Chicago's gay village will no longer be known as "Boystown" in a move to make the name inclusive of all members of the LGBT+ community.
The Northalsted Business Alliance announced that the nickname "Boystown" will no longer be used in marketing material after an online petition claimed it was not inclusive of women, gender nonbinary individuals and people of color. It will now be advertised as Northalsted, with the slogan "Chicago’s Proudest Neighborhood."
It's not hard to see that a name like "Boystown" excludes so many in the LGBT+ community and the time has come to change. However, names that have been used for decades can have cultural significance in themselves and some may mourn their loss.
The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras is currently wrestling with changing its name to be be more inclusive of the entire LGBT+ community. A previous move to drop "Gay and Lesbian", and to instead be simply known as "Sydney Mardi Gras" backfired and had to be reverted due to community backlash. Some claimed that it was an attempt to make the event less gay and more mainstream. The organisation is currenly in a multi-year process of community consultation about a future potential name change.
The annual pride parade makes its way through Boystown. Image: iStock
Related Articles
-
ArticlesGay VillagesGay Village Life CycleGay Village Life CycleArticlesThe Lifecycle of the Gay VillageThe Guardian discusses whether there is a natural lifecycle of a gay village and asks whether the very concept is destined to become a thing of the past.Global0 0
-
ArticlesGay VillagesShrinking Gay VillagesShrinking Gay VillagesArticlesThere Goes the Gayborhood?There Goes the Gayborhood, by Amin Ghaziani, tracks the rise and fall of America's gay neighbourhoods and suggests how we can honour the heritage and history of these places even though they are no longer the centralised gay meccas they once were.Global0 0
-
ArticlesGay VillagesLast DrinksLast DrinksArticlesLast Drinks for the Green Park HotelThe Green Park Hotel will call last drinks in December before being transformed into a mental health facility next year.Sydney0 0
-
ArticlesGay VillagesSaving Our Gay BarsSaving Our Gay BarsArticlesWhy Our Gay Bars Are Worth SavingCNN Business explores the significance of gay bars to the LGBT community and why they are worth protecting, especially through the pandemic.Global0 0
© 2024 Apollo Social