest and most vibrant queer communities in the United States. Hear stories about:

  • A Nobel Peace Prize winner’s secret, lesbian romance
  • The homosexual illustrator whose works graced more covers of The Saturday Evening Post than even Norman Rockwell
  • Why downtown Chicago was so active with homosexual activity during the mid-20th century
  • The influential, Chicago activist campaigning for city and national officials to act during the AIDS crisis
  • The country’s first Gay Liberation March

Attendees can enhance their tour experience by using their smartphones to view historical photographs related to the tour topics.

$25, $22.50 members

Tour runs approximately 90–120 minutes. Meet just outside the storefront of the former Reset MedSpa (11 E. Ida B. Wells Dr., Chicago, IL 60605). The tour ends at the Richard J. Daley Center (50 W. Washington St., Chicago, IL 60602).

Tour also includes free admission to the Chicago History Museum, good for one week from tour date.

Masks are optional for our outdoor walking tours. Learn more about our COVID-19 safety policies and procedures

October is LGBT History Month! Join us for our OUT at CHM tour series this month with Mike McMains of Tours with Mike. Each tour is sold separately:

March in protest of police harassment of LGBTQ bars and meeting spaces Around 2,000 people march from Washington Square Park to the Daley Center Plaza protesting police harassment of LGBTQ bars and meetings spaces, June 5, 1979. ST-17300379-0013, Chicago Sun-Times collection, CHM
Individuals picket in downtown Chicago in support of LGBTQ rights bill Individuals picket in downtown Chicago in support of a bill that would protect members of the LGBTQ community from discrimination, September 12, 1979. ST-60002993-0037, Chicago Sun-Times collection, CHM
Gay rights rally at the Chicago Civic Center Rev. William R. Johnson leads rally for gay rights at the Chicago Civic Center, ST-17300337-0010, Chicago Sun-Times collection, CHM
Pride-c1971-i038657 Participants in the Chicago Pride Parade (formerly known as the Gay Pride Parade), Chicago, Illinois, c. 1971. CHM, ICHi-038657; Declan Haun, photographer
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