Boystown Rainbow Pylons

The rainbow pylons along North Halsted Street mark Northalsted, the area long called Boystown. The City of Chicago installed them in 1998 as part of a streetscape project, and it is widely cited as the first official recognition of a gay neighbourhood by a US city. The decision drew loud local opposition at the time. Since 2012 the pylons have also carried the bronze plaques of the Legacy Walk, an outdoor museum of LGBTQ+ history, so it is worth walking the stretch and reading them. The pylons run past the neighbourhood's main bars. They are free to see at any hour, and the Red Line stops at Belmont and Addison are close.