WEST HOLLYWOOD
ED BUCK SENTENCED TO 30 YEARS FOR FATALLY DRUGGING 2 MEN
Former Democratic political donor, Ed Buck was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison last month for supplying drugs to two men who overdosed in his West Hollywood apartment. A jury found Buck, 67, guilty of all nine felony counts against him, including two for distribution of controlled substances resulting in the deaths of Gemmel Moore, 26, who died on July 27, 2017, and Timothy Dean, 55, who died on January 7, 2019. Federal prosecutors said he lured young Black men who were often experiencing homelessness, addiction, and/or poverty to his apartment for sexually charged sessions in which he would inject them with methamphetamine and drug them with sedatives, with and without their consent.
STUDIO CITY
OIL CAN HARRY’S GETS RECOGNITION AS HISTORIC-CULTURAL MONUMENT
The Los Angeles Conservancy announced that Oil Can Harry’s, located at 11502 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, has become an official Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM) following an unanimous vote by the Los Angeles City Council last month. Initially opened as the Zomba Room in the 1950s as a burlesque club, in 1968 the venue changed its name to Oil Can Harry’s. From 1968 to 2020, Oil Can Harry’s remained in continuous operation making it one of the country’s longest operating LGBTQ+ bars.
LOS ANGELES
AIDS/LIFECYCLE PARTICIPANT KILLED IN DUI HIT-AND-RUN
Real Estate agent and AIDS/LifeCycle participant, Andrew Jelmert, was killed by a drunk driver in a hit-and-run incident at Griffith Park on Saturday April 16, 2022. Jelmert was participating in an AIDS/LifeCycle charity event when he was struck by a late model 4-door BMW sedan driven by 37-year-old Jairo Martinez, who fled the scene and was later arrested by police. Jelmert fell onto the roadway where he suffered blunt force trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene. Martinez is being charged with murder, hit-and-run, and driving with a suspended or revoked license after being convicted of driving under the influence.
RIVERSIDE
RIVERSIDE LGBTQ+ PRIDE ANNOUNCES MASQUERADE GAYLA
Riverside LGBTQ+ Pride has announced that it plans to have a grand night of eleganza at their Riverside Pride Masquerade Gayla, hosted by the Crestmore Manor in Jurupa Valley, California, on Saturday, June 25, 2022.
“The Gayla is a unique opportunity to meet others who are active in the Inland Empire queer community, all in an enchanted setting of a masquerade ball,” said Ray Yu, President of Riverside LGBTQ+ Pride.
For more info and to obtain tickets for the event visit: www.RiversidePrideIE.org.
PALM SPRINGS
DEATH THREATS OVER TRANS INCOME PROGRAM
Queer Works Executive Director Jacob Rostovsky has joined Palm Springs Mayor Lisa Middleton in raising concerns regarding dozens of abusive and threatening phone calls about a proposal to provide $200,000 to two organizations seeking to launch a guaranteed income program for transgender residents, reports the Desert Sun.
At a city council meeting last month Middleton said people on both sides of the issue misunderstood the vote, incorrectly thinking that the $200,000 would be used to fund actual guaranteed income payments. She emphasized the money would be used to fund the process of designing the pilot and submitting the application.
Queer Works Executive Director Jacob Rostovsky said that while some of the calls have included death threats, he does not plan to report the calls to police.
“What I’ve learned is the people who call and try to scare you aren’t the ones to be scared about,” he said. “It’s the ones that are quiet and leave you alone, those are the ones to be scared about.”
To learn more about Queer Works visit: www.queerworks.org.
