By Wendy Su
Daily Bruin Contributor
The fifth annual Queer Los Angeles lecture series will begin
April 11 to highlight the city and its gay and lesbian
community.
The series is in conjunction with the Queer Los Angeles course
taught by the director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
Transgender studies program, James Schultz.
“One of the purposes is to draw attention to the
remarkable history and institutions of Queer Los Angeles,”
Schultz said.
San Francisco and New York dominate the LGBT scene, according to
Tammy Ho, program assistant for LGBT Studies.
But Los Angeles has a rich queer history as well, Schultz said.
One of the first lesbian journals was published in Los Angeles.
“Los Angeles focused less on street protests and more on
institution building, such as community services and social
services. This may account for the reason that it is not
well-known,” Schultz said.
The lecture series will feature activists, journalists, artists
and authors who will speak about the role LGBT people play in Los
Angeles and the city’s influences on shaping a lifestyle and
culture.
“The series is part of an effort to make Los Angeles a
prominent part of LGBT Studies,” Ho said.
The gay liberation of the 1960s created a movement that
emphasized community, politics and social services from Venice
Beach to East Los Angeles.
One well-known spot of queer culture and entertainment is West
Hollywood, and many UCLA students join the L.A. LGBT culture.
Both Jared, a first-year student who did not want his last name
released because his parents do not know about his sexuality, and
Kai Hsu, a second-year political science student, come from
conservative backgrounds. They chose to come out in Los Angeles
rather than their home towns because of the openness and extensive
LGBT culture.
“Los Angeles is more accepting, but I also think a lot of
it is college. People are so much more open-minded,” Hsu
said.
Hsu sent out an e-mail to his friends his first year at UCLA,
telling them he is gay. He told his friends back home during
Christmas break that year.
“I came back to college after Christmas break “¦ and
one of my friends told me how he was afraid for my eternal soul.
Two other of my best friends did not respond at all,” he
said.
Jared came out in college after attending high school in the San
Joaquin Valley area.
“I knew how college campuses were, and I knew UCLA ““
being a large one ““ would afford anonymity and be more
accepting in intimate settings,” he said.
That he could talk about his life openly and casually and still
be supported in Los Angeles is important to his overall feeling of
acceptance, he said.