Dorothy Downstairs | Chicago, IL

In February of 2020, Chicago's newest lesbian bar, Dorothy Downstairs first opened its doors. A month later, they were forced to close when the city shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic. About 2 years later, they reopened, and they've been a staple of the Chicago queer community ever since! Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with us for this episode! This episode features interviews with: Lillian Faderman, Zoe Schor, Whitney LaMora, and Rainn Thomas. Zoe and Whitney are fundraising to open Chicago's only queer-focused wedding & event venue in the space above Dorothy Downstairs! You can support this next endeavor HERE. Thank you for listening to Cruising Podcast! -Support Cruising here! Cruising is an independent podcast. That means we're entirely funded by sponsors and listeners like you! -Reviews help other listeners find Cruising! If you like what you hear, please subscribe and leave us a 5-star review! -For more Cruising adventures, follow us @cruisingpod on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook -Cruising is reported and produced by a small but mighty team of three: Sarah Gabrielli (host/story producer/audio engineer), Rachel Karp (story producer/social media manager), and Jen McGinity (line producer/resident road-trip driver). Theme song is by Joey Freeman. Cover Art is by Finley Martin. -Special thanks to this episode's sponsor, Olivia Travel -Discover Olivia at Olivia.com and save $100 on your next trip when you use promo code CRUISING Support the show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices