Though Stonewall is largely credited with inciting the gay rights movement, Los Angeles has a few historical LGBTQ+ uprisings that predate the Inn’s 1969 riots, including The Black Cat raids and protests in Silver Lake that took place in 1967. It’s no wonder “WeHo” has been a top LGBTQ+ welcoming destination since the 1970s and continues to draw travelers and new residents from around the world. Home to over twenty gay bars in walking distance, a plethora of queer-owned businesses, LA Pride Festival and Parade, Outfest, a Halloween Carnival, and over a third of residents identifiying as LGBTQ+, the City of West Hollywood is painted with rainbow street crossings year round.
You’ll need more than a few lifetimes to experience it all, but here are a few standouts.
While queer life is centered in West Hollywood, Silver Lake, and Downtown, it pulses throughout the city in beautiful, diverse, and creatives ways. My favorite aspect of Los Angeles’ queer life is its ability to accomodate a variety of subcultures and passions due to its enormous population and wide constellations of neighborhoods.
