Letters: Rainbows in West Hollywood

Re “Diversity in a gay haven,” March 7

The increasing acceptance of gay and lesbian citizens nationwide, while obviously a good thing for all concerned, must inevitably lead to loss — the loss of a feeling of specialness, of “us against the world.”

In many ways the internal debates going on in West Hollywood remind me so much of the anxiety and distress that occurred in Compton as the upwardly mobile African-American population moved out into mainstream suburbs and emergent Latinos replaced them.

Such is the price of progress, perhaps. The more accepted you become, the less noticed and noticeable you are.

In time even the White House will be able to fly the rainbow flag. The irony is that by then no one will notice or even care.

Walter Matera

Lakewood

Thank you for your article about West Hollywood. It is a very special and wonderful city, and I am delighted that the population wants to keep its rainbow image.

I wish more cities could be like West Hollywood and incorporate meaningful aspects of their unique personalities into their cityscapes. Los Angeles has given names to various areas to help identify communities, but many of those places have yet to find themselves and their character in the way West Hollywood has evolved organically, from within.

Those rainbows are inclusive and give meaning and feeling to a city that knows itself.

Betty Seidmon

Los Angeles

Even those of us on the East Coast recognize West Hollywood as a trailblazing city. Not only was West Hollywood “America’s first gay city,” it was the first American city to ban the sale of fur.

Kudos to West Hollywood for continuing to work for social justice for humans and animals alike.

Paula Moore

Portsmouth, Va.

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