With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today .
DTLA Gets New Square Honoring Cooper Do-nuts And Nancy Valverde, Two Local LGBTQ+ Icons
The Cooper Do-nuts shop on Main Street in 1958.
(
Courtesy Cooper Do-nuts and the Evans family
)
The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to designate the intersection of 2nd and Main Street in downtown L.A. as “Cooper Do-nuts / Nancy Valverde Square” — a move that honors a historical LGBTQ+ place and figure.
What was Cooper Do-nuts?
Cooper Do-nuts was known as a welcoming place in the 1950s for gender-nonconforming and gay people to have late-night hangouts, a rare thing for a business to allow because of a citywide ban on cross dressing between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
The site may be where the first LGBTQ+ uprising took place in May 1959, as patrons threw coffee cups and more at officers trying to arrest a group of drag queens, gay men and sex workers.
Support for LAist comes from
Who is Nancy Valverde?
Valverde is one of the people who frequented Cooper Do-nuts. She was routinely arrested for violating the cross-dressing ban, Ordinance 5022, and served time for it in the Lincoln Heights jail.
According to the motion, Valverde went to court to justify her right to wear masculine clothing and is credited with paving the way for the end of the ban.
About that uprising
There is debate about whether the small uprising actually happened at Cooper’s Do-nuts. The event was only recorded by novelist John Rechy in City of Night, who claims to have witnessed an uprising with varying accounts on location and date.
The family behind the donut shop can’t vouch either way, as the New York Times reported. Keith Evans, a grandson of the owner, said at the council meeting that the shop was a safe haven for LGBTQ+ people.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The study found recipients spent nearly all the money on basic needs like food and transportation, not drugs or alcohol. -
Kevin Lee's Tokyo Noir has become one of the top spots for craft-inspired cocktails. -
A tort claim obtained by LAist via a public records request alleges the Anaheim procurement department lacks basic contracting procedures and oversight. -
Flauta, taquito, tacos dorados? Whatever they’re called, they’re golden, crispy and delicious. -
If California redistricts, the conservative beach town that banned LGBTQ Pride flags on city property would get a gay, progressive Democrat in Congress. -
Most survivors of January's fires face a massive gap in the money they need to rebuild, and funding to help is moving too slowly or nonexistent.
Best of LAist