Bijou Theater

Bijou Theater was an adult cinema, sex club, and LGBTQ cultural venue at 1349 North Wells Street in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood. Founded in 1970 under the leadership of Steven Toushin, it became one of the most durable gay adult venues in the United States and, by the time it closed, was described as the country's longest-running gay adult theater and sex club. The venue eventually operated as part of a broader Bijou business that included film distribution, video production, retail sales, live entertainment, and online catalog services. The theater initially operated in the changing commercial and social environment created by the growth of gay liberation and LGBTQ nightlife after the late 1960s. By 1978, it was showing gay films exclusively. Its auditorium contained a 15-by-18-foot silver screen and 77 fixed, cushioned theater seats. The lobby included a counter selling DVDs and a computer through which visitors could browse a catalog of more than 14,000 titles. This combination of physical exhibition and specialized retail made the venue more than a conventional cinema: it was also a point of access to gay adult media and a meeting place for a particular segment of Chicago's LGBTQ community. A major part of the operation was the second-floor sex club. It included private and communal areas, lockers, fetish equipment, and, during warmer months, an outdoor area known as the Bijou Gardens. In its later years, the club operated around the clock. The venue's programming also extended beyond recorded films. The Bijou Boys Erotic Cabaret presented solo male dancers, while Miss Tiger's Cabaret offered theatrical productions with original music, costumes, sets, and lighting. The latter shows, staged from 2000 to 2004, were written and directed by drag performer Miss Tiger and used a mixed cast of singers and actors as well as some performers from the erotic cabaret. The associated Bijou Video business began in 1978 as a mail-order pornography company. It produced hundreds of gay adult films, including works with fetish and BDSM themes, and distributed material through mail order, the theater, and later digital channels. Production ended in the late 1990s, after which the company began remastering and digitizing its older film library in 1999. The theater's weekly Monday screenings of the company's archival "Bijou Classics" connected the venue to this larger body of work. Bijou Theater also occupied a complicated place in LGBTQ social history. Like other gay erotic venues, it provided a space in which queer audiences could socialize and express identity, while also attracting criticism about sexual-health practices during the HIV/AIDS crisis. The venue distributed safer-sex information and, according to the historical account, published a safe-sex booklet in 1985 and required condoms in its pornographic productions by 1987. Its history was also marked by legal disputes, obscenity cases, a tax-evasion conviction involving Toushin, and violence connected to the surrounding adult-entertainment economy. The theater permanently closed on September 30, 2015, ending 45 years of operation.

Bijou Theater opened in 1970 at 1349 North Wells Street in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood. Steven Toushin took charge of the operation, which developed within the post-Stonewall expansion of gay commercial and social spaces. The venue became a place where gay men could watch adult films, socialize, and participate in a nightlife economy that was increasingly visible in Chicago. In 1978, the theater began showing gay films exclusively. That same year, Toushin opened Bijou Video as a mail-order gay pornography company. The video operation eventually produced hundreds of films and built a catalog that could be sold through the theater's lobby counter and other channels. The theater screened selected archival titles, known as the Bijou Classics, on Mondays. A computer in the lobby allowed patrons to search a catalog reported to contain more than 14,000 titles, with available DVDs sold at the counter. The physical theater had a 15-by-18-foot silver screen and 77 anchored cushioned seats. Its second floor operated as a sex club, with lockers, dark rooms, glory holes, and BDSM equipment. In later years the club was open continuously, and the outdoor Bijou Gardens operated during warm weather. The combination of cinema and club services distinguished the venue from a conventional adult movie house. Live entertainment broadened the institution's role. The Bijou Boys Erotic Cabaret presented solo male dancers in afternoon and evening performances. Under Miss Tiger's direction, the programming later moved toward a more theatrical format. Miss Tiger's Cabaret used original songs, plays, costumes, sets, and lighting, and included both male and female performers with relatively little nudity. These productions ran from 2000 through 2004 and were reviewed and documented within Chicago's LGBTQ media and performance communities. The venue's history included legal and public controversies. Toushin faced obscenity-related legal disputes and a tax-evasion conviction in the late 1980s. In 1989, he received the Reuben Sturman Award for legal battles on behalf of the adult industry while imprisoned. He later received a gay adult-industry lifetime achievement award in 2007 and was inducted into the AVN Hall of Fame's Founders Branch in 2009. The theater also intersected with serious violence. Co-owner Paul Gonsky was murdered in Old Town in 1976; the killing was linked in historical accounts to Frank Schweihs, although Schweihs was not charged in that case. Jeffrey Dahmer reportedly visited the Bijou, and employee Jeremiah Weinberger was later identified as one of Dahmer's victims. These events affected perceptions of gay bars, bathhouses, and erotic venues during the investigation and trials. During the HIV/AIDS crisis, the venue was criticized over unsafe sexual practices, but it also became a site for safer-sex education and outreach. It published a safe-sex booklet in 1985 and reportedly required condom use in its pornographic productions by 1987. This dual role reflected the broader tension surrounding adult venues: they could be criticized as sites of health risk while also providing practical access to prevention information and community organizing. Bijou Video stopped producing new films in the late 1990s and began digitizing its older library in 1999. The theater continued to operate as a combined adult cinema and sex club until its permanent closure on September 30, 2015. Its legacy is associated with the development of gay adult film, the commercial history of LGBTQ Chicago, adult-industry legal battles, and the preservation of an older form of erotic cinema exhibition.

• 2015

  Permanent closure

  [1]Bijou Theater (Chicago)en.wikipedia.org

  Bijou Theater closes permanently on September 30.

• 2000

  Miss Tiger's Cabaret begins

  [1]Bijou Theater (Chicago)en.wikipedia.org

  The venue introduces a theatrical cabaret program written and directed by Miss Tiger.

• 1999

  Archive digitization begins

  [1]Bijou Theater (Chicago)en.wikipedia.org

  Bijou Video starts remastering and digitizing its older library from film and videotape sources.

• 1987

  Condom use becomes standard in productions

  [1]Bijou Theater (Chicago)en.wikipedia.org

  Bijou Video reportedly begins using condoms exclusively in its pornographic films.

• 1985

  Safe-sex booklet published

  [1]Bijou Theater (Chicago)en.wikipedia.org

  The venue publishes safe-sex guidance during the HIV/AIDS crisis.

• 1978

  Gay-film-only programming and Bijou Video

  [1]Bijou Theater (Chicago)en.wikipedia.org

  The theater adopts exclusively gay-film programming, and Toushin launches Bijou Video as a mail-order adult-film company.

• 1976

  Co-owner Paul Gonsky is murdered

  [1]Bijou Theater (Chicago)en.wikipedia.org

  Paul Gonsky is killed in Old Town. Historical accounts have linked the case to Frank Schweihs, who was never charged in connection with the murder.

• 1975

  Screening of Him

  [1]Bijou Theater (Chicago)en.wikipedia.org

  The theater shows Ed D. Louie's controversial gay pornographic feature Him in January and February; the film is now considered lost.

• 1970

  Bijou Theater opens in Chicago

  [1]Bijou Theater (Chicago)en.wikipedia.org

  The venue opens at 1349 North Wells Street in Old Town under Steven Toushin's leadership.

A long-running gay adult entertainment institution combining cinema, adult video retail and distribution, a sex club, erotic performance, and LGBTQ community-oriented programming.

• Cinema exhibition · 1970

  Gay adult film screenings

  The core theater service was exhibition of gay adult films. After 1978, the venue specialized exclusively in gay films and used a dedicated 15-by-18-foot screen with 77 fixed cushioned seats. Programming included regular screenings of older titles and special presentations.

• Film programming

  Bijou Classics

  Bijou Classics was a Monday screening program built around adult films produced or distributed by Bijou Video, particularly material from the 1970s and 1980s. The program connected the theater's physical audience with the company's historical film archive.

• Adult film production and distribution · 1978

  Bijou Video

  Launched as a mail-order company in 1978, Bijou Video produced hundreds of gay adult films, including works involving fetish and BDSM themes. New production ended in the late 1990s, while archival remastering and digitization began in 1999.

• Adult social club

  Bijou sex club

  The second-floor club offered adult social and sexual facilities including lockers, dark areas, glory holes, and BDSM equipment. The club later operated 24 hours a day and included the seasonal Bijou Gardens outdoor area.

• Live erotic entertainment

  Bijou Boys Erotic Cabaret

  This program presented solo male dancers from local and national circuits, generally using three or four performers per show. It operated during selected afternoons and evenings and later developed a more elaborate performance style.

• Theater and cabaret · 2000

  Miss Tiger's Cabaret

  Written and directed by drag performer Miss Tiger, this cabaret presented original songs and plays with theatrical lighting, costumes, and set design. It generally minimized nudity and used a mixed cast drawn partly from Chicago's community-theater scene. Productions changed approximately every eight weeks and ran from 2000 to 2004.

• 1991

  Connection to Jeffrey Dahmer case

  Jeffrey Dahmer reportedly frequented the venue, and employee Jeremiah Weinberger was one of Dahmer's murder victims. The case contributed to fear and reduced attendance at some gay establishments during the subsequent trials.

  Source

• 1980

  Legal disputes involving Steven Toushin

  The owner faced obscenity indictments and other disputes with law enforcement, as well as a tax-evasion conviction in the late 1980s.

  Source

• 1976

  Murder of co-owner Paul Gonsky

  Paul Gonsky was murdered in Old Town. The case has been associated in historical accounts with organized-crime figure Frank Schweihs, although no charge was brought against him for the killing.

  Source

• 1975

  Controversy surrounding the film Him

  The venue screened Ed D. Louie's gay pornographic film Him. The film's extreme premise and later disappearance made it a subject of controversy; by 2025, no surviving copy had been located and some accounts questioned whether it was genuine.

  Source

Read more

• 2000Miss Tiger's Cabaret

  Chicago

  The theater promoted a recurring original cabaret combining drag performance, music, acting, costumes, and stage design.

  Outcome. The program ran through 2004 and broadened the venue's identity beyond film exhibition and erotic dance.

  Source
• 1985Safe-sex education initiative

  United States

  During the HIV/AIDS crisis, the theater distributed safer-sex information and published a booklet titled Safe Sex: It Can Save Your Life.

  Outcome. The initiative established the venue as both an adult-entertainment site and a location for HIV/AIDS prevention outreach.

  Source

• 2015

  Close the venueOther

  Background

  After 45 years of operation, the theater and club ended their physical presence in Chicago.

  Action taken

  Bijou Theater permanently closed on September 30, 2015.

  Aftermath

  The closure ended one of the longest-running gay adult theater and sex-club operations in the United States.

  Source

• 2000

  Launch Miss Tiger's CabaretProduct launch

  Background

  The theater sought programming that could extend beyond conventional adult-film and dance formats.

  Action taken

  It introduced an original cabaret of plays and music written and directed by Miss Tiger.

  Aftermath

  The productions ran until 2004 and gave the venue a stronger connection to Chicago's drag and community-theater culture.

  Source

• 1999

  Digitize the film libraryStrategy

  Background

  Bijou Video held older works on 16mm film, one-inch masters, and three-quarter-inch videotapes.

  Action taken

  The company began remastering and converting its historical library into digital formats.

  Aftermath

  The decision preserved and extended access to the company's archival gay adult-film catalog.

  Source

• 1987

  Adopt condom use in productionsStrategy

  Background

  The company responded to the public-health crisis surrounding HIV/AIDS and unsafe sexual practices.

  Action taken

  Bijou Video reportedly began using condoms exclusively in its pornographic films.

  Aftermath

  The measure aligned production practices with safer-sex messaging associated with the venue.

  Source

• 1985

  Introduce formal safer-sex educationStrategy

  Background

  The HIV/AIDS epidemic created urgent health concerns in gay nightlife and adult-entertainment venues.

  Action taken

  The theater published safe-sex guidance and participated in education and outreach.

  Aftermath

  The venue continued to face criticism over health practices but also became associated with prevention information and condom distribution.

  Source

• 1978

  Shift to exclusively gay-film programmingStrategy

  Background

  The theater operated during a period of expanding gay commercial culture and adult-film distribution.

  Action taken

  Bijou Theater adopted gay films as its exclusive film-programming focus.

  Aftermath

  The decision strengthened the venue's identity as a specialized gay adult cinema and supported the launch of the related Bijou Video business.

  Source

1. 1Bijou Theater (Chicago)en.wikipedia.org