Queer Terrains

The Ackermansion was the home of Forrest J. Ackerman from the early 1950s until 1973 (Astrella and Greene, 18). Ackerman had gathered an impressive collection of film memorabilia, from all kinds of sets having to do with science-fiction, horror or fantasy. Those included costumes, from the early film King Kong, Vampirella’s set, as well as molds and props, including a functioning Gremlin puppet.

Fais Do Do was an East. L.A. music venue that hosted the final night of Scutterfest 2002, a music festival formed out of the punk rock queer zine Scutter. Scutter was self-published by Chicano queer and Los Angeles native Rudy Bleu, who formed the magazine to create a relatable space for other queer people of the punk rock scene. 

Vice Versa was the first lesbian magazine published in the United States. It ran for nine issues, released monthly from June 1947 to February 1948. Edythe Eyde—known by her pen name, “Lisa Ben,” an anagram of “lesbian”—published the magazine. She typed it by hand at her job at RKO Studios and wrote most of the content herself, which included book reviews, short stories, poetry, and more.

The AIDS epidemic swept through the nation at the beginning of the 1980’s, and major cities with large gay populations like Los Angeles saw rates of infection skyrocket amongst otherwise healthy men. ACT UP (AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power) Los Angeles was officially formed in 1987, and took to the streets with a passion for change unique to a group that was fighting for their very lives.

The Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society (LASFS) was created in 1934 (link – LASFS website). In his Memoirs of a Superfluous Fan, T. Bruce Yerke writes that the LASFS used to be the LASFL, or Los Angeles Chapter Number 4, of the Science Fiction League. 

Joani Presents was a lesbian club at 6413 Lankershim Boulevard, in North Hollywood, California. The owner, Joani Hannon, was a muscian and performer often known for her role in the 1959 Marilyn Monroe film Some Like It Hot.

The Odyssey was a popular nightclub that primarily served young residents of the Hollywood area. Located on 8471 Beverly Boulevard, the club openly welcomed gay and lesbian teenage patrons and provided a space for them to explore their sexual identities. The decline of the establishment was due to community backlash due to its reputation for informally serving alcohol to the underage, the selling of infamous club drugs such as quaaludes and the increase of crime and commotion.

Bullshot was a Los Angeles disco for gay men located at 739 North La Brea Avenue in Hollywood. Open from 1974 to 1980, it was known for its Western theme, prominent performers, drinks, dancing, and contests that begged the question, “Are you bully enough?” Bullshot aimed to create a brand informed by the Western and macho aspects of disco culture. It did so successfully, but only for a short time, as it closed even before the decline of disco’s massive popularity.

The Smell is a famously all-ages LGBT-friendly music venue with a legacy of hosting queercore performers since its opening in 1998. Queercore, not exactly a subgenre of punk, but rather a divergent response to the sexism and homophobia of the punk scene, sought to not only dismantle these prejudices amidst the punk scene but also speak out against the growing conservatism of the gay and lesbian mainstream.