Circus Disco

Gene La Pietra and Ermilio "Ed" Lemos first met in a Seattle gay bar in the late 1960's while La Pietra was on shore leave from the Coast Guard. In 1969, the couple moved to Los Angeles. There, they opened a chain of successful adult bookstores and, for a brief period, a futuristic nightclub dubbed "Disco 1985". Then, in the early 1970's, La Pietra and Lemos went clubbing one night with a Black friend. They quickly found that they were denied entry to almost all of the gay nightclubs and bars in the area because they were not white. This, alongside other experiences with rampant racial discrimination in LGBTQ spaces, inspired La Pietra and Lemos to create a nightclub that would be open for all who wanted to come in. In order to do so, they collected and borrowed enough money to purchase a large industrial warehouse on Santa Monica Boulevard. After the former owner found out what the building would be used for, he attempted to sabotage the business deal, but it was too late. The 26,937 square-foot space was renovated to include a bar, a dancefloor, bathroom facilities, and- most famously- a massive clown face cutout around the entrance. Circus Disco first opened its doors for business in late 1974.

Like Jewel's Catch One- a Black-owned gay nightclub which opened around the same time- Circus Disco would provide an all-inclusive party space for the diverse crowd of patrons who would often be denied entry at other gay nightclubs in LA, such as Studio One. Since its owners were two Latino men, the nightclub became especially popular in the gay Latinix community of Los Angeles and was frequented by mostly Latino gay men and Latina transgender women. Events such as "A Latino Happening at Circus Disco” were advertised in LGBTQ enclaves with fliers written entirely in Spanish. To ensure that as many working-class people as possible could get in, La Pietra and Lemos also often gave out free admissions passes in the community. Circus Disco heavily catered to its gay male patrons, with macho wrestling events and themed party nights such as "Men in Uniform" night.

The club's popularity as an LGBTQ establishment- especially one for Latinix people- also meant that it received a great deal of attention from the Los Angeles Police Department. Patrons and employees at Circus Disco were frequently harassed, beaten, and arrested by LAPD officers. During one particularly grueling night of arrests for club employees, Circus Disco's DJ taped the abusive behavior of the officers. The tape was enough to launch a lawsuit against the Department in 1978, which ended in a settlement later that year.

Like many other LGBTQ businesses at the time, Circus Disco was often used as a venue for political organizing as well as partying. Hollywood actors Jane Fonda and Jon Voight organized a picnic at the nightclub on May 20, 1979 as a part of Fonda's Campaign for Economic Democracy, which raised money for rent-relief in El Monte. Then, in 1983, City Councilwoman Peggy Stevenson held a fundraising event at Circus Disco as a way to express her support for the LGBTQ+ community of Los Angeles. Also in 1983, Club Disco hosted a dinner event where labor and civil rights activist César Chávez spoke with roughly 100 members of gay and lesbian coalition Project Just Business on the topics of boycotting and fundraising. Afterwards, he was given a standing ovation. Chávez would later convince Circus Disco owner La Pietra to join in the famous Coors Beer Boycott in protest of the company's hiring discrimination and anti-union activities. As the nightclub's bestselling beer, Circus Disco's boycotting led to a huge drop in Coors' LA sales overnight.

In 1990, La Pietra and Lemos opened their second club (called "Arena") in the lot next to Circus Disco. Ermilio "Ed" Lemos died later that year. In January of 2016, after forty plus years of continuous operation for Circus Disco, health reasons prompted La Pietra to close both Circus Disco and Arena. Both nightclubs were demolished as a part of a development project during the Spring of that year. After meeting with former Circus Disco patrons and community members, the real estate developer plans on incorporating historic pieces of Circus Disco's former building into the new project as a way to commemorate the lasting impact of the nightclub on Los Angeles's LGBTQ+ community.

Cultural Heritage Commission. Historic-Cultural Monument Application for CIRCUS DISCO, Los Angeles Department of City Planning. December 3rd 2015. Accessed November 25th 2020. https://planning.lacity.org/StaffRpt/CHC/12-3-15/10.Circus%20Disco_UC.pdf.

Funk, Mason. Gene La Pietra Interview, Outwords Archive. April 6th 2017. Accessed November 23rd 2020. https://theoutwordsarchive.org/subjectdetail/gene-la-pietra.

LA Conservancy. Circus Disco, LA Conservancy. April 6th 2017. Accessed November 23rd 2020. https://www.laconservancy.org/issues/circus-disco.

ONE Archives. Circus Disco, University of Southern California. Accessed October 20th 2020. https://one.usc.edu/archive-location/circus-disco-0#.

Reyes, Emily Alpert. Deal with developers will recognize Circus Disco’s place in Hollywood gay history, Los Angeles Times. January 22nd 2016. Accessed October 20th 2020. https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-circus-disco-20160122-story.html.

Romero, Dennis. THE FOUNDER OF ONE OF L.A.'S EARLIEST GAY DISCOS ISN'T CRYING OVER ITS DESTRUCTION, LA Weekly. December 4th 2015. Accessed November 25th 2020. https://www.laweekly.com/the-founder-of-one-of-l-a-s-earliest-gay-discos-isnt-crying-over-its-destruction/.