Levka<p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LGBTQI" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>LGBTQI</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LA" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>LA</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WeHo" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>WeHo</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/drag" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>drag</span></a></p><p>"Los Angeles is a sprawling city that has long attracted artists, migrants, activists, and queer folk, searching for a sense of safety and freedom.</p><p>West Hollywood in the city's north-west, in particular, has stood apart as a cultural and political sanctuary for LGBTIQ+ people for decades.</p><p>Today, that legacy feels both vital and increasingly complex.</p><p>Protests erupted earlier this month in response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids targeting undocumented immigrants in LA's Downtown and Latino neighbourhoods, such as Paramount. In the weeks since, clashes with police, the unprecedented deployment of the national guard and growing fear among immigrant communities have created an atmosphere of unrest and uncertainty.</p><p>But West Hollywood feels worlds apart.</p><p>While only a few kilometres away from neighbourhoods targeted by ICE, culturally and politically, West Hollywood, or WeHo, functions like its own city.</p><p>(. . .)</p><p>On a warm evening in mid-May, the hum of conversation and clinking glasses fills WeHo's One Gallery.</p><p>It's the anticipated calm before the glitter storm as patrons eagerly await their hosts' grand entrance: The crowd is an eclectic mix of activists, members of the drag community and local politicians, including West Hollywood mayor Chelsea Lee Byers.</p><p>Mounted on the wall above them are archival photos of drag legends, including a very young RuPaul, Charles Pierce and Jackie Beat.</p><p>It's the opening reception for It's Where I Belong: 40 Years (and More) of Drag in West Hollywood, a new exhibition hosted by the One Institute, celebrating four decades of drag culture in the city."</p><p><a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/lgbtiq-americans-are-fleeing-red-states-for-las-angeles/jzkjn60z5" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">sbs.com.au/news/article/lgbtiq</span><span class="invisible">-americans-are-fleeing-red-states-for-las-angeles/jzkjn60z5</span></a></p>