In the 1950s and 60s, a 24-hour donut shop on the corner of 2nd and Main streets in downtown Los Angeles was regarded as a safe haven for the LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming community.
The now-shuttered shop was called Cooper Do-nuts — and that street intersection, in what was once known as “The Run,” a strip of gay bars and businesses, is now a historic landmark for the LGBTQ+ community. Officials designated the Cooper Do-nuts/Nancy Valverde Square in a small unveiling ceremony this week.
“We came together in the heart of downtown L.A. to unveil the Cooper Do-Nuts/Nancy Valverde Square, a powerful symbol of resilience, defiance, and the relentless pursuit of equality,” said District 14 Councilmember Kevin de Leon, in a statement posted Thursday to social media. “This unveiling pays tribute to Nancy Valverde, an activist who shattered barriers through her fearless pursuit of justice, significantly advancing the LGBTQIA+ community.”
Nancy Valverde, a Chicana and lesbian activist, frequented the donut shop with friends while attending school in the neighborhood. She was recognized for her efforts to end old “masquerading” laws in L.A. that targeted the queer and gender non-conforming community.
Valverde often wore men’s clothing and was repeatedly harassed by Los Angeles police — like many of the gay and gender non-conforming patrons who hung out at Cooper Do-nuts, advocates said.
Valverde’s family members, community leaders, LGBTQ+ groups and allies gathered for an unveiling ceremony of the new Cooper Do-nuts/Nancy Valverde Square on Saturday, June 24.
The event was put on by the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, which proposed a motion for the new sign designation on 2nd and Main streets. It was unanimously approved by the L.A. City Council on June 7.
“I’m very humbled. I didn’t know I was making history,” said Valverde, now 91, in a statement before the unveiling. She was unable to make the ceremony.
Valverde…
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