19 Boystown: An Exclusively Inclusive Chicago Neighborhood

When reading “Destiny Returns” by Achy Obejas, a short story from Chicago Noir, compiled by Neal Pollack, I expected the story to take place in Boystown. This is because it is about a drag queen named Destiny and Boystown is the center of LGBTQ+ culture in Chicago and the entire Midwest. Instead, Destiny started her career at a bar on the Southwest side called La Caverna, but then abandoned her Latinx roots once she became famous. Obejas writes, “Dago Fors [Destiny] had come to town, learned the ropes at La Caverna, then forsaken his Latino brethren forever to become a huge hit uptown and around the world” (75). Destiny’s success uptown came at the expense of her Latinx heritage because Boystown is not actually as inclusive as many believe. Although Boystown has a reputation and history of being an inclusive neighborhood and a mecca for all LGBTQ+ Midwesterners, it caters towards white, gay men and can often be exclusive of Latinx individuals and people of color.

The LakeView neighborhood of Boystown has always had a rich LGBTQ+ culture centered around activism and entertainment. Many LGBT individuals began moving to the area in the ‘60s when they were forced out of other Chicago neighborhoods. Gay bars began popping up on Halsted Street, the main strip of Boystown, in the ‘80s (Nargis and Jackson). These bars not only provided entertainment for the community, but also gave LGBT individuals a place where they belonged since they faced prejudice at many other places in the city. These bars attracted other LGBT-friendly businesses, and soon the area gained attention from the city. In 1980, Chicago officially moved the starting point of its Pride Parade to this strip, where it has remained ever since (Sullivan). This caused more LGBT residents and investors to begin flocking to the area. In an article published by WBEZ, Chicago’s NPR radio station, journalist Steve Jackson explained, “Property ownership, an expanding merchant association, growing population density, and registered voters meant increased economic and political clout. The community could use its growing influence to lobby local government” (Jackson and Nargis). The community finally had enough economic and political power to protect gay rights. Boystown gained enough political and economic clout that Richard M. Daley, Chicago’s former mayor, recognized it as an official gay village in 1997.

The fact that Boystown was officially named a gay village was so important because Chicago was the first major city in America to recognize one of its neighborhoods as gay, even before other cities with prominent LGBT communities like New York City and San Francisco (Friedmann). This established Boystown as an epicenter for LGBT culture and attracted residents and visitors from across the country. This status has reigned true for over 20 years, and Boystown now shows off its inclusivity with rainbow crosswalks and rainbow pylons throughout the neighborhood. Boystown is also home to the world’s only outdoor LGBT history museum, called the Legacy Walk, which features 35 rainbow markers and bronze plaques commemorating the life of LGBT heroes (Nargis). Boystown also hosts a number of events to bring in tourists and celebrate its residents. According to Choose Chicago, these include Chicago’s Pride Parade, which draws about one million spectators yearly (Sullivan). More events hosted by Boystown are Pride Fest, attracting about 100,000 people, and Northalsted Market Days, attended by about 200,000 people (Choose Chicago). So with Boystown being such a major attraction for LGBT individuals, why would the protagonist of our story not feel that she could approach the area with her drag show?

Although Boystown boasts its inclusivity, the neighborhood has always faced criticism for appealing to white, gay men and excluding the rest of the LGBT community. According to niche.com, Boystown is nearly 80% white, 8% Hispanic or Latino, and only 4% black (Niche). This is in stark contrast to the rest of Chicago. According to the 2012 U.S. census, Chicago is about 32.8% white, 30.1% black, and 29% Hispanic or Latino (U.S. Census Bureau). So why is there such a large gap between the Boystown demographics and the demographics of the rest of Chicago? There are a number of reasons. The first of these is the cost of living in Boystown. In an article published by The Daily Beast, journalist Sarah Friedman writes, “homeownership and rental payments are financially untenable for many Americans in gay neighborhoods across the U.S., including Boystown, West Village in New York City, and Castro in San Francisco, which have some of the highest costs of living in the United States. While many LGBT+ individuals certainly still reside in these communities, many others cannot afford to do so.” This makes it impossible for people like Dago Fors, the person behind the drag star Destiny in our story, to be able to afford to live in Boystown until he became successful. Dago Fors was an immigrant who had no money or possessions upon arrival in America. At one point in the story, Dago Fors slept in a room with 6 other Latinos, each who had their own mattress laid on the floor and ate one meal of beans and rice. Affording rent or a down payment in Boystown was simply not an option for people in these circumstances. According to niche.com, the median household income for Boystown residents is about $77,000, which is considerably higher than most of the city. This is a reason why people with low income must live elsewhere.

Another reason behind Boystown’s exclusivity of LGBT miniorities is its lack of effort in celebrating these groups. WBEZ, Chicago’s NPR radio station, writes, “many of the country’s most well-known and largest gay villages are often perceived as appealing primarily to gay, white men – something that can cause LGBT+ individuals outside of this category, especially individuals of other races and women, to feel like their interests are not represented or prioritized in these neighborhoods.” Boystown could address these issues the way some LGBT neighborhoods have begun to do, like hosting events during February catered towards black LGBT individuals to honor Black History Month. Many cities with strong Latinx roots, most noticeably Miami, Florida, open Latinx bars and often host events to celebrate its Hispanic residents. Even in our story, Obejas writes, “After he’d crossed north of Fullerton Avenue, not once had Destiny ever set foot in a Mexican club, or anywhere near anything even vaguely Mexican, for that matter” (75). With Boystown being just north of Fullerton Avenue, perhaps if more Mexican bars or clubs had provided a place for Destiny to celebrate her roots, she would not have had to sacrifice her heritage for success.

Boystown has a rich history of celebrating the LGBTQ+ community and providing a home for individuals that faced prejudice and discrimination anywhere else in the city. What started as a few gay bars on North Halsted Street turned into gathering places for political activism and neighborhood investment that gained traction in city politics. Boystown became the first officially recognized gay neighborhood in American history, attracting LGBTQ+ individuals from not just the Midwest, but across the country. Boystown provides a safe space for people who may not feel welcome anywhere else, but still has some ways to go on being a fully inclusive community. In order to appeal to ethnic minorities, Boystown needs to find out ways to make their cost of living more affordable and celebrate members of the LGBTQ+ community other than white, gay men.

Works Cited

“Boystown – Chicago Neighborhoods.” Choose Chicago, 2019, www.choosechicago.com/neighborhoods/boystown/.

“Boystown Demographics and Statistics.” Niche, 2020, www.niche.com/places-to-live/n/boystown-chicago-il/residents/.

Friedmann, Sarah. “Examining the Past, Present, and Future of Chicago’s First Gay Neighborhood.” The Daily Beast, The Daily Beast Company, 25 July 2019, www.thedailybeast.com/the-history-of-chicago-boystown-examining-the-past-present-and-future-of-the-citys-iconic-gay-neighborhood?ref=scroll.

Nargis, Jason, and Steven Jackson. “Making Chicago’s Boystown.” WBEZ Interactive, WBEZ 91.5 Chicago, 2017, interactive.wbez.org/curiouscity/makingboystown/.

Pollack, Neal. Chicago Noir. Akashic, 2005.

Sullivan, Emmet. “A Brief History of Chicago’s Pride Parade.” Chicago Magazine, Chicago Magazine, 2015, www.chicagomag.com/city-life/June-2015/Gay-Pride-Parade-Boystown-Chicago/.

“U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Chicago City, Illinois.” Census Bureau QuickFacts, 2017, www.census.gov/quickfacts/chicagocityillinois.