Friday, August 10, 2007

West Hollywood

What gets me about WeHo is not so much the presence of an extended LGBT community. Examples of it can be found in many cities, including mine. There are "gay neighbourhoods" in pretty much all the big cities in the world. It is not the mere quantitative presence.

Nor is the "qualitative" presence: I have to admit, I've never seen so many hot lezzies anywhere else (except in those floating environments that are tennis tournaments: therefore, I've never seen so many in stable territories, so to speak). But I'm not the person who travels to see beautiful people, at least not as the main concern.

The real reason the City of West Hollywood seduces me lies in its name: and I am not talking about the glittering, limelighted last word; it is the first instead.

It so happened that in 1984, this diverse community of Jews, Russians, seniors, and (yes) gays and lesbians who had gathered in the area to escape from persecutions of various forms and shapes, stopped being "tolerated" and started a world-rare path to self-determination. Even better, to self-government. No more living under the laws of "straight mankind", trying to exploit the loose mesh, trying to find solace in the missed or distracted application of rules. Now a community starts to make laws for themselves.

For example, when it was denounced that sheriffs were harassing gays in the park, the community deliberated to hire gay sheriffs.

And now there are sheriff cars around in WeHo, with the same duties of all other sheriffs in the world; except they sport a 6-color logo. And this is not Las Vegas, it's no illusion: it's all true and vivid. Or shall I say, given the level of entertainment present in the city along with the political activism, this is not "just" Las Vegas.





In other news.... I looked for The Planet, but I couldn't find it! LOL ;)
In return, I spotted Alice's car :) LMAO





I also thought that Ilene Chaiken (TLW creator) didn't have to invent much... as soon as I saw the Pacific Design Center it reminded me of the California Arts Centre. TLW is set in WeHo, after all.


14 comments:

Hugo87 said...

thanks for the info great pictures you seem to have enjoyed your self did you meet anyone?

Nadl said...

the planet, bette's house + jenny's house are all in vancouver ;) (i guess the WAX too)
the most part of TLW is filmed in vancouver..

but for example season 2 one of the first episodes where dana + alice were running, that was filmed in WeHo ;)

Unknown said...

My partner and I lived in WeHo for one year while she was doing an internship. I loved every minute of living there more than any other place I've lived coast to coast. Very few places in the U.S. make you feel like a human being with equal rights like West Hollywood does. I miss it.

Bumsby said...

Yeah, I think you get that feeling. Yesterday I saw a guy heavily hitting on another guy on the bus and no one made any weird faces. That could never happen in Rome.

I also love the militant atmosphere... it reminds of the good things about Europe.

Spank said...

...militant..good things..?! *confused*

I presume you mean social democracy "militancy" rather than IRA/UDF/ETA type militants.

Actually I get rather sick of guys hitting on one another here in London as they come here to do that openly and bluntly and are even more openly hostile and rude to the women here then they would be in their own countries(I presume.) It's almost as if they want to punish the women for existing.
I've met a lot of gay men like that, native and from abroad(especially people from the med and S.Americas {sorry})

Bumsby said...

It doesn't seem like that here at all.

Unknown said...

Shame on you, Spanky!!! You're getting your Protestant paramilitaries mixed up! LOL

UDA or UVF.

And a pox on them both, and their adversaries. ;)

Bumsby said...

UVF? Like in UVF rays?
Yeah I admit, I do need a better tan than my current one. ;)

Hugo I met sapph and Mary. And Holly and her friend managed to drag me to the top of a mountain last night to see this meteor shower: it was cool, but also damn cold! After 15 minutes I was totally freezing, and I showed how old and ill I am by retiring in the car. I had fun though. There were a lot of people and when we saw a close or big meteor everyone went "wow!" or "awesome!". LOL. It was such an American experience.

Holly told me she wants to join the mafia the other day *rolls eyes* She freaked me out for a while. But then she said she didn't really mean it, and she just wants to watch the Mafiosi from a distance. *rolls eyes even more* LOL. Her friend is very friendly and funny. If you are reading this, thanks for picking me up so many times!

Nadl said...

i also watched the meteor shower here, but only for 5 mins :p

btw how long will u stay in LA?


and Tamira lost :(

Bumsby said...

yay, writing from an iPhone again... I'm addicted. If I only knew where I live maybe I could buy myself one? LOL. I'll stay in LA another couple of days. But I'll stay in California until the end of the month.

Nadl said...

arghh i wanna have an iphone too!

where in california will u stay then?

Bumsby said...

I'm going to a small city near LA for work then to San Diego and San Francisco for vacation.

Nadl said...

wow sounds really great =)

Spank said...

Sapph, are you sure I don't mean IVF :D j/k