Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Me A Match!

By Aaron Bailey in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 13, 2005 2:29PM

We hesitate to mention anything written in the Red Eye because, well, little of their freaking content is online and available for linking. C'mon behemoth Tribune, it's an easy task. Get a clue and join the internet revolution.

Anyway, it's a rare occasion when a Chicago daily puts on-the-verge-of-kissing gays on the cover, so Chicagoist is obligated to discuss.

"Meet Mr. Right" screams the headline. Turn to pages 8-9 and you'll find that "Gays are ditching bars and using matchmakers to find love." Who would of known?!

Major props should go to the Red Eye art department for a) not using 19-year-old twinks and b) all those cutsy red and pink hearts which totally made our day.

The inside story, excerpted here so you'll rush right out and pick up a free copy of the paper and then throw it on the ground, reports on a new gay matchmaking service in Chicago, In Good Company (IGC).

One member of the service, Joey Zimmerman, says the bar scene was beginning to wear him out: "I went out in Boystown last week. Three people touched my private parts... If I find a guy I want to be with, I'm not going to find him at a place like that. I hope not."

Where was this company (and Joey!) when Chicagoist was single?

Bill Rossi, the founder of In Good Company, explains how difficult dating can be for the gays. "In the hetero community, if a guy sees a girl at Jewel and he finds her attractive, he can walk up to her and carry on a conversation. If you talk to [someone], you take the chance that he'll be offended and get physical with you. It's an added roadblock in your way."

Chicagoist couldn't find any information on IGC, but we're guessing the service is not as cheap as a few beers at Roscoe's. Still, it might be a great way to meet some date-worthy dudes.