Matthew Gutowski, another bartender at Little Jim’s, said he also found a sense of family when he moved to Chicago and started working at the bar almost three years ago. “And when I went sober, people really respected it and I’ve found a lot of support here. “I’m bisexual, so it’s the place I always felt comfortable taking dudes on dates,” Bertorelli said.
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I’m going to miss seeing the room full of different colors of the rainbow coming together in one place.”īertorelli has worked at the tavern for almost three years, but he’s been coming to the bar for more than a decade. “We welcome everybody and no one cares if you’re bi, trans, or any sexuality, gender or race. They don’t have to be fake,” Bertorelli said. Tully Bertorelli, a bartender at Little Jim’s, said that welcoming atmosphere was the driving force behind the bar’s staying-power. Little Jim’s never had drama.” Credit: Jake Wittich/Block Club Chicago (From left) Dio Alatriste, Wade Guzman and Matthew Gutowski cheers for their last drink together at Little Jim’s Tavern.
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“Other bars talk a good game about fighting racism and all that, but Little Jim’s truly lived what they believed: everybody is welcome,” Garcia said. “Latino, white and Black people all mingled and socialized there. While other bars had strict dress codes or music restrictions that targeted Black and Latino people - some of which still exist in recent years - the tavern always stayed above it, according to Garcia. The Tavern’s legacy is that it was the first and only bar on Halsted Street to be fully integrated, Garcia said. Garcia said Jim Gates, the tavern’s original owner, was actively involved in the LGBTQ community, helping fund Equality Illinois at its beginning and donating to local social service agencies or gay rights organizations. Soon after its opening, more gay bars followed and the divey, late-night spot became both a Boystown institution and one of the longest-running independently owned bars in the neighborhood. Garcia said “the neighborhood was rough” when Little Jim’s first opened, but it “started the whole trend on Halsted Street.” It’s bittersweet to think back on those memories.” Credit: Google Maps Pioneering Boystown bar Little Jim’s closes Thursday night. “I was afraid in my youth that I’d miss something if I wasn’t there every night. LGBTQ activist Rick Garcia said he’d visit Little Jim’s every night after moving to Chicago in the ‘80s.
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At the time, it had darkened windows to protect the safety of its customers, according to a Chicago Magazine feature on the tavern. Often described as the gay Cheers, Little Jim’s opened in 1975 and was the first gay bar in Boystown and the second-oldest gay bar in Chicago. Halsted St., is in negotiations to be sold to Howard Brown Health so the LGBTQ-affirming health center can build a new clinic that would double the capacity of its nearby center at 3245 N. BOYSTOWN - The oldest gay bar in Boystown is closing its doors for good Thursday night after 45 years in business.