In Between Changing Worlds-
The vibrant neighborhood of Boystown Chicago stretches from about 3100 to 3800 North Halsted. Dating back to 1970, Boystown became the unofficial designation area within Lake View when residents marched in the first annual Gay Pride Parade (Engelbrech 2005).
CONSTRUCTING A NEW WORLD
In 1997, the city of Chicago proposed a $3.2 million redevelopment plan for North Halsted. Some of the improvements were set forth to commemorate Boys Town’s gay and lesbian resident’s. In 1998, the city also built eleven pairs of 23-foot-high art-deco-style pillars with rainbow rings (Engelbrecht 2005).
In further development, the city also implemented The Legacy Walk of individuals who have made significant strides towards the LGBT community . However, it was not until 2012 that The Legacy Walk was implemented (Demarest 2014). The Legacy Walk is a museum type plaque, dedicated to with photos as well as historic information that have been added to the rainbow pillars along Nort Halsted. Walking down North Halsted I began to notice many of these pillars, as well as these Legacy Walk. It was not until I did further research on an individual named David K. Kisule that I learned he was a LGBT activist in Uganda. What made his story significant was the way in which he was murdered. He was known to be the most outspoken gay rights advocate in Uganda, where being gay is grounds for execution. Despite the many death threats he stood up for what he believed and with that he lost his life on a Wednesday afternoon after being beaten to death by a hammer (Gettleman 2011).
There was a lot of thought in the creation and development of Boystown. Every decorative piece on the street has a significant meaning to members of the community. Wendy Griswold talks about cultural objects and the meaning it has to communities. The rainbow colored flags that are known to represent the LGBT community are an example of a cultural object. Also the legacy walk pillars that were installed are a cultural object because they represent something meaningful to the community (Griswold 2013).
Our Lady Of Mount Carmel Church
In recent news, many states are making great strides in the right direction by acknowledging same-sex marriage. In Cook County, two people of the same-sex are eligible for marriage. Although it may seem that in 2015 society as a whole is recognizing equal rights, not every state shares this same mindset. In 2015, Indianapolis passed what is known as the ‘Religious Freedom’ law. This new law gives businesses the right to refuse service to anyone based on religious believes. Individuals most affected are members of the LGBT community. Although those in favor of this new law claim it will not be used in malicious ways, businesses are free to refuse services to any member of the LGBT community because of their religious affiliation (Sneed 2015).
The community of Boystown has been active in participating and acknowledging its strong LGBT identity. Many shops, small or large, display some sort of commemoration towards the community, such as a rainbow flag. The controversy of the ‘Religious Freedom’ law is that many religions believe any affiliation with homosexuality is a sin. Regardless of these beliefs, you can find Our Lady Of Mount Carmel Church off of West Belmont Avenue. In support of its surrounding community, the church hosts a archdiocesan gay and lesbian outreach mass Sunday’s at 7:00 P.M (Handzlik 2015).
Taking back Boystown?
There has been a recent spike in criminal activity in the area. Crime ranging anywhere between petty theft to stabbings has the community, as well as frequent visitors on high alert. With this recent spike in crime comes racial hostility towards minorities. Many of the victims of these criminal activities have been minorities. The stabbing that captured the attention of many people happened in 2011 when Rubin Robinson, a 25-year old Black male was attacked while visiting Boystown. Many other minorities such as Robinson describe the fear of traveling alone for reasons of being targets by the larger community and even police (Hill 2011). In social media sites there are campaigns being formed in order to “take back Boystown.” On theses sites you are able to find things such as “Boystown was built and created by gay whites with hard earned money years back… Its sad that Boystown has been taken advantage by these F***ing savage monkeys (Hill 2011).” Boystown was created for people who identified as a member of the LGBT community to go and not fear to be different. It is unclear as to what is causing these underlying feelings.
Social Media, the good, the bad, and the ugly
With the fast growing population on blogging, Facebook, and Twitter users, it comes to no surprise the amount of problems going on today. It seems as though certain people can’t go a few minutes without looking at their phone or “updating” their “status.” One great thing about the internet is the ability to connect different people from all around the world. However, it also has its ugly side. As I have described before, cultural objects having meanings to different cultures. “Posts” on someone’s blog can be considered a cultural object, according to Wendy Griswold (2013). In this situation, people are using cultural objects to communicate, network, persuade, and influence others. When people post things such as “taking back Boystown,” this becomes a cultural object because people within and outside of that group know what is being communicated.
My experience-
On one of my field visits, I decided to visit the area during its most busy hours. On April 4th around midnight I decided to pay close attention the racial enclaves and any sign of racial trouble. One thing I can confirm form the articles I have read from racial hostility who is white looked confident roaming the streets alone, while African Americans walked in larger groups. Another interesting factor I noticed was interracial couples. These couples walked alone and seemed to have no encounters or problems with anyone. I then wonder if having a significant other who is white acts as a shield of protection in the neighborhood? However Neil Altman (2006) gives another explanation. He describes Whiteness not as a race, rather something given. He gives an example of asking someone who is white how it feels like to be white and they will give you a blank stare. Being white is not in a sense connected to a culture. Altman (2006) then makes a connection between Whiteness and freedom, and also Blackness and constraints. I believe the reason why interracial couples seemed more confident walking alone was because in a sense there was an invisible shield. Having white privilege is in a way a shield against constraints.
The Center on Halsted
In 2007, The Center on Waveland Avenue and Halsted opened its doors with a mission statement, according to their homepage (2015), “to provide a safe and nurturing environment .” With the recent racial hostility, there has been talk to shut down the facility. The Center is connected to a Whole Foods Market and former employees describe multiple incidents where law enforcement needs to be reached because of shoplifting (Ramos 2011). The Center is a place where people go when they have nowhere else to go. In a recent interview, one individual describes the facility as the only thing some people have and there is nothing else like it. Arguments for shutting down the facility is to help solve crime (Ramos 2011). However, some argue that it will be ineffective.
Upon my visit inside, I observed many people sitting down and some form of work. On the front desk there were informational flyers of future events that will take place at local bars and theaters. Also there was health information about where to go get physicals, check ups, and STD testing sites. All of the flyers looked alike, and it was not until I walked away that I noticed which ones I picked up. To the left are two flyers that I picked up. It is crucial people know this information because minorities are the largest group being discriminated against, and the LGBT community are among those being discriminated against when it comes to health coverage. During the 2009 presidential elections, the LGBT community backed President Obama because he was going to better health care coverage for the LGBT community. “If people are not heterosexual there is a higher probability that they will be discriminated against (McWayne et al. 2010).” LGBT patients will remain silent about important health issue because they fear being judged, discriminated, or stigmatized. The Center on Halsted gives member of the LGBT community a sense of confidence and reassurance of not having to fear, and by providing health information, this Center is an essential part of the community.
As I have spoke about this before, unequal health treatment within the LGBT community is an unfortunate reality. Another issue to me concerned about is an individuals mental health. Bullying is something that is not new, and people have become victimized of this epidemic in this community in extreme ways. “The risk of mental illness is greater for LGBT people because of their repeated exposure to psycho-social stressors associated with anti-LGBT attitudes and behaviors, including discrimination, stigmatization, and violence (Willging et al. 2006).” Racial and ethnic minorities experience more stressors than non minorities.
Striving Small Businesses
As a sociology major all that I have studied this year has been gentrification and urban redevelopment. However, walking down Halsted I noticed something different. Small businesses were striving. I asked a local where I could buy a good cup of coffee, because I could not even find a Starbucks in sight, and I was pointed to a small coffee and tea shop that has been operating for 25 years. Inside this small shop, you can find one of a kind imported goods and imported tea leaves and coffee beans. I was impressed on how the owner even brewed customers cups of coffee and tea on the spot. This was not your ordinary corner coffee shop. In the photo above you can see how the owner has kept his small business unique by providing his customers everything needed to make a cup of coffee or tea.
This small shop was my my main focus in getting good photographs for a few reasons. The main reason was because I was able to talk to the owner and he allowed me to take as many pictures as I wanted of his merchandise. And secondly because his small business has been standing for twenty-five years. This reminded me of Douglas Harper’s (2012) section on comparing two worlds. Harper (2012) is able to study social change by comparing photographs taken years prior to current ones, which was my intention. However I was unable to find original ones from twenty-five years ago.
Being a vegetarian I was excited to find this restaurant. The Chicago Diner’s slogan is “meat free since 83'” and you cannot tell the difference. Small businesses in this community seem to have roots as well as striving. Although there is redevelopment going on, the threat of running these businesses out of town, in my opinion, is none existent.
The Modern Social Life
One problem with being modern is change. Although this may not always be a problem to everyone, with all of the events that are taking place in the community it seems to be a problem here. Emile Durkheim believes that people can be sorted in different ways depended on their occupation, knowledge, beliefs, and life experiences (Griswold 2013). However because of this, people are also able to come together. By having shared beliefs and understandings people can confidently say, “My people do this,” or “My people believe this,” without the fear of being judged, bullied, victimized, or targeted. Boystown gives people who identify themselves as LBGT an opportunity to not live in fear and be themselves. Shutting down the Center on Halsted, in my opinion will create more problems than solve them. Shutting down an institution that provides a wide variety of services is being counter productive. By Coming up with ideas as a community to help solve the underlying issues will give residents the security they need they do not have and also give visitors confidence and reassurance they will not be victimized.
Bring it together
Before starting this project I knew this was the neighborhood I wanted to focus on. I thought this neighborhood had everything the project was asking for, religion, culture, ethnicity, and diversity. What I learned along the way, although it does have all of these, it has a lot of conflict which I was not aware of. All across the nation there has been major racial conflicts, and Boystown has been experiencing it as well. This took me by surprise. This neighborhood is know to welcome everyone who is part of the LGBT community, but minorities have become victims of crime. A sociological relevance of this neighborhood is everything inside of it. First the new law passing allowing same-sex marriage in Illinois, second the change within the neighborhood itself. Although Boystown is known to attract the LGBT community, people who actually live in the area do not identify themselves as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexsual, or Transgender. Another reason why I decided on this neighborhood is because I studied gentrification in other neighborhoods in Chicago and I wanted something different. I also thought I was knowledgeable about the LGBT community because I had taken a course a few years ago on diversity with a focus on LGBT. Although this was only three years ago, things rapidly changed. Most of my classmates wanted to focus on gentrification and building structures which made me want to do the same, however once I began my project I realized that was about 10% of the neighborhood. The community itself is going through rapid change and much hostility that needs to be addressed. I found it difficult to force myself to focus on gentrification when that was no the issue here. Once I stopped forcing that issue everything fell into place.
- How I found my sources-
At first I had difficulties finding journals on this subject. I had to get creative on how to research certain things. I was able to use the Center on Halsted and their medical services as one point and Wendy Griswolds section on social media on another. The more research I did on topics the more articles I came across. The more research I did the more I learned. Not one thing on this blog is prior knowledge. Three weeks before the due date I began to get nervous because all I had were newspaper articles, then my professor pushed me to think in more general terms. I couldn’t simply research Boystown, Chicago. I had to look at every photograph I took and try and search the meaning behind it. The Center on Halsted for example, I learned the number of disparities the LGBT community experiences because I researched “LGBT health relations.” Also as I was walking around the neighborhood I was attempting to remember the readings from Douglas Harpers book, and what methods I would want to use for my project. I knew I wanted to show change in the neighborhood but locating old pictures was a challenge. So then I was able to combine the flyers I gathered from the Center on Halsted and use Semiotics, specifically semiotics one.
Works Cited
Altman, N. 2006. “Whiteness,” Psychotherapy and Politics International Volume 1 (2): Pp. 93–106.
Demarest, E. 2014. “Boystown Legacy Walk Honors Audre Lorde, Sally Ride This Saturday,” DNAinfo.com, October 6. Retrieved April 6, 2015 (http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20141006/boystown/boystown-legacy-walk-honors-audre-lorde-sally-ride-this-saturday).
Engelbrecht, P. J. 2005. “Boys Town,” Encyclopedia of Chicago. Retrieved April 5, 2015 (http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/160.html).
Gettleman, J. 2011. “Ugandan Who Spoke Up for Gays Is Beaten to Death,” The New York Times, January 27. Retrieved April 6, 2015 (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/world/africa/28uganda.html?_r=1).
Griswold, W. 2013. Cultures and Societies In a Changing World. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Handzlik, C. 2015. “Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church,” Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. Retrieved April 6, 2015 (http://www.mt-carmel.org/).
Harper, D. 2012. Visual Sociology. New York, NY: Routledge
Hill, J. 2011. “Take Back Boystown: White vs Right?” Blackyouthproject.com, August 2.Retrieved April 6, 2015 (http://www.blackyouthproject.com/2011/08/take-back-boystown-white-vs-right/).
McWayne, J., Green, J., Miller, B., Porter, M., Poston, C., Sanchez, G., Turner, K., Rivers, J., 2010. “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health Disparities, and President Obama’s Commitment for Change in Health Care,” Race, Gender & Class Volume 17 (3–4):Pp. 272–287.
Ramos, E. 2011. “A Divided Boystown,” Chicago Public Media, July 8. Retrieved April 5, 2015 (http://www.wbez.org/story/divided-boystown-88832).
Sneed, R. 2015. “5 Lessons from the Indiana ‘Religious Freedom’ Law Debate,” U.S.News, April 2. Retrieved April 6, 2015 (http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/04/02/5- lessons-from-the-indiana-religious-freedom-law-debate).
Willging, C., Salvador, M., Kano, M. 2006. “Unequal Treatment: Mental Health Care for Sexual Gender Minority Groups in a Rural State,” Psychiatic Sevices Volume 57 (6): Pp. 867–870.
2015. “Center on Halsted,” Center on Halsted. Retrieved April 6, 2015 (http://www.centeronhalsted.org/cohoverview.html)
