The Hanged Man (North Hollywood Gay Bar/70's)

The Hanged Man — North Hollywood Gay Bar Tee

From 1971 to 1975, The Hanged Man operated at 10522 Burbank Boulevard in North Hollywood, part of a surprisingly large gay nightlife scene that once stretched across the San Fernando Valley.

The Hanged Man appears in early-1970s gay guides alongside dozens of Valley bars, clubs, restaurants, and gathering places. At a time when West Hollywood had yet to become the center of gay Los Angeles nightlife, North Hollywood had a queer bar scene very much its own.

And this particular address has an especially great history. After The Hanged Man came The Junction, followed by The Signal and eventually the Officers Club, a strict gay uniform bar where street clothes reportedly weren't allowed. The location later became The Bullet, continuing its long association with gay and leather nightlife.

That continuity makes 10522 Burbank Boulevard pretty remarkable. While countless old Los Angeles gay bars disappeared completely, this little North Hollywood address kept reinventing itself for successive generations of gay men.