'We're not hidg': Gay and lbian Rsians say a cultural shift is unrway

Contents:

• GAY CHOLOS!
• 'HOMO-CHOLO' RAPPER IS CHALLENGG NOTNS OF BEG GAY, LATO AND MACHO
• LOVG AND PARTYG AT CHI: 'THE BT LATO GAY BAR' MONTEBELLO
• THE 5 BEST MOSW GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MOSW
• GAY MOSW MOSW CY GUI
• 'WE'RE NOT HIDG': GAY AND LBIAN RSIANS SAY A CULTURAL SHIFT IS UNRWAY
• INSI A PRISON CELL FOR GAY FORMER GANG MEMBERS EL SALVADOR
• LGBT LATO ARTISTS THREATENED AFTER SAN FRANCIS'S GAY CHOLO CHINO MURAL DEFACED

GAY CHOLOS!

Actor and rapper Deadlee is g his art to turn stereotyp on their Los Angel rint is a self-proclaimed “homo-cholo” – referrg to the fact that he's gay and a "cholo, " a term ed to refer to Mexin-Amerins who intify wh gang culture. A., where he started workg as a unselor for homels homosexual teens, many of whom had been kicked out of their hom after their fai found out they were gay. “After I me out to my fay and iends, I started hangg out Wt Hollywood – the mec for gays.

'HOMO-CHOLO' RAPPER IS CHALLENGG NOTNS OF BEG GAY, LATO AND MACHO

”“One you're gay the Lato muny, often the nversatn stops right there, " he saidDeadlee got his start when he met an fluential mic producer named Goo. I ed a bunch of gay-centric sampl om like the movi 'Cis’' and 'Paris is Burng. ”Dpe some succs wh “7 Deadlee Ss, ” released 2002, and then “Asslt wh a Deadlee Weapon” 2006, the rapper says he’s never been ved to take the stage at Los Angel Gay Pri.

He says he was told his mic is too hard re – a batn of rap, thrasher rock and -your-face songs that take on vlence, race, sexualy and racial ’s known as an outspoken advote for out gay rappers, once accg micians Emem, DMX and 50 Cent of beg homophobic. He says he was really bad the begng, startg wh b parts B movi, and then 2011 a featured role the film, “Rampart, ” which starred Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster and Sigourney, he says he’s velopg a web program about a gay rapper, and he recently pleted filmg a TV pilot about a black, gay skateboarr.

LOVG AND PARTYG AT CHI: 'THE BT LATO GAY BAR' MONTEBELLO

Deadlee says he’s a new generatn of gay men, a homo-thug, who’s nfint and fortable beg Lato, gay and very macho – all rolled up one.

THE 5 BEST MOSW GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MOSW

D’s Cocktail Lounge, a most bar largely off the gay-dar, loted a Montebello mi-mall.

GAY MOSW MOSW CY GUI

The bar drew a lol Mexin-Amerin clientele, a smatterg of self-intifyg gay men and women, trans women and drag queens, and heterosexuals havg a flg wh someone not their signifint other. Sokol, a TV producer, was enmhed the gay/art/mp/rock band scene of Echo Park and Silver Lake, as was I. Owned by the proprietor of the gay vaquero dance club, Tempo, the Sre had a long, queer past.

It was once a gay bar lled The Keyhole, the ont door surround by a large, woon keyhole shape (that remaed when was the Sre and beyond) day, Sokol lled and told me that he and Licón had bought the bar but didn’t know what to ll .

'WE'RE NOT HIDG': GAY AND LBIAN RSIANS SAY A CULTURAL SHIFT IS UNRWAY

I thought about Montebello, about queerns and reprentatn, and how sire uld be ptured while avoidg the clichés of so much homoerotic imagery. I wanted imag for Chi that were aimed at a predomantly gay Lato male dience, athetilly rmed by neighborhoods like Montebello, largely workg and middle class. In the neighborhoods, mascule male erotic sire (both homo and heterosexual) is generally embodied wh an array of archetyp, cludg the homeboy/gangster, the jock and the chal, a term mon Mexi for a mascule young man who might have sex wh other men, but who don’t bear mon queer tras or terts.

Historilly (and still), male homosocial sexual enunters vertly take place the recs of public parks, like Whtier Narrows and Elysian Park. I suted and found men workg fast food rtrants and to body shops, gay and straight bars, cisg parks and on the street.

In France, a Paris rint, an olr gay man origally om East Los Angel, me to the openg.

INSI A PRISON CELL FOR GAY FORMER GANG MEMBERS EL SALVADOR

Granted, Chi is a mostly sized space, but a loyal clientele tablished quickly, one that was predomantly Lato, gay and male.

It soon beme a gay, brown “Cheers”-type bar, wh a workg class and distctly homie athetic. Licón had already worked gay bars for years, and he unrstood well the realy of havg a bar a rintial neighborhood.

LGBT LATO ARTISTS THREATENED AFTER SAN FRANCIS'S GAY CHOLO CHINO MURAL DEFACED

For some, pecially those not “out” (to their fai, their lleagu, or some s, to their homi), Chi was too close to home, and not worth the risk that someone might see them a gay bar. Joey Terrill, a queer Chino Los Angel artist, grew up Highland Park and speaks about this “Gay L. ” I agree wh Melody, as I told her, and yet, I risted that I didn’t want to nveniently portray Chi as “the ltle gay bar that uld.

Jt the other night, I joed a gay male iend and his lbian lleague at Hooters. (The documentary film, “Small Town Gay Bar” is a mt see.