Chicago's Boystown neighborhood officially changed its name this week to Northalsted for marketing and city designation purposes.
The Northalsted Business Alliance conducted a survey after being questioned if the former name supported "a message of diversity and inclusivity, or if it reinforced bias and discrimination."
According to the survey, 58% of people were satisfied with the name "Boystown," but the chamber of commerce decided it was not enough to keep the community title.
“Times change. We’re all about inclusivity here," spokesperson for the Northalsted Business Alliance Jen Gordon said. "We want people to feel welcome."
The community's chamber of commerce said they will change the current banners in a couple weeks with their website still displaying the name "Boystown."
The name "Boystown" has been used by the Northalsted Business Alliance since 1980 to identify the Halsted corridor "as a place of acceptance during time when it was much less safe to be out as LGBTQ+," according to the chamber's website.
In 1997, former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and city officials recognized Boystown as an LGBTQ+ community, which was the first proclamation of its kind, the website read.
