Silver Lake in Los Angeles in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Mattachine Steps

Photographed by Craig Baker

1. Mattachine Steps Marker

Inscription.
Harry Hay founded the Mattachine Society on this hillside on November 11, 1950.

Erected by City of Los Angeles.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Civil Rights. A significant historical date for this entry is November 11, 1950.

Location. 34° 5.718′ N, 118° 15.671′ W. Marker is in Los Angeles, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in Silver Lake. It is on Cove Avenue east of Silver Lake Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2355 Cove Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90039, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s Transverse Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: O’Neill Duplex No. 1 (within shouting distance of this marker); Neutra Studio and Residences (approx. ¼ mile away);

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How House (approx. half a mile away); Canfield-Moreno Estate (approx. 0.6 miles away); Silver Lake & Ivanhoe Reservoirs (approx. 0.6 miles away); Paul Landacre Residence (approx. 0.6 miles away); a different marker also named Silver Lake & Ivanhoe Reservoirs (approx. 0.7 miles away); Mack Sennett Studios (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Los Angeles.

Also see . . . Mattachine Society (glbtqarchive.com). "One of the earliest American gay movement (or homophile) organizations, the Mattachine Society began in Los Angeles in the winter of 1950. It was formed by Harry Hay, a leading gay activist and former Communist Party member, along with seven other gay men... The name refers to the Société Mattachine, a French medieval masque group that allegedly traveled from village to village, using ballads and dramas to point out social injustice. The name was meant to symbolize the fact that "gays were a masked people, unknown and anonymous."... By sharing their personal experiences as gay men and analyzing homosexuals in the context of an oppressed cultural minority, the Mattachine founders attempted

Photographed by Craig Baker

2. Mattachine Steps & Marker

to redefine the meaning of being gay in the United States..." (Submitted on April 8, 2019.)

Additional keywords. LGBT LGBTQ

Temporary Memorial - 2013 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Baker, January 5, 2025

3. Temporary Memorial - 2013

This item was saved by a local resident.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 14, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 5, 2019, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 825 times since then and 87 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 5, 2019, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. 3. submitted on February 21, 2025, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.