December 5, 2024 The Newspaper Serving LGBT Los Angeles

Painted Panels of LGBTQ+ History

There’s a certain crispness in the air as one walks down Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood as of late. Days are shortening and the leaves in William S. Hart Park are starting to turn and fall. This is a perfect evening to go for a stroll take in the enormity of the latest City of West Hollywood’s Arts Division instillation.

“A Mecca of Bold, Retold” is a 140-foot-long temporary mural by Aaron Glasson that highlights historic figures and significant events in the WeHo’s history. Scheduled to be displayed until the end of the year, the mural exemplifies the diversity and intersectionality that creates the West Hollywood community. The LGBTQ+ community is represented in seven of the 19 panels.

The mural is part of the City’s Art on the Outside program, which installs rotating artworks in public spaces throughout the City. Works include sculpture, murals and other outdoor works. Most works remain on display from between six months and three years, according to the City of West Hollywood website. This instillation was commissioned in celebration of the “Summer on Sunset: A Tribute to the Summer of Love” events promoted by the visitors bureau of the City of West Hollywood.

Photo: Morgan Genser.

LGBTQ+ Representation

The seventh panel of the mural recognizes the evolution of the area during the silent film era,  as represented in the depiction of Russian immigrant and known bisexual Allah Nazimova. Her mansion, called The Garden of Allah, was located in Los Angeles, just outside of the City of West Hollywood’s border on Sunset Boulevard. Artists such as Nazimova were early trailblazers who set a precedent that attracted other like-minded progressive artists and activists to the area.

In panels 11 and 12, Avant-garde clothing designer Rudi Gernreich’s is depicted. His clothes are generally regarded as the most innovative and dynamic fashion of the 1960s, consciously pushed the boundaries of acceptable fashion. He used his designs as an opportunity expand society’s perception of what was acceptable. He was the first to introduce unisex designs and cutouts in clothing and designed the first thong bathing suit, the first swimsuit without a built-in bra, and the topless monokini. Gernreich and his lover Harry Hay co-founded the Mattachine Society, one of the earliest LGBT gay rights organizations in the United States. Their goal was to improve the rights of gay men. Gernreich later lived together in West Hollywood with his partner Oreste Pucciani, who was also a pivotal figure in the gay rights movement, until he died in 1985.

Panel 13 features gay rights activist Henry “Harry” Hay, Jr. In 1989, the West Hollywood City Council named him as Honorary Citizen of West Hollywood.  Also featured in this panel is actress, singer and gay icon Judy Garland. She lived just north of the Sunset Strip. She is famous for her role as Dorothy Gale in “The Wizard of Oz” (1939). She was the first woman to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year for her live recording “Judy at Carnegie Hall” (1961), according to the City of West Hollywood website.

Panel 16 highlights the early days of the gay rights movement. The LGBTQ+ community in Los Angeles experienced the first gay-rights protests after officers beat gay patrons and arrested 14 people for same-sex kissing at the Black Cat bar on New Year’s Day in 1967. The first LA Pride Parade was organized in 1970 to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall riots.

Panel 17 takes us to 1984, the origin year of the City of West Hollywood. An unlikely coalition of LGBT activists, seniors and renters came together with progressive policies and strong tenants’ rights protections. The city was officially incorporated as an independent city on November 29, 1984.

Panel 18 looks at the current state of the LGBTQ+ community, highlighting  L.A. Pride and the  Resist March. In 2017, the colorful floats that were typically seen in the Pride Parade were replaced with people marching for human rights. The Resist March, harkening back to the roots of the original Pride Parade, was a demonstration of fighting for human rights, inspired by the massive women’s marches that took place across the globe the day after President Trump’s inauguration.

This mural is located at William S. Hart Park, located at 8341 DeLongpre Ave. and can be viewed facing Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. For more information, please contact Rebecca Ehemann, the City of West Hollywood’s Public Art Coordinator, at (323) 848-6846 or at rehemann@weho.org.

Related Posts

West Hollywood Sheriffs Announce Arrest in Vicious Attack on Barney’s Beanery Valet

October 22, 2024

October 22, 2024

Suspect Charged with Attempted Murder, Assault in Series of Five Attacks The West Hollywood Sheriffs Department held a press conference...

Suspect Pleads Guilty in Scheme to Sell Stolen Warhol Artwork in Beverly Hills Auction House

October 1, 2024

October 1, 2024

The Warhol Print Was Originally Sold by a West Hollywood Gallery  Brian Alec Light, 58, of Hudson, Ohio, is expected...

West Hollywood Valet in Critical Condition After Brutal Attack, Suspect Identified

September 17, 2024

September 17, 2024

Kindly Barney’s Beanery Valet Attacked; LASD Seeks Community Assistance A longtime valet at a popular West Hollywood restaurant is in...

Santa Monica Artist Dave Quick’s “Return from the Burn” Exhibition to Open at Bergamot’s Lois Lambert Gallery

July 10, 2024

July 10, 2024

Pre-Burning Man Showcase Features Kinetic Art and Sculptures Coated with Playa Dust, Opens July 13 With upwards of 80,000 attendees,...

Film Review: Down Low

July 30, 2023

July 30, 2023

FILM REVIEWDOWN LOWRated R90 MinutesReleased March 11, 2023 By Dolores Quintana “Down Low” is funny. It’s a lean 90 minutes...

Film Review: The People’s Joker

July 23, 2023

July 23, 2023

FILM REVIEWThe People’s JokerUnrated92 MinutesReleased September 13, 2022 (Toronto Film Festival) By Dolores Quintana “The People’s Joker” is a heartfelt...

Skin Laundry Laser Focuses On Rejuvenating Skin

July 12, 2023

July 12, 2023

Facials don’t have to be invasive. That’s why Skin Laundry has taken a revolutionary approach to skincare technology, making the...

The Problem with Pride Outfits and How You Can Change It

February 20, 2023

February 20, 2023

Since pride month’s official declaration in 1999, we’re reminded every June of how far America has come following New York...

Happening Now: West Hollywood’s LGBTQ+ Arts Festival

May 23, 2022

May 23, 2022

By Susan Payne Happening now through the end of June, WeHo Pride LGBTQ Arts Festival celebrates the artistic contributions of...

California Trans Child Molester Gets 2 Years In Juvenile Facility

February 2, 2022

February 2, 2022

A Los Angeles County judge ordered Hannah Tubbs, a transgender California woman, to serve two years in a juvenile facility...

Homeless Initiative Meeting In West Hollywood

February 2, 2022

February 2, 2022

The City of West Hollywood’s Homeless Initiative works to address homelessness with a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency, collaborative response. It’s estimated that...

WeHo Premieres the ‘Moving Image Media Art’ Exhibition Series

February 2, 2022

February 2, 2022

The City of West Hollywood announces the premiere of the Moving Image Media Art (MIMA) program and the worldwide debut...

LA Street Will Potentially Be Named After Anti-LGBTQ Singer

February 2, 2022

February 2, 2022

A portion of Bailey Street may be renamed to the late Mexican Mariachi singer ” Vicente Fernandez Street’ – a...

WeHo Spreads Word About Free Covid Testing

February 2, 2022

February 2, 2022

The City of West Hollywood is reminding residents that free COVID-19 testing is available for them.  Demand for COVID-19 testing...

Green Qween New Queer-Owned Cannabis Shop Will Open Downtown

February 2, 2022

February 2, 2022

Green Qween, a new queer-owned and queer-driven cannabis shop, will open in downtown on April 20th.  The shops owners, Andrés...