RESOURCES
Chicago Resources
Cook County Domestic Partner Registry
Illinois Human Rights Act
Chicago LGBT Organizations
Cook County Domestic Partner Registry
Same-sex couples living in Chicago and suburban Cook County can officially document their partnerships at the Cook County Clerk offices.
Cook County's Domestic Partnership Registry establishes an official record of same-sex relationships and provides each couple with a domestic partnership certificate stating that they have registered with the county.
The registry does not create any new legal rights, it is intended to make it easier to obtain insurance and other benefits from companies that offer them to partners of gay and lesbian employees.
For more information on the domestic partner registry, visit the Cook County Clerk Domestic Partner Registry website.
Illinois Human Rights Act
The State of Illinois prohibits "discrimination against any individual because of his or her race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, martial status, physical or mental handicap, military status, sexual orientation, or unfavorable discharge from military service in connection with employment, real estate transactions, access to financial credit, and the availability of public accommodations."
Sexual orientation is defined as "actual or perceived heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, or gender-related identity, whether or not traditionally associated with the person's designated sex at birth."
To read the entire Illinois Human Rights Act, click here.
Chicago LGBT Organizations
Advocacy & Education
Athletics
Business
Gay & Bisexual Men
Health
Legal
Lesbian & Bisexual Women
Media
People of Color
Parenting & Families
Performing Arts & Film
Recreation
Spiritual
Suburban
Transgender
Visitors & Over 21
- American Veterans for Equal Rights
- Center on Halsted: Chicago's LGBT Community Center.
- Chicago Anti-Bashing Network
- Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame
- Chicago Gay History Project
- Equality Illinois
- Gerber/Hart Library & Archives: LGBT Information Resource and Archives.
- Illinois Gender Advocates
- Illinois Safe Schools Alliance (the Alliance)
- Leather Archives & Museum
- NAMES Project Foundation Chicago Chapter: AIDS Memorial Quilt.
- Windy City Rainbow Alliance of the Deaf
Athletics
- Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association (CMSA)
- Frontrunners/Frontwalkers Chicago
- Qrew Chicago: Qrew Chicago is the Midwest's only LGBT rowing organization.
- Team Chicago Athletics, Inc.
- Windy City Athletic Association
Business
Gay & Bisexual Men
- LifeLube.org: Strives to build connections between and among gay and bi men toward a healthier, nurturing, and more vibrant community with room for all of us.
Health
- Better Existence with HIV (BEHIV)
- Broadway Youth Center: The Broadway Youth Center is a program of Howard Brown and our community partners, offering comprehensive services to all youth, 24 and under.
- Chicago Department of Public Health
- Horizon Hospice and Palliative Care
- Howard Brown Health Center: The midwest's largest gay, lesbian, and bisexual health organization.
- Lesbian Community Cancer Project (LCCP)
- Malecare: Men Fighting Cancer Together: Prostate cancer support groups, treatment, symptoms, causes, etc. for men.
- AIDS Foundation of Chicago
- New Town Alano Club
- Out with Cancer
- Rainbow Hospice
- Syphilis Elimination Task Force
- Test Positive Aware Network
Legal
- ACLU of Illinois LGBT & AIDS Project
- AIDS Legal Council of Chicago
- Chicago Bar Association
- Equality Illinois
- Illinois State Bar Association
- Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund
- Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago: HIV/AIDS Project
Lesbian & Bisexual Women
- Chicago 35: Chicago 35 is an interactive social organization for lesbian women 35 years or older in the Chicago area.
- Femme to Femme Chicago: Femme to Femme Chicago is a group for femme-identified lesbians and bisexual women of diverse backgrounds, interests, and professions.
Media
- Chicago Free Press: Weekly Newspaper
- Feast of Fools: LGBT Podcast Based in Chicago
- Gay Chicago Magazine
- Windy City Times: Weekly Newspaper
People of Color
- Affinity Community Services: Affinity is the largest organization in the Midwest serving lesbian and bisexual women of African American Descent.
- Amigas Latinas
- Asians and Friends Chicago
- Association for Latino Men in Action
- Invisible to Invincible (i2i): Invisible to Invincible (i2i) is dedicated to fostering support and building community for Chicago-area Asians & Pacific Islanders who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning.
- Khuli Zaban: Khuli Zaban is a Chicago-based non-profit organization of South Asian and West Asian women who love women.
- Sankofa Way Spiritual Services: Sankofa Way Spiritual Services provide spiritual direction and guidance specifically to African American lesbians.
Parenting & Families
- MGroup Chicago: MGroup is a Chicago area support group for married [to women] gay and bisexual men, including those who are working to preserve their marriage and those who are in the process of separation or divorce.
- Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Chicago
- Rainbow Families Illinois
Performing Arts & Film
- About Face Theatre
- Bare Boned Theatre: Produces Chicago's only GLBT-themed live soap opera.
- Chicago Gay Men's Chorus (CGMC)
- Chicago Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival
- Gayco Productions: GayCo Productions is a not-for-profit theatre ensemble that specializes in creating sketch-comedy revues based on gay/lesbian themes.
- Hubris Productions
- Lakeside Pride Musical Ensembles
- Righteously Outrageous Twirling Corps (R.O.T.C. Chicago): ROTC Chicago is composed of more than 30 volunteers, all male, who perform color guard/rifle routines to diva, gay, disco and pop culture music.
- Windy City Performing Arts
Recreation
- Chi-Town Squares: Chi-Town Squares promotes, dances and teaches modern square dancing.
Spiritual
- AGLO: Archdiocesan Gay and Lesbian Outreach (Catholic)
- Broadway United Methodist Church
- Church of St. Paul & the Redeemer (Hyde Park)
- Congregation Or Chadash: Serves the GLBT Jewish community and those interested in it.
- Dignity/Chicago (Catholic)
- Good Shepherd Parish, MCC, Metropolitan Community Church
- Holy Covenant United Methodist Church
- Quaker House (Hyde Park)
- Unitarian Universalist Campus Ministry (Hyde Park)
- University Church (Hyde Park)
Suburban
Transgender
- GenderWork: Support group for masculine identified, fem-assigned people. Includes genderqueers, bi-genders or boydykes.
- Illinois Gender Advocates
- TYRA (Transgender Youth Resource & Advocacy)
- FORGE:Social support group for female-to-male transsexuals; transgenderists; butches; drag kings; gender queers and radicals; gender outlaws; people assigned female at birth who currently identify as male/masculine/man; female-born individuals who are exploring their masculine identity; and our significant others.
- Chicago Gender Society
- Chicago Transguy Alliance:Organization for FTMs, transmen, fully transitioned transsexual men, cross-dressers, drag-kings, genderqueers, people questioning, and their friends, partners, family, and allies.
Visitors & Over 21
- ChicagoPride.com: Information about events, clubs and bars in Chicago.
- Chicago NaviGayTour: Gay travel website for Chicago.
- Chix Mix: Produces parties and events for lesbians and allies all over Chicago.
- DykeDiva.com: "The alternative lesbian site" includes all kinds of information about lesbian events all over Chicago, as well as articles and an advice column.
