by Lee Risemberg
When anyone mentions "gay life in the city", most people think about San Francisco, New York, or West Hollywood--but there is a city,one which its residents fondly call the Valley, where gays can live free and open lives in any neighborhood, and not in isolated "barrios" or "ghettoes." In it, gays, as well as bisexuals, transsexuals, transvestites, and pansexuals, live in harmony with the rest of a population which is diverse in every other sense, such as ethnic background, religion, political affiliation or any other classification that you may think of.
This is not just a cold statistic I read in a newspaper, but my own observation from the block where I have lived for the past twenty-odd (some would say very odd) years in Van Nuys, in the heart of the San Fernando Valley. If what I've lived and seen doesn't describe the real meaning of cosmopolitan, the definition ought to be changed.
People in the rest of LA often think of the Valley as stodgy and conservative, but it really isn't so. Many years ago, for example, Proposition 6 popped up on the state ballot. If approved, that law would have precluded gays, bisexuals, or any sympathizers from teaching in any public school, college or university. The proposition was overwhelmingly rejected as a whole in the state of California--but the highest percentage of negative votes came from The Valley.
Then we come to talk about entertainment in an area that has hundreds of restaurants as well as theaters to pick from, many of which are gay owned and operated, or which cater to the gay population that as a whole fully supports them. A large number of these establishments are located right on the Ventura Boulevard corridor, the--if you'll excuse the expression--"main drag" of the Valley. In addition, it has gay nightclubs such as the "Queen Mary", and NO, I am not talking about the boat in Long Beach.
The "real" Queen Mary was started in the early fifties, when its name was the "Mick." It operated as a restaurant for a few years, but in 1965 its owners decided to stage female impersonation shows, and the "Queen Mary" was born. Ventura Boulevard has never been the same ever since! The QM, as its habitués lovingly call it, offers what is probably the best live show in the area, with some performers impersonating famous stars and lip-syncing to recordings, while others use their own voices. During its early days it was against the law to "deceive" the patrons, so performers had to wear a man's shirt and a black tie under their low cut gowns; during the same time, topless dancing and nudity (for straights) were allowed in the city.
Times have changed. Once a refuge, it has now become a hangout for all kinds of Valleyites and others, straight as well as gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
The "Queen Mary" was not the only melting pot in the Valley. During the eighties and nineties, a totally integrated support group began its fruitful life there. It started as the "Bi-Social Center," where gays and bisexuals from all walks of life would go for support during a difficult time in our history. Because of the increasing variety of people who frequented the center, its name was changed to the "Pan-Social Center," which operated the support group until the late nineties. By then, such groups had proliferated and the center was no longer needed. Currently the "Pan-Social Center" sponsors and operates the "Bi-Line", a hot line that specializes in human sexuality and suicide related problems where people of all ages (including youngsters and their parents) can call for free counseling (not therapy).
You can still find the Queen Mary on Ventura Boulevard just east of Whitsett Street, and the "Bi-Line" is still at (818) 989-3700. The hotline has been operated for so long and served so many (nearly 15,000), that people from all over the world--including Japan, Europe, Canada and Latin America--still call for help.
I have mentioned only restaurants, theaters, and clubs that are gay friendly in the Valley, but just as important are the educational facilities, which include three community colleges (Mission, Pierce and Valley) and one major university (California State University, Northridge); all of these have non-discrimination policies regarding sexual orientation as well as gender identity, for students, employees and faculty members. Many gay, bisexual and transgender individuals that I personally know are currently chairpersons in charge of different academic departments.
All that makes The Valley the cosmopolitan city of the 21st Century: an ideal place to live, where non-straight people can be open about themselves without fear. Even though the Valley has a reputation for being the home of ultraconservatives, it has proven itself to be the part of Los Angeles that is most supportive of all its individual citizens, the place where anyone and everyone can live a comfortable life, regardless of whether or not they conform to the "norm"--whatever that is.
