One of the most famous ‘gayborhoods’ in the US is to change its name. Chicago’s Boystown will be axed after complaints the nickname excludes some of the very people it hopes to welcome.
In future it will be called ‘Northalsted’ instead. The district (Halsted Street from Grace Street to Belmont Avenue) has been dubbed Boystown since the late 1980s.
Its use became so widespread, the local chamber of commerce, Northalsted Business Alliance, adopted it. The name adorns banners and signs around the area.
In 1997, then Chicago Mayor Richard Daley affirmed the area as the first official gay neighborhood in the US. Banners with Boystown adorn lamp posts in the area. Petition demands change and for greater inclusivity However, earlier this year, a