“Why Can’t I Walk In?”

“How many awards do I have to win? How much work do I have to do? How many millions of people do I have to talk to about race before, in my home town, I can just walk into a bar without tremendous amounts of scrutiny?”

Sonary Glinton’s voice carried a restrained fury when he posed these questions at a West Hollywood City Council meeting Monday evening. He wasn’t just venting—he was laying bare a raw truth. Thirteen years ago, he’d chosen this city as a haven, a place where a gay Black man could breathe easier. But that night, after being mistaken for a homeless person and grilled over his ID just to step into a bar on Santa Monica Boulevard, he stood up and asked the room: does this city still mean what it says it does?

Glinton’s frustration wasn’t just about one bad night. It was about often being treated with skepticism by bar staff in a place he’d chosen to call home for its promise of safety and belonging. “I moved here specifically 13 years ago so I could have a semblance of safety, so I could feel at home,” he told the council. “I didn’t want to be a double minority wherever I went.” Yet, at nearly 50, he found himself facing the same scrutiny he thought age would spare him from. The incident wasn’t just a personal slight—it was a crack in the city’s self-image as a progressive refuge.

The council didn’t brush it off. City Manager David Wilson offered a direct apology: “I do want to apologize to Mr. Glinton for what he experienced in the bars here in West Hollywood, and so we’ll have more discussions about that.” Vice Mayor Heilman went further, pressing for action. “We have to eliminate this kind of activity where people are being excessively screened clearly because of their race or their ethnicity,” he said, urging outreach to bar owners and staff. He acknowledged the city’s early struggles with similar issues, adding, “It’s painful to hear that it is still going on to this day.”

Mayor Byers pointed out that Glinton’s experience isn’t a one-off. “It is an issue that my LGBTQ+ Commissioner Amber Whittington has also been raising to me,” she said, referencing broader concerns about discriminatory door policies and dress codes. “No matter what rules seem to be in place, there is still discrimination happening at the door.” Her words carried a clear message: this is a problem the city can’t ignore, and they’re committed to tackling it.

Glinton’s story taps into a bigger conversation about prejudice and racism. This is a city that’s long prided itself on being a sanctuary for marginalized communities, but incidents like this show there’s still work to do. “I want everyone to feel a little bit of the discomfort that I feel all the time because I’m a Black man and I can’t go into a bar in West Hollywood,” Glinton said, challenging the room to face that reality. It’s the kind of discomfort that sticks with you.

The council’s promise to engage bar owners and staff is a solid start, but it’ll take more than talk to make a difference. West Hollywood has a shot here to show that its progressive spirit isn’t just a badge it wears—it’s a commitment it lives out. For Glinton, who’s called this place home for over a decade, it’s personal. And for the rest of the community, it’s a wake-up call: progress isn’t a finish line—it’s a path we keep walking.