My name is Douglas Stichler, I grew up in Montebello, California, in the 70’s and 80’s. I knew I was gay from a young age. Knowing this, I kept hearing about a wonderful haven called West Hollywood. As soon as I could drive by myself and leave my house without the wrath of parents coming down on me, I started sneaking off to the glorious West Hollywood. I have lived there most of my adult life and was lucky to become very involved in the conversation on what it should be, what it could be, and what it finally became. I was lucky enough to meet Hank Scott, who created WehoVille, and was allowed to be a part of it for several years. But I finally left, and it was one day that did it for me. Larry has asked me to write about it, so here it is:
As the sun set over the palm-lined streets of West Hollywood, memories flooded my mind. I reflected on the days when this vibrant neighborhood was a sanctuary for the LGBTQ+ community, a place where acceptance and celebration flourished. But as time passed, the winds of change swept through, reshaping the very fabric of this once-cherished haven. It is with a mix of nostalgia and longing that I recount my journey as a gay individual in West Hollywood and the reasons that led me to make the difficult choice to move away.
Nestled in the heart of Los Angeles, West Hollywood has a storied past. It emerged as a beacon of hope for the LGBTQ+ community, a place where individuals could embrace their true selves without fear of judgment or persecution. The neighborhood’s rise to prominence coincided with the LGBTQ+ rights movement, and it quickly became renowned for its vibrant nightlife, inclusive establishments, and a strong sense of community.
However, like many neighborhoods, West Hollywood has undergone significant changes over the years. Gentrification has driven up rent prices, making it increasingly difficult for long-time residents and LGBTQ+ individuals to afford to live in the area they once called home. The lack of affordable housing options has forced many to seek refuge elsewhere, disrupting the sense of community and displacing those who helped shape the neighborhood’s identity. Not to mention the commercial rents that have driven out the once family-owned businesses, the boutiques, the once-in-a-lifetime stores you wouldn’t see anywhere else.
One of the biggest disconnects for me, being very involved in politics in WeHo, was between the city council and the LGBTQ+ community, which has been disheartening. As the neighborhood transformed, the voices and concerns of its LGBTQ+ residents seemed to be drowned out. The lack of adequate representation and inclusivity in decision-making processes has left the community feeling marginalized and unheard. This was so disturbing, because most who were running and were elected were of our community.
One of the pressing issues that West Hollywood faces is the homelessness problem. Is anyone ever going to try? Is anyone ever going to address what is the obvious problem? We allow the rents to rise to an unattainable price. “Living in place,” they say, but no one in the City Council addresses the actual ways to make it happen, which by the way is very simple. Rising rent prices, insufficient affordable housing initiatives, and the lack of comprehensive support services have contributed to a visible increase in homelessness within the LGBTQ+ community. It is disheartening to witness the struggle faced by our fellow community members, as the neighborhood they once sought solace in becomes increasingly unattainable.
Additionally, the commercialization of the gay community has taken a toll on the neighborhood’s authenticity. As businesses aimed to capitalize on the LGBTQ+ demographic, the unique charm and grassroots nature of West Hollywood have been overshadowed by a more sanitized and commercialized version of queer culture. The lack of sustainable and affordable places to eat, shop, and gather has eroded the neighborhood’s character and diminished the sense of community that once thrived here.
As a gay individual who spent most of my life in West Hollywood, and at my age fighting for every gay right we have ever tried to have, I felt the weight of these challenges on my own LGBTQ+ identity. The rising costs of living, the lack of representation, the homelessness crisis, and the commercialization of our community have all taken a toll. It became increasingly clear that the essence of what West Hollywood once represented was slipping away.
The decision to leave West Hollywood was not an easy one. I still muse about not being involved in WehoVille anymore and trying to fight every day to make a difference. However, it was a choice born out of a desire to reclaim a sense of community and belonging and a feeling of making a difference where even the young, newly elected council members (Sepi Shyne, John Erickson, Chelsea Byers) should learn immediately. So, I decided to seek out new LGBTQ+ communities, both online and offline, that embraced the diversity and resilience of our shared experiences. Ones that are just starting out and need the help of elders instead of not listening and driving a once most amazing community like West Hollywood into a place where gay life is barely existent.
As communities, cities, and towns evolve over time, it’s important to acknowledge that change is inevitable. Although we may cherish the past and hold onto nostalgic memories, it’s crucial to embrace progress and keep fighting for what we believe in. Time moves forward, and we must move forward with it. If you ever want to witness the inclusivity and progressiveness of West Hollywood, simply spend a week in any other area aside from Palm Springs. I sincerely hope that wherever you have relocated to, you are enjoying your new community and actively engaging with it.
Hank Scott was a brilliant contributor
I understand your nostalgia – I live here still -but Weho evolved long before our city council did. The minute of cityhood created factions that even though they all loved Weho had hugely different visions for it. That your vision of a gay romantic Camelot village (mine too) has waned is the not unexpected, our city did and continues to model our policies closely resembling those of the City of Santa Monica, a larger village that had gentrified and embraced corporate American and it all mighty dollar long before Weho did. With respect, the internet changed our gay village and… Read more »
Well you really showed the leaders what they will miss more and more with the “loss of living in weho’ Oops, switch that – they don’t care about any resident and once you moved, you really don’t have much credit complaining about anything past, present or future failures by the City. Moving out of tiny WeHo won’t solve ” the homeless problem’s. It exists all over greater Lies Angeles. The overdevelopment, terrible and making it look just the all of the overdeveloped neighborhoods all over, some already streets that never get sunlight with the size of the mixed use buildings… Read more »
we are looking at the evolution of gay culture and our move toward mainstreaming. We contribute to the change we deplore in WeHo. It could not flourish without the support we give it. but Hey! There’s an evolving silver lake community that will readily accept those alienated by what WeHo has become.
Btw: the evolving Silverlake community, evolved many years ago. Let’s drive past La Brea more often.
and it’s expanding
Things change. Things cost what they cost.
Exactly. One can’t expect West Hollywood to remain this golden beacon for gay male community when phone apps, internet and streaming TV already give gay men access to that community without the expense of moving to and living in a big city. Geography hasn’t been relevant for gay communities since modern culture gave us this social tech – and since modern culture gave voices to those in the gay community who are more than just the G in LGBTQ+. The heydays of WeHo which gay men over 50 nostalgically yearn for happened to be when gay men and lesbians were… Read more »
Doug writes eloquently about a West Hollywood that was a true community, rather than a forced identity that the word community has been bastardized to mean. I think much of the transformation has occurred at the hands of newbies and outsiders who came in hellbent on hijacking West Hollywood to further special interests and agendas. The founders of West Hollywood, and those who served until recent years, were big thinkers for the residents of West Hollywood and a quality of life that the interlopers have squandered. We need to get back to a focus on the nuts and bolts of… Read more »
It is unrealistic for people to believe they can remove or resolve their inner problems with a geographic move. Inwards, in the last place people often look at in this process. Becoming a functioning individual in your neighborhood, achieving the highest standards for all is more beneficial than believing West Hollywood to be a refuge for one’s inner problems and consequently setting up division by creating individual groups of victims. .
Ah, but for years we, (gay men), did. We came to West Hollywood and found acceptance into a larger community that was not “hetro-normalitive”, a word that had not even been invented yet. But that community was far more devoted to real diversity and tolerance, knowing that diversity of ideas and an ability to view the world from a different perspective was a great blessing and a source of strength. Now tolerance for intellectual diversity and different viewpoints is no longer part of the rubric of City Hall, which is fueling a great disconnect within the community as the generational… Read more »
Partially was my point. The new generation offers little respect for the one that passed before them and/or tolerance for whoever does not match their set of peculiar and rigid association. They are alienating and becoming aliens themselves but fail to see that. Bound to fail.
This is a complicated problem. Unfortunately I don’t think most members of the city council are educated enough or capable enough of solving it. Also, it’s not just West Hollywood, it’s a Los Angeles and a California problem. I built a new house in Weho and you cannot imagine all the things that needed to be built into the house which are requirements of either the state or the city. How many houses around the country require sprinkler systems throughout the entire house ? Apartments, condos yes but single family houses? It’s a nice feature but all these requirements cost… Read more »
I moved to west hollywood. in 1977. worked at a restaurant. well known one called le dome. Had a great little apartment on bonner drive $275 per month. ah. love that place. but worked hard. bought a house on bonner. worked harder and bought a house on sunset plaza. Places grow. Places change. south beach where i used to go in the 1990s changed. it hhas to. has nothing to do with gay/straight. I love west hollywood. If i could I would move back to my one bedroom apt. lol.Its supply and demand.
He speaks the truth, every word of it. Where are those who can think of solutions?
You complain about rising rents, but don’t you think if rents were somehow lowered, more people, including straight people looking for a bargain, would want to move here and rents would rise further? Does supply and demand enter into your mind? You make no sense and offered no solutions. And why does it say “By Brandon” at the top?
And what is your solution? Are you not just complaining about a complaint.
I’ve posted multiple times the solution. Make it illegal to give money or food on public property, illegal to give free food out. Throw people in jail including priests who do. When the freeloaders who made bad life choices get hungry enough, they will board free buses to tent camps in the desert where anyone can get free food, wifi, showers and tents. Problem solved cheaply. What’s your better solution?
Lepers Colonies, Debtors Prison and Public Stoning too! You sound highly Nihilistic, even Ayn Rand believed if you had the time and desire that charity was acceptable.
I do believe that we need strong laws to prevent the homeless creating unsafe and unhealthy conditions in our city…we should not acquiesce to public drugs, camping out on sidewalk and defecation, threats or harassment.
I once saw West Hollywood as a Sangria destination back in the 1990s.I visited a few times and loved the community feeling that was present back then.West Hollywood was a small community surrounded by a faceless monstrous city, Los Angeles. I considered moving to West Hollywood in the 1990s as I thought it was a wonderful place.Of course I had to consider changing jobs or transferring in my current job. The job I had had no connection to the Hollywood industry at that time. The housing stock in the city had few houses compared to the many rentals that were… Read more »