L.A. Takes Down ‘Homophobic’ U-Turn Signs, Prompting Jokes
Los Angeles City Council members recently decided to remove “no U-turn” signs from a gay neighborhood after concerns were raised that they might be perceived as homophobic. Initially installed in 1997 alongside “no cruising” signs to address complaints about gay men cruising for dates near popular gay bars, these signs have been the subject of ongoing debate. The decision to remove the “no U-turn” signs followed a constituent reaching out to Councilmember Nithya Raman, prompted by a podcast discussing the remaining signs post-removal of “no cruising” signs in 2011. Raman, alongside Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, led the initiative to take down the signs, acknowledging the historical implications they carried regarding the discrimination faced by the LGBT community in the area. This action sparked significant reaction and discussions online, highlighting the evolving understanding of symbols and their impact on communities.
Los Angeles City Council members reportedly removed “no U-turn” signs from a gay neighborhood over concerns that they would be viewed as “homophobic,” and X — formerly Twitter — exploded with reactions to the move.
According to a Los Angeles NBC News affiliate, the signs that were removed had been put up in 1997 after locals complained about gay men “cruising” in the residential areas near popular gay bars while looking for dates. Several “no cruising” signs were also put up around the same time, and were taken down after a Silver Lake Neighborhood Council vote in 2011.
A constituent brought the remaining “no U-turn” signs to Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman, which she said got the bureaucratic ball rolling.
A “podcast mentioned that there had been ‘No Cruising’ signs along Hyperion that had been removed in 2011, but that nine signs still remained on Griffith Park Boulevard. Our very own Silver Lake constituent, Donovan Daughtry, heard the episode, and in May of 2022 he reached out to our Silver Lake Field Deputy at the time,” she explained.
BREAKING: LA City Council members have removed “No U-Turn” traffic signs in a gay neighborhood.
They say the signs were homophobic.
No, this is not satire. pic.twitter.com/yadflyo588
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) June 14, 2024
Fellow Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez worked with Raman to have the signs removed, saying that he had not previously understood the impact of those signs.
“For me, growing up in South Central Los Angeles, cruising had a very different meaning. It usually meant folks in their lowriders or their cars, a lot of hip-hop music, just going up down Crenshaw Boulevard. But here in Silver Lake, cruising, of course, meant something very different. It meant an opportunity for the LGBT community to try to find human connection and intimacy and to be able to express themselves in a society at the time that was not very welcoming to the LGBT community. The last two no U-Turn signs remind us of that troubled past that we have here in this neighborhood.”
And as a number of people pointed out later, very few Americans were aware that such signs had any connection at all to the LGBTQ community — much less a discriminatory connection.
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“The best part of this is that literally *no one* would know ‘no u-turn’ signs have ever meant anything other than no u-turn. I’ve never seen a group that so desperately WANTS to be ‘oppressed’ or ‘marginalized,’” Riley Gaines posted.
The best part of this is that literally *no one* would know ‘no u-turn’ signs have ever meant anything other than no u-turn.
I’ve never seen a group that so desperately WANTS to be “oppressed” or “marginalized” https://t.co/ElknwNy9MT
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) June 15, 2024
“Got rid of Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben & replaced Dr Seuss with Billy Blows Bobby & it’s still not enough. Congratulations on defeated the U-turn signs. Nothing will satisfy the left’s insatiable appetite for destruction,” another posted.
Got rid of Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben & replaced Dr Seuss with Billy Blows Bobby & it’s still not enough. Congratulations on defeated the U-turn signs. Nothing will satisfy the left’s insatiable appetite for destruction. pic.twitter.com/UenEPkgVjW
— 🇺🇸Scarlett Mayhem🇺🇸 (@ScarlettO66) June 15, 2024
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