Ep. 74: Gayborhoods [TEASER]

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 SoDoSoPa Artwork: Gilbert Baker & “Raise the Rainbow” Workshop Recorded on 6/1/2025