“Gay is the opium of the people.”
– Jeremy Atherton Lin
Once the birthplace of the queer experience in Los Angeles, now a city on the hill in the face of hate and vitriol. The gay clubs are the chance to have fun in a world of the straight mainstream — the boring world.
WeHo has become a place where straight people come to oogle at gay people as if we’re circus animals that exist for their enjoyment. For the gay clubs to become what they are always meant to be — we must revive what they mean.
Now more than ever, WeHo needs a revival.
WeHo is more than nightlife — it’s community.
In a city of growing acceptance for the queer community — WeHo has lost its place.
WeHo began as a safehaven from LAPD harassment during the 70s and 80s. But not all in the queer community were welcome. WeHo has long been riddled with discrimination toward anymore who was not white, middle-class, male and “good-looking.”
The City of West Hollywood is using this opportunity to reposition The WeHo Strip as more than just the commercialization of queerness. Instead, WeHo can become a place of authenticity, freedom to be queer, and a place to be free spirits.