Angela Brinskele

Camelia Brieanne Heins interviews June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives Communications Manager Angela Brinskele about lesbian and queer spaces along Santa Monica Boulevard. Brinskele begins by describing her childhood in conservative Orange County and her memories of driving into Los Angeles to find lesbian community before moving to Silver Lake around 1984. She describes attending Lesbian Writers Series events at A Different Light bookstore at Sunset Junction with friends and how it helped her discover a love of lesbian literature. She also remembers visiting and taking photos at the Normandie Room and seeing lesbian musicians perform at Little Frida’s. Brinskele also shares memories of The French Market, a location where she met multiple girlfriends including Donna Beach. She recalls how much she enjoyed eating there alone and with friends and visiting the gay gift shop Dorothy’s Surrender.

Brinskele shares how she began photographing lesbian communities in the 1980s, when many people were still in the closet and afraid to be photographed. This gradually changed during the 1990s. She also remembers racism in the community, including a Black lesbian friend being denied entry to The Palms and how friends of color felt uncomfortable at West Hollywood Pride for many years. In contrast, she remembers The French Market and Sunset Junction Street Fair as more diverse and welcoming spaces.

She discusses how she got involved with the June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives after women from the archives, visiting her Long Beach 40 Plus group, invited her to volunteer. She was “blown away” by collection items like women’s baseball uniforms from the era of A League of Their Own and the collections of activists like Esther Bentley. She ends by discussing changes in West Hollywood, including how the police went from terrorizing the community to recruiting LGBT community members for the force.