Full episode available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SilentGeneration
“Gayborhoods” (also known as gay villages) are gay neighborhoods that emerged in the United States at the end of World War II. Returning soldiers were sent home to port cities like New York City and San Francisco, and the sudden influx of gay veterans in those places caused a profusion of gay bars to appear. But how did clusters of LGBT nightlife venues come to gain official recognition as neighborhoods? On this week’s episode of Silent Generation, Joseph and Nathan begin by detailing how Boystown in Chicago came to be the first officially recognized gayborhood in the country. They then survey gayborhoods in several other cities (Milwaukee, New York City, and San Francisco) before debating the pros and cons of living in gayborhoods in the modern era.
Links:
From Antarctica with Love by Allegra Rosenberg
Milestones in the American Gay Rights Movement
The new LGBT neighborhood: Everywhere
Searching for the Last Lesbian Bars in America
Why Do Lesbian Bars Keep Disappearing? by Stef Rubino
What should a gay district look like in Detroit? Survey seeks input by Micah Walker
A Tavern On (Almost) Every Corner: Why Did So Many Chicago Bars Disappear? by Jake Smith
Making Chicago’s Boystown by Steven Jackson and Jason Nargis
Boytown: How Chicago Got its Gay Neighborhood
The History of Boystown's Rainbow Pylons
Decoplex - CARI Aesthetic
Labor Dispute Closes Berlin, the Beloved Chicago Gay Bar by Emily Schmall
Resistance Remains in Renaming of Chicago’s ‘Boystown’ Neighborhood to ‘Northalsted’ by Miguel Johnson
Berlin Nightclub Workers Call For Boycott As They Fight For Contract by Amber Stoutenborough
Berlin nightclub union demands
OUTgoing: Mapping the Hidden History of New York’s Gay Nightlife by Jeff Ferzoco
Photograph of the gay village in Manchester in 1995
The Simpson’s gay pride parade scene
Women & Women First book store
Artwork:
Gilbert Baker & “Raise the Rainbow” Workshop
Recorded on 6/1/2025
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