Drag in the Windy City
Map
Throughout the 19th and 20th century, drag culture has changed depending on the space in which the form of gender expression is taking place. Based on the cultural context of the decade, drag was either accepted within the hegemonic society or completely dismissed and ostracized. This map is put in place to depict the different public and private areas in which "drag," "female impersonation" or any kind of display of non-normative gender expression occurred over Chicago's history. The different, lightly-blue shaded areas mark the borderlines of three different gay neighborhoods: Towertown, First Ward District and Bronzeville. Chicago has historically been racially-segregated by neighborhood, and it is important to note how this manifests itself with respect to queer communities. White patrons visiting queer clubs in Bronzeville were not subjected to the same police harassment that queers of colors were subjected to when travelling north to Towertown, illustrating the disproportionate levels of institutional surveillance people of color have been subjected to in Chicago. The color-coded points on the map are put in place to convey what exact bars, drag balls or general events had a major influence on the course of the northern movment of drag culture throughout the century.
These points on the map refer to bars, drag balls, or general events related to drag culture in Chicago throughout the twentieth-century. Scroll along the timeline below the map to watch points appear through the decades, and click on a point to find out more information. Use the +/- buttons in the upper left to zoom in or out for a closer look.
Key to Map:
- Pink- bars/queer spaces that include drag that are still open
- Green- locations of private and public drag balls
- Orange- general appearances of drag that had an impact on mainstream public
- Boundaries of Boystown- rough outline of the Boystown area
- Boundaries of Towertown- rough outline of Towertown neighborhood which was well-known for
- First Ward Chicago Boundary- a small strip that was lined with brothel houses with female impersonators in the Early 20th Century
- Boundaries of Bronzeville- rough outline of Bronzeville, epicenter of black drag culture
All of the information that was used to complete this map was carefully picked from different cultural texts concerning drag culture as well as primary sources such as publicized gay listings. Each text included general locations and specific addreses of drag bars which were used to narrow down the locations that are on the map. Notable references: Chicago Whispers: A History of LGBT Chicago before Stonewall, The Boys of Fairy town: Sodomites, Female Impersonators, Third-Sexers, Pansies, Queers, and Sex Morons in Chicago's First Century, Out and Proud in Chicago: An Overview of the City's Gay Community and Chicago Gay Listings from 1967-75