As music blasts throughout the party and cocktails flow from person to person, his energy defies gravity. His personality decorates each conversationmaking each guest feel special. At 6'2" with a confident look, he's hard to miss. However, his loud outbursts of random, often overtly sexual comments, compliments to strangers and cringingly honest nature are what attract attention. To say that Jahwaan Bingham is the life of the party would be a vast understatement.
People want Bingham at their parties because he's fun and people want to be around him for that very same reason. However, what people don't know is that after the last shot is taken, after the last song is played and after the last guest has left the party, Bingham did not have a home to go to. He was homeless, depressed, lightly spiraled into drugs and, according to him, was "knocked of his pedestal."
Bingham moved to Chicago from Battle Creek, Mich., at the age of 20 in hopes of living a new life outside of his usual suburban, lakeside home with his family. Growing up in a small town where there was only one gay bar made it difficult to explore and express his sexuality remembers Bingham.
"I wanted to actually live a gay life. I was bored and I wanted something bigger. So, my friend and I decided to move to Chicago," said Bingham.
With a job offer from Northwestern University and only one friend, Bingham moved into a high-rise in the city's Uptown neighborhood. In hopes of meeting other young gay men, the 20-year-old at the time attended an LGBT young men's social group event at a church in Wrigleyville. It was there that Bingham met Aaron Bowen-Shinder, a Chicago native and another young gay man. Bingham remembers observing Bowen-Shinder, his many interesting friends, all the parties he knew about, and just his overall exciting social lifea passport into the new gay life Bingham wanted to live.
"Aaron introduced me to the gay youth of Chicagolike house parties, going to events with him, and meeting other people. That's pretty much how it started. By the time I was 21, I had a pretty good network of people to go out with and just be me with," said Bingham.
Oddly enough, before moving to Chicago Bingham never heard of Boystown. Within a year, Bingham fully assimilated into Chicago's gay culture and community. He attended parties. He threw parties of his own. He knew which bars to go to on which days. He knew the "right" gays. He knew where to shop and how to look. He created his own lifestyle of fabulous parties, good looking friends, a great job, and an apartment by the lake.
"The parties were great. It was fun. I got to experiment and learn things about myself. I kind of became a different person. Back then, I was known as this wild child party boy, very outgoing, always like to start a party. I slept around. I drank. I stayed out late. It was what it was," said Bingham.
Bingham's partying soon caught up with him. As he rose in popularity, his work ethic diminished. After several late arrivals, Bingham was forced to change departments at his job. Not even six months later, Bingham's new department moved its offices to California. Not in a position to move to California, Bingham tried to get his position back at his previous department but was denied based on his previous poor work ethic.
At the time, Bingham only had a high-school diplomamaking it more difficult to find work. Bingham was able to collect unemployment but soon was not receiving checks. Unable to pay his rent, Bingham was evicted and bounced from one friend's couch to the next. He lost his job, his apartment by the lake, and what was once considered fabulous and fun became Bingham's enemy. Depressed and angry, Bingham engaged in unprotected sex, drugs, and continued partying.
"I didn't know much about myself back then. You lose yourself. You get sucked into this world of looking a certain way, acting a certain way, being a certain way. It became structured, almost mechanical. This is what you do when you go to a party. You go in, meet the host, you drink, you get drunk, you leave. In that time, you create this image where people think this is all what you are. People may like you, but they don't respect you enough to actually care about who you are," said Bingham.
Bingham's wake-up call was seeing other friends further spiral downward into heavy drugs, unprotected sex and overall poor life decisions. He remembers hearing a radio ad about educational opportunities at East-West University, and attended a seminar the next day. Currently, at 26, Bingham is pursuing a degree in radiology and works as a CNA at the Lakeview Nursing and Rehab Center. He soon saved enough money to rent a room in Buena Park but will never forget. Bingham is still the life of the party but is mindful to not make his life the party.
"You really do have to appreciate your own life first and understand what your purpose is. If you really care about yourself, you need to know how to always pick yourself up. I've learned to actually do things for myself and not wait for it to be given to me," said Bingham.