COLLEGIAN TIMES
12
CULTURED LOS ANGELES
2021 SPRING-SUMMER
just walk over for a drink or two during the weekend,” Larry said. “I would also go over when it was underwear night and have a great conversation with one of the bartenders named Elijah.”
ROAD ENDS IN
EAST HOLLYWOOD FOR FAULTLINE
Somewhere, there’s a beautiful over-the- rainbow ending that Judy Garland sang about in “The Wizard of Oz.” But not so for the Faultline, the legendary gay club in East Hollywood once owned by Garland’s husband, Sid Luft. Four clubs shuttered in West Hollywood since the start of the pandemic, diminishing a slice of cultural life.
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BY WILLIAM B. TORRES
ince the pandemic began in March 2020, many small businesses suffered and eventually closed their doors to the public. The LGBTQ+ business community suffered a great deal during the shutdowns. A few iconic nightspots like the Faultline that cater to the gay community are now permanently closed. The legendary gay leather bar called East Hollywood home for decades, located a few blocks from L.A. City College. For 26 years, Faultline has been the home to many gays across the homo spectrum, including bears, otters, leather-look, twinks, drags, and jocks. Bears prowl through a club. They are large, hairy masculine types. The otter is a thinner version of the bear. The leather-look sports black
handcuffs and leather vests with tight pants. Twinks are thin – the more feminine, beautiful types, while jocks are fit, athletic and strong. Drags are short for drag queens. Spot Morphs from Red Rouge to Bar for a Cruise Devion Coleman, a poet, and writer would visit the Faultline from time to time before COVID. “Every time I would walk into the doors [of Faultline], I would see the gay United Nations inside the bar,” Devion said. “The Faultline was a very welcoming and accepting community.” When it came to Faultline, Judy Garland would say, “Toto, we are not in Kansas anymore.” In the 1960s, gay icon Judy Garland bought the building with her then, late husband, Sid Luft. It was named Red Rouge according to ‘wehotimes. com.’ In 1963, Garland placed her handprints and signed her name on the cement floor, behind the club’s back bar. Since the days of Judy Garland, the actual building has been a haven for the gay community – for over 40 years. After the Red Rouge, the building was called Stud, a Levi/leather cruise bar from 19741988. In 1988, the Stud converted to the Zone, and then in 1989, it was called Griff ’s. In 1994, Shawn Farnworth bought the building on Melrose and named it Faultline. Larry Wilson lives three blocks from the Faultline and would go over every weekend before the lockdown began. “Drinks were so cheap at the Faultline, I would
Lively, Uncensored Crowd Makes Tracks to Faultline Because Faultline was a gay dive bar for over 26 years, it can be an “unrated” environment in the gay community. This means explicit acts were likely to unfold inside the club. An interview subject who will remain anonymous enjoyed going to the Faultline in the 1990s. One of his most memorable moments at the Faultline was a New Year’s party, where he became intoxicated and had a very close encounter with a famous porn star named MackSF inside the bar. “I had to call a cab to get home, and I left without my pants. When I woke up the next morning, I couldn’t remember ‘HOW’ I got home with no pants,” the partier says. “This had to be around 25 years ago. I was in my late 30s, and I’m now 65.” Not only has Faultline been a haven for the gay community in East Hollywood, but the local businesses also supported the leather bar. Josh Schneider is a tattoo artist and works at Marginalized Tattoo, a shop next to the Faultline. Schneider would always grab a drink at the Faultline after work. “It doesn’t matter if I’m straight, I was welcome by the doorman, and bartenders, each time I would go for a drink after,” Josh said. “It was fun culture to be around, and it will be missed.” LACC faculty, students and East Hollywood residents would pump their gas at the Mobile Station at the corner of Melrose and Vermont. The neon-colored sign of the Faultline was in clear view to any customer pumping gas. Jose Avalos works at the Mobile gas station. He has been there since 2001, and he says he has always supported Faultline’s customers. “I never had a problem with the gay community, and the gay community has always been really nice to me every time they would come inside to buy a snack or water after the late hours of the night,” Avalos said. “I was a good friend with the previous owner, Jorge Usatorres. Once a week, Jorge would come inside the gas station and have a small conversation about his job or my wife and kids.” West Hollywood Gay Clubs Lose Glitter in Pandemic Almost six miles away from Los Angeles City College the heart of the gay community, West Hollywood, suffered during the pandemic. Danny Rivas works for the city. He is the West Hollywood code of compliance manager and is not shocked that Faultline closed permanently. “A lot of businesses don’t own the property, which makes it hard for the bars like Faultline to stay open when revenue isn’t coming in,” Rivas said.
