1950s gay los angeles

Over time, Circus Disco quickly developed a reputation, along with its neighbor Arena and Jewel's Catch One, as one of the few gay clubs in L. An important aspect of Circus Disco was its primarily Latinx identity, owned by Latinx entrepreneurs and maintaining a loyal clientele of Latinx gay men.

Opened in by Gene La Pietra and Ermilio "Ed" Lemos, the club served patrons of all races, orientations and gender identities as an alternative to then-exclusionary nightclubs of West Hollywood. As the patrons were ushered into a police car, a group of lesbians, transgender women, drag queens and gay men rushed to the streets, resisted the arrests, throwing donuts, paper plates and coffee cups.

If their outward gender presentation didn't match their ID, they would be arrested. Confidential” deals with tales of a turbulent s Los Angeles. The Black Cat Tavern was the site of a brutal police raid that incited one of the first demonstrations in the U.

Then, on Feb. Today, the Black Cat is a recognized Historic-Cultural Monument by the City of Los Angeles and continues to be a popular spot for classic cocktails and American tavern food.

GAY L A In

Here are just a few, and we invite you to tell us more. James Ellroy’s novel “L.A. s – InThe Mattachine Society, the first sustained American gay rights group, was founded in Los Angeles (November 11). Studio One was a popular bar and disco, well-known for its young crowd and entertainment — from cabaret performances to theater.

The Stonewall Uprising in New York is widely regarded as the beginning of the Gay Civil Rights Movement, but the heart of the movement, and what we know as "gay culture" has strong roots in Los Angeles. In the spring ofDale Jennings was arrested for allegedly soliciting a police officer in a bathroom in Westlake Park, now known as MacArthur Park.

On MayLAPD officers arrested five Cooper Do-nuts patrons — two drag queens, two male sex workers and one gay man — through such tactics. In Los Angeles throughout the s, the culture of gay men functioned very much below the radar.

Many criticized the club for catering to white gay men and denying Black, Chicano and women patrons at the entrance through exclusionary door policies and classist dress codes. Los Angeles Gay History -- Until the Stonewall Rebellion, protective superparanoia based on individual safety and survival from hetero supremacists.

With Gay bars and Mexican-America spaces being routinely raided by the LAPD, an alliance seemed necessary. Controversy surrounding the night club's exclusivity reached a peak in when the Gay Community Mobilization Committee made efforts to shut down exclusive policies by sending letters of protest and organizing community boycotts.

Jewel's Catch One was one of the first Black discos in the U. Opened in by Jewel Thais-Williams, the bar sought to serve queer people of color who were often unwelcome at other nightclubs like West Hollywood's Studio One. At the time, Studio One was known to hassle Black patrons for multiple forms of ID to be allowed inside the venue and they certainly weren't alone among West Hollywood bars to practice racist and misogynist door policies.

Hyperion Street Los Angeles

The disco frequently organized themed events like Western night, dress-in-uniform night, pajama party and "A Latino Happening at Circus Disco. Inthe city cleared the area for a three-level parking garage, gutting the trees that once made up a lush wooded area that facilitated private rendezvous among men.

Under constant harassment by the police, homosexuals risked social ostracism and loss of employment if outed. In the face of overwhelming harassment and persecution of homosexuals during the s, a certain plucky queer magazine based in downtown Los Angeles was steadfast in its political mission to elevate gay and lesbian Americans.

Despite the committee's efforts, Studio One stayed packed and busy for years even while the presence of picketers outside the club became commonplace. Before West Hollywood was designated an official city inthe area was an unincorporated region of Los Angeles County, existing outside the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles Police Department.

In the mid s, as rent prices skyrocketed and the expiration of L. Pershing Square was a meeting ground for gay men for much of the early 20th century, located at the heart of "The Run" — a circuit of gay-friendly establishments and cruising spots in the s through the '80s.

Circus Disco closed inbut the giant clown mouth entrance that welcomed hundreds of patrons for over four decades still remains. The LAPD had been targeting Latinx community centers in the same way they’d been raiding gay bars in the city. Founded in the early s by part-owner Scott Forbes, dubbed the "Disco King" by the Los Angeles Times in a feature, the dance club operated in West Hollywood until when it was bought and renamed "Axis.

There are no official reports or news coverage of the event, but author and eye-witness John Rechy recalls the "street was bustling with disobedience. Fundraising nights, benefits and galas were commonplace at Circus Disco, raising money for organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation Gay Rights Chapter, the Norton Sound 8, and even creating a scholarship fund to benefit young gay men and women.