Thu. February 23, 2012
Chicago, IL -
State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) Saturday joined Alderman Tom Tunney (D-44th), and Tracy Baim, publisher of the Windy City Times in sharing Lakeview's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) history with visiting students from Indiana University.
The students, whose annual trip to Chicago includes excursions to the city's ethnic neighborhoods, requested a special stop in Boystown to experience the neighborhood's LGBT community and learn about its role as the Midwest hub for LGBT political activism and social services.
The politicians spoke about the political history of the city's LGBT community, especially focused on the changes in the Lakeview neighborhood over the past 30 years. Tunney, the city's first openly gay alderman, represents the Lakeview area and is owner of Ann Sather restaurant on Belmont, where the presentation was held.
Tunney also spoke about the devastation of AIDS on the city and Lakeview in particular.
Baim, who heads Chicago's only LGBT newsweekly, spoke about LGBT history across the city and suburbs, and the movement of the primary businesses serving the community, from downtown to Near North, North and Far North neighborhoods. She emphasized that LGBTs live in all areas of the city and suburbs, but that there are heavy concentrations of LGBT-owned businesses in Lakeview, along with organizations such as the Center on Halsted.
Rep. Feigenholtz's district includes Lakeview and Chicago's Boystown neighborhood.
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