The Black Lesbians Behind Chicago’s Nobody's Darling Bar
Chicago neighborhood of Andersonville.The Nobody’s Darling bar is owned by two Black queer women, who’ve become Chicago’s second and third Black and queer bar owners in a city with a long history of segregation.
Its BIPOC queer population is typically found in the south and west sides and the north side’s Boystown gayborhood has been called out on its racism, on display in acts like banning hip-hop and rap music, underpaying nonwhite employees, and even outright racist statements.
In response, the summer’s Drag March for Change made broad allegations that also included sexism and transphobia among the Boystown businesses.But the queer-inclusive Andersonville isn’t Boystown, and Nobody’s Darling co-owners Angela Barnes and Renauda Riddle are determined to keep it that way, with a space Riddle describes to Chicago Eater as “women-centered — women forward.
Once we opened, all of a sudden we’ve been having these conversations where we’re really articulating the distinction.” The bar itself is welcoming and inclusive: the logo on the door features the silhouette of a Black woman wearing a natural crown, a painting with the Walker poem hangs on one wall, and the bathroom features additional paintings, depicting women from history, all of them enjoying cocktails.Barnes and Riddle understand why some may assume that it’s a lesbian bar, but as Barnes said, “We wanted to make sure that our entire community felt welcome, that we’re not excluding our gay brothers or our trans siblings.”Barnes, who is 52, and Riddle, who is 41, met a decade ago at Center on Halstead, the Chicago Gay Community Center, where they were on a women’s action committee together.
