City council members gathered this week in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles to remove 'No U-Turn' and 'No Cruising' signs, which were placed in 1997 as part of an effort to deter hookups among gay men in the area. The signs, which included restrictions from midnight to 6 a.m., were identified as remnants of homophobia by city leaders, including LA Councilmember Nithya Raman and Councilman Higo Soto-Martinez.
Raman highlighted the city's mixed history regarding the LGBTQIA+ community, noting the signs' role in perpetuating homophobia. The removal effort was joined by local LGBTQ+ individuals, including Maebe A. Girl, the first drag queen elected to public office in the U.S. She and others expressed surprise upon learning about the signs and their discriminatory history.
Some of these signs were initially removed after a vote by the Silver Lake Council in 2011. The recent effort concluded the process, spurred by Silver Lake resident Donovan Daughtry, who brought the issue back to light.
The ceremony also featured comments from community figures like West Hollywood's drag queen laureate, Pickle, who emphasized the subtle and insidious nature of such discriminatory measures.