Gay L.A.

Reading Lillian Faderman and Stuart Timmons' Gay L.A.has given me some new insights about the history of Gay Culture on the west coast especially in Hollywood and simultaneously it has re-wakened some old wounds long thought healed over. Reading history can sometimes be a very melancholic ritual. It is exciting to read about the Who's Who in Hollywood Gay History yet it is sad to vicariously re-live the horrors of a time when homosexuals, male and female, could be arrested, harassed, beaten, fired, and publicly humiliated by public officials with immunity.

Yet, these stories also prove once again that gay people can be strong, witty, righteous, loving, centered, and heroic in the face of overwhelming bigotry, irrationality, hate, ignorance and stupidity. This you can experience while reading Gay L.A.