Nico Lang

  Outside the Black Cat on February 11, 1967 Photograph: Courtesy ONE Archives at the USC Libraries     On New Year’s Eve in 1966, undercover officers at the Black Cat Tavern in Silver Lake began to handcuff and beat the patrons and staff as everyone was exchanging celebratory midnight kisses. An estimated 14 people were arrested, many charged with lewd conduct and forced to register as sex offenders for the rest of their lives. Other Silver Lake gay bars, including New Faces, a few doors down, were targeted the same evening. Two years before the Stonewall uprising, more than 200 people came together outside the Black Cat for one of the earliest U.S. LGBTQ-rights demonstrations. Picketers gathered on February 11, 1967, to peacefully protest the police raids that had been conducted weeks before. Alexei Romanoff, a former owner of New Faces, describes the Black Cat demonstration as a turning point. During a time in which homosexuality was illegal in most states, LGBTQ people developed elaborate codes and survival strategies to avoid arrest. But that February night, Romanoff says, the community stood up and fought back. Now 82, he is the last surviving organizer of Personal Rights in Defense and Education (P.R.I.D.E.), one of the groups that helped stage the 1967 stand. We traveled back to that monumental moment with Romanoff.   Romanoff in 1968 Photograph: Courtesy Alexei Romanoff     How were the protests organized? We didn’t have computers, we didn’t have cell phones, but

These out Angelenos share where they first discovered community within the city. Gaby Dunn, financial advisor and comedian   Photograph: Courtesy Robyn Van Swank I was lucky to find community initially through—shock of all shocks—entertainment. I made it a point to go to the queer comedy shows and queer networking events. That’s how I found Autostraddle, a gay lifestyle website, and its employees. I never got into the WeHo scene, and instead I cocooned myself in a community of queer and trans women on the Eastside. Then, last summer, I joined a Varsity Gay League kickball team and met a bunch of gay men who I’d almost forgotten existed. We were not a very good team so it became more about laughing on the sidelines and talking about music or the differences between dating apps. Some of these men are now among my closest friends. Although we’re similar, their experiences are also different and something I needed to be around. Especially in these scary political times, it’s more important than ever that all facets of the LGBTQ community have each other’s backs, hang out, and validate each other. It’s easy in L.A. to isolate to just “your” group, even within such a marginalized community, so the best part for me has been to get out of my bubble, kick a ball, and embrace and celebrate the entire LGBTQ spectrum. Ralph Bruneau, marriage and family therapist   Photograph: Courtesy John Fry/Tank’s Takes Eagle L.A. is home to me. The Pulse massacre was so devastating because gay ba