To celebrate LGBT Pri Month, we thought we'd look back at Chigo gay neighborhood history before Boystown.
Contents:
- EXAMG THE PAST, PRENT, AND FUTURE OF CHIGO'S FIRST GAY NEIGHBORHOOD
- CHIGO GAY NEIGHBORHOOD HISTORY
- GAY RIGHTS
- CHIGO STYLELGBTQ+HOME»EXPLORE»CHIGO STYLE»LGBTQ+CHIGO HAS A WAY OF MAKG EVERYONE FEEL WELE. OUR LGBTQ+ MUNI, IENDLY RINTS, DIVERSE NIGHTLIFE, AND YEAR-LONG PRI CELEBRATNS MAKE ONE OF THE MOST CLIVE CI THE UNTRY. VAR PRELOAD = {}; GET TO KNOW LGBTQ+ CHIGOCOME EXPLORE OUR HISTORIC LANDMARKS, WELG NEIGHBORHOODS, AND THRIVG NIGHTLIFE SCENE.EXPLORE CHIGO'S WELG NEIGHBORHOODSCHECK OUT OUR GUI TO LGBTQ+ NEIGHBORHOODSEXPLORE OUR 2-DAY LGBTQ+ CHIGO ERARYDISVER LGBTQ+ HISTORY WH THE TOURS AND ATTRACTNSFEEL THE PRIPRI IS CHIGO'S DNA. AND WE CELEBRATE ALL YEAR LONG.CATCH THE CHIGO PRI PARA JUNEWHERE TO CELEBRATE PRI MONTH CHIGOEXPLORE YEAR-ROUND LGBTQ+ EVENTS CHIGOKEEP THE PARTY GOG AT THE LOL GAY BARS AND CLUBS.EXPLORE WELG NEIGHBORHOODSEXPERIENCE CHIGO'S VIBRANT LGBTQ+ MUNI, CLUDG THE FIRST OFFICIAL GAY NEIGHBORHOOD THE UNTRY.PARTY AT SITRACK BOYSTOWNWHAT DO AND SEE BUZZG BOYSTOWNEAT AND SHOP QUIRKY ANRSONVILLEKEEP EXPLORG
EXAMG THE PAST, PRENT, AND FUTURE OF CHIGO'S FIRST GAY NEIGHBORHOOD
The untry’s first official gay village is nstantly evolvg. * chicago lgbt history *
Tled Out and Proud Chigo: An Overview of the Cy's Gay Communy, the book is eded by Tracy Baim and featur the ntributns of more than 20 proment historians and journalists. Chigo's gay muny has ntributed many ways to the natnal and ternatnal fight for gay, lbian, bisexual and transgenr rights. However, those ntributns have often been overlooked documentatns of the movement, and this new Chigo Gay History Project seeks to provi a prehensive overview of those many important people, events, and anizatns who helped the Wdy Cy bee a bean of gay progrs the latter part of the 20th Century.
From the anti-gay police raids and harassment of earlier s, Chigo has risen to bee one of the most progrsive ci the world, wh legal protectns, a cy-signated neighborhood, a major muny center, the hostg of the Gay Gam 2006, and a cy-sponsored Gay and Lbian Hall of Fame. While The Society of Human Rights the 1920s was short-lived (due to police terventn), the visnary who started that group, Henry Gerber, was among the many Chigoans who were at the vanguard of the movement for gay equaly.
The Chigo Gay History Project will add to the origal scholarship documentg our cy's key role the gay movement. We clu non-gays who ntributed to the progrs for gay rights, and we also provi extensive rourc for addnal rmatn. ” Illois, however, has often been at the foreont of LGBTQIA+ rights, stemmg all the way back to 1924 wh the foundg of the Society for Human Rights, the natn’s first known gay anizatn.
CHIGO GAY NEIGHBORHOOD HISTORY
* chicago lgbt history *
In a llectn of says, the history of Chigo's lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr muni is explored by leadg historians and scholars. Halsted St., Ltle ItalyHenry Gerber, activist and publisherThis landmarked 1885 row hoe betiful Lln Park was the home of gay rights pneer Henry Gerber, who found the Society for Human Rights 1924 — the first known homosexual rights anizatn the Uned Stat. Friendship and Freedom, the newsletter Gerber published for the society, is nsired to be the first documented gay rights publitn the untry.
Crilly Court, Lln ParkPearl Hart, activist and attorneyThe attractive 1891 townhoe that stands on Pe Grove Avenue was the rince of Pearl Hart, aka “The Guardian Angel of the Gay Communy.
She was admted to the Illois State Bar 1914 and was renowned for fendg immigrants, lbians and gay men, children, and other equently opprsed groups. 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.
GAY RIGHTS
The gay rights movement the Uned Stat began the 1920s and saw huge progrs the 2000s, wh laws prohibg homosexual activy stck down and a Supreme Court lg legalizg same-sex marriage. * chicago lgbt history *
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.
CHIGO STYLELGBTQ+HOME»EXPLORE»CHIGO STYLE»LGBTQ+CHIGO HAS A WAY OF MAKG EVERYONE FEEL WELE. OUR LGBTQ+ MUNI, IENDLY RINTS, DIVERSE NIGHTLIFE, AND YEAR-LONG PRI CELEBRATNS MAKE ONE OF THE MOST CLIVE CI THE UNTRY. VAR PRELOAD = {}; GET TO KNOW LGBTQ+ CHIGOCOME EXPLORE OUR HISTORIC LANDMARKS, WELG NEIGHBORHOODS, AND THRIVG NIGHTLIFE SCENE.EXPLORE CHIGO'S WELG NEIGHBORHOODSCHECK OUT OUR GUI TO LGBTQ+ NEIGHBORHOODSEXPLORE OUR 2-DAY LGBTQ+ CHIGO ERARYDISVER LGBTQ+ HISTORY WH THE TOURS AND ATTRACTNSFEEL THE PRIPRI IS CHIGO'S DNA. AND WE CELEBRATE ALL YEAR LONG.CATCH THE CHIGO PRI PARA JUNEWHERE TO CELEBRATE PRI MONTH CHIGOEXPLORE YEAR-ROUND LGBTQ+ EVENTS CHIGOKEEP THE PARTY GOG AT THE LOL GAY BARS AND CLUBS.EXPLORE WELG NEIGHBORHOODSEXPERIENCE CHIGO'S VIBRANT LGBTQ+ MUNI, CLUDG THE FIRST OFFICIAL GAY NEIGHBORHOOD THE UNTRY.PARTY AT SITRACK BOYSTOWNWHAT DO AND SEE BUZZG BOYSTOWNEAT AND SHOP QUIRKY ANRSONVILLEKEEP EXPLORG
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. 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.