Example #1

Council File # 20-1341

Dear Los Angeles City Councilmembers,

Please vote yes to make Morris Kight’s 4th Street Residence an Historic-Cultural Monument at the June 6th hearing.

Everyone I know is either scared, depressed or angry (or all of the above), especially me and my LGBTQ family and friends.  Denying HCM designation to Morris Kight’s 4th Street house would not only be wrong (because the house has already been judged and found historic) but it will also send the wrong message (Los Angeles must stay vigilant against LGBTQ bias).

At least 417 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the United States since the start of 2023 — a new record, according to American Civil Liberties Union data as of April 3. That’s already more than twice the number of such bills introduced all of last year.  And 24 bills that restrict LGBTQ rights have passed in 11 states.

Morris Kight fought for all of us. His home at 1822 4th Street is the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ civil rights movement.  Kight’s home was a gay community services center, an outreach center and a meeting place for grassroots activists, actions and causes.  Kight co-founded the Gay Liberation Front/Los Angeles chapter (1969) and held their meetings at his 4th Street house; one of their actions was to force the American Psychiatric Association to stop listing homosexuality as a mental illness.  Kight personally ran the first ever LGBT crisis hotline. The first ever gay pride parade was conceived and planned at 1822 4th Street. And the first ever Gay Community Services Center (1971) was born from the services center at Kight’s home (and would grow into the country’s largest LGBT services center).

I urge you to do the right thing.  Please vote yes to make Morris Kight Residence 1822 W. 4th Street an Historic-Cultural Monument at the June 6th hearing.

Sincerely,