Since Tulip's inception in 2005, owner Keely Newman's vision of a friendly and intimate environment in which to explore and buy sex toys, as well as view the work of various artists, has remained an unwavering one. When the company's second retail store opened this past February on North Halsted Street, in the center of what is known as Boystown in Chicago, Newman didn't expect the flack that the window display would bring. The window, flanked on one end by a chalkboard with the word "masturbate", and on the other, a life-sized portrait of a nude man, has sparked some local controversy. Specifically, by one area resident whose daughter was obviously old enough to read and pronounce the word "masturbate". The woman didn't like it - and she made her stance known, first in a phone call to Newman, and then to local police, Alderman Tom Tunney, the owner of the building that the shop is located in, and ultimately, the Chicago Tribune. Both Newman and the woman who complained about the window display were interviewed for the story, which ran in a recent Sunday edition of the Metro section of the newspaper. According to the staff of Tulip, the Sunday that the article ran, the shop had near-record breaking sales due to the article, and overall, the community has been supportive of the shop and its ideals, core values and presence in the neighborhood. The painting in question has been removed from the window, but Tulip's staff promises to display art - including pieces that show nudity - because it IS art, and throughout history, art has always been provocative in one way or another. "What we're doing isn't anything different from a gallery displaying a Mapplethorpe photograph, or even Botticelli's Venus", one employee remarked. "And what one woman claims is obscene, we, or even the general public may feel is something beautiful and sacred even. It (the woman's complaints) is censorship at its most fundamental level. What we're trying to do is create a safe and educational space for the public, not throw human sexuality back 20 years to when sex toy shops were seedy and shameful. In a sense, the woman who did the complaining has somehow vilified not only the male form, but a basic human function." And though the painting has been taken from the window (it is still on display inside the shop), another painting, a depiction of a nude woman has replaced it. And there are several other works by the same artist, Bella Tolmatsky available for viewing and sale in the shop as well.

With summer approaching, and Boystown being the hub of not only IML, Pride Weekend and Market Days, the neighborhood is sure to be crowded with all sorts of activity. Not to mention, the Gay Games are being held here this year, which is not only a big boost for the gay community, but also beneficial to Chicago's economy. Aside from that, it's not unusual to see couples of the same gender holding hands or kissing on the street; will anyone who opposes this call the police then? One can only hope not, or tolerance and acceptance that has been struggled for will be caught in a sort of evolutionary tailspin. And those who live in the neighborhood, whatever their orientation may be, are aware of not only the area's moniker, but of the concentration of gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses there. In fact, the City of Chicago's neighborhood development commission spent quite a bit of money to improve the "look" of the neighborhood to make it more appealing to potential business owners and residents without trying to change the neighborhood itself. So why would one, or even a handful of residents take it upon themselves to single out business owners that they find unacceptable? Is it really for the protection of their children, or is it to bolster and enforce their own moral standpoints on others? My bet is on the latter.