Individual | Inducted 2026
Since moving to Chicago in 2001, Bradley Balof has built a career and record of volunteer service focused on strengthening the city’s LGBTQ+ community. He began working at Sidetrack more than 24 years ago and has served in a range of roles, including mistress of ceremonies for Night of 100 Drag Queens, an annual fundraiser for Equality Illinois, and master of ceremonies for the International Leather Contest. He is now Sidetrack’s general manager and a member of its ownership group.
Balof has helped sustain Sidetrack as a place where LGBTQ+ people celebrate milestones, find community, organize for change, and experience a sense of belonging. He has helped produce hundreds of events focused on LGBTQ+ history and culture, charitable causes, and community organizations. For Balof, entertainment also provides an opportunity to educate, commemorate, and unite. His work to establish, cultivate, and stage-manage Sidetrack’s Monthly Storytelling event reflects an ongoing effort to celebrate and support identities across the LGBTQ+ spectrum.
Among the community partnerships he has helped develop as general manager, Sidetrack’s relationship with Center on Halsted has been particularly significant. Through Balof’s leadership, Sidetrack has helped Center on Halsted raise more than $1 million for programs and services benefiting LGBTQ+ individuals and families throughout the Chicago area.
Balof has also served for more than 10 years on the Board of Directors of the Northalsted Business Alliance. As treasurer, he provides financial stewardship for the organization responsible for promoting and strengthening Chicago’s historic LGBTQ+ neighborhood. He has also chaired the Haunted Halsted Halloween Committee, overseeing one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ Halloween celebrations. During his tenure, the event has continued to grow, drawing tens of thousands of attendees, generating economic activity, and reinforcing Northalsted’s role as an LGBTQ+ destination.
Through his work at Sidetrack and with Northalsted organizations and community partners, Balof has combined event production, fundraising, financial stewardship, and civic engagement to support Chicago’s LGBTQ+ institutions and public life.