For decades, the streets of Los Angeles have been a key part of the LGBTQ+ community's history. Gentrification has drastically changed the area, as seen in the Unidad documentary now airing on PBS. In response, the GLLU created Bienestar Human Services, an organization dedicated to spreading awareness about HIV and AIDS. Studies and reports have provided evidence that LGBT people suffer economic harm due to limited human rights, such as lost working time, lost productivity, lack of investment in human capital, and inefficient allocation of resources.
West Hollywood proudly displays symbols of LGBTQ pride on its walls, City Hall, and other facilities. This gap in knowledge about wealth is particularly problematic for evaluating the economic well-being of populations that age with SGD (sexual and gender diversity). These individuals may receive fewer wealth transfers from families of origin that do not support them and may have fewer children to count on for unpaid assistance in old age. A plaque outside the Black Cat Tavern commemorates one of the first public demonstrations for gay rights in 1967. This protest was organized against police violence, arbitrary arrests, and entrapment everywhere in Los Angeles, in solidarity with East Los Angeles, Pacoima, Venice, and Watts.
An analysis of the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent and Adult Health revealed that female sexual minorities were more likely than heterosexual women to have personal incomes close to the poverty line. Both women and men from sexual minorities were more likely than heterosexuals to have experienced economic difficulties in the past 12 months. Since its constitution in 1984, West Hollywood has become one of the most influential cities in the nation because of its open defense of LGBTQ issues. However, interventions to improve the well-being and reduce inequality of SGD groups in these economic contexts are inadequate and have not been tested.
The city has a resource guide for transgender people available on its website which provides information on legal, health, and social services available in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Through its Advisory Board on Transgender People, West Hollywood regularly co-sponsors programming which includes a job fair organized by the Los Angeles LGBT Center's Transgender Economic Empowerment Project. LGBTQ flags that are continuously displayed in West Hollywood include the Rainbow Flag, Transgender Pride Flag, and Progress Flag. Homosexual organizations led by white activists often neglected outreach to people of color including members of the Latino community. There is a greater risk of homelessness among LGBTQ youth with an elevated risk for LGBTQ youth of color than other young people.
Little is known about how low-income populations with SGD are treated when seeking services and public assistance. The City has been advocating for more than three decades for measures to support LGBTQ people and has been at the forefront of efforts to achieve and protect equality for all people at the state national and international levels.
