As the world regniz the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, we sent photographers to three of the cy's olst gay bars — one on the South Si, one on the North Si, and one right between.
Contents:
- EXAMG THE PAST, PRENT, AND FUTURE OF CHIGO'S FIRST GAY NEIGHBORHOOD
- ZACHARY BLAIRANTHROPOLOGIST, REARCHER, WRER, AND GUN VLENCE VICTIMS ADVOTEHOMEABOUTCONTACTBLOGMOREUSE TAB TO NAVIGATE THROUGH THE MENU EMS.ALL POSTSCENTRAL FLORIDACHIGOPULSEWTER PARKBOYSTOWNSEARCHZACHARY BLAIRDEC 1, 20171 M READGAY LIFE'S FEATURED BARS OM THE MID-1970S
EXAMG THE PAST, PRENT, AND FUTURE OF CHIGO'S FIRST GAY NEIGHBORHOOD
The untry’s first official gay village is nstantly evolvg. * chicago gay bars 1980s *
Every June, ci around the world hold pri ftivals and paras to honor the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprisg – the 1969 protts that are often nsired the lnchg pot of the morn gay rights movement. Many pri activi are held LGBT+ neighborhoods, cludg Chigo’s Boystown – first-ever gay neighborhood that was officially regnized by a large cy. Chigo’s Boystown was officially regnized as the cy’s gay district 1997, though the neighborhood was rich wh LGBT+ history for many years prr.
As Tracy Baim, a gay historian and founr of the Wdy Cy Tim, scribed to the outlet, “ the ‘60s gay muni were sttered around the cy, wh many of the muni … centered around downtown, River North, and Tower Town the mid part of the last century. The LGBT+ muny Chigo also began openg s first health centers, muny centers, and bars at the begng of the ‘70s, creasgly alcg around the area that would eventually be known as WBEZ scribed, the morn-day boundari of Boystown really began to take root the 1980s, as a variety of gay bars began to pop up along the neighborhood’s now-famo Halsted Street. Notably, gay bars not only veloped as entertament venu for the LGBT+ muny, but also as sential muny spac and activism grounds as the LGBT+ movement grew.
“Across the untry, LGBTQ Amerins turned to bars and nightlife to provi an pe om pervasive prejudice, and to rve out spac of their own, ” Patrick Sisson wrote a 2016 Curbed article examg the history of gay bars. ”Moreover, the creasg ncentratn of gay bars on Halsted Street beme a physil reprentatn of solidary and empowerment the LGBT+ muny.
ZACHARY BLAIRANTHROPOLOGIST, REARCHER, WRER, AND GUN VLENCE VICTIMS ADVOTEHOMEABOUTCONTACTBLOGMOREUSE TAB TO NAVIGATE THROUGH THE MENU EMS.ALL POSTSCENTRAL FLORIDACHIGOPULSEWTER PARKBOYSTOWNSEARCHZACHARY BLAIRDEC 1, 20171 M READGAY LIFE'S FEATURED BARS OM THE MID-1970S
“… Havg a clter of gay-owned tablishments the Lakeview neighborhood was important.
It helped gay people feel like they had a place where they belonged, ” Steven Jackson and Jason Nargis of WBEZ wrote. “The North Halsted Street area ntued to attract gay bs and rints, and wh a few years, the street was velopg an LGBTQ inty. ”Communy-Buildg Gay Bars Spur Neighborhood InvtmentThe preponrance of gay bars on Halsted and the sense of muny they spired subsequently enuraged many members of the LGBT+ muny to move to and vt the neighborhood around the bars.
Daley, signated the neighborhood as Ameri’s first officially regnized gay village 1997. “When Chigo signated Halsted Street as a gay neighborhood … that was the first time a U.