For a queer community in Los Angeles, this public park is a lifeline

Where We Are is a visual series about young adults and the spaces where they create community.

One Sunday afternoon, 25-year-old Rory Manns strolled through the park, soccer ball in hand. Rory's friends brought blankets, snack bags and a charcuterie board. In this sacred space, everyone had an offering to share.

Located west of downtown Los Angeles, Vista Hermosa Nature Park is a pocket of rolling forests that cradle streams and lush meadows. It has always been a community space, dotted with picnic areas, a playground and an amphitheater. But during the pandemic, when so many other gathering places have been closed, her power has focused on Rory, who is non-binary and uses the pronouns them/them, and other queer and trans young adults in their cohort.

Meeting at the park was therapeutic for the group, allowing them to express themselves and learn from each other in a safe and intimate space. The tradition has extended beyond the pandemic.

"It's a community that we've been looking for and trying to find and build for ourselves in L.A. for as long as we can remember," said Alè Bersanetti, 24. “How assertive and natural you feel and how deep you feel in a friendship, how deep those bonds are. It's really special."

Fashion May 18, 2023 0 54 Add to Reading List

For a queer community in Los Angeles, this public park is a lifeline

A group of young people lying together on an orange picnic blanket in a sunny park with their arms around each other. The person on the left has wavy black hair and wears a beige tank top with a red semi-circle on the left side and a pink knee-length skirt. They are smiling and holding hands with the person to their left, who is wearing a beige summer dress. loading=

Where We Are is a visual series about young adults and the spaces where they create community.

One Sunday afternoon, 25-year-old Rory Manns strolled through the park, soccer ball in hand. Rory's friends brought blankets, snack bags and a charcuterie board. In this sacred space, everyone had an offering to share.

Located west of downtown Los Angeles, Vista Hermosa Nature Park is a pocket of rolling forests that cradle streams and lush meadows. It has always been a community space, dotted with picnic areas, a playground and an amphitheater. But during the pandemic, when so many other gathering places have been closed, her power has focused on Rory, who is non-binary and uses the pronouns them/them, and other queer and trans young adults in their cohort.

Meeting at the park was therapeutic for the group, allowing them to express themselves and learn from each other in a safe and intimate space. The tradition has extended beyond the pandemic.

"It's a community that we've been looking for and trying to find and build for ourselves in L.A. for as long as we can remember," said Alè Bersanetti, 24. “How assertive and natural you feel and how deep you feel in a friendship, how deep those bonds are. It's really special."