Los Angeles
Hollywood residents angered over Sunset Blvd. homeless encampment
Many residents are frustrated over the increasing daily criminal activity that has plagued the area, including vehicle break-ins
HOLLYWOOD – For those who live in the Hollywood neighborhood that surrounds the homeless encampment on Sunset Boulevard at Martel Avenue, the last seventeen months have been aggravating.
Many residents are frustrated over the increasing daily criminal activity that has plagued the area, including vehicle break-ins which at times has resulted in multiple break-ins on the same vehicles.
“We’ve had tons of break-ins. Our garage has been broken into five times. Cars are vandalized. Mail is stolen,” local resident Lawrence S., who lives near the encampment, told KABC 7. “Our building, the building across the street, the building across the street that way — there’s just rampant crime.
“I actually had my sister in-law come to visit for the first time and she parked across the street in broad daylight and within 30 seconds, someone from the homeless encampment was down swinging a club at her. The violence is escalating and we keep asking the City Council, what is it going to take? Do we need to wait till someone’s murdered?”
The encampment is located at 7323 Sunset Blvd. and surrounds an AT&T building. It’s located in L.A. City Councilwoman Nithya Raman’s district who toured the encampment in 2021, joined by residents, including Terry S.
“She promised. She said that she would be adamantly enforcing ADA compliance. That she’s looking into setting up a safe camping location for the campers. Never happened,” Terry S. told KABC 7.
“In August, 41.18, an ordinance, passed and we were very hopeful because finally we thought that they would have some tools at their disposal,” Lawrence S. said. “But the city councilwoman is only enforcing a part of that ordinance, which is the Care Plus Cleanup program. However, she’s only doing it when she feels like enforcing it, which is three times in 17 months.”
Residents say that the city’s efforts to clean up and clear out the encampment only results in the homeless displaced for a couple of days sometimes less and then they return to reestablish the encampment. This past Thursday the city again clean and cleared the encampment.
While an KABC 7 camera and reporter Josh Haskell were working on the story homeless people were in the background reestablishing their presence across the street.
KABC 7 reached out to Councilwoman Nithya Raman whose office responded with a media statement:
“This encampment is a priority for our office, and our Homelessness Team has been consistently bringing services and working with the individuals living at this location. LAHSA outreach teams most recently identified seven people living here and together we worked to move three of them into shelter just yesterday as part of our Encampment-to-Home project, which has already moved 43 people in Hollywood indoors. Additionally, a cleanup took place at this location yesterday and we are working to move the remaining individuals into shelter as soon as beds become available. We are in continued communication with the residents in the neighborhood regarding the status of our progress as we move forward.”
Residents upset with LA City Councilwoman Nithya Raman over Sunset Boulevard homeless encampment:
Los Angeles
The dedicated life and tragic death of gay publisher Troy Masters
āAlways working to bring awareness to causes larger than himselfā
Troy Masters was a cheerleader. When my name was called as the Los Angeles Press Clubās Print Journalist of the Year for 2020, Troy leapt out of his seat with a whoop and an almost jazz-hand enthusiasm, thrilled that the mainstream audience attending the Southern California Journalism Awards gala that October night in 2021 recognized the value of the LGBTQ communityās Los Angeles Blade.
That joy has been extinguished. On Wednesday, Dec. 11, after frantic unanswered calls from his sister Tammy late Monday and Tuesday, Troyās longtime friend and former partner Arturo Jiminez did a wellness check at Troyās L.A. apartment and found him dead, with his beloved dog Cody quietly alive by his side. The L.A. Coroner determined Troy Masters died by suicide. No note was recovered. He was 63.
Considered smart, charming, committed to LGBTQ people and the LGBTQ press, Troyās inexplicable suicide shook everyone, even those with whom he sometimes clashed.
Troyās sister and mother ā to whom he was absolutely devoted ā are devastated. āWe are still trying to navigate our lives without our precious brother/son. I want the world to know that Troy was loved and we always tried to let him know that,ā says younger sister Tammy Masters.
Tammy was 16 when she discovered Troy was gay and outed him to their mother. A ābusy-body sister,ā Tammy picked up the phone at their Tennessee home and heard Troy talking with his college boyfriend. She confronted him and he begged her not to tell.
āOf course, I ran and told Mom,ā Tammy says, chuckling during the phone call. āBut she – like all mothers – knew it. She knew it from an early age but loved him unconditionally; 1979 was a time [in the Deep South] when this just was not spoken of. But that didnāt stop Mom from being in his corner.ā
Mom even marched with Troy in his first Gay Pride Parade in New York City. āMom said to him, āOh, my! All these handsome men and not one of them has given me a second look! They are too busy checking each other out!ā Tammy says, bursting into laughter. āTroy and my mother had that kind of understanding that she would always be there and always have his back!
āAs for me,ā she continues, āI have lost the brother that I used to fight for in any given situation. And I will continue to honor his cause and lifetime commitment to the rights and freedom for the LGBTQ community!ā
Tammy adds: āThe outpouring of love has been comforting at this difficult time and we thank all of you!ā
No one yet knows why Troy took his life. We may never know. But Troy and I often shared our deeply disturbing bouts with drowning depression. Waves would inexplicitly come upon us, triggered by sadness or an image or a thought weād let get mangled in our unresolved, inescapable past trauma.
We survived because we shared our pain without judgment or shame. We may have argued ā but in this, we trusted each other. We set everything else aside and respectfully, actively listened to the words and the pain within the words.
Listening, Indian philosopher Krishnamurti once said, is an act of love. And we practiced listening. We sought stories that led to laughter. That was the rope ladder out of the dark rabbit hole with its bottomless pit of bullying and endless suffering. Rung by rung, weād talk and laugh and gripe about our beloved dogs.
I shared my 12 Step mantra when I got clean and sober: I will not drink, use or kill myself one minute at a time. A suicide survivor, I sought help and I urged him to seek help, too, since I was only a loving friend ā and sometimes thatās not enough.
(If you need help, please reach out to talk with someone: call or text 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. They also have services in Spanish and for the deaf.)
In 2015, Troy wrote a personal essay for Gay City News about his idyllic childhood in the 1960s with his sister in Nashville, where his stepfather was a prominent musician. The people he met ātaught me a lot about having a mission in life.ā
During summers, they went to Dothan, Ala., to hang out with his stepfatherās mother, Granny Alabama. But Troy learned about āadult conversation ā often filled with derogatory expletives about Blacks and Jewsā and felt āmy safety there was fragile.ā
It was a harsh revelation. āāTroy is a queer,ā I overheard my stepfather say with energetic disgust to another family member,ā Troy wrote. āEven at 13, I understood that my feelings for other boys were supposed to be secret. Now I knew terror. What my stepfather said humiliated me, sending an icy panic through my body that changed my demeanor and ruined my confidence. For the first time in my life, I felt depression and I became painfully shy. Alabama became a place, not of love, not of shelter, not of the magic of family, but of fear.ā
At the public pool, ākids would scream, āfaggot,ā āqueer,ā āchicken,ā āhomo,ā as they tried to dunk my head under the water. At one point, a big crowd joined in āā including kids I had known all my life āā and I was terrified they were trying to drown me.
āMy depression became dangerous and I remember thinking of ways to hurt myself,ā Troy wrote.
But Troy Masters ā who left home at 17 and graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville ā focused on creating a life that prioritized being of service to his own intersectional LGBTQ people. He also practiced compassion and last August, Troy reached out to his dying stepfather. A 45-minute Facetime farewell turned into a lovefest of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Troy discovered his advocacy chops as an ad representative at the daring gay and lesbian activist publication Outweek from 1989 to 1991.
āWe had no idea that hiring him would change someoneās life, its trajectory and create a lifelong commitmentā to the LGBTQ press, says Outweekās co-founder and former editor-in-chief Gabriel Rotello, now a TV producer. āHe was great ā always a pleasure to work with. He had very little drama – and there was a lot of drama at Outweek. It was a tumultuous time and I tended to hire people because of their activism,ā including Michelangelo Signorile, Masha Gessen, and Sarah Pettit.
Rotello speculates that because Troy āknew what he was doingā in a difficult profession, he was determined to launch his own publication when Outweek folded. āIāve always been very happy it happened that way for Troy,ā Rotello says. āIt was a cool thing.ā
Troy and friends launched NYQ, renamed QW, funded by record producer and ACT UP supporter Bill Chafin. QW (QueerWeek) was the first glossy gay and lesbian magazine published in New York City featuring news, culture, and events. It lasted for 18 months until Chafin died of AIDS in 1992 at age 35.
The horrific Second Wave of AIDS was peaking in 1992 but New Yorkers had no gay news source to provide reliable information at the epicenter of the epidemic.
āWhen my business partner died of AIDS and I had to close shop, I was left hopeless and severely depressed while the epidemic raged around me. I was barely functioning,ā Troy told VoyageLA in 2018. āBut one day, a friend in Moscow, Masha Gessen, urged me to get off my back and get busy; New Yorkās LGBT community was suffering an urgent health care crisis, fighting for basic legal rights and against an increase in violence. That, she said, was not nothing and I needed to get back in the game.ā
It took Troy about two years to launch the bi-weekly newspaper LGNY (Lesbian and Gay New York) out of his East Village apartment. The newspaper ran from 1994 to 2002 when it was re-launched as Gay City News with Paul Schindler as co-founder and Troyās editor-in-chief for 20 years.
āWe were always in total agreement that the work we were doing was important and that any story we delved into had to be done right,ā Schindler wrote in Gay City News.
Though the two āsometimes famously crossed swords,ā Troyās sudden death has special meaning for Schindler. āI will always remember Troyās sweetness and gentleness. Five days before his death, he texted me birthday wishes with the tag, āI hope you get a meaningful spanking today.ā That devilishness stays with me.ā
Troy had āvery high EI (Emotional Intelligence), Schindler says in a phone call. āHe had so much insight into me. It was something he had about a lot of people – what kind of person they were; what they were really saying.ā
Troy was also very mischievous. Schindler recounts a time when the two met a very important person in the newspaper business and Troy said something provocative. āI held my breath,ā Schindler says. āBut it worked. It was an icebreaker. He had the ability to connect quickly.ā
The journalistic standard at LGNY and Gay City News was not a question of āobjectivityā but fairness. āWeāre pro-gay,ā Schindler says, quoting Andy Humm. āOur reporting is clear advocacy yet I think we were viewed in New York as an honest broker.ā
Schindler thinks Troyās move to Los Angeles to jump-start his entrepreneurial spirit and reconnect with Arturo, who was already in L.A., was risky. āHe was over 50,ā Schindler says. āI was surprised and disappointed to lose a colleague ā but he was always surprising.ā
āIn many ways, crossing the continent and starting a print newspaper venture in this digitally obsessed era was a high-wire, counter-intuitive decision,ā Troy told VoyageLA. āBut I have been relentlessly determined and absolutely confident that my decades of experience make me uniquely positioned to do this.ā
Troy launched The Pride L.A. as part of the Mirror Media Group, which publishes the Santa Monica Mirror and other Westside community papers. But on June 12, 2016, the day of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., Troy said he found MAGA paraphernalia in a partnerās office. He immediately plotted his exit. On March 10, 2017, Troy and the āinternationally respectedā Washington Blade announced the launch of the Los Angeles Blade.
In a March 23, 2017 commentary promising a commitment to journalistic excellence, Troy wrote: āWe are living in a paradigm shifting moment in real time. You can feel it. Sometimes itās overwhelming. Sometimes itās toxic. Sometimes itās perplexing, even terrifying. On the other hand, sometimes itās just downright exhilarating. This moment is a profound opportunity to reexamine our roots and jumpstart our passion for full equality.ā
Troy tried hard to keep that commitment, including writing a personal essay to illustrate that LGBTQ people are part of the #MeToo movement. In āEnding a Long Silence,ā Troy wrote about being raped at 14 or 15 by an Amtrak employee on āThe Floridianā traveling from Dothan, Ala., to Nashville.
āWhat I thought was innocent and flirtatious affection quickly turned sexual and into a full-fledged rape,ā Troy wrote. āI panicked as he undressed me, unable to yell out and frozen by fear. I was falling into a deepening shame that was almost like a dissociation, something I found myself doing in moments of childhood stress from that moment on. Occasionally, even now.ā
From the personal to the political, Troy Masters tried to inform and inspire LGBTQ people.
Richard Zaldivar, founder and executive director of The Wall Las Memorias Project, enjoyed seeing Troy at President Bidenās Pride party at the White House.
āJust recently he invited us to participate with the LA Blade and other partners to support the LGBTQ forum on Asylum Seekers and Immigrants. He cared about underserved community. He explored LGBTQ who were ignored and forgotten. He wanted to end HIV; help support people living with HIV but most of all, he fought for justice,ā Zaldivar says. āI am saddened by his loss. His voice will never be forgotten. We will remember him as an unsung hero. May he rest in peace in the hands of God.ā
Troy often featured Bamby Salcedo, founder, president/CEO of TransLatina Coalition, and scores of other trans folks. In 2018, Bamby and Maria Roman graced the cover of the Transgender Rock the Vote edition.
āIt pains me to know that my dear, beautiful and amazing friend Troy is no longer with us ā¦ He always gave me and many people light,ā Salcedo says. āI know that we are living in dark times right now and we need to understand that our ancestors and transcestors are the one who are going to walk us through these dark timesā¦ See you on the other side, my dear and beautiful sibling in the struggle, Troy Masters.ā
“Troy was immensely committed to covering stories from the LGBTQ community. Following his move to Los Angeles from New York, he became dedicated to featuring news from the City of West Hollywood in the Los Angeles Blade and we worked with him for many years,ā says Joshua Schare, director of Communications for the City of West Hollywood, who knew Troy for 30 years, starting in 1994 as a college intern at OUT Magazine.
āLike so many of us at the City of West Hollywood and in the regionās LGBTQ community, I will miss him and his day-to-day impact on our community.”
āTroy Masters was a visionary, mentor, and advocate; however, the title I most associated with him was friend,ā says West Hollywood Mayor John Erickson. āTroy was always a sense of light and working to bring awareness to issues and causes larger than himself. He was an advocate for so many and for me personally, not having him in the world makes it a little less bright. Rest in Power, Troy. We will continue to cause good trouble on your behalf.ā
Erickson adjourned the WeHo City Council meeting on Monday in his memory.
Masters launched the Los Angeles Blade with his partners from the Washington Blade, Lynne Brown, Kevin Naff, and Brian Pitts, in 2017.
āTroyās reputation in New York was well known and respected and we were so excited to start this new venture with him,ā says Naff. āHis passion and dedication to queer LA will be missed by so many. We will carry on the important work of the Los Angeles Blade ā itās part of his legacy and what he would want.ā
AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein, who collaborated with Troy on many projects, says he was āa champion of many things that are near and dear to our heart,ā including ābeing in the forefront of alerting the community to the dangers of Mpox.ā
āAll of who he was creates a void that we all must try to fill,ā Weinstein says. āHis death by suicide reminds us that despite the many gains we have made, weāre not all right a lot of the time. The wounds that LGBT people have experienced throughout our lives are yet to be healed even as we face the political storm clouds ahead that will place even greater burdens on our psyches.ā
May the memory and legacy of Troy Masters be a blessing.
Veteran LGBTQ journalist Karen Ocamb served as the news editor and reporter for the Los Angeles Blade.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles Blade publisher Troy Masters dies at 63
Longtime advocate for LGBTQ equality, queer journalism
Troy Masters, publisher of the Los Angeles Blade, died unexpectedly on Wednesday Dec. 11, according to a family member. He was 63. The cause of death was not immediately released.
Masters is a well-respected and award-winning journalist and publisher with decades of experience, mostly in LGBTQ media. He founded Gay City News in New York City in 2002 and relocated to Los Angeles in 2015. In 2017, he became the founding publisher of the Los Angeles Blade, a sister publication of the Washington Blade, the nationās oldest LGBTQ newspaper.
His family released a statement to the Blade on Thursday.
āWe are shocked and devastated by the loss of Troy,ā the statement says. āHe was a tireless advocate for the LGBTQ community and leaves a tremendous legacy of fighting for social justice and equality. We ask for your prayers and for privacy as we mourn this unthinkable loss. We will announce details of a celebration of life in the near future.ā
The Blade management team released the following statement on Thursday:
āAll of us at the Los Angeles Blade and Washington Blade are heartbroken by the loss of our colleague. Troy Masters is a pioneer who championed LGBTQ rights as well as best-in-class journalism for our community. We will miss his passion and his tireless dedication to the Los Angeles queer community.
āWe would like to thank the readers, advertisers, and supporters of the Los Angeles Blade, which will continue under the leadership of our local editor Gisselle Palomera, the entire Blade family in D.C. and L.A., and eventually under a new publisher.ā
Troy Masters was born April 13, 1961 and is survived by his mother Josie Kirkland and his sister Tammy Masters, along with many friends and colleagues across the country. This is a developing story and will be updated as more details emerge.
Los Angeles
Ysabel Jurado claims victory: A new era for Los Angeles City Council District 14
The LGBTQ+ candidate maintained steady lead over incumbent Kevin De LeĆ³n, eventually declaring victory
Ysabel Jurado, the Highland Park resident and tenants rightsā attorney, is now Councilmember of Council District 14 after a battle for the hot seat against incumbent Kevin De LeĆ³n.
āToday, I am humbled to officially declare victory in the race for Los Angeles City Council District 14. This win is not mineāit belongs to our community,ā said Jurado shortly after the win was announced.
Jurado makes history as the first Filipino American to serve on the Council and has expanded LGBTQ+ and womenās representation too.
In her celebratory statement after Thursdayās win, she stated that De LeĆ³n used Trump-like tactics and she is glad the city did not play into it.
āTrumpism has no place in CD-14ā and we proved that by resoundingly rejecting the divisive tactics deployed by our opponentātactics adopted directly from the Trump playbook,ā said Jurado. āLike Trump, our opponent thumbed his nose at the lawāfrom his racist gerrymandering scandal that likely violated the Voting Rights Actā to the current open investigation into his campaign for money laundering.ā
Jurado is the new hope for a city that has been marred by racial and phobic remarks by those previously and still in positions of power.
Other news outlets are reporting that this marks another fallen Latino leader after the leaked L.A. City Council audio recording went viral in 2021 and led to the resignation of Los Angeles City Council president Nury MartĆnez.
De LeĆ³nās goal during his term was to retain and expand Latin American political power.
With De LeĆ³n out, that leaves Latin Americans taking up only four out of the Councilās 15 seats, in a city that has a majority Latin American population. The cityās biggest Mexican American communities like Boyle Heights and El Sereno will not have a Latin American leader for the first time in nearly 40 years.
During De LeĆ³nās campaign, he urged voters that if Jurado were to be elected, it would come at the expense of Latin American voices.
Last month, Eastside voters received a text message from De LeĆ³nās campaign saying: āForty years of Latino political power is under threat.ā
Jurado secured her victory after placing first in the March primary, with support from Latin American politicians like Councilmember Hugo Soto-MartĆnez, L.A. Unified School District trustee Rocio Rivas, L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis and Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, who replaced incumbent Gil Cedillo after he was also caught on audio making racist and defamatory remarks.
āThese are heavy times, but Ysabel Juradoās win is an incredible cause for hope,ā said Hernandez in a congratulatory post on Instagram. āShe has proven again and again that our city has not just the capacity to dream of a better future for ourselves, but that we demand it.ā
De LeĆ³n tapped into the pathos of Eastside residents during his campaign, resorting to political tactics that attacked Jurado directly, rather than tackling the key issues at hand.
āLike Trump, he relied upon fear mongering, red-baiting, misogyny, and racial dog-whistling in an effort to divide us. But unlike Trump, his tactics failed.ā
Los Angeles
Los Angeles opens nation’s first transgender vote center
Activists, local officials attended opening
In a landmark development for electoral accessibility, Los Angeles County has opened the doors to the nationās first general election Vote Center located within a transgender establishment. The Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center officially launched its voting facilities today, inviting the local trans community and all registered voters in Los Angeles County to participate in the democratic process.
The Vote Center at CONOTEC will operate for early voting from Nov. 2 – Nov. 5 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Registered voters in Los Angeles County can cast their ballot at CONOTEC, regardless of their residential address. This initiative not only creates a safe and affirming space for marginalized voters but also aims to foster broader community engagement.
During the grand opening, Los Angles County Registrar Dean Logan and West Hollywood Mayor John Erickson, celebrated this significant moment.Ā
Logan said, āThe county and everyone in my office know that we need to make voting as accessible and welcoming as possible in every corner of the county. The CONOTEC leadership has done a great job preparing this Vote Center, and we thank them for opening their space to their community and all of the LA County residents who chose to vote here.ā
Queen Victoria Ortega (at podium), president of FLUX International, addressed the need for more action.
“We are tired of everyone discussing our safety while doing nothing about it. Now, we are taking matters into our own hands,ā Ortega said. āWe, the trans community, have created a safe space for the most marginalized to vote, and when you do that, you create a safe place for all. We are honored and duty-bound to be the first presidential election Vote Center in America at a transgender establishment.”
Queen Chela Demuir, executive director of the Unique Women’s Coalition, emphasized the historical legacy of trans rights activists.
“In the spirit of Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, we honor our transcestors and carry their legacy forward,” she said. “This voting center stands as a safe and welcoming space for our trans siblings, while also embracing all allies and residents of Los Angeles County. Itās a space where everyoneās voice matters, uplifting and empowering our community.”
Bamby Salcedo, founder and CEO of the TransLatin@ Coalition. (Photo by Troy Masters)
Bamby Salcedo, founder and CEO of the TransLatin@ Coalition, expressed her support for the initiative, stating, “My sisters at CONOTEC have done a great service to our community by securing this Vote Center. We all look forward to casting our vote in our community and appreciate the support as we work towards equality for all.”
Michael Weinstein, president and CEO of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the world’s largest and most influential AIDS Service organization, pointed out that around the world voting is a perilous adventure for LGB and particularly trans people. “AIDS Healthcare Foundation is in 47 countries around the world and in so many of those countries, the right to vote does not exist,” he said. “It turns my stomach to see on TV political ads targeting the trans community.” hightlighting the need for safe voting spaces like the CONOTEC.
Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, praised CONOTEC’s efforts to empower LGBTQ+ voters. “With our vote, each of us has the chance to write the next chapter of this nationās story. And the nationās story is incomplete without each one of us. When we show up, equality wins,” Robinson remarked, emphasizing the importance of collective civic participation.
Features
The little idea that could: These queer, Latinx, DJs are shifting the scene in LA
āAll you jotas, grab your botas!ā
The rallying call urges all the Spanish-speaking and corrido-loving sapphics, butchonas, jotas and vaqueeras, to grab their boots and meet up at Little Joy Cocktails for a carne asada-style, family party every fourth Sunday of the month, featuring spins by DJ Lady Soul, DJ French and DJ Killed By Synth.
In Los Angeles, these three disc jockeys have embraced the word buchona, adding the ātā as a play on the word butch.
The free event, now locally known as Butchona, is a safe space for all the Mexican and Spanish music-loving lesbians to gather on the last Sunday of every month.Ā
Buchona is usually a term used in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries to describe a woman who is a bossā someone who exudes dominant energy or marries into a powerful position.
āI didnāt know how well [the idea for Butchona] was going to be received and my favorite part of all that, has been the looks everyone has been bringing,ā said Rocio Flores, who goes by DJ Lady Soul.
The event that started only a few months ago, brings in dozens of dressed-up jotas. The ālooksā that the crowds bring are reminiscent of how dadās, tĆos, and their friends dressed at Mexican family parties: a tejana, cowboy boots, giant belt buckle and a beer in hand.Ā
Dressing up in these looks is a way to show wealth and status to earn the respect of other males in a male-dominated and -centered cultureā that is until now.
This traditionally male, Mexican, cultural identity, is something that has never been embraced or accessible to women or gender non-conforming people. The giant belt buckles that are traditionally custom-made and specific to male identities like head of household, ‘only rooster in the chicken coop’ and lone wolf, are only part of the strictly cis-gendered male clothes that dominate the culture.Ā
The embroidered button-ups, belt buckles and unique cowboy hats āall come together to create the masculine looks that are now being reclaimed by women and gender nonconforming people at the event curated by three queer, Mexican DJs, who once had a little idea that could.
Flores, 37, (she/her), Gemini, says that to her the term butchona describes a woman who is a little āchunti,ā a little cheap in the way she dressesā but in a queer way.
āThat title also means that youāre a badass,ā she said. āI want to look like that seƱor, I want to look like that dude and now I feel like I could, so why not?ā
Flores says that now she feels like she can embrace and reclaim that cultural identity, but it wasnāt always that easy.
At first, her family upheld the traditional cisgender roles that forced her to dress more feminine, but she always wanted to dress like her cousins and her tĆos.
āNow, Iām like: āFuck that!ā Iām going to wear the chalecos and the Chalino suits,ā she said in Span-glish.
The Chalino suits are traditional, Mexican, suits that were worn and popularized by Chalino Sanchez, known as the King of corridosāa genre of music that is said to have originated on the border region of Texas, Tamaulipas and Nuevo LeĆ³n, Mexico.
āIt felt good to break into the DJ scene, but what I always noticed was that the lesbian culture was always lacking,ā said DJ Lady Soul. āI would mainly see gay males at parties and a lot of male DJs.ā
According to Zippiaāa career site that sources their information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics and the U.S. Censusā23.5 percent of disc jockeys are women, 16 percent are LGBTQ+ and only 12.7 percent are Hispanic or Latin American.
What has always been a traditionally machista music genre and scene, is now being embraced by a growing number of queer women and non-male DJs in Los Angeles.
For Fran Fregoso, who goes by DJ French, 33, (they/she), Taurusā embracing their cultural identity came a lot easier because of their late uncle who sort of paved the way for them to come out as queer and be more accepted than he was as the first openly out queer person in their family.Ā
Their music journey began listening to the 90s grunge, alternative, hip-hop and metal music played by their older siblings at home.
āThen I met Vanessa [DJ Killed By Synth], and she introduced me to the industry,ā said DJ French.
DJ French felt the acceptance and support to enter this music space and decided to embrace their cultural roots by playing music that they grew up listening to at family parties. They booked their first gig with CumbiatĆ³n LA, a collective of DJs and organizers who host Latin American parties across Los Angeles, often centering queer DJs and other performers.
āWhen [Lady Soul and Killed By Synth], brought this idea up to create Butchona, I was like: āOh, Iām in 100 percentā,ā they said. āBecause I love playing corridos and banda music because thatās a core memory from my childhood and family parties.ā
Banda, corridos, cumbias and other traditional music is a big part of Mexican culture, even as gendered and male-centered as it has been, it is embraced by all.
āI know a lot of people in our queer, Latino, community love that music too, but they also want to be in a safe space,ā they said. āThatās where we decided to make an environment for our community to dance and be themselves.ā
Vanessa Bueno, 40, (she/her), Libra, who goes by DJ Killed By Synth, says her journey started about 20 years ago when she started DJing for backyard parties in East L.A. and across L.A. County.
Her family is from Guadalajara, so she says that growing up she also had a lot of family parties with corridos and banda blaring in the background of memories with the many cousins she says she lost count of.
āA lot of the music we heard was bachata, banda, cumbia and even some 80s freestyle,ā said Bueno.
Even while she had a ālittle punk rocker phase,ā she says she couldnāt escape that Spanish music her family played ritualistically at family get-togethers.
When they began their music journeyāback in the AOL, Instant Messenger days, they played a lot more electronic music, hence the name Killed by Synth. At first, it was just a username, but then it became her DJ name.
āLater down the line, comes [the idea for] Butchona came about, and me, Rocio and French collaborated,ā she said. āItās kind of always been my goal to create these safe spaces for women and queer people, and I had been in the scene long enough to where people were willing to answer my calls to work with them to make it happen.ā
For Bueno, it was natural for her to build community and embrace this part of their culture later on in her career when she saw a need for queer, Latin American-centered club spaces with family party vibes.
She started hosting Latin American-style parties, blending music, culture, and food and attracting the exact audience she envisioned. With these events, Bueno aimed to reclaim her Mexican identity and foster a sense of family and community at these events.
āWeāre here to build a safe space to embrace the music and kind of not think about the machismo that is tied to it and celebrate who we are,ā said Bueno.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics, California, Texas, New York, Arizona and Washington rank the highest in employment rates for disc jockeys in 2023. There is also a recent trend in more women DJsāthe study does not include gender nonconforming DJsābooking twice as many gigs as men in event spaces and concerts that host DJ sets.
āIt feels like weāre barely cracking into these safe spaces and expanding our horizons a little bit,ā said DJ French. āI hope this inspires other people to also create safe spaces like Butchona.ā
The next Butchona event will be on Sunday, Oct. 27 and will feature all three DJs playing corridos, banda, cumbia and all the classics, for a chunti Halloween party.Ā
Los Angeles
Urgent Prop 3 community town hall will feature discussion about marriage equality with local LGBTQ+ leadersĀ
Join the conversation about safeguarding the freedom to marry for LGBTQ+ communities!
LGBTQ+ leaders will gather on Monday, Oct 28 at the historic St.Thomas the Apostle Church in Hollywood, for a community town hall and panel discussion in support of Proposition 3. The gathering will feature a panel with community leaders who will explain the importance of voting on this proposition, with a reception to follow the discussion.
The event is being hosted in collaboration with CALĆ News, a local nonprofit newsroom that covers Latinx issues across Los Angeles, and the Yes on Prop 3 campaign team. Los Angeles Blade will be using this opportunity to formally announce their new collaboration with CALĆ News with the addition of new Local News Editor, Gisselle Palomera.
The event begins at 7PM, starting with the town hall and panel discussion moderated by Palomera. Community leaders from the American Civil Liberties Union, Equality California, Trans Latin@ Coalition and the Gender and Reproductive Justice Project, will join Palomera on stage.
Proposition 3, also known as the Right to Marry and Repeal Proposition 8 Amendment and it aims to cement same-sex and interracial marriage equality in the California Costitution, which still only uses language that recognizes marriage can only be between a man and a woman.
To read more about Prop 3 ahead of the discussion, click here. To RSVP for the in-person community town hall event, click here.
California
What you missed at the CD-14 debate between Ysabel Jurado and Kevin De LeĆ³n
LGBTQ+ candidate faces off against opponent Kevin De Leon on community forum on Wednesday
Los Angeles Council District 14 (CD-14) candidatesĀ Ysabel JuradoĀ andĀ Kevin de LeĆ³nĀ sparred over their qualifications in what could have been their last in-person debate before the November election.Ā
Wednesdayās CD-14 debate, a district home to approximately 265,000 people, 70% of them Latin American, offered the public a chance to hear from both candidates and their stand on issues such as homelessness, public safety and affordable housing, among other things.Ā
CALĆ News was one of the media outlets that were present inside Dolores Mission Catholic Church in Boyle Heights, where the debate was held. Below are our reporter’s main takeaways.
People showed up and showed out. More than 300 people attended the debate, which was organized by Boyle Heights Beat and Proyecto Pastoral. More than 260 people gathered inside the church and the rest watched via a livestream projected on the churchās patio.
The debate was bilingual, with translation services available for all, honoring the many Spanish speakers that live in the district, as Brendan P. Busse, pastor of the church, said in the opening statement.
As part of the event guidelines, Busse also shared that no applause or booing was to be permitted, a rule that was broken within the first ten minutes of the forum. āWhere you are tonight is a sacred place. People who are in need of shelter sleep here and have for the last 40 years,ā he said when referring to the church transforming into a homeless shelter at night for over 30 adults. āPower and peace can live in the same place.ā
That was the most peaceful and serene moment throughout the two-hour forum.
What followed was traded insults and competing visions from both candidates.
One of the first stabs occurred when De LeĆ³n accused Jurado of wanting to āabolish the policeā and when Jurado reminded the public of De Leonās āracist rhetoric,ā referring to the 2022 scandal over theĀ secretly recorded conversationĀ with Gil Cedillo and Nury MartĆnez where they talked about indigenous Mexicans, Oaxacans, the Black and LGBTQ+ communities and councilman Mike Boninās adopted son.
āI made a mistake, and I took responsibility. I have been apologizing for two years,ā De LeĆ³n said. āJust as in the traditions of the Jesuits, love, reconciliation [and] peace, one must choose if we are going to be clinging to the past or move forward. I choose to move forward.āĀ
When Jurado was asked about her stance on police, she said she had never said she wanted to abolish the police. āDonāt put words in my mouth,ā she told De LeĆ³n. āI have never said that,ā she said. āWe put so much money into public safety into the LAPD yet street business owners and residents in these communities do not feel safer. The safest cities invest in communities, in recreation and parks, in libraries [and] youth development.āĀ Ā
De LeĆ³n and Jurado also discussed their plan to work with the homeless population, specifically during theĀ 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. In Los Angeles County, an estimated 75,312 people were experiencing homelessness, as stated in the 2024 homeless count. For CD-14 the issue of homelessness takes a higher level as it is home to Skid Row, which has one of the largest homeless populations in the U.S.Ā
āWe should continue to house our unhoused,ā De LeĆ³n said.Ā
He followed this by saying that under his leadership, CD-14 has built the most interim housing than āin any other place in the entire city of L.A.ā He made a reference to the Boyle Heights Tiny Home Village and 1904 Bailey, both housing projects in CD-14.
āWe need safety when the Olympics come,ā he added.
Jurado said De LeĆ³nās leadership has fallen short in his years in office, specifically when it comes to the homeless population and said that housing like the tiny homes is not sufficient for people in the district to live comfortably.
āMy opponent has governed this district, Skid Row, for over 20 years. Has homelessness in this district gotten better? We can all agree that it hasn’t,ā she said. āCounty Supervisor Hilda SolĆs put up 200 units that are not just sheds; they have bathrooms, they have places and they have support services. Why hasn’t [CD-14] gotten something better than these tiny homes?”
One of De LeĆ³n’s repeating arguments in various of his answers was the fact that Jurado has never held public office before. āIāve dedicated my whole life to public service, to the benefit of our people. My opponent, to this day, has not done one single thing,ā De LeĆ³n said in the first few minutes of the debate.Ā
In one of the questions about low-income elders in the district, he listed some of his achievements when helping this population, including bringing free vaccines for pets of seniors of this district and food distributions, which, as De LeĆ³n noted, help people with basic food needs, including beans, rice and chicken. āThe same chicken sold in Whole Foods,ā he said.
Jurado defended herself against the reality of never holding public office and said her work as a housing rights attorney and affordable housing activist have given her the tools and experience to lead the district in a different direction than the incumbent, De LeĆ³n.Ā āWe canāt keep doing the same thing and expect different results,ā Jurado said. āWe need long-term solutions,ā she said.Ā
Last month, The L.A. Times also reported on Jurado’s past political experience, including working on John Choiās unsuccessful 2013 run for City Council, as well as her work as a scheduler in Mayor Eric Garcettiās office and how she was appointed by Garcetti to the Human Relations Commission in 2021.
She later added that she was proud to already have the support of some of the L.A. City Council members, such as Eunisses HernĆ”ndez, Nithya Raman and Hugo Soto-MartĆnez, which De LeĆ³n later referred to as the āsocialist council members.āĀ
After the debate, CALĆ News talked to both candidates and asked how they thought the debate went.Ā
āIt was a spirited debate, no question about it,ā De LeĆ³n said. āSometimes elections can take a real ugly twist that is very similar to Trump-ian characteristics. Like Donald Trump just says whatever he wants to say, no matter how outlandish [or] inaccurate it is.ā
When asked the same question, Jurado said, ā I think my opponent said a bunch of lies and said that he has plans for this district when he’s had four years to execute all of them. It’s really disappointing that only now he suddenly has all these ideas and plans for this district.ā
Both candidates told CALĆ News they will continue working until election day and making sure CD-14 residents show up to vote.Ā
āBut I think past the debate[s], it’s just [about] keeping your nose to [the] grindstone, working hard, and taking nothing for granted, knocking on those doors and talking directly to voters,ā De LeĆ³n said.Ā
Jurado said she still has a couple other events that she and her team are hosting before election day. āI’m out here talking to voters. We want to make sure that people know who I am and that they have other options. People are disappointed. We’re going to keep folks engaged and make sure that [they] turn out to the polls,ā she said.
Jorge RamĆrez, 63, from Lincoln Heights, said he has been supporting De LeĆ³n since his time in the State Senate and said he will continue to vote for him because he doesn’t know much about his opponent. āHe is the type of person we need. He’s done a lot for immigrants,ā he said. āThe other person, we donāt know much about her and she’s not very well known. She doesn’t have much experience in this field.ā
Alejandra SĆ”nchez, whose daughter goes to school in Boyle Heights and lives in El Sereno, said she believes CD-14 has been in desperate need of new leadership and worries that many people will vote for De Leon just because he is who they have known for so long. āItās very powerful to see a woman leader step in… It’s been an incredible year to see a woman president elected in Mexico, a woman running for president in the U.S. and a woman also running for leadership here in our community,ā she said. āThatās part of the problem… we are afraid to think about something new, about the new leadership of someone doing things differently.ā
General election day will take place on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Early voting began on October 7. You can register to vote or check your registration status online on the California Online Voter Registration page.
AIDS and HIV
40th anniversary AIDS Walk happening this weekend in West Hollywood
AIDS Project Los Angeles Health will gather in West Hollywood Park to kick off 40th anniversary celebration
APLA Health will celebrate its 40th anniversary this Sunday at West Hollywood Park, by kicking off the worldās first and oldest AIDS walk with a special appearance by Salina Estitties, live entertainment, and speeches.
APLA Health, which was formerly known as AIDS Project Los Angeles, serves the underserved LGBTQ+ communities of Los Angeles by providing them with resources.
āWe are steadfast in our efforts to end the HIV epidemic in our lifetime. Through the use of tools like PrEP and PEP, the science of āundetectable equals intransmissible,ā and our working to ensure broad access to LGTBQ+ empowering healthcare, we can make a real step forward in the fight to end this disease,ā said APLA Healthās chief executive officer, Craig E. Thompson.
For 40 years, APLA Health has spearheaded programs, facilitated healthcare check-ups and provided other essential services to nearly 20,000 members of the LGBTQ+ community annually in Los Angeles, regardless of their ability to pay.
APLA Health provides LGBTQ+ primary care, dental care, behavioral healthcare, HIV specialty care, and other support services for housing and nutritional needs.
The AIDS Walk will begin at 10AM and registrations are open for teams and solo walkers. More information can be found on the APLA Healthās website.Ā Ā
California
Equality California celebrates 25 years of championing LGBTQ+ rights
On Saturday, Equality Californiaās Los Angeles Equality Awards brought in Ru Paulās Drag Race alum Sasha Colby, to host their 25th anniversary celebration and honor award winners Julian Breece, director of Rustin, and Greg Sarris, Chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria.
U.S Senator Alex Padilla, California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, and California State Superintendent for Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, spoke at the event, urging for more visibility and attention to the bills, measures and propositions that affect LGBTQ+ rights currently on the November ballot.
The civil rights organization recognized Breece with this year’s Equality Visibility Award and Sarris, with the Community Leadership Award.
The civil rights organization also reached a milestone in their fundraising efforts by raising $100,000 in under a minute at Saturdayās awards celebration. Though the goal of raising $250,000 wasnāt met, they did fundraise over $200,000 during the awards ceremony.
āFor a quarter of a century, we have strived to create a world where every LGBTQ+ person can live freely and authentically,ā said Equality California executive director Tony Hoang. āWe are thrilled to celebrate the Los Angeles Equality Awards with steadfast LGBTQ+ community leaders and visionaries, as we celebrate this significant milestone and the many victories we have accomplished to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ Californians.”
Equality California has been at the forefront of litigation battles and milestone achievements for the advancement of LGBTQ+ rights and protections in the California Constitution now for 25 years.
EQCA also celebrated that Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed six of the bills that the organization prioritized in this Legislative Session.
Newsom signed AB 2258, which now increases access to preventative care and requires health plans to cover STI screenings for PrEP, and SB 729, which now requires large group health plans to cover fertility and IVF treatments. Newsom also signed SB 957 into law, which now ensures that the California Dept. of Public Health collects complete data on sexual orientation, gender identity and variations in sex characteristics or intersex status.
SB 990 introduced by State Senator Steve Padilla, was signed into law, now requiring California to update the State Emergency Plan to include LGBTQ+ inclusive policies and best practices.Ā
SB 1333 was also signed by Newsom in the latest Legislative Session, now allowing confidential data sharing for HIV and other reportable diseases to ensure more effective responses during public health emergencies.
The sixth and final bill recently signed by Newsom is SB 1491, which now requires public colleges and universities to adopt and publish policies on harassment and designate a confidential employee to address the needs of LGBTQ+ students and staff.
These signatures follow the signature of AB 1955 in July and the immediate backlash from far-right extremists like Elon Musk, who then officially stated that he was pulling his companies out of California and into Texas.
The next award ceremony will be held at the Riviera Resort and Spa in Palm Springs, on Saturday, Oct. 26.
Community Services - PSA
LGBTQ+ voter education town hall held tonight in Los Angeles
Unique Womenās Coalition, Equality California and FLUX host discussion on upcoming election.
The Unique Womenās Coalition, Equality California and FLUX, a national division of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, will host their second annual voter education town hall today at the Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center in Los Angeles from 7PM to 9PM tonight.
The organizations will present and discuss ballot propositions and measures that will appear on the November ballot and that affect the LGBTQ+ community in this part of the town hall series titled āThe Issues.ā
āThe trans and nonbinary community is taking its seat at the table, and we are taking the time and space to be informed and prepare the voter base,ā said Queen Victoria Ortega, international president of FLUX.
The town hall will feature conversations through a Q&A followed by a reception for program participants, organizational partners and LGBTQ+ city and county officials.Ā
There will later be a third town hall before the election and The Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center will also become a voting location for anyone who feels like they need a safe space to vote, regardless of what voting district they are a part of.
āOur community is really asking for a place to talk about what all of this actually means because although we live in a blue sphere, housing and other forms of discrimination are still a very real threat,ā said Scottie Jeanette Madden, director of advocacy at The Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center.
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