When I first started exploring the queer scene in Los Angeles, people constantly recommended that I join kickball leagues or a book club to find queer community. True for anyone searching for friends or to form a community, the best AL to find your people is to just exist intentionally in the same spaces. Here are some sapphic-friendly events, community spaces, and meet-ups in the Los Angeles area to get you involved in the LA lesbian community.
LA Lesbian & Queer EVENTS (Weekly/Monthly)
Scroll down to the next section for LA’s queer/sapphic community SPACES and MEETUPS. This first section is just for EVENTS.
1. Cuties Los Angeles
Cuties Los Angeles is a black-owned organization dedicated to the queer community. They regularly host events throughout the city, including figure drawing classes, support groups, night markets, and parties. Cuties Los Angeles also collaborates with other black- and brown-owned businesses like The Plant Chica, where they held a black lesbian paint session (pictured above).
In the summer, they host day parties called Casual and poetry Readings at Sunset. Some of these events include multiple queer DJ sets and different food vendors.
They also host co-working events at The Ruby Fruit (one of LA’s official lesbian bars).
2. Queerchata
Queerchata teaches bachata and salsa dancing every third Saturday of the month. While they have a presence all over the country, the Los Angeles lessons are held at one of our favorite lesbian-leaning bars in LA, Precinct. I love that the teaching structure doesn’t follow traditional gender roles for each partner, instead labeling each dancer as either lead or follow.
With a similar structure to Stud Country (below), there is dedicated time to learn the dance first and then social dancing time directly after.
And they do queer holiday events too; last year, for Valentine’s Day, they hosted an “Emo Night” social dance!
3. Damn Good Dyke Nights
Damn Good Dyke Nights hosts sapphic social events. Their recurring monthly events are: Open Dyke Night (a piano bar karaoke night), Hot Flash ( a party for lesbians over 30), and Hidden Hearts (a party where you receive and wear a colored heart sticker to indicate your openness to mingling).
I love their dedication to age inclusivity in the sapphic space with parties like Hot Flash and their over 40 version, Hotter Flash. Check their Instagram to make sure you don’t miss any of these events or the other parties they throw.
4. Angel City FC (Soccer)
Women’s sports games have long been a lesbian gathering spot, and Angel City FC has quickly become a fan favorite in LA since the football club was founded in 2020 by Natalie Portman, Kara Nortman, and Julie Uhrman. The games have become so popular that the Club has been valued at $250 million, the highest ever for any women’s sports team!
The match I attended was against the Orlando Pride for Pride Night, so it had an even bigger queer presence than usual. But the crowd is often pretty sapphic. The typical community vibes at these women’s sporting events are compounded by the amount of women and lesbians in attendance.
Get your tickets here for one of their home matches downtown at BMO Stadium.
5. LA Sparks (Basketball)
LA Sparks games is another lesbian favorite sports event in LA. Unlike Angel City, which is a fairly recent LA sports development, the Sparks have been going strong since the WNBA’s first game. Their presence is stronger than ever with all the hype around the WNBA and its rookie superstars like Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson.
In my experience, the LA Sparks are more of a lesbian date night activity, but there is still opportunity to connect with the many sapphic supporters at the games. They play in downtown LA at the iconic Crypto.com Arena (previously known as the Staples Center).
Grab your tickets here.
6. Stud Country
Stud Country is a queer line-dancing and two-stepping event in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. In LA, they host their weekly parties at Club Bahia every Monday and Thursday from 8 PM to midnight. They teach lessons twice throughout the night, with the more beginner-friendly lessons at the start of the night. They also host workshops at other points throughout the month for more in depth learning.
LA Queer & Lesbian Community SPACES
7. Junior High
Junior High is a gallery and event space in Glendale that hosts events centered around arts and empathy. I have heard great things about their space and their welcoming community. While it is not an exclusively queer or lesbian space, it is dedicated to inclusion in a way that makes it incredibly queer and POC-friendly.
Some of their more regular community events are their weekly BIPOC and QTBIPOC support group called Insula, their Tats and Babes art market, and their group workout bootcamp called Ass Camp.
Check out their website to save your spot at these events and more.
8. Feminist Center for Creative Work
The Feminist Center for Creative Work is a non-profit organization on the Eastside of LA. They host classes, fundraisers, performances, and more – all centered on intersectional feminism. There are plenty of ways to get involved with the Center through membership to their events (although one isn’t required), their publication Co-Conspirator Press, their Artist in Residence exhibits, and more. If there’s an art form you are interested in, this Center probably offers it, and their emphasis on inclusion makes it beautifully queer!
9. LA LGBTQ Center
The Los Angeles LGBTQ Center was founded more than 50 years ago and has cemented itself in queer culture in LA. It has actually become the largest LGBTQ+ organization in the world, and it is clear to see why. This community center offers almost anything a queer person could need, from housing assistance to medical services to educational programs. For more social community needs, The Center offers a variety of performances, support groups, and group therapies for queer people of all ages at their main campus location and locations across the city.
10. ONE Archives at USC
Another one of the largest queer resources in the world, ONE Archives at USC has the largest repositories of LGBTQ materials and is one of the oldest LGBTQ organizations in the United States. They have great resources about queer history especially in Los Angeles, as well as queer art exhibits. Their current exhibit, Sci-fi, Magick, Queer L.A. just got extended into spring of 2025 because it has received such positive reception. Past exhibits explored lesbian pulp fiction, the relationship between sex and disabilities, and queerness in the Asian diaspora.
11. EVERYBODY
EVERYBODY is a “radically inclusive” gym and community on the Eastside of the city. The gym has all sorts of classes from boxing to dance to yoga, as well as personal training and wellness services. I had never heard of a gym that was even remotely queer before I learned about this space. I have belonged to women’s gyms before and it was incredibly comforting, so I can only imagine how great it would be to workout in a space surrounded by other queer people.
Fun Fact: the owners of this gym met in a feminist business class at the Feminist Center for Creative Work (listed above).
Queer REGULAR MEET-UPS in LA
12. The Queer 26
A non-profit organization for queer BIPOC creatives, The Queer 26 has regular meet-ups all over the city. I’ve attended a few of their writing meet-ups, and the loose structure allows for plenty of opportunity to get feedback on your writing, collaborate, or just talk about the struggles of stringing together sentences. These meet-ups were some of the first queer events I ever attended, so the space feels especially homey to me. The organization also has Jam Sessions, arts showcases, and multi-disciplinary workshops at locations across the city. Check out their Instagram to stay up to date on their meet-ups, events, and arts opportunities.
13. Butch Monthly LA
Butch Monthly LA is a monthly meet-up for butch-identifying lesbians inspired by meet-ups of the same name in NYC. I am not butch or masc, so I have not been to this event, but that is precisely why it is on this list. I find that a lot of sapphic LA spaces have a large femme presence, so a space like Butch Monthly is even more necessary. The group offers meet-ups at The Ruby Fruit at 5 pm on the first Monday of every month, as well as other regular meet-ups like beach days, yoga sessions, and parties. Check out their Instagram to find out what’s going on that month.
14. Gays Who Kickball
Gays Who Kickball is a diverse kickball league with a casual community atmosphere that meets in Highland Park. I’ve heard of other she/they kickball leagues in the city that have had issues with transphobia and a lack of diversity in the past, so it was nice to learn that Gays Who Kickball makes active strides against that by giving priority registration to POC.
After the game I attended, I went out for the post-game happy hour and learned about the sacred art of the sapphic arm wrestle (as well as a pretty gruesome story that warned me against ever participating in this drunken right of passage).
Other Sports Meet-Ups:
- Queer Run Club: This running club meets in different neighborhoods around Los Angeles every Monday. The group is open to all skill levels and there is no sign up required, just check Instagram to see where the group will be meeting.
- Luv x Basketball: A queer pickup basketball league that meets Mondays and Thursdays in Highland Park. They welcome all levels of players since the purpose of the league is just to get out your head and into your body.
- Queer Racquet Club: This queer racquet club for all levels plays tennis in West Hollywood. Their current session will focus on doubles for eight weeks, starting up in the new year and meeting every Saturday.
- Pasadena Women’s Rugby: This rugby league is open to women of all skill levels. The summer league seems to focus more on beginner fundamentals, while the 15s season focuses on skill development.
- Dyke Soccer: A soccer league that plays pick up games. Direct Message their Instagram to gain access to their Discord server which houses their schedule and meeting information.
The TWO Official LA Lesbian Bars
I’ve dedicated an entire round up of all the sapphic-leaning bars in Los Angeles, but real quick here are the two official lesbian bars in LA:
15. Honey’s at Starlove
As one of the only official lesbian bars in Los Angeles, Honey’s has plenty of opportunities to meet other sapphics. Although they all focus more on the dance floor, some of their parties are designed with specific interests in mind, like their full moon party H.O.W.L., which usually attracts a more astrologically-inclined crowd. Different events attract slightly different crowds, so choose the one that fits you best!
16. The Ruby Fruit
As the only official lesbian bar that is open throughout the week and during daytime hours, The Ruby Fruit has already come up on this list a few times. My favorite thing to do at The Ruby Fruit is enjoy the food and casual atmosphere while doing work, so I would recommend joining one of their co-working events. Outside of co-working, they host other daytime events like meet-ups, as well as events in the evenings like book clubs, parties, and fundraisers.
About the Author: Ciara Johnson
Ciara is based in Los Angeles, CA. When she is not writing, she can be found perusing a local bookstore, maxing out her AMC A-List, and explaining niche pop culture controversy to her friends.
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