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“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

SoDoSoPa

Artwork:

Gilbert Baker & “Raise the Rainbow” Workshop 

Recorded on 6/1/2025