Even in today’s political climate, we will not be hidden.

The vibrant stretch on Santa Monica Blvd of over 50 local businesses, representing the full spectrum of LGBTQ+ expression, from N Doheny Dr to N La Cienega, has had the loving nickname of the Rainbow District for decades. Well, now it’s official. From nightlife to restaurants to community organizations, the City of West Hollywood has formally designated the space as such, honoring the neighborhood’s legacy as a safe haven for the queer community and beyond.

In addition to making the name official, the Rainbow District is being launched with a full range of social media, including Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, keeping the residents and visitors updated on all upcoming events and happenings in the neighborhood. 

Long known as a beacon of acceptance, inclusion, and visibility, where everyone is welcome, this iconic mile-long corridor is now formally recognized for what it has always been: a place where people from every walk of life can come together, be themselves, and celebrate the beauty of diversity.

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City of West Hollywood Mayor Chelsea Lee Byers states, “For generations, the City of West Hollywood’s Rainbow District has been a place where LGBTQ+ people take their first steps into living openly, where the warm embrace of community is found at every turn, and where the joy of living out, loud, and proud fills the streets. The City’s official designation of the Rainbow District honors both the legacy and the future of this vibrant neighborhood, home to beloved entertainment venues, bars, and restaurants that have long served as cornerstones of LGBTQ+ life. Today, the Rainbow District is more alive than ever, and it will always stand as a beacon of hope, pride, and belonging and as a reminder that everyone deserves a place to celebrate joy, to be seen, and to be supported.”

The Rainbow District officially joins a nationwide list of iconic LGBTQ+ landmarks. West Hollywood will not be hidden amid political backlash and will continue to protect queer spaces, uplift queer voices, and foster a safe and joyful environment for all.

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“This designation is not only a celebration, but it also serves as a promise,” said Visit West Hollywood President & CEO Tom Kiely. “A promise to keep LGBTQ+ spaces visible, valued, and vibrant for generations to come. As the Rainbow District continues to evolve, it will remain a place where locals and visitors alike can connect through culture, creativity, and community. The City’s formal designation affirms its significance and highlights The Rainbow District as the ultimate playground for travelers seeking a unique, inclusive, and authentic experience.”

The Rainbow District will be home to upcoming community events that include:

• Winter Market & Ice Skating Rink — December 2025
• Go-Go Dancer Appreciation Day — March 2026
• Harvey Milk Day — May 22, 2026
• WeHo Pride Weekend & the OUTLOUD Music Festival at WeHo Pride — June 5–7, 2026

Follow the Rainbow District on socials to discover local happenings, support small businesses, and be part of a neighborhood that celebrates every person for exactly who they are.

 Instagram: @RainbowDistrictWeHo TikTok: @RainbowDistrictWeHo
 Facebook: facebook.com/rainbowdistrictweho More Info: visitwesthollywood.com/rainbowdistrict

It was 1985, at the height of the AIDS crisis, when Irwin Rappaport came out as gay. As he came to terms with his identity, he witnessed people around him grow weaker: their faces becoming gaunt, painful lesions developing on their bodies. Five years later, he began volunteering as a young lawyer at the Whitman-Walker Clinic, a community health hotspot in Washington, D.C. that created the first AIDS hotline in the city, opened homes for patients with AIDS, and distributed materials that promoted safe sex. 

The work being done at the clinic was instrumental, essential, and deeply painful. “When you see that sickness and experience that death among your friends and people you know, and when you’re writing wills for people who are much too young in ordinary times — it has an impact,” Rappaport told the Blade. “And even though in 1996 we saw life-saving medications come around, you never forget the sense of fear that permeates your life. The sense of loss.”

Determined to honor and share the legacies of people who died from AIDS, Rappaport joined the Foundation for the AIDS Monument (FAM) board to work towards the organization’s goal of creating a physical monument dedicated to memorializing these histories. FAM treasurer Craig Dougherty first conceived of this project in 2010 and, after 15 years, STORIES: The AIDS Monument is now available to the public for viewing.

Created in collaboration with the City of West Hollywood, STORIES: The AIDS Monument is composed of 147 vertical bronze pillars known as “traces.” Designed by artist Daniel Tobin, 30 of these traces are engraved with words like: activism, isolation, compassion, and loss, which correlate to the over 125 audio stories collected and archived on the foundation’s website. This multimodal storytelling allows people who come across the monument to engage more intimately with the people represented by these physical pillars. 

At nighttime, lights transform the monument into a candlelight vigil, providing a warm glow to a wanderer’s journey through the structure.

When people were able to walk around the traces at Sunday’s grand opening ceremony at the Pacific Design Center, the last remnants of the weekend’s rainstorm created a kind of “spiritual” and reverent atmosphere for those gathering, according to Rappaport. “I think there’s a certain peacefulness and serenity about the design, an opportunity for reflection,” he continued. “For some, it may bring back incredibly painful memories. It might bring back wonderful times with friends who are no longer here. It might remind them of their own caregiving or activism, or the sense of community that they felt in striving with others to get more attention to the disease.” 

Now that the monument has been built, FAM has passed the mantle of management and programming to One Institute, a nonprofit that engages community members with queer history through panels, screenings, and other educational initiatives. One Institute plans to host monthly docent tours, art installations, and other special events during various LGBTQ+ national awareness days, including the upcoming World AIDS Day in December. 

Rappaport also hopes to do outreach with local schools, so that young students are able to engage with the monument, learn about the people who were affected by the AIDS crisis, and interact with the ripples of transformation that this time period sparked in politics, research, the arts, and within society. “For younger people, I think [this is] an invitation for them to understand how they can organize about issues that they care about,” Rappaport said. “[So] they can see what the HIV and AIDS community did as a model for what they can do to organize and change the world, change culture, change law, change politics, change whatever they think needs to be changed. Because we had no other choice, right?”

The first-ever Olympic hospitality house began with humble roots in 1992: a tent pitched on the Port of Barcelona for athletes to gather with their families. Since then, they transformed into fixtures of several major sporting events, with hopes of fostering belonging and safety for athletes of various cultural backgrounds.

It wasn’t until 2010 that the first LGBTQ+ hospitality house, the Pride House, appeared during the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Over the years, its existence and visibility have faced barriers. During the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games in Russia, Pride House International was denied from organizing its safe hub. The rejection was a blow to the visibility and safety that the organization was trying to promote and create for queer athletes. But this didn’t go unnoticed. International fans demonstrated quiet resistance, hosting remote Pride Houses in support of the Olympians who were barred from openly communing and celebrating together.

As Los Angeles prepares to host the Summer Olympics in July 2028, Pride House is coming back stronger than ever. In early October, the West Hollywood city council approved an agreement that would allocate $1 million to sponsor Pride House LA/WeHo as they prepare to build a temporary structure at West Hollywood Park for the 2028 Games. For 17 days, vibrant LGBTQ+ sports programming will fill the park’s grassy knolls. 

Pride House LA/WeHo CEO Michael Ferrera detailed at a Nov. 1st Out Athlete Fund fundraising event that the team plans to build a concert stage to seat over 6,000 people. There will also be a museum that will take viewers through 100 years of queer Olympics history, viewing areas for people to watch the games, and a private athlete village for queer Olympians. “The dream of that is — imagine you’re an athlete from a country where you can’t be out,” said Ferrera. “You come here, and you can be safe and sound.”

As outlined in the city council agreement and stated by Ferrera, most of the programming will be free and open to the public, and in the heart of a neighborhood that many of the county’s queer residents recognize as their safe haven. “We’re centering this important event in West Hollywood Park where our community has come together for decades in celebration, in protest, to support each other and to live our lives,” Pride House LA/WeHo CEO Michael Ferrera wrote to the Blade. “There is no place that is more representative of inclusion and safe spaces.”

The City of West Hollywood is promoting this inclusion further by asking for local community members to voice their perspectives on the formation of Pride House LA/WeHo at West Hollywood Park. On Monday, a community conversation will take place at Plummer Park to encourage residents to help shape the cultural programming that will take place in the summer of 2028. Another conversation will take place on Nov. 21st at the City’s 40th anniversary of Cityhood event. 

“We couldn’t do this without the generosity and partnership of the city of West Hollywood,” Pride House LA/WeHo marketing co-lead Haley Caruso wrote to the Blade. “We are so happy to help bring the Olympic spirit to West Hollywood while also providing the community a safe and entertaining venue to enjoy the Games.” 

Head to PrideHouseLAWeho.org for more information

On Friday night, techno pop remixes surged through a tight block on Santa Monica Boulevard, where hundreds of eager partygoers danced near a pop-up stage. Bass-heavy grooves echoed across neighboring streets as Beetlejuices, angels, and vampires swayed and thumped to the beat.

Oct. 31 marked the arrival of West Hollywood’s annual Halloween Carnaval, one of the county’s citywide celebrations — and one of the most anticipated for queer Angelenos. 

The first Halloween Carnaval was celebrated in 1987, and has since become one of the most awaited nights for local queer celebration. Drag performers donning elaborate costumes and glamorous makeup set the stage ablaze as they strutted, flipped their hair and danced to the cheers of a crowd that grew enormously as the night went on. The energy was infectious, and the Los Angeles Blade was on the scene to photograph some of these moments.

Image captures by Blade reporter Kristie Song.

Early yesterday morning, on National Intersex Awareness Day, West Hollywood mayor Chelsea Byers, Vice Mayor John Heilman, as well as councilmembers Danny Hang and John M. Erickson gathered to install and raise two new intersex pride flags. They fly side by side with the American flag, upholding the City of West Hollywood’s vision of solidarity between national pride and LGBTQ+ visibility. 

“We are facing unprecedented attacks on our community. It is important that we recognize the entirety of the LGBTQI+ community,” Vice Mayor John Heilman wrote to the Blade. “Intersex people have long been ignored and their issues disregarded. Raising the intersex flag also raises awareness about the challenges many intersex people face.” 

Intersex people are born with naturally occurring variations in reproductive and sexual anatomy that don’t fit into binary “male” or “female” categorizations. As Planned Parenthood details, this can look like having both ovarian and testicular tissues or having combinations of chromosomes that aren’t “male” or “female,” just to name a few. According to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, one of the biggest issues intersex people face is non-consensual surgeries performed when they are children. These operations are considered medically unnecessary and can leave lasting physical and psychological damage on intersex youth. 

The fight for bodily autonomy and intersex visibility was the main reason behind the first action organized by intersex advocates and trans allies on Oct. 26th, 1996. Protestors stood outside the Boston Convention Centre, passed out leaflets, and spoke with clinicians, nurses, and other medical professionals attending the annual American Academy of Pediatrics conference.

One of the main leaders behind this movement was Morgan Holmes, an intersex woman who had experienced a violating medical procedure meant to “correct” her anatomy. In May of 1996, she presented testimony in a room adjacent to a symposium on genital surgery for intersex infants, a conference she and other members of her advocacy group had been rejected from. 

“What I am saying is that my medical ‘care-givers’ failed to respect my autonomy or my intelligence when they assumed that because I was a child, they could do whatever they wanted as long as my father provided his consent,” Holmes said. “And when I began to balk, instead of questioning their own treatment of me, they blamed my body, and they cut it up.” 

Today, intersex people and their stories are more broadly recognized, but still struggle to reach mainstream audiences when it comes to discussions around LGBTQ+ identity. West Hollywood city officials see this addition of intersex pride flags as a step forward. “Updating our city’s flags was my item because visibility matters,” councilmember John M. Erickson wrote to the Blade. “Intersex people have always been part of our story, and it’s time that their history, identity, and pride are recognized in the public spaces that belong to all of us.”

On Friday, Oct. 17th, West Hollywood gay bar The Abbey found itself in the center of a social media storm as clips were shared depicting the presumed presence of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. In a video posted on Oct. 18th by Charles Hernandez, who often creates content around gay nightlife in Los Angeles, several people are seen standing in a line as they are apprehended and handcuffed by officers wearing sheriff’s vests and tees. Hernandez noted that, while dressed in varying attire with the word “sheriff” on it, none of the officers were willing to identify themselves or present their badges upon request. 

Hernandez can be heard asking the officers about the cause for arrest, to which one responded: “I don’t have to tell you our cause.” The video creator also questioned another officer, who can be seen wearing a gaiter to cover his face. “Isn’t it illegal to wear a mask in California?” Hernandez asked. “He has COVID,” an officer replied. In September, Governor Newsom signed five bills that weakened federal agents’ abilities to access school sites and health facilities, and prohibited them from hiding their identities. More specifically, SB 627 requires all California law enforcement agencies to create written policies limiting their officers’ use of facial coverings by July 1, 2026. 

As this video circulated around the web, the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station released an online statement of their own, denying allegations that the officers present were federal immigration officers. The station also claimed that the night’s events were a result of an “undercover operation” that was conducted in response to reports made about pickpocketing and the transportation, use, and sale of illegal substances. “Several arrests were made,” the statement read. “ICE was not involved.”

Still, residents remained unconvinced, criticizing the station’s lack of transparency, careful conduct, and accountability. Over 50 people took to the comments of this statement to voice their discontent. “[It] was not that long ago when officers would raid LGBTQ spaces and arrest people simply for being there,” one comment read. “A raid such as this does not inspire feelings of safety for our community. Especially in times when people are being kidnapped off the street by masked federal agents. There simply must be a better response to pickpockets and “other criminal activity” than undercover raids by masked officers and transporting detainees in unmarked vehicles. DO BETTER.” 

Two days later, at the West Hollywood city council meeting, West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station Captain Fanny Lapkin took to the podium to address some of these concerns. Echoing the station’s Instagram statement, Lapkin confirmed that the “pre-planned operation” was created in response to “concerns from our businesses and our community in regards to the pickpocketing, to the narcotics, and also to the illegal vending and some of the criminal activity during illegal vending.” Lapkin also confirmed that no federal agents were present, stating that everyone who took part in the operation was “sheriff’s department personnel.” And because the arrests were made as part of a planned operation, Lapkin further stated that warrants were not “necessary.” 

The events were discussed with brevity at the meeting, but community ire has not been dispelled. Several people continue to question the ethics of this undercover operation: Why were the individuals being arrested not clearly told the reason for their detainment? Why were unmarked vehicles present? Why conduct the operation in this way, as Los Angeles neighborhoods continue to stay on high alert over immigration raids? These questions remain unanswered as more specifics about the operation have yet to be released.

Before Fanny Lapkin became Captain of West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station in August, she was a longtime advisor and mentor for the county’s deputy explorer program: a training and career development opportunity for young adults interested in law enforcement. “I probably had eight or nine of — I call [them] my kids,” Lapkin told the Blade. When some of these mentees became deputies, she felt like a “mama.” Lapkin brings this nurturing approach to her leadership, where she hopes to build deeper community trust and humanize her staff members. “People have the misconception that we’re machines and that we’re robots. We are human beings,” said Lapkin. 

Lapkin first ventured into law enforcement as a college student, where a casual walk into the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Station for volunteer credit led to a seven-year-long stint. As a volunteer, she assisted deputies, participated in neighborhood watch, and became involved with safety measures for local community members. “I fell in love with the job,” said Lapkin. She officially took on a law enforcement role in 1997 and was eventually assigned to the Santa Clarita Valley’s Sheriff’s Station, where she worked as a community relations deputy. 

In 2019, Lapkin began working at the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station, climbing the ranks as service area sergeant to service area lieutenant before her most recent promotion to station captain in August. Lapkin says that she and fellow station staff pushed for LGBTQ+ inclusive curriculum for peace officer standards and training. 

In September 2018, AB 2504 was passed, which required the state’s commission on peace officer standards and training to develop training material around LGBTQ+ identity and create inclusive workplaces. In 2024, AB 2621 was chaptered into law, which required the commission to also create and implement instruction on hate crimes against specific groups, including LGBTQ+ communities. 

Today, Lapkin hopes to continue building trust with marginalized community members, especially LGBTQ+ individuals afraid to seek help through law enforcement. The Blade sat down with the captain to discuss her perspective and approach.  

How do you hope to foster effective relationships between the sheriff’s station and community members?

Honestly, [it’s about] being available, being present. Joining Neighborhood Watch, having that open communication, making sure that you know the residents, whether it be from our LGBT community or visitors. We make sure that our deputies have the necessary training to be able to deal with different community members, whether direct leaders, whether business owners, or public safety commissions. Being available for them — I think that’s the number one thing, is just making yourself available to have those conversations. 

Also, having that transparency — if something does happen, let’s talk about what happened. In some cases, we won’t be able to discuss for obvious reasons, but it’s having that open communication and making sure that our community feels that they’re safe and that their voice is heard.

It’s having the conversation: How can we come together to find a resolution for [issues]? People come from different directions to try and resolve a problem. So my thing is, everybody has a seat at the table. From being a volunteer to a deputy to moving up the ranks, I’ve always lived by that. I’ve had amazing mentors who have always had that open-door policy, [where] every community member has a seat at the table. Come and tell us what your concerns are, and we’ll tell you how we can fix them. There are going to be times when we cannot do something about it, because it doesn’t rise to the level of a crime. But we can tell you, without giving you legal advice, how you can try to resolve something. 

How have you seen community issues and safety shift since you started working in the West Hollywood Sheriff’s station in 2019? How do you hope to address all of these shifts?

2019 kind of put us all in a bubble. But again, it’s just having that open communication and making yourself available, going to local events, participating in outreach, and just making sure that our community members, whomever they are — our Russian community, our Jewish community, our LGBT community — that they feel that they’re being heard, that we listen to them, and we understand that each of them have unique needs. So it’s trying to understand that and fostering a great environment where they’re comfortable enough to come to us, whether it be telling us how wonderful our deputies are, or also telling us they didn’t like the service that they received. 

If I get a concern, [like] somebody saying, “Well, I don’t like the way this deputy handled the call.” I look at every single body-worn camera footage. I listen to the phone calls. And if it’s something that we could do better, we fix it, right? And if it’s something that maybe was misinterpretation…I tell [deputies]: take the extra two minutes to listen to our community, because you’re going to learn something by just slowing yourself down. 

Unfortunately, our patrol deputies are under tight constraints. We are understaffed. They are working the extra overtime, but…we’re not machines, we’re not robots. We’re humans. And sometimes, the human nature kind of steps in at times. But we have to make sure that we teach them how to find the balance.

What are the unique needs and challenges West Hollywood communities face today?

The challenge is just making sure that our community trusts us [and] that our community is comfortable enough to come to us when they have a concern, when they’re victims. Especially with the LGBTQ community or even our transgender community, they’re a little nervous about going to law enforcement, or they feel that they’re going to be victimized again. That’s one thing that [we see] as a priority. We want to make sure that they don’t feel that, and that they do feel that they’re being heard, and that their safety is one of our concerns. We don’t care whether you’re LGBTQ, transgender, Jewish, or Russian — we’re going to treat you equally. If you’re a victim of a crime, we’re going to assist you and help you. I think we just want to make sure that our community members feel that they can come to us and we’re going to advocate for them, [that] we’re going to be a good partner.

What are the active ways that you and the station are building that kind of trust, specifically with LGBTQ+ and trans community members? How can they have that open dialogue with you and the station to feel safer?

Because there was a need for our transgender community…we started with a quarterly meeting, but we moved them to every six months, where we have a meeting and we invite any member of the community to come in and sit down and talk to us. We included our California Department of Justice partners. We included the trans Latina community. Our LGBTQ commission came out. 

That’s something that we’re trying to figure out. What’s going to be the best time to have these open dialogues? It’s a town hall roundtable. Tell us what your concerns are, and we’ll tell you how we can fix them.

On Saturday morning, a small crowd gathered at the top of the steps at West Hollywood Park, shading their eyes from an unrelenting sun as they flipped through materials that read “Defend Our Democracy” and “Yes on Prop 50.” West Hollywood mayor Chelsea Byers, as well as councilmembers John M. Erickson and Danny Hang, were joined by leaders and members from democratic advocacy groups like Stonewall Young Democrats, Bruin Democrats at UCLA, and Black Los Angeles Young Democrats for a canvassing session. 

The morning began with a sober confession from county assessor Jeff Prang. “I am really scared for our country right now,” he said at the event. “I do believe we’ve already gone over the tipping point…We can’t roll over and surrender when other states are cheating. Prop 50 is going to make sure that California is the leader in ensuring that we have a good chance of retaking the House next year. Hopefully, other democratic states will do the same.” 

Proposition 50, also known as the Election Rigging Response Act, is on the ballot for California’s upcoming special election on Nov. 4th. The measure was created in response to Texas lawmakers’ plans to redraw the state’s congressional districts in order to secure five more U.S. House seats for Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections. As reported by the Texas Tribune in July, this decision to redistrict resulted from direct pressure from President Trump. 

Typically, new congressional district maps are drawn every 10 years after the national census is conducted. Texas’s decision to redistrict before 2030, when the next census was to be conducted, led to strong resistance to the ethics of this decision. Prop. 50 is, to many, a way to fight back. A “yes” vote on the ballot would allow California to temporarily redistrict state boundaries to make it easier to elect more Democratic officials in the midterms. 

Canvassing efforts, like the West Hollywood action this last Saturday, are one of a few methods advocates are using to inform and have conversations with local voters about the proposition and voting procedures. “What we’re doing this weekend and until November 4th is: we’re talking to people we hope and believe will be supportive of Prop. 50, identifying them [and] making sure they know how to vote, when to vote, what to do with their ballot,” said Jane Wishon, the 51st District Chair for the Los Angeles County Democratic Party. 

Wishon walked attendees through a script to use when knocking on people’s doors. She passed out packets that detailed information about the measure, as well as specifics on mailing in ballots, checking voter registration, and locating ballot drop boxes. Wishon also offered advice on how to greet apprehensive strangers. “You especially want to be non-threatening at the door,” she instructed. “If you step back, they’ll step forward when they answer the door. Otherwise, if you’re right in their face, they’re going to hide behind the door…If you’re lucky enough to get them to have a conversation with you, please smile at everybody.”

Afterwards, attendees split off into groups and selected nearby neighborhoods using PDI Mobile, an app that allowed them to keep track of voters they had surveyed. The target for each group was 45 doors knocked on. Some arranged carpooling options while others, like Mark R. Edwards, headed for the nearest bus stop to find their chosen area. Edwards, who serves on the West Hollywood Historic Preservation Commission, reflected on a previous experience while waiting. “I historically have not canvassed because I had such a weird experience when I [did it for the] first time in Westchester for a campaign. My response rate on the doors versus other people’s…indicated what was different about me. I’m a tall Black man,” Edwards told the Blade. 

When he reached a row of homes near North Fairfax and Orange Grove Avenues, barking could often be heard from inside while front doors remained unopened. In one instance, a person listed with an address on the app was no longer living there. After a long pause, Edwards would slip information about Prop 50 nearby, propping them up on slits in gates or on tables sat in gardens. But if the canvassing itself proved fruitless at times, the event still allowed attendees a chance to learn more about the election themselves, as well as mobilize together and spark up other ways to have more conversations with the people in their lives. Another canvassing session is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 2nd.

On Tuesday evening, hearty crowds mingled in the courtyard of the old Holloway Motel, buzzing with excitement as West Hollywood mayor Chelsea Byers took the podium. All gathered for the ribbon-cutting ceremony and an open house preview of the Holloway Interim Housing Program, the city of West Hollywood’s latest step in its five-year plan to address chronic homelessness. 

In 2022, West Hollywood received a Homekey grant of $6 million from the California Department of Housing and Community Development and purchased the property at Holloway Drive the following year, with plans to revitalize the space into a supportive facility for unhoused community members. After years of development, the Holloway Interim Housing Program is ready to open. The city is partnering with Ascencia, a nonprofit that provides services to unhoused individuals and families, which will manage daily operations at the facility and provide direct support to residents.

“This program is not just short-term housing. It’s a stepping stone towards housing, health, and stability for the long haul,” said Byers, addressing attendees. “This project is what happens when a city puts its values into action. The Holloway is a safe haven and a second chance. It’s a promise kept.” Wielding large golden scissors, Byers cut the ribbon to signal the start of the program, smiling elatedly while surrounded by fellow councilmembers and staff. 

The Holloway Interim Housing Program holds 20 private rooms, and residents will be allowed to stay for up to 90 days. As of now, program participants have to be referred by local homelessness service providers and outreach teams to be able to stay at the premises. During this time, they are connected with case managers and will receive counseling and support on healthcare, employment readiness, and pathways into securing permanent housing. Meals will be provided, and community spaces will also be available for residents to engage in workshops, recovery groups, and other communal programming together. 

“We have communities that basically respond to the homeless crisis by moving the problem to someplace else,” said California Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, who was also present at the ceremony and open house. “Really, without transitional supportive housing, we don’t provide opportunities for people to move into long-term housing, and that is a key part of the building block that is underfunded and under-invested in.” 

When will the program officially welcome its first group of residents? This upcoming Monday, on Oct. 6th, Ascencia Director of Programs Marcell Mitchell told the Blade. Mitchell also explained that Ascencia hopes to keep the program at full capacity. When residents are leaving, someone else from their waiting list will be contacted to fill the space. “We’re ready to get going. We’re ready to start helping people,” Mitchell continued. “It’s definitely a good first step forward. We’ll be able to help people in the community where they’re at, get them going, and get them back to their normal lives.”

Red lights flooded the intimate space at Rocco’s WeHo Sunday night, as Anita Ward’s sultry 1979 disco hit “Ring My Bell” bewitched the dance floor. People clad in all-red leather outfits, dresses, mesh shirts, elegant gowns, and ruffled sleeves mingled and swayed their hips to the loud, thumping beat of funk-infused club classics. They were gathered together for West Hollywood’s annual Red Dress Day, a community fundraising event centering HIV/AIDS awareness.

Red Dress Day, also known as the Red Dress Party, is celebrated in cities across North America, and offers a space for new and longtime friends to commemorate the resilience of their communities, embrace queer joy, and raise funds for local organizations providing resources and services to individuals affected by HIV/AIDS. 

At this year’s West Hollywood iteration, organizer and host Billy Francesca strutted in and out of the nightclub in tall black pumps, holding the end of a long red sequined dress in one hand and a microphone in the other. Throughout the evening, Francesca greeted attendees and urged them to purchase a red wristband, which would allow them access to community drink specials at Rocco’s and other nearby bars participating in the day’s festivities. The funds from these donations were to be donated to The Wall Las Memorias (TWLM), an organization dedicated to providing inclusive and culturally-competent HIV/AIDS care to underserved Latine communities. 

TWLM offers HIV testing and counseling, peer-led support groups, consultations around health services and insurance coverage, as well as community programs and workshops around advocacy, health prevention and mental health destigmatization. 

While excitement and dance was ripe in the air, there was also discontent behind-the-scenes.

As more and more people began to trickle into Rocco’s, only a few had purchased a red wristband. “Years ago, it was like: ‘Who needs what? How can we help? What can I do?’ Now it’s like pulling teeth,” Francesca told the Blade, frustrated at the lack of concrete donation support from attendees. “It’s disheartening, because the gay community wasn’t like this when I was coming up and out. People were just more there for each other.” 

Francesca first began organizing for Red Dress Day in 2023, after the event had entered a hiatus through the pandemic. Moving forward, Francesca hopes to take a more background role in planning, stating that it’s become too much work for him. From rallying bars together and making sure drink specials were being properly distributed, to greeting attendees and making sure everything was running smoothly and on time, Francesca’s capacity has grown thin. “It just needs to be tightened up,” Francesa said, who is passing the gauntlet to Matthew Zaslow.

Zaslow, a Red Dress Day producer and founder of event planning agency Eventure Productions, is set to take on larger responsibilities for future Red Dress celebrations in West Hollywood. “I’m trying to make it a lot bigger,” Zaslow tells the Blade. “The big ones are San Diego and Palm Springs. So that’s my goal — in two or three years, to make it as big as that.”

As the event evolves, longtime attendees like Charlie McCrory are eager to continue to show up. It is an opportunity to band together in unabashed and free queer expression: to resist, to remember, and to hope. “We had to go through a lot to be here today,” McCrory told the Blade. “As a community, we’ve gone through a lot. And we need to remember that. We can’t forget it. And we need to relish, to celebrate.”