On Could 31, the road exterior Dorothy stretched down West Chicago Avenue earlier than wrapping across the nook and down a aspect avenue. It was Satisfaction Month Eve, and Chicago’s beloved lesbian cocktail lounge was celebrating with its third annual Homosexual Promenade. Clad in ’80s satin and slip attire, patrons fretted about whether or not or not they’d get in (they did), confirmed off handmade corsages and pregamed with a case of laborious seltzers somebody had introduced and handed round.
Situated behind a speakeasy-style door in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village, Dorothy provides an absolute firehose of queer programming. The bar hosts drag, burlesque, comedy, karaoke, a viral open mic that bought out exhibits inside minutes, Silent Guide Membership, an arm-wrestling match in opposition to the Chicago Ladies’s Rugby Membership, and vacation season screenings of Carol. However Homosexual Promenade, devised by co-owner Zoe Schor to kick off Satisfaction Month, is amongst its largest occasions of the 12 months, garnering greater than 500 RSVPs.
At the very least a dozen of these in line had been highschool college students throughout COVID’s peak, and by no means obtained to go to promenade. Two now-married {couples} I spoke with attended their highschool proms collectively. Inside, a particular one-night-only promenade menu featured drinks like a Waffle Home After Celebration (whiskey, banana liqueur, espresso bitters, cream sherry, Angostura), a Negroni-ish Instructor Chaperone (tequila, Campari, vermouth, mole bitters) and a beer-and-shot particular. The gang went wild each time DJs Minimize-Cuz and Jessi D spun one other Girl Gaga monitor, cramming into the bar’s notorious photobooth to seize an unforgettable evening.
The Night time by the Numbers
Whole RSVPs:
559
No. of photobooth pics taken:
226
No. of handmade corsages and boutonnieres:
At the very least 8
No. of former promenade queens in attendance:
1; “I went with my homosexual bestie and left my boyfriend on the time at house. The closet was cellophane.” —Greer (she/her)
Hottest cocktail of the evening: Promenade Punch (blanco tequila, pineapple, raspberry, lime, soda water), which bought out at 10:30 p.m. after 121 orders
No. of promposals staged: 19
What was the inspiration for Homosexual Promenade at Dorothy, and the way has it advanced since its inception?
“My spouse Zoe was very enthusiastic about internet hosting Homosexual Promenade for our first Satisfaction kickoff in 2023. She at all times says, ‘It’s not a brand new idea, nevertheless it’s an necessary one.’ It was our first alternative to rejoice a traditional occasion that takes place nicely earlier than we’re totally shaped people.” —Whitney LaMora (she/her), co-owner
How did you develop the Homosexual Promenade bar menu?
“I used to be simply reminiscing alone expertise being a millennial and going to promenade. Hummer Stretch Limo [tequila, lime, dill brine, orange liqueur, agave, jalapeño tincture] got here from going to highschool and school in Arizona. One of many issues we discovered coping with hangovers within the desert is [to hydrate] on a regular basis, so we drank quite a lot of pickle juice. After which, after all, 2010 to 2012 was the period of everybody taking Hummer limos to promenade. I’m an enormous Waffle Home fan, and once I was at Moneygun, we’d do food-takeover[-themed] cocktails. We had an Olive Backyard one and I did a Waffle Home one, so I constructed on that for Waffle Home After Celebration.” —Jasmine Santiago (she/her), bar supervisor
Inform us about your promposal.
“I obtained her her favourite strawberry cake from Jewel and requested them to write down ‘Promenade?’ on it. Then I added the rainbow candles and these two gummy bear {couples}. I stated those holding palms have been us earlier than promenade, and those 69-ing have been us after promenade.” —Lanie (she/her) and Ivane (she/her)
“We’ve made it a practice to go to Homosexual Promenade, so that is truly our third promposal. They promposed to me first, after which I promposed to them, after which they promposed to me once more yesterday, so we simply hold going backwards and forwards.”
“We had simply gone to see 5 motion pictures within the Sapphopalooza collection on the Music Field, which suggests you win this particular carabiner. I used to be like, ‘Wait, I feel I’ve an excellent keychain for you,’ which I had made, asking her to go to promenade with me. After which when she flipped it over and noticed it, I obtained down on one knee and pulled out a faux bouquet.”—Rene (she/they) and Max (they/them)
What’s probably the most rewarding factor about doing an occasion of this scale at Dorothy?
“It was a record-breaking evening for Dorothy, however at one level, all of us regarded round and have been like, ‘Oh my god, it’s so chill in right here.’ We’re doing quite a bit, and there are lots of people in right here having enjoyable, and we’re making the cash, however all of us felt tremendous comfortable. After which the suggestions from the company, with the ability to see folks are available in dressed fantastically, and watching them dance and have enjoyable. I noticed a photograph strip the following morning once I got here in for my shift, and the particular person had taken their blazer off within the photobooth. They have been utterly topless, and I used to be like, I like that you just had such an excellent time and have been in a position to seize that second!” —Santiago
How was your Homosexual Promenade evening?
“I form of favored that it was virtually a bit bit tacky, with the balloons and the rainbows, taking part in into the nostalgia of all of it, as a result of that’s what my promenade was like! For me, I’m clearly femme, so going to promenade in highschool, I didn’t have to essentially gown any in another way. However I do know it was actually necessary for my companion, who’s butch, to put on a bowtie and an Oxford shirt and go together with their girlfriend to promenade. And it felt actually particular to me to go together with somebody I’m romantic with and never my homosexual finest good friend.” —Greer
“The music was actually good, so many promenade throwbacks. At one level, [my partner Max and I] danced to Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance With Someone.’ It feels form of foolish that this was the track we had such a romantic second to, as a result of there have been [also] gradual dances. However throughout this one, we turned to one another like, ‘I don’t suppose I’ve ever truly danced to this track with somebody who truly loves me?’ [Laughs.] In order that was our large romantic second.” —Rene
“As soon as we made our method by way of the gang to the bar, simply seeing everybody of their true type, no matter they needed to put on, nonetheless they needed to indicate up—I’m a really emotional particular person, so it gave me such a pleasant, heat, fuzzy feeling of security. It’s very tacky, nevertheless it’s true. It felt like magic! I had this loopy film flashback in my head of like, everybody on the promenade how they offered in highschool, no matter that may have been, and usually, it was in all probability completely totally different, proper? Seeing everybody now look so completely satisfied, and smiling, and loving on their dates, romantic or not—simply the security they felt to behave nonetheless they needed made me really feel so good. It actually did really feel like promenade… besides we have been allowed to drink!” —Lanie
