Organization | Inducted 2025
For more than 25 years, Chicago PrimeTimers (CPT) has been a vital and affirming community for older gay, bisexual, and trans men in the Chicago area. As a proud chapter of the original worldwide PrimeTimers organization, CPT provides connection, friendship, and purpose for hundreds of members through social, cultural, and educational programming.
Meeting monthly for 20+ years, CPT offers a welcoming environment where members enjoy guest presentations by local theater artists, singers, authors, financial advisors, and health care professionals. The group’s events help reduce isolation, promote lifelong learning, and celebrate the rich cultural life of Chicago. CPT’s membership ranges in age from 30-something to 95. While many members are retired, they are far from a retiring group. They are active, engaged, and deeply curious—lovers of art, books, conversation, performance, and each other. Each month, members enjoy more than two dozen scheduled activities, including regular outings to cultural theater events, weekly trips to lunchtime concerts, book club meetings at the Center on Halsted, and outings to films and operas. Social events like card games, potlucks, and birthday celebrations are paired with deeper group conversations on topics such as aging, grief, and politics—held both in person and on Zoom. The COVID pandemic presented a major challenge, especially for older LGBTQ+ adults. CPT rose to the occasion with virtual meetings, check-in calls, and eventually a safe return to in-person connection. Today, the group is stronger than ever, with more than 200 active members and a renewed commitment to inclusivity and accessibility. Through decades of change, CPT has remained a steady, joyful, and essential presence in Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community.