Los Angeles, USA
Other Fun Stuff
Angel City Derby Girls
The Los Angeles women’s flat track roller derby league. Four teams make up this league, with my favorite team name being the Berzerkers. Count on some fast, shoving fun.
Butchlalis de Panochtitlan
“A strangely dangerous and outrageous troop of butch women with an uncanny gift for channeling both characters and caricatures. Butchlalis offers unapologetic and unflinching views into the world of Latina butches.” It’s watchable performance art in all its glory: sketch-driven/performance/installation/video, they’ve got it all and the gals totally dig it. Check their website for upcoming performances.
Celebration Theatre
L.A.’s professional LGBT theatre company. Celebration mounts a full season each year, with at least five plays. In every work you will find some kind of queer theme. Many of these productions have received quite strong reviews and are worth being checked out.
7051 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles
www.celebrationtheatre.com
Ellen DeGeneres Show
That’s right, if you’re in Los Angeles when Ellen is taping her show, you can get tickets to be part of her studio audience! Make sure to check this out waaaaay before you travel as these tix are in very high demand.
Erotic Museum
An excellent presentation of sex and erotica throughout the ages. Even though much of it is straight, there is a lot of queer representation here. Great permanent collection and wonderfully curated visiting exhibitions.
6741 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood
www.theeroticmuseum.com
Gay Mafia
This gay and lesbian comedy troupe has picked up tons of awards and accolades since their start-up in 2002. Not only do they entertain, they teach. The Gay Mafia offers funny (or wanna-be funny) homos workshops on improv and stand-up comedy. They perform regularly around L.A., check their website for details.
GaysRUs (monthly at the Hollywood Improv)
A new monthly queer comedy event presented by Queer on Their Feet. This trio (two women and one men) each do a 15-minute schtick on their own, followed by a full-on group improv extravaganza.
8162 Melrose Ave.
West Hollywood
www.myspace.com/queerontheirfeet
Highways Performance Space and Gallery
Located in the 18th Street Arts Center, Highways is all about presenting alternative art and performance, be it from a sexual, cultural, political or gender perspective. Each year they host Ecce Lesbo/Ecce Homo, a three-day festival of lesbian and gay performance.
1651 18th Street
Santa Monica
www.highwaysperformance.org
Ivy Theatre
Imagine, a theatre group dedicated exclusively to presenting works by and for lesbians! Named for the longtime LGBT activist, Ivy Bottini, the Ivy doesn’t have an annual theatre season, but rather produces commissioned works and offers classes on an irregular basis. If you’re a lesbian playwright, you may want to see if they’re interested in your work.
June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives
The only lesbian archive on the west coast of North America, the June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives are an integral resource to lesbians everywhere. Not only do they have an extensive collection of lesbian documentation, but the Archives also host a number of lesbian events throughout the year.
626 N. Robertson Blvd.
West Hollywood
Tel: 310 659-2478
mazerarchives@earthlink.net
www.mazerlesbianarchives.org
L.A. Derby Dolls
This is L.A.’s all-women, banked track roller derby league. If you’re a roller derby fan like I am, you’ll know that banked track roller derby is even faster and more brutal than the flat track version, but man, is it a blast!
Laemmle's Sunset 5
If Outfest Wednesdays don’t work for you, you may want to check out what’s showing at Laemmle’s Sunset 5, a multiplex also known as “the gayplex”. This art house theatre only shows independent flicks on its five screens, and often enough one of the films will be for the queer set.
8000 West Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood
Lambda Literary Foundation
As the group behind the annual Lambda Literary Awards (aka "the Lammies"), the Lambda Literary Foundation is considered the leading American organization for promoting LGBT literature. Not only do they have their annual awards, but they also host a number of one-off events and writers retreats.
LGBT Poetry at the Village (2nd and 4th Monday of the month)
Are you an aspiring or successful poet or writer? Do you want to share your words with others like you? LGBT Poetry at the Village can help. This group meets twice monthly with writers sharing their work, along with their thoughts, opinions and suggestions for the creations of others.
The Village at Ed Gould Plaza
1125 N. McCadden Place
Los Angeles
www.myspace.com/lgbtpoetryatthevillage
Los Angeles Sparks
L.A’s professional women’s basketball team is a constant fave with local lesbians. Generally speaking though, despite the obvious lesbian presence at most WNBA games, the WNBA itself isn’t too hip to promoting its gay girl support. Thankfully the Sparks are a bit more interested in us, officially speaking. In past years they’ve reached out to their lesbian fans by working with Girlbar, the popular party promoters. Women On a Roll also organises regular group outings to their games.
Los Angeles Women's Shakespeare Company
You read it right, this is a professional theatre company with only women performing and mounting the works of the fine bard, Will Shakespeare. Over the years they’ve presented award-winning productions including Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Hamlet, Richard III, Measure for Measure, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing and Twelfth Night.
Lucha Va Voom
If you haven’t seen Lucha Va Voom yet, it’s kinda difficult to explain to you what this gang is all about. Try to imagine, if you will, an evening of Mexican masked wrestling, interspersed with saucy burlesque and throw in some comedians to round it all out. Screaming, whistling, cheering, you’ve got it all. This event often appeals to the girls who think roller derby is a blast.
Macha Theater
Short for "Mujeres (women) Advancing Culture, History & Art", Macha is a labour of love from award-winning playwright and producer Odalys Nanin. "With the aim of building social, cultural and artistic bridges between the straight and gay communities of various ethnicities and provide the LGBTI community with a sense of belonging," Macha is housed in an LA historical landmark, the former Globe Playhouse. All in all, it's a great project spearheaded by some seriously talented Latina women.
1107 N. Kings Rd.
West Hollywood
www.machatheatre.org
Miracle Whips Burlesque
These sexy, out and proud, queer, femme radicals sure know how to put on a show! It’s sexy dyke burlesque with great costumes and choreography. Check their website for upcoming shows.
One National Gay & Lesbian Archives
This extensive collection of all things relating to LGBT history is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday. They’ve got an excellent archive of documentation, AV materials, books and magazines from around the world (including more than 6,850 different periodical titles dating back to the early 20th century!)
909 W. Adams Blvd.
Los Angeles
www.onearchives.org
Outfest Wednesdays
Not only does Outfest present two incredible annual LGBT film festivals (that would be Outfest and Fusion, the LGBT people of color film fest), along with an annual queer music fest called Boom! (2007 was the inaugural edition) this group also screens flicks for bent boys and girls twice a month at the historic Egyptian Theatre.
6712 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles
www.outfest.org
Pin Up Girls
These gals are all over the L.A. lesbian scene, keeping the ladies all hot and bothered by their burlesque-style shows with a belly dance, hip hop twist. All girl, all queer, the Pin Up Girls make a party. See their myspace page for upcoming shows.
Sapphos Return
Sappho's Return is an outlet for women performance/visual artists to collaborate. Not only do they create their own work, but they also support other female art groups and performers, with everything from screening of lesbian shorts to vintage fashion shows. Check website for upcoming events.
Vox Femina Los Angeles
A women’s choir dedicated to the performance of quality choral literature with an emphasis on music by women composers. These women have had a lot of success since they founded in 1997, performing regularly around L.A. and on tour.
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