Joseph Hawkins, president of ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, hits West Hollywood with a little LGBT history

BY JAMES F. MILLS

In his varied career, Joseph Hawkins has held many jobs, including doing the flowers for Madonna’s wedding to Sean Penn and serving as maitre de at Spago. But the project he’s most proud of is the one he’s completing now.

The ONE Archive Gallery and Museum, devoted to LGBT cultural history, officially opens in West Hollywood on Oct. 11, National Coming Out Day.

“Gay and lesbian history is rarely taught in high school and college. It’s so important for us as a community to know where we came from, to remember how we got to where we are today,” Hawkins says. “This museum will help people understand our history.”

Located in Boystown, adjacent to West Hollywood Park, the museum will likely get lots of visitors from passersby. But with must-see exhibitions planned in coming months, the museum is poised to become a destination.

West Hollywood mayor Jeff Prang hopes that’s the case, “Our history, our story needs to be told. It needs to be accessible and there’s no place more important to tell that story than here in West Hollywood.”

The opening exhibit examines the evolution of Los Angeles gay pride parades and the history of Christopher Street West. Videos of pride parades will play on a continuous loop while banners, program guides, T-shirts, photos and papers show the progression over the years.

“The first parade was in 1970 and it was viewed as fairly radical. But by the late ’70s, you start seeing politicians and elected officials riding in the parade,” details the 56-year-old Hawkins who came to L.A. in 1976. “Then in the ’80s, things turned somber with AIDS.”

One of the most noteworthy documents displayed is the 1975 letter from then-L.A. Police Chief Ed Davis declining an invitation to march in the pride parade, but saying he will gladly celebrate “Gay Conversion Week” when a cure for homosexuality is found.

The museum is a satellite of the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives on the University of Southern California campus. The Archives house the world’s largest collection of LGBT-related papers, photographs, manuscripts, graphics and memorabilia. “My devotion and dedication is to that collection,” professes Hawkins who also teaches gender studies and anthropology at USC. “I’ve seen what’s in it. I know how important it is.”

Since West Hollywood is the epicenter of Southern California’s LGBT community, ONE has long wanted to establish a presence there. “We have exhibitions at USC, but getting people to come downtown to see them is always a problem,” Hawkins explains. “So, we’re bringing the exhibitions closer to the community.”

The museum’s location in city-donated space at the back of the Werle Building on Robertson Boulevard necessitated compromising with existing programs. The building also houses the June Mazer Lesbian Archives on the second floor and 12-step recovery program meetings in the front portion of the first floor, so museum visitors will have to use the back entrance.

Transforming the building’s storage room into a 500-square-foot museum space was a summer-long undertaking. “[Hawkins] devoted so much time,” says board member Robert Nunez. “Picking out lighting, picking out paint, working with contractors, taking out a loading dock and installing a giant window—even putting the exhibit itself together—he did it all out of love. He’s amazing.”

The city plans to eventually demolish the Werle Building as part of its master plan to completely renovate West Hollywood Park. What will become of the museum is unclear, but Prang is confident it will survive, “I think once they have established themselves, there will be a lot of support to find a new home for them.”

The pride parades exhibit will run through the end of the year. Future exhibitions will focus on “Lesbian Pulp Fiction” and “Male Nudes and the Bodybuilder in Los Angeles.” A people-of-color exhibit and a Latino art exhibition are also planned. “We’ll be using that space for a variety of things. It’s about history, it’s about art, it’s about our culture,” says board member Carol Grosvenor. “People will be surprised by what we’re working on.”

The museum will be staffed on weekends by volunteers. Admission will be free, but donations are welcomed. Exact hours are to be determined.

ONE Archive Gallery and Museum holds a grand opening wine and cheese reception on Oct. 11 from 5-7 p.m. 626 Robertson Ave., West Hollywood.