OUTSIDER PERSPECTIVE

In analyzing West Hollywood from an "outsider perspective," we have decided to approach this from our own unique viewpoints – those of queer people who do not find WeHo's community resources, nightlife, and lifestyle brand to be wholly comforting. We acknowledge that, for the purposes of this post, we are only referring to WeHo's LGBT community, and not West Hollywood as a whole. As you have read about in the other posts, there are many different communities and people that reside in and frequent the various parts of the city. We believed that our own experiences would provide the greatest insight into the LGBT community. Luis, a group member, explains his own relationship with WeHo:

"Being queer and growing up in a Latino-immigrant community, I always hoped to find a space where being gay would be accepted. When I “came out” in college I began to find groups and other social spaces where I felt comfortable being open about my sexuality. Soon enough I began to hear about West Hollywood (or WeHo for short), although strangely it was usually from my straight female friends who painted WeHo as a sort of Mecca for gays. In WeHo the men were gay, loved to drink and knew how to party. When I was finally able to visit I found that the gay men in WeHo were also mostly white, thin, and seemingly financially well off. WeHo, to me, was nothing more than an extension of the materialistic and self-involved “West Side.”

In talking to youth from an LGBT Latino organization, Luis found that many of them have a similar relationship and views of WeHo. For them WeHo is a place to be open about sexuality, but it is not home. Many travel up to an hour by bus from communities like East Los Angeles and South L.A. to visit WeHo, but find resources and support groups far outside the city limits. Although the city of West Hollywood itself offers a variety of resources to its various communities and residents, WeHo’s nightlife ultimately overshadows and shapes the image to most outsiders. There is no denying that to the LGBT community as a whole, West Hollywood represents a step toward greater acceptance and understanding of LGBT issues, but this is something that should not be restricted to a two square-mile area.

The queer community in Los Angeles consists of many groups of people that do not identify with the mainstream, white, male, wealthy, gay consumerist culture of West Hollywood. Since WeHo represents the most visible form of queer culture in Los Angeles, however, that is how many people view queer life in LA. Outsiders view WeHo in many different ways. Some people think it represents a much-needed community space for LGBT people to socialize, live, and work, while others believe that gay culture does not need to be as visible as it is on Santa Monica Blvd, and some queer people do not believe that they are represented by or welcome in the culture of WeHo.