Talk about a NOTHING BURGER — man, what a miss!
I am a 100% believer that the name Boystown needed to be updated. Society evolves, people change, and while you can’t always bend to every whim, that name was always a bit off-putting to me.
Imagine this, you’re dying for a burger, your favorite burger. You imagine that fresh bun, a couple slices of cheese, crispy vegetables, mayo, the works. You take that bite, anticipating that juicy center, and there’s no meat inside. HUH?! WTF?!! That was my reaction to the “name change” from Boystown to Northalsted, which happens to be another off-putting and stupid name.
I don’t care if you’re a ground beef kinda person, or a black bean / Impossible Burger kinda person, but you expect there to be some kind of meat in your burger.
What happened to the poll about what to rename it? Proud Town, Prideville, etc? Here’s my main beef… BOYSTOWN IS IMPORTANT! Boystown is a “safe space” for LGBTQ people to come to. It’s a place where a kid from Iowa or Nebraska can move to, see the pylons, and have an instant sense of community and relief. It’s a place where people can be themselves, and express themselves in public. Boystown is far from perfect, but it’s one hell of a starting point.
Boystown is changing. That has been mirrored and documented in gayborhoods all over the country. We must change with the times, but a name like Northalsted is like waving the flag to give the neighborhood away. “This is where the gay area used to be” they’ll be saying in the future…
I won’t stand for it. I won’t be a dick and insist on calling it Boystown, but I refuse to call it Northalsted. I’d rather call it NoHa and wave the Wonder-Bread-has-taken-over flag.
I personally like Proudtown or Prideville. I think WE MUST have a name that is welcoming, but keeps the anchor in the ground that THIS IS THE GAYBORHOOD, and it is welcoming to ALL.
