Boystown: Gentrification continues...

As gentrification continues in the neighborhood of Boystown, so too does the writing of my dissertation. I have written and re-wrtiten quite a number of drafts over the years (yes, years) and I am finally down to my last round of draft writing. It's going to be a giant push, but it's going to be pushed. This website is an effort for me to wrap my head around all of my research and writing during this time, and to help me organize my new thoughts and reconnect with some old ones. It's amazing how your mind goes through these different shifts in thought. Even though it has taken me some time to get to where I am at (and over 1,000 pages - written, rewritten, thrown-out, and written again), I am very thankful I have used this time to think, rethink, learn, shift, and make new connections. Every day my dissertation is getting better and better.

As of now, the title of my dissertation is: Boystown: Multiculturalism and the Production of Violence in Chicago's Gay Neighborhood

Above is a photo from the Gay Pride Parade in 2008. It is of Circuit Nightclub's circus themed float. Circuit Nightclub is no longer in business. The nightclub faced a number of closures, including one in 2005 and another in 2012. Although it reopened both times, it recently closed again in 2016 and reopened under new management as Fantasy Nightclub.

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