Intersections: Glendale’s diversity is just under the surface
One of the most fulfilling assignments I had in the beginnings of my freelance journalism career came from this very newspaper you’re reading. It was November 2009, and I was at Moonlight Rollerway to report on a night they had had going on for over 20 years called “Rainbow Skate,” L.A.’s original and only weekly LGBT roller skate event.
I spent hours at the rink, meeting men and women who had come to spend time in a place that accepted them for who they were.
For perhaps many of them, this was the one night out of their week where they didn’t have to think about their sexuality or gender, or anything else for that matter, other than skating to Cher and Whitney Houston blasting from the sound system.
It turned out to be one of my favorites stories I ever got to tell. The energy and excitement, the reception I received and just getting the chance to watch people open up and become their true selves in front of me became a memory I carried with me, and perhaps something that informed my later reporting on the topic of LGBT issues.
Later, I heard the reaction to the story had been just about what every reporter wanted: a mix of surprise and excitement.
Over the years since then, I have frequently met and gotten to know many members of the LGBT community in and around Glendale, as my interest in these issues and documenting how they live their lives has only grown. They reminded me Glendale is the kind of place that’s easy to make assumptions about, but if you go digging a little deeper, you’ll realize all the diversity and hidden stories underneath its surface.
There is more here than just kebob restaurants, the Americana at Brand and an entire boulevard where you can purchase your next car. There is more here than an Armenian community, though that is intricate and bustling in its own right.
Glendale makes you work to find some of its best stories and people, but this week it’s actually a bit easier.
At 7 p.m. on Thursday at Gaucho’s Village, a casual meet-and-greet for the LGBT community and their friends and family will take place.
Maybe it’s because of my history with this community, maybe it’s because a recent piece of mine on Middle Eastern LGBT identity has recently been getting some attention, or that I’m right in the middle of completing another long-awaited project on aging in the transgender community, but I haven’t been this excited about an event in Glendale for a long time.
“Just like in our country — Brazil — we are a nation at peace with the entire world where everyone is welcome and treated equal,” restaurant owner Kevin Aksacki wrote on the Gauchos Facebook page. “These fundamental way[s] of living are also applied here at Gaucho’s Village. We love and respect everyone and all are welcome.”
So much has changed for the LGBT community in recent years, both in legislation and acceptance. This type of event might not have been possible in Glendale perhaps 30 years ago. Even with all the progress, it still might not be possible in many places around the world.
So here’s to an opportunity to discover more diversity in Glendale, especially when going to look for it means just walking into a popular Brazilian steakhouse and having drinks with some of the most welcoming people around.
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LIANA AGHAJANIAN is a Los Angeles-based journalist whose work has appeared in L.A. Weekly, Paste magazine, New America Media, Eurasianet and The Atlantic. She may be reached at liana.agh@gmail.com.