This pivotal moment was the catalyst for the modern gay rights movement nationwide. For the first time, a substantial group of gays, lesbians, and trans people fought police oppression over the course of several nights. In June of 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar run by the mob in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Gay rights were starting to have a place in the counterculture movement and in the public eye. Allen Ginsberg, the openly gay beat poet and peace activist, led crowds in chants of “om” to calm protesters. The protests during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago had a profound influence on some early gay activists. Questioner Jack Floyd (left) at Sidetrack gay club in Boystown alongside owner Art Johnston (second from left) and Curious City reporters Jason Nargis (second from right) and Steven Jackson (right). But as it has grown, the neighborhood has struggled to be a place where all members of the community feel included.
It’s been home to many successful businesses and has been at the center of important civil rights battles. The answer is tied to persecution, perseverance, and slow societal change.Įven though it’s not the only Chicago gay enclave, the neighborhood has played a central role in the LGBTQ community’s struggle for legal equality and social acceptance. His question for Curious City: “What is the history of Boystown? What made it become and gain traction as an LGBTQ neighborhood?” “There’s this gay neighborhood in Chicago that’s not really like anything else in America, or in the world, so it made me question what kind of forces are at play - whether they be geographical, cultural, demographic - that came together and allowed this neighborhood to become officially recognized as some sort of gay entity and destination,” Jack says.
Boystown stretches roughly from Belmont Avenue up to Addison Street, and it spans from Halsted Street to Broadway. 7041 S Jeffery Blvd (77).Boystown is a gay neighborhood located within the larger Lakeview East area and it’s hard to miss - it’s marked with giant rainbow pillars. Still, we made friends and can see why South Siders flock here for spoken-word poetry every Tuesday and neo-soul night every Wednesday. Cocktails were pricey-and strong as hell-and strangely, our glasses were smaller than everybody else’s.
On a recent Saturday at this smallish club for LGBT people of color, it was girls’ night and many of the women were either canoodling in the corner or grooving hustle-style to R&B on the bustling dance floor. 5758 W 65th St (77).Ī frisking at the door and an inquiry about concealed weapons is either a gateway to adventure or reason to bolt (happily, here it’s the former). A bit suspicious of newcomers at first, the locals were ultimately quite friendly-so much so that we dragged them 17 miles north for a late night back in Boystown. Bump ’n’ grind on the tiny dance floor (although the light show looked as if it was being handled by a laser pointer), salivate over go-go boys on Fridays or become the house American Idol on Sunday karaoke night. Rainbow paraphernalia heralds “alternative lifestyles” (i.e., a queer crowd) at this bar serving a mostly working-class mix of Latino and white (and mostly lesbian) patrons. Still, diva-driven tunes prove this is definitely a gay bar, and if you’re looking for a hangout that serves cheap hooch and has managed to stay off the Yelp crowd’s radar, this is your place. A digital jukebox looked promising until we realized it was broken, and the bathroom door was missing (although with only six patrons on a Friday, does it even matter?). Vaguely nautical in theme-think fish netting adorned with seashells, life preservers and a fake parrot-Escapades has seen better days. This divey joint resembles Margaritaville-if a giant hurricane blew through it. One devotee informed us the club is popular with the south suburban crowd, has a core following of white dudes, and is especially popular on Friday and Sunday nights. The drinks are cheap and stiff, the genders are evenly mixed, and the live acts are off the charts. Ruff ’n’ Stuff, this club wins the blue ribbon among South Side queer bars. Thanks in part to an ebullient drag show hosted every Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday by the legendary Mz.