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Berwyn, IL —
Ted Korbos, chairman of the Berwyn United Neighborhood Gay And Lesbian Organization (BUNGALO) readily admits that his board meetings are kind of boring.
And that's just the way the group likes it.
The group started in 1995 as activists hoped to have sexual orientation protected against discrimination via a city ordinance after Berwyn allegedly declined to do so the year before. Not only have those rights since been granted, but the city now actively seeks to attract gay couples to Berwyn at the Northalsted Market Days, one of the biggest gay festivals anywhere in the country, which takes place every summer in Chicago’s Boystown neighborhood.
BUNGALO members also have seen the state grant same-sex couples marriage and adoption rights and a groundswell in popular media that has led to a widespread acceptance of gay and lesbian people in American culture.
Moreover, Berwyn has one of the highest gay-population densities in the state.
“A former board member used to say, ‘BUNGALO is a victim of its own success,’ and he was absolutely right,” said Korbos.
Although the group still advocates for gay issues and supports people coming out of the closet, the focus has shifted to members weaving themselves into Berwyn’s background. While they certainly don't shun anyone in gay community, they’re trying to get past the stereotype of the flamboyant drag queen marching in a parade.
“Some of our people are the busiest people in Berwyn,” said Joanne Konkle, a member of the BUNGALO board. “It's just part of the fabric of the community, and I think that's what we're becoming.”
BUNGALO membership now stands at about 110 people — down from a peak of 150 in 2000. They've stopped marching in Chicago's Gay Pride Parade, instead letting the city of Berwyn promote itself as gay-friendly for them.
The group used to have an annual “phone Springfield day” in hopes of getting new gay-friendly laws passed. But members haven't done that in several years.
Instead, BUNGALO has concentrated more on community service projects, such as Earth Day cleanups and planting flowers in the Depot District. In part, members hope to be just like the city's many civic groups that celebrate ethnic backgrounds and aim to improve Berwyn.
“One of our big goals needs to be continued involvement in the community and creating a positive atmosphere and impression of our community,” said David Olson, another BUNGALO board member. “We're not simply in it for ourselves; we're in it for our community.”
Ted Korbos, chairman of the Berwyn United Neighborhood Gay And Lesbian Organization (BUNGALO) readily admits that his board meetings are kind of boring.
And that's just the way the group likes it.
The group started in 1995 as activists hoped to have sexual orientation protected against discrimination via a city ordinance after Berwyn allegedly declined to do so the year before. Not only have those rights since been granted, but the city now actively seeks to attract gay couples to Berwyn at the Northalsted Market Days, one of the biggest gay festivals anywhere in the country, which takes place every summer in Chicago’s Boystown neighborhood.
BUNGALO members also have seen the state grant same-sex couples marriage and adoption rights and a groundswell in popular media that has led to a widespread acceptance of gay and lesbian people in American culture.
Moreover, Berwyn has one of the highest gay-population densities in the state.
“A former board member used to say, ‘BUNGALO is a victim of its own success,’ and he was absolutely right,” said Korbos.
Although the group still advocates for gay issues and supports people coming out of the closet, the focus has shifted to members weaving themselves into Berwyn’s background. While they certainly don't shun anyone in gay community, they’re trying to get past the stereotype of the flamboyant drag queen marching in a parade.
“Some of our people are the busiest people in Berwyn,” said Joanne Konkle, a member of the BUNGALO board. “It's just part of the fabric of the community, and I think that's what we're becoming.”
BUNGALO membership now stands at about 110 people — down from a peak of 150 in 2000. They've stopped marching in Chicago's Gay Pride Parade, instead letting the city of Berwyn promote itself as gay-friendly for them.
The group used to have an annual “phone Springfield day” in hopes of getting new gay-friendly laws passed. But members haven't done that in several years.
Instead, BUNGALO has concentrated more on community service projects, such as Earth Day cleanups and planting flowers in the Depot District. In part, members hope to be just like the city's many civic groups that celebrate ethnic backgrounds and aim to improve Berwyn.
“One of our big goals needs to be continued involvement in the community and creating a positive atmosphere and impression of our community,” said David Olson, another BUNGALO board member. “We're not simply in it for ourselves; we're in it for our community.”
The group also has the numbers to back them up.
Berwyn now has the fifth-highest concentration of households with same-sex couples in the state, behind only Oak Park, River Forest, Evanston and Chicago, accord ing to a recent UCLA study using the 2010 Census. Berwyn had 9.16 gay households for every 1,000 household.
Those numbers aren't perfect, though, because they only show same-sex couples and not single gay men and women. The study results also only reflect couples who are comfortable coming out on paper — but in many ways, that proves Konkle's point. Berwyn is one of the top places in the state where gays and lesbians feel comfortable settling down and being open about their sexuality.
“It's gotten to the point where one of the things I've thought about a lot is whether or not BUNGALO even has a purpose anymore,” Korbos added.
These days, members host monthly or bi-monthly social events, keep up a newsletter and help out in larger volunteer campaigns. While their political activity has dwindled, they still feel it’s necessary to protect their recently won rights.
“My sense is that the purpose of longer-standing gay and lesbian organizations is that we're watchdogs over the potential to backslide into unhealthy conditions,” said Doug Asbury, a Methodist pastor in Riverside and a member of BUNGALO's board.
And in many ways, the group is still vigilant and willing to protest injustices.
“We pick our battles. If there was something that really spoke to us, we would be out there in a heartbeat,” said Konkle. “You don't kill off an old political activist.”
But things have changed so drastically that the group now counts one of its members, Third Ward Alderman Marge Paul, as the city’s first openly gay public official.
The group’s core members also are beginning to age, some approaching retirement years. To members’ surprise, they’re having trouble attracting younger people to BUNGALO.
“A gay couple moved into my block, and I told them they should join us,” Olson said. “But they told me they didn’t feel it was necessary. They said they’d rather be a neigbhor who happens to be gay than be the gay neighbor.”
Although the group doesn't plan on calling it quits anytime soon, in some ways, BUNGALO is now able to sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor.
“I choose to live in Berwyn because I can just be a part of it. I'm a neighbor,” Konkle said. “This was the kind of community that I was always picketing for up on the North Side, and yet it's here in Berwyn.”
