The Tavern’s legacy is that it was the first and only bar on Halsted Street to be fully integrated, Garcia said. Garcia said Jim Gates, the tavern’s original owner, was actively involved in the LGBTQ community, helping fund Equality Illinois at its beginning and donating to local social service agencies or gay rights organizations. Soon after its opening, more gay bars followed and the divey, late-night spot became both a Boystown institution and one of the longest-running independently owned bars in the neighborhood. Garcia said “the neighborhood was rough” when Little Jim’s first opened, but it “started the whole trend on Halsted Street.” It’s bittersweet to think back on those memories.” Credit: Google Maps Pioneering Boystown bar Little Jim’s closes Thursday night. “I was afraid in my youth that I’d miss something if I wasn’t there every night. LGBTQ activist Rick Garcia said he’d visit Little Jim’s every night after moving to Chicago in the ‘80s.
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At the time, it had darkened windows to protect the safety of its customers, according to a Chicago Magazine feature on the tavern. Often described as the gay Cheers, Little Jim’s opened in 1975 and was the first gay bar in Boystown and the second-oldest gay bar in Chicago. Halsted St., is in negotiations to be sold to Howard Brown Health so the LGBTQ-affirming health center can build a new clinic that would double the capacity of its nearby center at 3245 N. They said patrons felt the women were "flaunting" their right to marry, which is unfair since samesex marriage is still illegal.BOYSTOWN - The oldest gay bar in Boystown is closing its doors for good Thursday night after 45 years in business. Gay bar Cocktail was caught in the "no females" controversy when it banned bachelorette parties in 2009. In 2010, a group of women launched a boycott of Boystown bar Spin because they said it was creating an environment unwelcoming for women. It's obvious that the bar owners, managers and staff just don't care, but they're biting themselves in the ass because all money is green. It's something I never thought to question because so much of Boystown is like that already that you come to expect it. A female promoter who works in East Lakeview said it's always been sexist in Boystown. Wang's, by the way, is not a multi-level dance club or a Steamworks-type of sexy establishment. "So, how do we keep the Carrie Bradshaws of the world from taking over our bars without breaking the law or being unethical?" Gay blog Queerty asks if maybe the policy is just practical since it's a bar that caters to gay men.
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"Anyone who believes they were denied or refused the full and equal enjoyment of the services of any bar or restaurant because of their sex or other protected category under the Act should contact the Illinois Department of Human Rights," Claffey said in a statement. There is no discrimination here." Erbentraut writes: Mike Claffey, a spokesman for the IDHR, confirmed that the state Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of one's sex or other protected categories in places of public accommodation - including bars. The Wang's manager said it was possible they were turned away for other reasons, and "If women want to come in, they are welcome at all hours. "Those reviews report women being denied service, treated poorly and outright being asked to leave during the bar's busiest hours," former Chicagoisto Erbentraut writes. The Huffington Post's Joe Erbentraut writes that the policy appears to date back nearly two years and inspired about a dozen disgruntled Yelp reviews. Now the Illinois Department of Human Rights is investigating. The small bar known for delicious martinis has a sign that says "Men Only After 11 p.m.", but a manager at Wang's said it isn't enforced. Boystown bar Wang's is under investigation for allegations that the bar is not welcoming to women.