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I was bullied (as a middle schooler) because of my family’s business and wasn’t as equipped, as perhaps children are today, in standing up for myself and my community. We were all like family.Īs a tween, I felt torn between my positive feelings about the LGBTQ community and wanting to fit in as a tween.
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I loved my uncles and the LGBTQ community, and they loved me. I too experienced this welcoming, open-hearted community when I spent time with my uncles and their friends and co-workers at the bar. “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came…”
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The atmosphere of acceptance and belonging at Christopher Street was similar to the bar in the TV show “Cheers”. If you know or are interested in history, you might recognize the name Christopher Street since this is the street in NY where the Stonewall Riots broke out in 1969, which began the gay rights movement! The Tween & Teen Years- Christopher Street Bar openedĪs a “tween”, my parents and uncles (Steve and Pat) opened their first gay bar in Chicago called Christopher Street at the corner of Halsted and Cornelia (the neighborhood today is called “Boystown”). This photo was taken after my Uncle Steve died. Here is a link to a historic newspaper article photo of my parents, my uncle Pat, and other bar manager, Ben. I also got to know the LGBTQ community through my family’s business.
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I grew up with two loving uncles and their community of friends, which felt like a family. I AM AN ALLY and have been an ally to the LGBTQ community from birth. Here’s my unique story of growing up both in Boys Town & a “typical” Chicago suburb~