Here’s the deal in LA. West Hollywood’s pretty-boy ground zero is located at The Abbey. Places farther east down Santa Monica Boulevard, like FuBar and Club7969, trade in the gloss for raw power. FuBar is a little darker, wilder, and more intimate. 7969 is hot and packed on Saturdays with Hot Dog, Mario Diaz’s sexy boy party. O-Bar is a swanky lounge that is cruising heaven. On Sunday afternoons, there’s always Size 9 at Here Lounge, where, if you’re lucky, the sun won’t be the only thing to go down. Far from the reaches of WeHo, Silver Lake’s gay scene is decidedly more mellow and friendly. Akbar is the place to go for cute, indie, normal-bodied boys, Faultline can give you that hot leather daddy moment we all need from time to time, and The Eagle is a mixed scene with retro porn playing.
Some of the girl action is mixed in with the male scene in LA; check out nights Wednesday’s GirlBar at The Abbey or Friday’s TruckStop at Here. If you’re looking for a lady scene coupled with damn good drinks, head to the Oxwood Inn in Van Nuys. Akbar is mostly guys but some ladies, and the clientele skews younger and more hipster-er than the West Hollywood scene. And you have to visit The Palms at least one – this lesbian bar has been open for over 40 years.
Health Center & Support Organizations
LA Gay & Lesbian Center (LAGLC) McDonald Wright Building •
1625 N Schrader Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028 • 323-993-7400 • www.laglc.org
LAGLC offers the following services:
• Pedro Zamora Youth HIV Program • 323-993-7571
• Jeffrey Goodman Special Care Clinic • 323-993-7500
12-Step Program Meetings including AA, Alanon, NA, Marijuana Anon, Crystal Meth Anon, Sexual Compulsives Anon, and Anorexics Anon.
• Counseling services including general, addiction recovery, domestic violence, and HIV/AIDS • 323-993-7500
• HIV Testing • 323-993-7500
• Audre Lorde Lesbian Health Clinic • 323-993-7500
• Sexual Health Program • 323-860-5855
AIDS Project Los Angeles • 213-201-1600 •
www.apla.org • Assistance and information hotline for people living with AIDS.
HIV LA • www.hivla.org
An online resource in English and Spanish that helps people with HIV/AIDS find services available in Los Angeles County.
GLAAD Los Angeles • 5455 Wilshire Blvd #1500, Los Angeles, CA 90036 • 323-933-2240 • www.glaad.org
Gay & Lesbian Youth Talkline • 800-246-7743
The Trevor Project • www.trevorproject.org • Support line for LGBT youth.
Websites
• LA Gay & Lesbian Center • www.laglc.org
LA Gay and Lesbian Center is the largest and oldest in the country, and is an invaluable community resource offering legal, medical, outreach, and educational services, among many others.
• Circuit Noize • www.circuitnoize.com
The premier source of circuit party information, parties, events, music, tickets, gay travel, and dancing.
• Gay.com • www.gay.com
If you’re looking for love online, this is the place to visit. Gay.com has hundreds of chat rooms for people around the country, with eight devoted to LA, two to Long Beach, and two to Orange County.
• Gay and Lesbian Community Yellow Pages •
www.gmcla.org • Online version of Yellow Pages distributed through West Hollywood
• Gay Los Angeles • www.gaylosangeles.com
Lesbian and gay directory for gay-owned and gay-friendly places in Los Angeles (bars, clubs, saunas, restaurants, and more).
• West Hollywood • www.westhollywood.com
Comprehensive online guide to gay West Hollywood, featuring music, arts, videos, nightlife, circuits, classifieds, buzz, photos, and shopping.
• QV Magazine • www.qvmagazine.com
Online edition of LA’s gay Latino magazine.
• Power Up • www.powerupfilms.org
A group dedicated to promoting the visibility of gay women in film, entertainment, and media.
• Los Angeles Tennis Association • www.lataweb.com
With more than 400 members, this is the largest gay and lesbian tennis club in the world. All skill levels welcome.
• Greater Los Angeles Softball Association •
www.lagaysoftball.com
This exclusively gay and lesbian league has more than 30 teams participating in their men’s and women’s divisions.
• Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles • www.gmcla.com
Check out their site for performance dates and a rehearsal schedule.
• Metropolitan Community Church • www.mccla.org
This popular church is gay- and lesbian-friendly and offers multi-denominational services.
Bookstores
• Circus of Books (two locations) • 8230 Santa Monica Blvd (b/w Harper & LaJolla Aves), West Hollywood •
323-656-6533; and 4001 Sunset Blvd (at Sanborn Ave),
Silver Lake • 323-666-1304 • www.circusofbooks.com •
Hours: 6 am–2 am, daily.
Publications
From local news headlines to club listings, these LGBT publications bring you all the news that’s gay. Most of these publications can be found in gay-friendly bookstores, cafes, bars, and various shops.
• A & U • 888.245.4333 • www.aumag.org
• Circuit Noize • 818-769-9390 • www.circuitnoize.com
• Cybersocket • 323.650.9906 • www.cybersocket.com
• Frontiers • 323-930-3220 • www.frontiersnewsmagazine.com
• MetroSource LA • 323-933-2300 • www.metrosource.com
• POZ Magazine • www.poz.com
• QV Magazine • 702-676-1427 • www.qvmagazine.com
• The Lesbian News • 800-458-9888 • www.lesbiannews.com
• The Advocate • 323-852-7200 • www.advocate.com
• In Los Angeles Magazine • 323.848.2200 • www.inlamagazine.com
• Odyssey Magazine • 323-874-8788 • www.odysseymagazine.net