20 Years Of Akbar, Silver Lake's Gay Bar For Everyone | LAist

Contents:

• THE BT GAY BARS AND CLUBS LOS ANGEL
• BEYOND OFF SUNSET: A GUI TO GAY SILVER LAKE
• QUEER NEIGHBORHOODS\NMY FAVORE ASPECT OF LOS ANGEL’ QUEER LIFE IS S ABILY TO ACODATE A VARIETY OF SUBCULTUR AND PASSNS DUE TO S ENORMO POPULATN AND WI NSTELLATNS OF NEIGHBORHOODS. WHILE QUEER LIFE IS CENTERED WT HOLLYWOOD, SILVER LAKE, AND DOWNTOWN, PULS THROUGHOUT THE CY BETIFUL, DIVERSE, AND CREATIV WAYS. YOU’LL NEED MORE THAN A FEW LIFETIM TO EXPERIENCE ALL, BUT HERE ARE A FEW STANDOUTS. \NWT HOLLYWOOD\NHOME TO OVER TWENTY GAY BARS WALKG DISTANCE, A PLETHORA OF QUEER-OWNED BS,  LA PRI FTIVAL AND PARA, OUTFT, A HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL, AND OVER A THIRD OF RINTS INTIFIYG AS LGBTQ+, THE CY OF WT HOLLYWOOD IS PATED WH RABOW STREET CROSSGS YEAR ROUND. IT’S NO WONR “WEHO” HAS BEEN A TOP LGBTQ+ WELG STATN SCE THE 1970S AND NTU TO DRAW TRAVELERS AND NEW RINTS OM AROUND THE WORLD. \NSILVER LAKE\NTHOUGH STONEWALL IS LARGELY CREDED WH CG THE GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT, LOS ANGEL HAS A FEW HISTORIL LGBTQ+ UPRISGS THAT PREDATE THE INN’S 1969 RTS, CLUDG THE BLACK CAT RAIDS AND PROTTS SILVER LAKE THAT TOOK PLACE 1967. THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS LONG BEEN AN EPICENTER FOR QUEER CULTURE— WAS HOME TO “AMERI’S FIRST CELEBRATED DRAG PERFORMER,” JULIAN ELTGE, THE 1910S/20S, THE MATTACHE SOCIETY (SAID TO BE AMERI’S FIRST GAY ORANIZATN, T. 1950), AS WELL AS A PREVALENT 80S LEATHER SCENE. THE NEIGHBORHOOD’S QUEER HEART STILL BEATS STRONGLY SPE GENTRIFITN AS MANY QUEER-OWNED BS NTUE TO THRIVE. \NDOWNTOWN LA\NDTLA HAS RECENTLY TABLISHED SELF AS AN UP-AND-G QUEER NEIGHBORHOOD SCE A HANDFUL OF QUEER-OWNED BS AND BARS OPENED 2015, BUT S QUEER HISTORY IS LONG AND STORIED, CLUDG SOME OF THE FIRST LGBTQ+ RTS THE UNTRY AT COOPER DO-NUTS 1959, AS WELL AS A LLECTN OF GAY-IENDLY HANGOUTS AND CISG LOL PERISHG SQUARE LLED “THE RUN” PREVALENT OM THE 20S TO THE 60S. THE LOFTY NEIGHBORHOOD EVEN PUTS ON ’S OWN PRI FTIVAL, DTLA PROUD, EVERY AUGT. \N \NBT PLAC TO STAY\NACE HOTEL DOWNTOWN LOS ANGEL\NTHERE ARE A HANDFUL OF NEW HOTELS SPRGG UP DOWNTOWN, BUT THE ACE REMAS ONE OF THE MOST QUEER-IENDLY, WH S PRI POOL PARTI, SOCIALS, AND S STUNNG PROGRAMMG AT THE 1927 GOTHIC-STYLE THEATRE AT ACE HOTEL, WHERE PERFORMERS LIKE SASCHA VELOUR, BIAN DEL R, KATYA ZAMOLODCHIKOVA, AND MANY MORE HAVE PERFORMED SOLO SHOWS TO SOLD OUT DIENC.\NPALIHOE WT HOLLYWOOD\NSTEPS AWAY OM THE REVELRY ON NEARBY SANTA MONI BOULEVARD, THE BOUTIQUE 37-ROOM PALIHOE WT HOLLYWOOD IS A TE REFUGE THE HEART OF ONE OF THE WORLDS LARGT GAYBORHOODS. THE HOTEL HAS HANDSOME TERRS, A SUN-DRENCHED ROOFTOP WH WI VIEWS OF LOS ANGEL, AS WELL AS AN ELEGANT BAR.\NAIRBNBS SILVER LAKE\NFEEL LIKE A LOL AND RENT A BUNGALOW SILVER LAKE. BIS THEIR FAIRLY CENTRAL LOTN THE CY BETWEEN DTLA AND WT HOLLYWOOD, YOU’LL BE CLOSE TO HIP STOR, QUEER HISTORY, AND LIVELY BARS LIKE AKBAR.\N","MARKER":{"NAME":"","IMAGE":{},"SCRIPTN":"","NTENT":[]},"ID":4178759052},{"TYPE":"SLISHOW","IMAG":[{"RETAHEIGHT":802,"MOBILESRC":","SRC":","MOBILEWIDTH":558,"SQUARELARGEHEIGHT":640,"WIDTH":1200,"PTN":"CUTI. ","HEIGHT":802,"SQUARELARGEWIDTH":640,"SQUAREHUGE":","RETASRC":","MOBILEHEIGHT":373,"ALT":"","SQUARESMALL":","RETAWIDTH":1200,"SQUAREHUGEHEIGHT":802,"SQUARESMALLHEIGHT":320,"SQUAREMEDIUM":","SQUAREMEDIUMWIDTH":480,"SQUAREMEDIUMHEIGHT":480,"ID":20790,"SQUARESMALLWIDTH":320,"SQUARELARGE":","SQUAREHUGEWIDTH":960}],"ID":796727934},{"TYPE":"PARAGRAPH","NTENT":"QUEER-OWNED BS \NCUTI\NCUTI, A TWO-STORY FFEE SHOP AND MUNY CENTER EAST HOLLYWOOD MAY BE ONE OF THE ONLY BRICK-AND-MORTAR QUEER F THE STAT AND IS A GREAT PLACE TO MEET PEOPLE BEYOND THE BARS AND CLUBS OF THE GREATER LOS ANGEL AREA. THE BRIGHTLY L ART DE TERR ALSO HAS A FEW SHELV HOLDG A SMALL BUT POWERFUL LIBRARY OF QUEER THEORY AND LERATURE—THE SPACE ALSO HOSTS QUEER BOOK CLUBS, SOCIALS, AND OTHER EVENTS. \NCASA DEL CAMPO\NSILVER LAKE’S CASA DEL CAMPO HAS BEEN AROUND SCE 1962 AND HAS BEE A QUEER LANDMARK SCE WAS ONCE SURROUND BY BATH HO AND LEATHER BARS. BIS S HEARTY CAL-TEX MENU (AND HEAVY POUR MARGARAS) ’S KNOWN FOR S BARET THEATRE, THE CAVERN CLUB THEATER, WHICH PUTS ON MPY PLAYS, DRAG SHOWS, AND DANCE PERFORMANC. \NWILDFANG\NNEW YORK AND PORTALND AREN’T THE ONLY CI WH THE QUEER-OWNED FEMIST FASHN BRAND KNOWN AS WILDFANG. LOS ANGEL HAS S OWN BRICK-AND-MORTAR STORE THE HEART OF SILVER LAKE, ON THE BY SUNSET BOULEVARD. \N","MARKER":{"NAME":"","IMAGE":{},"SCRIPTN":"","NTENT":[]},"ID":919875289},{"TYPE":"SLISHOW","IMAG":[{"RETAHEIGHT":802,"MOBILESRC":","SRC":","MOBILEWIDTH":558,"SQUARELARGEHEIGHT":640,"WIDTH":1200,"PTN":"JUICY LEAF.","HEIGHT":802,"SQUARELARGEWIDTH":640,"SQUAREHUGE":","RETASRC":","MOBILEHEIGHT":373,"ALT":"","SQUARESMALL":","RETAWIDTH":1200,"SQUAREHUGEHEIGHT":802,"SQUARESMALLHEIGHT":320,"SQUAREMEDIUM":","SQUAREMEDIUMWIDTH":480,"SQUAREMEDIUMHEIGHT":480,"ID":20792,"SQUARESMALLWIDTH":320,"SQUARELARGE":","SQUAREHUGEWIDTH":960}],"ID":3833047329},{"TYPE":"PARAGRAPH","NTENT":"THE JUICY LEAF\NWHILE VISG L.A., ’S HARD NOT TO FALL LOVE WH THE CTI, SUCCULENTS, AND OTHER LORFUL PLANTS LEAPG OM THE CY’S GARNS. HIGHLAND PARK’S QUEER-OWNED BOUTIQUE, THE JUICY LEAF, SELLS A BRIGHT ASSORTMENT OF UNIQUE PLANTS AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE URBAN GARNER. \NCELEBRATN THEATER\NCELEBRATN THEATER, NOW BASED AT THE LEX HOLLYWOOD, WAS FOUND 1982 BY MATTACHE SOCIETY -FOUNR CHARL ROWLAND AND HAS SCE PUT TOGETHER S OF PERFORMANC CLUDG THE ORIGAL NAKED BOYS SGG! AND A CRILLY-ACCLAIMED PRODUCTN OF BOYS FROM OZ.\NWILL ROGERS STATE BEACH\NWHILE MUCH OF LOS ANGEL’S QUEER LIFE IS BASED WT HOLLYWOOD, SILVER LAKE, AND DTLA, THE WT SI NTAS A SIGNIFINT QUEER POPULATN (AND SOME TERTG QUEER HISTORY)—BUT NO CURRENT FULL TIME QUEER TABLISHMENTS OR BARS. THE AREA DO HOWEVER, HAVE ’S OWN “UNOFFICIAL” GAY BEACH, NICKNAMED “GGER ROGERS BEACH” NEAR LIFEGUARD STATN 26 ON THE WI SAND BEACH, JT A SHORT DRIVE NORTH OF SANTA MONI.\N","MARKER":{"NAME":"","IMAGE":{},"SCRIPTN":"","NTENT":[]},"ID":4086867220},{"TYPE":"SLISHOW","IMAG":[{"RETAHEIGHT":899,"MOBILESRC":","SRC":","MOBILEWIDTH":498,"SQUARELARGEHEIGHT":640,"WIDTH":1200,"PTN":"VIEW OM GRIFFH PARK. ","HEIGHT":899,"SQUARELARGEWIDTH":640,"SQUAREHUGE":","RETASRC":","MOBILEHEIGHT":373,"ALT":"","SQUARESMALL":","RETAWIDTH":1200,"SQUAREHUGEHEIGHT":899,"SQUARESMALLHEIGHT":320,"SQUAREMEDIUM":","SQUAREMEDIUMWIDTH":480,"SQUAREMEDIUMHEIGHT":480,"ID":20791,"SQUARESMALLWIDTH":320,"SQUARELARGE":","SQUAREHUGEWIDTH":960}],"ID":64485248},{"TYPE":"PARAGRAPH","NTENT":"ARTS & CULTURE \NONE NATNAL GAY & LBIAN ARCHIV AT THE USC LIBRARI\NTHE ONE ARCHIV AT USC HOLD THE LARGT LLECTN OF LGBTQ MATERIALS—BOOKS, PERDILS, CLOTHG, ARTWORKS, PHOTOGRAPHY, D RERDGS, VIOS, LETTERS, EPHEMERA, AND MUCH, MUCH MORE— THE WORLD. THE SPACE IS NAMED AFTER ONE MAGAZE, THE FIRST “NATNAL HOMOSEXUAL PERDIL” FOUND 1952. VIS TUDAY-SATURDAY AND BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THEIR SIBLG GALLERY SPACE WT HOLLYWOOD, ONE ARCHIV GALLERY AND MM, WHICH FEATUR TN IATIV AND THOUGHT PROVOKG EXHIBS. WHILE NOT ASSOCIATED WH ONE, WT HOLLYWOOD IS ALSO HOME TO THE  THE JUNE L. MAZER LBIAN ARCHIV.\NLACMA\NLOS ANGEL HAS AN CREDIBLE ASSORTMENT OF NTEMPORARY ART MMS HOSTG QUEER EXHIBS AND ARTISTS AND LOS ANGEL COUNTY MM OF ART IS NO EXCEPTN. HERE, MAPPLETHORP, HOCKNEYS, TOM OF FLANDS, EAKS, AND LIGONS HAVE CLEARED THE STAGE FOR CURRENT QUEER ARTISTS LIKE TERA LA TORRE, DEV GALDO, AND PL MPAGI SEPUYA TO SHOWSE THEIR NOVATIVE NTEMPORARY WORK. \NGRIFFH PARK\NAT 4,210 ACR (NEARLY FIVE CENTRAL PARKS!), GRIFFH PARK IS SAID TO BE ONE OF THE LARGT MUNICIPAL PARKS WH URBAN WILRNS AREAS THE UNTRY. THE MASSIVE PARK IS HOME TO MORE THAN 53 OF STEEP HIKG TRAILS, THE AUTRY MM OF THE AMERIN WT, THE GEO GRIFFH OBSERVATORY, AND S VERY OWN MOUNTA LN, P-22. THE PARK WAS EVEN THE SETTG OF A “GAY-” MONSTRATN ANIZED 1970 BY THE GROUP THE GAY LIBERATN FRONT.\N \NQUEER NIGHTLIFE
• 52 ESSENTIAL GAY BARS AND NIGHTS AROUND LOS ANGEL
• IN SILVER LAKE, A GAY BIKER BAR FOR LA’S LEATHER DADDI
• WHY IS THE MONUMENT OF A HISTORIC LA GAY BAR COVERED SHAKE SHACK SIGNS?
• 20 YEARS OF AKBAR, SILVER LAKE'S GAY BAR FOR EVERYONE
• SEARCHG FOR SILVER LAKE: THE RADIL NEIGHBORHOOD THAT CHANGED GAY AMERI

THE BT GAY BARS AND CLUBS LOS ANGEL

LGBTQ nightlife Los Angel n be a b tached, but each separate “gayborhood” has s own vibe and appeal.

BEYOND OFF SUNSET: A GUI TO GAY SILVER LAKE

's bt-known gayborhood, and the burgeong one of Downtown L. Then there's the important and well-tablished gayborhoods Long Beach and the valley.

QUEER NEIGHBORHOODS\NMY FAVORE ASPECT OF LOS ANGEL’ QUEER LIFE IS S ABILY TO ACODATE A VARIETY OF SUBCULTUR AND PASSNS DUE TO S ENORMO POPULATN AND WI NSTELLATNS OF NEIGHBORHOODS. WHILE QUEER LIFE IS CENTERED WT HOLLYWOOD, SILVER LAKE, AND DOWNTOWN, PULS THROUGHOUT THE CY BETIFUL, DIVERSE, AND CREATIV WAYS. YOU’LL NEED MORE THAN A FEW LIFETIM TO EXPERIENCE ALL, BUT HERE ARE A FEW STANDOUTS. \NWT HOLLYWOOD\NHOME TO OVER TWENTY GAY BARS WALKG DISTANCE, A PLETHORA OF QUEER-OWNED BS,  LA PRI FTIVAL AND PARA, OUTFT, A HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL, AND OVER A THIRD OF RINTS INTIFIYG AS LGBTQ+, THE CY OF WT HOLLYWOOD IS PATED WH RABOW STREET CROSSGS YEAR ROUND. IT’S NO WONR “WEHO” HAS BEEN A TOP LGBTQ+ WELG STATN SCE THE 1970S AND NTU TO DRAW TRAVELERS AND NEW RINTS OM AROUND THE WORLD. \NSILVER LAKE\NTHOUGH STONEWALL IS LARGELY CREDED WH CG THE GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT, LOS ANGEL HAS A FEW HISTORIL LGBTQ+ UPRISGS THAT PREDATE THE INN’S 1969 RTS, CLUDG THE BLACK CAT RAIDS AND PROTTS SILVER LAKE THAT TOOK PLACE 1967. THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS LONG BEEN AN EPICENTER FOR QUEER CULTURE— WAS HOME TO “AMERI’S FIRST CELEBRATED DRAG PERFORMER,” JULIAN ELTGE, THE 1910S/20S, THE MATTACHE SOCIETY (SAID TO BE AMERI’S FIRST GAY ORANIZATN, T. 1950), AS WELL AS A PREVALENT 80S LEATHER SCENE. THE NEIGHBORHOOD’S QUEER HEART STILL BEATS STRONGLY SPE GENTRIFITN AS MANY QUEER-OWNED BS NTUE TO THRIVE. \NDOWNTOWN LA\NDTLA HAS RECENTLY TABLISHED SELF AS AN UP-AND-G QUEER NEIGHBORHOOD SCE A HANDFUL OF QUEER-OWNED BS AND BARS OPENED 2015, BUT S QUEER HISTORY IS LONG AND STORIED, CLUDG SOME OF THE FIRST LGBTQ+ RTS THE UNTRY AT COOPER DO-NUTS 1959, AS WELL AS A LLECTN OF GAY-IENDLY HANGOUTS AND CISG LOL PERISHG SQUARE LLED “THE RUN” PREVALENT OM THE 20S TO THE 60S. THE LOFTY NEIGHBORHOOD EVEN PUTS ON ’S OWN PRI FTIVAL, DTLA PROUD, EVERY AUGT. \N \NBT PLAC TO STAY\NACE HOTEL DOWNTOWN LOS ANGEL\NTHERE ARE A HANDFUL OF NEW HOTELS SPRGG UP DOWNTOWN, BUT THE ACE REMAS ONE OF THE MOST QUEER-IENDLY, WH S PRI POOL PARTI, SOCIALS, AND S STUNNG PROGRAMMG AT THE 1927 GOTHIC-STYLE THEATRE AT ACE HOTEL, WHERE PERFORMERS LIKE SASCHA VELOUR, BIAN DEL R, KATYA ZAMOLODCHIKOVA, AND MANY MORE HAVE PERFORMED SOLO SHOWS TO SOLD OUT DIENC.\NPALIHOE WT HOLLYWOOD\NSTEPS AWAY OM THE REVELRY ON NEARBY SANTA MONI BOULEVARD, THE BOUTIQUE 37-ROOM PALIHOE WT HOLLYWOOD IS A TE REFUGE THE HEART OF ONE OF THE WORLDS LARGT GAYBORHOODS. THE HOTEL HAS HANDSOME TERRS, A SUN-DRENCHED ROOFTOP WH WI VIEWS OF LOS ANGEL, AS WELL AS AN ELEGANT BAR.\NAIRBNBS SILVER LAKE\NFEEL LIKE A LOL AND RENT A BUNGALOW SILVER LAKE. BIS THEIR FAIRLY CENTRAL LOTN THE CY BETWEEN DTLA AND WT HOLLYWOOD, YOU’LL BE CLOSE TO HIP STOR, QUEER HISTORY, AND LIVELY BARS LIKE AKBAR.\N","MARKER":{"NAME":"","IMAGE":{},"SCRIPTN":"","NTENT":[]},"ID":4178759052},{"TYPE":"SLISHOW","IMAG":[{"RETAHEIGHT":802,"MOBILESRC":","SRC":","MOBILEWIDTH":558,"SQUARELARGEHEIGHT":640,"WIDTH":1200,"PTN":"CUTI. ","HEIGHT":802,"SQUARELARGEWIDTH":640,"SQUAREHUGE":","RETASRC":","MOBILEHEIGHT":373,"ALT":"","SQUARESMALL":","RETAWIDTH":1200,"SQUAREHUGEHEIGHT":802,"SQUARESMALLHEIGHT":320,"SQUAREMEDIUM":","SQUAREMEDIUMWIDTH":480,"SQUAREMEDIUMHEIGHT":480,"ID":20790,"SQUARESMALLWIDTH":320,"SQUARELARGE":","SQUAREHUGEWIDTH":960}],"ID":796727934},{"TYPE":"PARAGRAPH","NTENT":"QUEER-OWNED BS \NCUTI\NCUTI, A TWO-STORY FFEE SHOP AND MUNY CENTER EAST HOLLYWOOD MAY BE ONE OF THE ONLY BRICK-AND-MORTAR QUEER F THE STAT AND IS A GREAT PLACE TO MEET PEOPLE BEYOND THE BARS AND CLUBS OF THE GREATER LOS ANGEL AREA. THE BRIGHTLY L ART DE TERR ALSO HAS A FEW SHELV HOLDG A SMALL BUT POWERFUL LIBRARY OF QUEER THEORY AND LERATURE—THE SPACE ALSO HOSTS QUEER BOOK CLUBS, SOCIALS, AND OTHER EVENTS. \NCASA DEL CAMPO\NSILVER LAKE’S CASA DEL CAMPO HAS BEEN AROUND SCE 1962 AND HAS BEE A QUEER LANDMARK SCE WAS ONCE SURROUND BY BATH HO AND LEATHER BARS. BIS S HEARTY CAL-TEX MENU (AND HEAVY POUR MARGARAS) ’S KNOWN FOR S BARET THEATRE, THE CAVERN CLUB THEATER, WHICH PUTS ON MPY PLAYS, DRAG SHOWS, AND DANCE PERFORMANC. \NWILDFANG\NNEW YORK AND PORTALND AREN’T THE ONLY CI WH THE QUEER-OWNED FEMIST FASHN BRAND KNOWN AS WILDFANG. LOS ANGEL HAS S OWN BRICK-AND-MORTAR STORE THE HEART OF SILVER LAKE, ON THE BY SUNSET BOULEVARD. \N","MARKER":{"NAME":"","IMAGE":{},"SCRIPTN":"","NTENT":[]},"ID":919875289},{"TYPE":"SLISHOW","IMAG":[{"RETAHEIGHT":802,"MOBILESRC":","SRC":","MOBILEWIDTH":558,"SQUARELARGEHEIGHT":640,"WIDTH":1200,"PTN":"JUICY LEAF.","HEIGHT":802,"SQUARELARGEWIDTH":640,"SQUAREHUGE":","RETASRC":","MOBILEHEIGHT":373,"ALT":"","SQUARESMALL":","RETAWIDTH":1200,"SQUAREHUGEHEIGHT":802,"SQUARESMALLHEIGHT":320,"SQUAREMEDIUM":","SQUAREMEDIUMWIDTH":480,"SQUAREMEDIUMHEIGHT":480,"ID":20792,"SQUARESMALLWIDTH":320,"SQUARELARGE":","SQUAREHUGEWIDTH":960}],"ID":3833047329},{"TYPE":"PARAGRAPH","NTENT":"THE JUICY LEAF\NWHILE VISG L.A., ’S HARD NOT TO FALL LOVE WH THE CTI, SUCCULENTS, AND OTHER LORFUL PLANTS LEAPG OM THE CY’S GARNS. HIGHLAND PARK’S QUEER-OWNED BOUTIQUE, THE JUICY LEAF, SELLS A BRIGHT ASSORTMENT OF UNIQUE PLANTS AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE URBAN GARNER. \NCELEBRATN THEATER\NCELEBRATN THEATER, NOW BASED AT THE LEX HOLLYWOOD, WAS FOUND 1982 BY MATTACHE SOCIETY -FOUNR CHARL ROWLAND AND HAS SCE PUT TOGETHER S OF PERFORMANC CLUDG THE ORIGAL NAKED BOYS SGG! AND A CRILLY-ACCLAIMED PRODUCTN OF BOYS FROM OZ.\NWILL ROGERS STATE BEACH\NWHILE MUCH OF LOS ANGEL’S QUEER LIFE IS BASED WT HOLLYWOOD, SILVER LAKE, AND DTLA, THE WT SI NTAS A SIGNIFINT QUEER POPULATN (AND SOME TERTG QUEER HISTORY)—BUT NO CURRENT FULL TIME QUEER TABLISHMENTS OR BARS. THE AREA DO HOWEVER, HAVE ’S OWN “UNOFFICIAL” GAY BEACH, NICKNAMED “GGER ROGERS BEACH” NEAR LIFEGUARD STATN 26 ON THE WI SAND BEACH, JT A SHORT DRIVE NORTH OF SANTA MONI.\N","MARKER":{"NAME":"","IMAGE":{},"SCRIPTN":"","NTENT":[]},"ID":4086867220},{"TYPE":"SLISHOW","IMAG":[{"RETAHEIGHT":899,"MOBILESRC":","SRC":","MOBILEWIDTH":498,"SQUARELARGEHEIGHT":640,"WIDTH":1200,"PTN":"VIEW OM GRIFFH PARK. ","HEIGHT":899,"SQUARELARGEWIDTH":640,"SQUAREHUGE":","RETASRC":","MOBILEHEIGHT":373,"ALT":"","SQUARESMALL":","RETAWIDTH":1200,"SQUAREHUGEHEIGHT":899,"SQUARESMALLHEIGHT":320,"SQUAREMEDIUM":","SQUAREMEDIUMWIDTH":480,"SQUAREMEDIUMHEIGHT":480,"ID":20791,"SQUARESMALLWIDTH":320,"SQUARELARGE":","SQUAREHUGEWIDTH":960}],"ID":64485248},{"TYPE":"PARAGRAPH","NTENT":"ARTS & CULTURE \NONE NATNAL GAY & LBIAN ARCHIV AT THE USC LIBRARI\NTHE ONE ARCHIV AT USC HOLD THE LARGT LLECTN OF LGBTQ MATERIALS—BOOKS, PERDILS, CLOTHG, ARTWORKS, PHOTOGRAPHY, D RERDGS, VIOS, LETTERS, EPHEMERA, AND MUCH, MUCH MORE— THE WORLD. THE SPACE IS NAMED AFTER ONE MAGAZE, THE FIRST “NATNAL HOMOSEXUAL PERDIL” FOUND 1952. VIS TUDAY-SATURDAY AND BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THEIR SIBLG GALLERY SPACE WT HOLLYWOOD, ONE ARCHIV GALLERY AND MM, WHICH FEATUR TN IATIV AND THOUGHT PROVOKG EXHIBS. WHILE NOT ASSOCIATED WH ONE, WT HOLLYWOOD IS ALSO HOME TO THE  THE JUNE L. MAZER LBIAN ARCHIV.\NLACMA\NLOS ANGEL HAS AN CREDIBLE ASSORTMENT OF NTEMPORARY ART MMS HOSTG QUEER EXHIBS AND ARTISTS AND LOS ANGEL COUNTY MM OF ART IS NO EXCEPTN. HERE, MAPPLETHORP, HOCKNEYS, TOM OF FLANDS, EAKS, AND LIGONS HAVE CLEARED THE STAGE FOR CURRENT QUEER ARTISTS LIKE TERA LA TORRE, DEV GALDO, AND PL MPAGI SEPUYA TO SHOWSE THEIR NOVATIVE NTEMPORARY WORK. \NGRIFFH PARK\NAT 4,210 ACR (NEARLY FIVE CENTRAL PARKS!), GRIFFH PARK IS SAID TO BE ONE OF THE LARGT MUNICIPAL PARKS WH URBAN WILRNS AREAS THE UNTRY. THE MASSIVE PARK IS HOME TO MORE THAN 53 OF STEEP HIKG TRAILS, THE AUTRY MM OF THE AMERIN WT, THE GEO GRIFFH OBSERVATORY, AND S VERY OWN MOUNTA LN, P-22. THE PARK WAS EVEN THE SETTG OF A “GAY-” MONSTRATN ANIZED 1970 BY THE GROUP THE GAY LIBERATN FRONT.\N \NQUEER NIGHTLIFE

Then there is perhaps the most historic gayborhood: Silver Lake.

Weekly put together a gui on how to have a great gay Friday or Saturday night out Silver Lake. Back the 60s, like most gay bars across the untry, the police were nstantly raidg Silver Lake's bt known LGBTQ hangout, the Black Cat Tavern.

52 ESSENTIAL GAY BARS AND NIGHTS AROUND LOS ANGEL

Predatg Stonewall, the Black Cat raid and prott were signifint steps forward the gay rights movement and laid the groundwork for the events at Stonewall two years later. …Two months after this moment, havg that many gay and lbian and alli e together to prott police btaly was major, ” he tells L.

While many nsir Stonewall to be the birth of the gay rights movement, Black Cat laid the groundwork for to occur, so one uld argue that the te birth of the natnal gay rights movement began right here Silver Lake. Though ran as Le Barco for several years terg to a gay Lato clientele (and hostg legendary queer fetish night Club Fuck), new owners who took over 2012 returned the Black Cat Tavern to s origal name.

It's mostly straight a hipster hub but is gay-iendly, and 's worth visg to see photos of the 1967 events displayed si. Keepg the historic signifince of Silver Lake to the LGBTQ muny md, the first stop on our gay night out the neighborhood is for some dner at 33 Taps. It isn't officially a “gay” tablishment, but sce the neighborhood is very LGBTQ, so is the rtrant.

IN SILVER LAKE, A GAY BIKER BAR FOR LA’S LEATHER DADDI

“The Silver Lake [lotn] is very neighborhood-specific and has a very big gay followg general. We are a beer and sports bar, but we have a very big gay clientele and we're gay-owned and a lot of our staff is gay. This has been a somewhat of a gay-centric place, ” says owner/found Ryan Floyd.

WHY IS THE MONUMENT OF A HISTORIC LA GAY BAR COVERED SHAKE SHACK SIGNS?

While sports bar and gay don't often go together, many of do enjoy sports! “This neighborhood, which is why I thk has such a ol vibe to , was always kd of like the gays and the gangsters for many, many years, ” says Floyd.

It first opened as a gay bar lled the Shed 1968 before beme the Outst om 1972 to 1983, then Gntlet II om 1983 to 2005 before openg as Eagle LA 2006 (all were gay bars). Is one a long le of leather/uniform/fetish gay bars. “[The leather scene] is still very alive and well, although, the Inter and social media has changed the gay scene and the gay nightclub scene across the board, ” says Matula.

“It was our bra child om a time when most gay bars Silver Lake were closg.

20 YEARS OF AKBAR, SILVER LAKE'S GAY BAR FOR EVERYONE

Opened 1994, Fltle had prevly been home to var gay bars cludg The Stud and Griff's. “We feature artists and events as diverse as Tiffany to JJ Fad and pretty much anythg you n thk of between…We want to make sure that the Fltle ntu to be one of the inic gay bars Los Angel. Though 's a ltle outsi of Silver Lake, Fltle do a great job of keepg the spir of the gayborhood alive and kickg.

” Openg right after the AIDS epimic was at s most btal force, the owners felt that, at the time, the stigmas and fear place meant more isolatn for the gay muny, but they wanted to change that.

SEARCHG FOR SILVER LAKE: THE RADIL NEIGHBORHOOD THAT CHANGED GAY AMERI

“There were bars the neighborhood, there were gay bars the neighborhood, there were straight bars, but there was not a bar where and our mix of iends, which are straight and gay, uld go together. It's hard to image a time when this wasn't the se, as many gay bars today are now a mix of not only straight and gay people, but also transgenr, genr-nonnformg and queer people as well. Fans wept when Roosterfish, the Wtsi’s olst gay bar, closed 2016.

Micky’s WeHo has long been a staple on Wt Hollywood’s strip of gay nightclubs and bars on Santa Moni Boulevard, known for s open-walled two-story buildg where passersby n see the party ragg om the street. The venue is the only Latx gay bar LA that explicly ters to a gay and Mexin dience every night, not jt as a theme once a week.