A Place For Us: LGBTQ Life at the Belmont Rocks
An anthology in the works...
Starting with the early days of gay movement, The Belmont Rocks were a place to call our own. It was a political statement tied to our liberation. The Rocks were about our right to be here, our right to exist, our right to gather outside and to be ourselves in the daylight, out of the shadows and the closet. At the Rocks
we could be free and uninhibited. Community happened along this undesirable strip of uneven limestone blocks. Relationships and friendships happened here, hook-ups, unions, memorials, sex, picnics, cookouts, and dance parties. Artwork covered many of these stones. People felt the energy that was there and came to the Rocks to create - to draw or write. People came to watch the sunset before going out and to watch the sunrise after the bars closed. They came to lay out in the sun and at night to look out into the darkness over the lake. We need to preserve that memory. This project is an act of historical and cultural conservation. I want A Place For Us to be a scrapbook of a time and a place and a phenomenon. This is an important part of Chicago LGBTQ history, it’s part of our story and it’s also a prime example of a piece of history vanishing in our lifetime. A Place for Us is a way to remember that time as well as pay tribute to so many who are no longer with us. I envision A Place for Us: LGBTQ Life at The Belmont Rocks to have a scrapbook feel to it. I am seeking pictures as well as short essays, personal recollections, memories, and anecdotes of up to 500 words about LGBTQ life at the Belmont Rocks. Even drawings, artwork, and police reports will be included. If the Belmont Rocks were a meaningful part of your life, please consider contributing anything which captures what The Rocks meant to you. With your help we can let future generations of LGBTQ Chicagoans know the significant role this gathering place had in our history. Preserving our past is our responsibility.�
Send submissions to [email protected]. Please put The Rocks on the subject line. Deadline for submissions is 10/1/2017.
