The History of Chigo’s Boystown: Examg the Past, Prent, & Future of the Cy’s Inic Gay Neighborhood

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

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.

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

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.

“… 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.