LA’s Queer History Was Written Long Before Pride Month. Here Is Where to Find It.
June in Los Angeles means one thing: Pride. But this city is more than a parade route; it’s where queer people have long gathered, organized, resisted, and built spaces that matter. Every June, LA Pride brings that history back into the streets. The landmarks, neighborhoods, and stories behind those celebrations are here year-round, and the best way to experience many of them is from the open top of a Starline bus.
Here’s your guide to the stories, neighborhoods, and landmarks that shaped LA Pride, and where to find them along the way with Starline’s Hop-On Hop-Off tour.
Downtown LA: Before Stonewall
In May 1959, a decade before the Stonewall Inn, a 24-hour donut shop in Downtown Los Angeles became the site of one of the earliest recorded acts of collective LGBTQ+ resistance to police harassment in the United States. Cooper’s Do-Nuts was one of the few places in the city that welcomed transgender people when most establishments did not. When two LAPD officers attempted to arrest several patrons that night, the people outside pushed back. The officers retreated.
A few miles away, the ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at USC holds one of the most complete records of this history, including documentation on the Cooper’s Do-Nuts uprising. It is a major research library dedicated to LGBTQ+ history, open to the public and hosting exhibitions, art shows, and cinematic screenings throughout the year. Downtown LA is well served by Starline’s Hop-On Hop-Off route, making it an easy stop to pair with the rest of your day.
West Hollywood
When West Hollywood became an independent city in 1984, it was largely LGBTQ+ residents who made it happen, organizing for a government that would actually represent them. It soon became one of the first cities in the United States with multiple openly gay elected officials.
Today, West Hollywood is at the center of Los Angeles Pride, with the parade route running along Santa Monica Boulevard: through a neighborhood that generations of queer Angelenos helped define. It is also one of the most accessible stops on the Hop-On Hop-Off route — hop off, spend time in the neighborhood, and hop back on when you are ready.
Venice Beach: A Flag the Community Fought to Keep
The Bill Rosendahl Memorial Lifeguard Tower at Brooks Avenue in Venice was painted in rainbow colors in 2016 and made permanent after the community successfully petitioned the county to preserve it. Named after the first openly gay man elected to the Los Angeles City Council, the tower sits at one end of a stretch of beach that has been a queer gathering place since the 1950s. Venice is another neighborhood on the Hop-On Hop-Off route — combine it with Santa Monica for a full coastal stretch.
The Walk of Fame, Read Differently
On Hollywood Boulevard, the stars of RuPaul, Elton John, Jodie Foster, Melissa Etheridge, Jane Lynch, and Neil Patrick Harris sit in the same pavement where Starline Tours has welcomed guests since 1935.
Want to Go Deeper? Silver Lake
For those who want to explore further into queer LA history, Silver Lake is worth the trip on its own. On New Year’s Eve 1966, plainclothes LAPD officers raided the Black Cat Tavern on Sunset Boulevard, beating and arresting LGBTQ+ patrons for celebrating the new year together. Six weeks later, over 200 people gathered outside the Black Cat for a peaceful civil demonstration: one of the first organized public LGBTQ+ protests in Los Angeles.
The Black Cat was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2008. The building at 3909 Sunset Boulevard still stands. A few blocks away, the Mattachine Steps at 2355 Cove Avenue mark the neighborhood where Harry Hay began organizing in 1948 what would become the Mattachine Society, an early and influential gay rights organization in the United States. Silver Lake sits outside the main Hop-On Hop-Off corridor, but it is a short ride from Hollywood and well worth a dedicated visit.
See the City with Starline
The history is real, and so is the fun. Starline’s Hop-On Hop-Off bus gives you flexible access to many of the areas in this guide — including Hollywood, West Hollywood, Downtown LA, Santa Monica, and Venice Beach — at your own pace, with no fixed schedule. Hop off at the landmarks, grab a coffee, take the photos, and hop back on whenever you are ready. Narrated audio is available in multiple languages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the most important LGBTQ+ historical sites in Los Angeles?
Some of the most significant queer landmarks in LA include the Black Cat Tavern site in Silver Lake, the Cooper’s Do-Nuts site in Downtown, the ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at USC, the Bill Rosendahl Memorial Lifeguard Tower in Venice, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where the stars of RuPaul, Elton John, and others are embedded in the pavement along Hollywood Boulevard.
Can you visit LGBTQ+ landmarks on a Hop-On Hop-Off tour?
Yes. Starline’s Hop-On Hop-Off bus covers stops across Hollywood, West Hollywood, Downtown LA, Santa Monica, and Venice Beach, giving you flexible access to many of the sites in this guide at your own pace.
LA Pride 2026 will be Sunday, June 14 in West Hollywood. The history that made it possible is already out there, and the bus is ready when you are.
Book your Hop-On Hop-Off passes at starlinetours.com and see the city shaped by generations of queer Angelenos.
