As June comes to a close, we would like to honor and celebrate Pride Month, along with the LGBTQ community in Chicago and across the world. Our city’s rich history includes the establishment and expansion of Boystown, the nation’s first recognized gay village. Beal Properties is proud to have been a part of the Boystown community since the 1970s and continues to expand and promote the growth and revitalization of this important Chicago Neighborhood.
Below is a history of Boystown and its impact on Chicago.
- In the 1960s and 1970s, gay Chicagoans began moving into “New Town”, which later became Boystown. The migration to Boystown was in part due to the rise of gentrification and increased rents in other areas of the city.
- In the 1980s, Boystown began to further expand. Gay bars, for example, served as a space of acceptance for gay people who could be themselves while being in the presence of others who understood and accepted them. The bars also served as a space for community activists organizing around the AIDS crisis, along with acting as a space for voter registration.
- By the 1990s, the area had officially earned the name “Boystown”, derived from a weekly column called “Boys Town” in the gay Chicago newspaper, Outlines.
- In 1997, the city of Chicago designated it an official gay village and installed rainbow pillars in the area. The designation marked the first time a big city gave this recognition to a gay neighborhood.
- Today, Boystown holds an iconic status in the city of Chicago and beyond.
Pride Month is a celebration of LGBTQ rights and the LGBTQ community, while also acknowledging the struggle and progress in the fight for LGBTQ rights. Pride Month is also a reminder that the fight is not over. There is still work to be done in reaching equality for the LGBTQ community, and we all play a part in making that happen.
Let’s remember to be a voice for our LGBTQ colleagues, family, friends, and community this month and always.
Happy Pride Month!
