Making Room at Bars and Clubs for Trans and Nonbinary Chicagoans | Eater Chicago

"Opened on Valentine’s Day 2020 as a '70s‑inspired basement cocktail den in West Town, Dorothy was founded by Zoe Schor and later staffed by bartender Lou Niemerg, who joined to help preserve the dwindling legacy of lesbian bars and to push the venue to be explicitly welcoming to transgender and nonbinary patrons. After going dark for two years during the pandemic, staff used the downtime to rethink inclusion and launched Enby Night, an ongoing series for trans and nonbinary people and anyone exploring gender‑expansive identities, with events ranging from a trans and nonbinary makers market to a body‑inclusive clothing swap to a “trans‑curiosity” night where people can safely try out a new name or pronoun. Regular Nathalie Wolf says the roomy, relaxed, low‑key basement space—with plenty of seating and a sapphic focus—feels safer and more welcoming than the big, bombastic gay male clubs in Northalsted and has been life‑changing and essential to her process of figuring out who she is." - Naomi Waxman