A look at essential swimwear style for Summer 2014

Produced by Ed Baker

Photography by John Fallon

(Divine, The Palace Theater, S.F., 1972)

In the fall of 1969, a few months after the Stonewall Riots, Anthony Friedkin, a 19-year-old Los Angeles photographer, returned to his hometown from a summer in Europe and embarked on an extraordinary four-year project: The Gay Essay, a series of black-and-white photographs depicting members of what was not then a high-profile or even cohesive group—gay men, drag queens, Hollywood hustlers and lesbians.

Life’s a beach, and one of the best things about L.A.’s summer months is laying low with a great book as the water laps the shore. Whether your summer reading preferences tip toward spiced-up fiction, idiosyncratic bios, pithy comedy patter or dissecting cultural trends, we’ve got you covered. Just don’t forget the sunblock.

Los Angeles’ LGBT community has long gravitated toward the ‘gayborhoods’ of West Hollywood and Silver Lake, often due to concerns of safety and those cozy hamlets’ wide range of cultural and nightlife options. But times, they are a-changin’, and our city’s younger set of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Angelenos prefer to pop the proverbial bubble. L.A. is a veritable playground for the adventurous, and options for living a thrill-filled, well-adjusted life can be found throughout the city limits.

Whether you’re seeking a gift for your pops, something for that my-two-dads couple down the street or a present for your hot daddy, you know that Father’s Day is around the corner, and it’s time to pull out all the stops. Whether’s he a dandy, an outdoorsman or a collector, there’s something for him on this list in every price range. If you’re shopping with an unlimited budget, all the better, because some of these suggestions definitely fit the fantasy category.But what’s life without a little daydreaming? You know your dad is worth it.

Since 1979, the nonprofit LGBT organization Christopher Street West has produced L.A. Pride in West Hollywood to celebrate the anniversary of New York’s historical Stonewall Riots. Some have argued that hosting Pride in WeHo prevents its cultural significance from extending outside of Boystown. After all, Pride was originally held in Hollywood, its parade taking place on a warm 1970 day along Hollywood Boulevard between Highland and Vine. Pressure from a homophobic LAPD eventually forced the event to move to the unincorporated area that would later become West Hollywood. But lets be honest—if L.A. is going to throw a weekend-long gay party, don’t you want it handled by the same overachievers who founded  and maintained a city with our best interests at its core? CSW promises that L.A. Pride 2014 will be the city’s most promising celebration ever. Read more...