For some, they were just traffic signs.But for sexual minorities living in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighbourhood, the ‘no U-turn’ signs were a symbol of the region’s ‘darker’ homophobic past.That’s because starting sometime around 1997 city officials had posted “No cruising. No U-turns. Midnight to 6 am” with the intent to curb gay men and prostitutes from roaming the streets to hook up.The signs were removed in a special ceremony in an area of east Hollywood known for a concentration of gay bars..“Los Angeles has a rich history of welcoming the LGBTQIA+ community, but there has also been real and present homophobia — which at times has been inscribed into the city’s physical spaces, as with these no-U-turn signs,” ‘councilmember’ NithyaRaman said in a prepared statement.In the 1970s, neighbourhoods like Silver Lake weren’t just for partying and finding partners, said Silver Lake Neighborhood Council representative Maebe A. Girl, and the first drag queen elected to public office in the United States. She said they were a “safe haven” for people to freely express themselves. He is presently planning to run for Congress against Democrat Adam Schiff.“We are living in an era with where there are, annually, hundreds of bills being introduced discriminating against transgender people,” said Girl, who is non-binary. “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu. And queer people are very much on the menu right now.”
