If you'd like to learn more about the history of the LGBTQ+ community you can visit Boystown's Legacy Walk, the award-winning outdoor LGBTQ+ history museum located in the heart of Boystown.
![chicago gay bars 1970s chicago gay bars 1970s](https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/newscms/2020_39/3415135/200925-alibi-lounge-ew-609p.jpg)
Rice paddy club with band 'the snake' 1971 albany ny early 1970s by AlbanyGroup Archive. Frank's Living Room Bar 1970s Quail st albany ny by AlbanyGroup Archive. You can almost hear the sound in Michael Abramson’s pictures of Chicago nightclubs in the 1970s. Otto's club Latham circle albany ny 1960s by AlbanyGroup Archive. best of chicagoist Best old man bars Chicago Bob Inn chicago dive bars Exchequer Frank & Marys Tavern Loop Liquors Marias Packed Goods and Community Bar old man bars chicago Old Town Ale House. These 'featurettes' cover Little Jims located at 3501 N. It also is home to a number of events including Chicago's Annual Pride Parade, the Northalsted Halloween Parade, Market Days and more. old albany ny Rafael's Nght Club Fats Domino 1964 1960s by AlbanyGroup Archive. Below are some clippings from Chicagos Gay Life, chronicling some of the gay neighborhoods most prominent gay bars in and around New Townthe neighborhood that would become known as Boystown. Today the Boystown neighborhood is still home to a vibrant community filled with great dining, bars and boutiques. With a budding community purchasing real estate and voting en masse, Boystown cemented its place in the Chicago gay landscape. Gay bars in fact became epicenters for community initiatives such as responding to the AIDS epidemic and voter registration.
![chicago gay bars 1970s chicago gay bars 1970s](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/bb/28/19/bb2819c14987f30e3c0d2f0f657cbb12.jpg)
The gay community in Chicago slowly began coalescing around what we now consider Boystown through the early 1970s.Īs health centers, community centers, gay bars and more businesses began to populate the area, the neighborhood developed its own LGBTQ+ identity which helped solidify its growth. Over the years for a variety of reasons, including rent increases and discriminatory practices by police at the time, the communities were pushed out of downtown Chicago and began looking for a new place to call home. In the 1960s and 70s, the gay community in Chicago was less concentrated but could be found in most of the neighborhoods in and around the loop. In 1997 Boystown was officially recognized as Chicago's first gay district but its rich history within the LGBTQ+ community starts well before then.