WeHo Became A Gay Mecca. Here’s The History Behind That (And Other Headlines)

A night out on Santa Monica Boulevard in WeHo is almost a right of passage for us queer folks in L.A.

I remember my first time in 2012. I was amazed to see how folks expressed joy — some in drag, others in simple clothing — while hearing Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own” blast throughout The Abbey. It was a moment for me: a then-not out gay guy.

For the LGBTQ+ community, these spaces are sacred because there aren’t that many places to call our own. But WeHo wasn’t always the gay mecca it is now.

The gays go west

The history of how West Hollywood became a queer (and non-queer at this point) destination dates back to the Prohibition era. During the “Pansy Craze” in the late 1920s, LGBTQ+ people gathered at speakeasies mostly in the Hollywood area. It was illegal to drink back then, but it was also illegal to be gay. (Private, consensual gay sex was illegal in California until 1976. Damn.) So folks gathered at venues where they could be more free and perform in drag, away from the police and the public.

Eventually openly gay bars popped up in Hollywood, like Jimmy’s Backyard and B.B.B.’s Cellar. But the discriminatory rhetoric about the queer community coupled with the aggression of the L.A. Police Department led people to find other areas of the city to gather.

At the time, West Hollywood wasn’t even an official city when LGBTQ+ folks started hanging out there more often. It was an unincorporated area of the county where the LAPD had no jurisdiction (L.A. County Sheriff’s Department was — and still is — the police oversight of that area).

A lot more queer spots — hotels, bars and other businesses — started to open up in WeHo, so much so that entrepreneur and gay bar owner Bob Damran created gay guides in the mid 1960s. But this gay-friendly area had its own discriminatory practices. People of color and women were often turned away, sometimes just for wearing the “wrong shoes.”

My colleague Caitlin Hernández explores more about the history of West Hollywood in a story that published today. It’s a part of a year-long series of coverage called Queer LA. We also joined them for a history tour of Hollywood and West Hollywood for our How to L.A. podcast — check it out here!

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Wait! One More Thing...

Read This If You're Thinking Of Adopting A Doggo

Bob Cheslow, a volunteer at Westside German Shepherd Rescue, with Fiona, one of the dogs they rescued

(Ryanne Mena)

First, I have to give a shout out to the parents out there because I’m just a dog dad and, phew, sometimes it’s not easy! Yes, my Terrier mutt Bigotes was cute as a puppy, but he was (and still is) a handful, and I’m not even talking about the vet bills.

I’m always hearing people saying they’re curious to adopt a fur baby, but haven’t really had first-hand experience with it. Lucky them: we now have a guide to help folks understand the adoption process, costs and possible questions associated with it. LAist’s Ryanne Mena spoke to experts about how to humanely adopt dogs and provides some financial resources. And if you’re looking to volunteer, we have that info, too.

Forward the guide to that friend who wants to be a doggo’s human!