In Los Angeles, you have beaches, palm trees, endless sunshine, and, of course, the entertainment industry. For decades, its art-focused industries and beautiful cityscape have attracted LGBTIQ+ visitors from around the globe. Many end up making LA their home. Its progressive and open-minded residents have seen the LGBTIQ+ community thrive here, with West Hollywood becoming the city’s center of queer culture.
However, beyond being a great place for LGBTIQ+ travelers, Los Angeles is a truly surreal and unique city that you wouldn’t find anywhere else in the world. Only in LA can you bump into Christian Bale and David Beckham at a Pinkberry and drive from the ocean, past a movie premiere, and up into the mountains… all within an hour. Calling a destination “one-of-a-kind” is beyond cliché at this point, but for Los Angeles, there’s simply no other way to describe it.
The Best LGBTIQ+ Bars and Clubs in Los Angeles
Our WeHo Favorites
LA’s main hub of LGBTIQ+ activity, and the city’s “gayborhood,” is West Hollywood… which is technically its own city. West Hollywood, often abbreviated as WeHo by locals, has three main thoroughfares: Melrose Avenue, Santa Monica Boulevard, and Sunset Boulevard. Melrose is known for its boutique shopping while Sunset is famous for its bars and clubs, but it’s Santa Monica Boulevard where you’ll find a majority of the LGBTIQ+ nightlife.
Most notable is The Abbey. This bar and restaurant has been around for over 30 years and is a bona fide LA institution. Known for its apple martinis and go-go dancers, The Abbey is a massive space that sees crowds every night of the week and is especially busy on weekends. From their sweaty and provocative dance floor to the sprawling outdoor patio, everyone can find the vibe that fits them best. On the weekends, The Abbey also serves brunch, becoming the perfect spot for visitors who want to soak in the local LGBTIQ+ scene without feeling the pressure of clubbing in LA.
Also in WeHo is Micky’s, which is easily LA’s best spot for drag. All of the Drag Race queens have performed at Micky’s, from Pearl to Raja, Pandora Boxx, and more. In fact, Micky’s puts on a weekly “Showgirls” revue hosted by Drag Race alum Morgan McMichaels. Besides the drag events, Micky’s is always popular due to its variety of parties and events, from Taco Tuesdays to open mic nights, guest DJs, and more. Keep an eye on their events page as there’s always something going on. Other WeHo hotspots include Revolver for pop hits and The Bayou for super-cheap Happy Hour drinks.
Silver Lake is a Grungier Alternative
While WeHo is the main gayborhood, Silver Lake has long been home to the alternative queer scene. Grungier, younger, and more diverse among those who identify as other-than-gay, Silver Lake has a lot going on and has become one of LA’s coolest neighborhoods. For nightlife, check out Akbar. Opened in the late 90s, the bar was initially intended to be a punk rock space, complete with a lavish Middle Eastern-inspired interior, dim lighting, and cheap drinks.
Throughout the years, as pop, dance, and trance music have gained popularity, Akbar has lost some of its grunge roots and now plays more mainstream music. Nevertheless, it remains an incredibly fun and distinct bar. It also holds a broad array of different parties and events nightly, from lesbian nights to fetish parties, drag sing-alongs, and more. It’s the kind of bar where, depending on the event, the crowd inside can vary wildly from the night before.
Another Silver Lake institution is Eagle LA. Part bear bar, part leather bar, part kink bar, and part friendly neighborhood hole-in-the-wall, Eagle LA has a unique atmosphere. Visitors can expect hairy chests, leather harnesses, and jockstraps. If that’s your scene, or if you’re curious to explore, Eagle is a fantastic place to enjoy a drink. However, if leather nightlife isn’t your preference, check their website before visiting, as some nights are more intense than others.
The Black Cat is an LA Institution
An honorable mention goes to the Black Cat. Currently, it’s a restaurant and bar that doesn’t cater specifically to the gay crowd (although it does offer a highly-regarded menu that includes crab tartine and flat iron steak) but back on December 31, 1966, the bar made history. At the time, it was a gay bar, and just before midnight, the crowd embraced for a New Year’s kiss. Little did they know the bar had been infiltrated by undercover cops.
The police began beating patrons to the ground and issuing arrests (homosexuality was still illegal back then due to a variety of laws). Not long after, members of the LGBTIQ+ community gathered around the bar and held a protest. This protest also gave rise to a queer newsletter called The Los Angeles Advocate, which has persisted and evolved into The Advocate we all know today. The Black Cat honors its past with historical photos and newspaper clippings on its walls to remember the 1966 attack.
Excellent LGBTIQ+ Spaces Beyond the Clubs
Circus of Books
Circus of Books is an incredibly important LGBTIQ+ space in LA. Oddly enough, this queer bookshop (which also sells art and apparel… along with adult products) is actually owned by a straight couple who took over the shop in the early ’80s. It became a safe haven for the LGBTIQ+ community during the AIDS crisis and has remained an integral part of LA’s queer culture to this day. The shop’s story is so captivating it was even turned into a Netflix documentary in 2019. Currently, Circus of Books has two locations and is definitely worth a visit to explore excellent books on queer history and maybe something a bit cheeky.
TOM House
Touko Valio Laaksonen, better known as Tom of Finland, was a sketch artist renowned for his hyper-masculine yet homoerotic sketches of men. He became one of the earliest-known overtly gay artists in history. At the time, Tom and other artists were sharing their works through a magazine called Physique Pictorial, which was marketed as a bodybuilding magazine but served as a discreet way to showcase homoerotic images.
Today, Tom’s house (simply named TOM House) has been preserved as a museum, filled with many of his famous sketches. Additionally, TOM House provides visitors with an in-depth exploration of his life and the history of erotic art.
From the Archives
For more on queer history, visit the ONE Archives Foundation, the largest collection of LGBTIQ+ artifacts globally. From old magazines to newspaper clippings, objects from the Stonewall Uprising, and more, there’s much to see, learn, and do at the foundation.
A large archive is located at USC, but it’s currently closed for renovations. However, the ONE Gallery in West Hollywood remains open for visitors, housing a rotating collection from the larger archive and hosting special events and speaker series. Artifacts from the ONE Foundation contributed to HBO Max’s LGBTIQ+ docuseries, Equal.
Where to Find the LGBTIQ+ Community
LA’s most important LGBTIQ+ community space is the Los Angeles LGBT Center. On a community level, the center, which has various locations across the city, hosts events and provides housing and social services, HIV/STD testing, advocacy programs, and more.
Moreover, the center offers exciting events that attract big-name performers. Various fundraising concerts, comedy shows, and galas feature artists like Kathy Griffin, Lily Tomlin, Sia, Jenifer Lewis, and many more. Earlier in 2022, the Center hosted a lesbian comedy night, with upcoming performances including a concert by the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles.
If there are no events during your visit, stop by the Center’s Hollywood location to check out the Liberation Coffee House. Liberation is staffed entirely by graduates from the Center’s culinary program, which assists underserved LGBTIQ+ youth and seniors in acquiring skills in the culinary and hospitality industries to find meaningful employment.
They serve coffee drinks, chai, and tea, alongside standard café fare like overnight oats and house-made biscotti. The real treats are the unique goodies they bake, like guava and cream cheese scones and gluten-free iced coconut donuts. Enjoy as many donuts as you wish, as it supports a good cause!
Save the Date: LA’s Best LGBTIQ+ Events
Los Angeles’ biggest queer event of the year is LA Pride, attracting tens of thousands of participants annually. In 2022, LA Pride hosted numerous events, including film screenings, an LGBTIQ+ takeover of Universal Studios, a giant music festival headlined by Christina Aguilera, and, of course, the parade! LA Pride takes place yearly in June.
As an alternative to LA Pride, DTLA Proud is an organization focused on celebrating the LGBTIQ+ community without commercialization. They hold a yearly pride event known for being more inclusive to people of color and those who identify as trans and nonbinary.
Being in LA, you obviously can’t visit without watching films. In 2022, the 40th year of Outfest, LA’s LGBTIQ+ film festival celebrated a mix of newcomers and veterans showcasing their films, including documentaries, dramas, horror, and short films. This year’s festival highlight was expected to be They/Them, a highly-anticipated horror film set in a deranged “conversion camp” for trans and nonbinary teens, starring Kevin Bacon as the camp’s nefarious owner, which premiered at the closing night gala. Outfest occurs annually during the summer months.
What LGBTIQ+ Travelers Need to Know Before Going to LA
It’s crucial for visitors to know that Los Angeles has experienced an uptick in crime. While this is often exaggerated by conservative media, it’s wise to stay informed and use common sense. It’s also important to remember that LA is an extremely resilient city and its residents have, quite literally, seen it all.
Moreover, Los Angeles is a very large city with a notorious traffic problem. While travel brochures may showcase images of the Hollywood Sign, Santa Monica, and Disneyland, trying to visit all three on the same day could lead to a maddening experience due to the geographical distances and traffic jams.
Los Angeles is a city where planning is essential. Knowing how many miles downtown is from LAX or how far Hollywood is from Malibu can save valuable time. Therefore, it’s advisable to organize your itinerary so you stay in one section of the city at a time; otherwise, you could spend hours stuck in traffic.
Resources and Info for LGBTIQ+ Visitors
As mentioned, the Los Angeles LGBT Center is a great resource for locals and visitors and has various locations around town.
The Los Angeles LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce offers excellent resources to find LGBTIQ-owned businesses as well as those that are committed allies to the community. Hotels listed by the chamber of commerce include the W Hollywood and the Mondrian, located in the heart of the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood.
