Chicago going for the gold at the end of the gay rainbow

It was reported last week that Toronto, Canada’s largest city was taking measures to become more desirable to gay travellers. Tourism Toronto is taking the potential cash flow of the gay jet set seriously, and its not the only one.

Just across the Great Lakes, Chicago is elbowing its way to the front of the rainbow line as well.

Although Chicago is more known for blues music, pizza and prohibition gangsters, the Windy City is investing heavily in its gay friendly draw card. The latest unveiling is a $20 million gay community centre on the city’s north side.

This centre takes up 65,000 square feet of prime Chicago real estate and is filled with a black-box theatre, a fitness centre, a computer lab, office space for gay organizations and a rooftop garden.

The Center on Haisted is one of an average of 10 new gay centres that open in the United States every year, bringing the total to the region of 160 centres.

Tracy Baim, publisher and editor of Windy City Times, one of Chicago’s oldest gay publications, says, “It’s really an amazing dream come true.”