George Chakoutis and Tim Deegan

Abstract

George Chakoutis and Tim Deegan are lifelong friends born in 1965 and grew up in the same working-class neighborhood of East Lynn. In 1983, George graduated from Lynn English and Deegan Lynn Technical High School. George reminisces about gay bars such as Josephs, Marco Marco, and the Gay Blade, and became the owner of the beloved 47 Central, which had several different incarnations between 1999 and 2013. Their joint interview was conducted in December 2023 at a 47 Central Reunion organized by George in Olde Thyme Italian restaurant. Both men discuss coming of age in an era of closeted homosexuality and violence directed at gay men. They talk about the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and their activism and fundraising to assist the gay community.