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L.A. Interchanges: A Brown & Queer Archival Memoir
"A Powerful Memoir and Documentary History"
By combining the intimacy of a personal memoir with the rigor of documentary history, Lydia Otero weaves together a rich narrative of identity, activism, and personal transformation. With meticulous attention to detail, Otero traverses the homes of family members to dancefloors, bustling work sites, and organizing spaces in search of brown and queer belonging. Through photographs, archival documents, and compelling storytelling, Otero crafts a passionate narrative of personal becoming amid the political and cultural currents of 1980s Los Angeles.
Grounded in the philosophy that the personal is political, Otero portrays fellow organizers as strategists exploring previously unimagined avenues to address the needs of brown queers. The book traces Otero’s transformations and blossoming sense of self, which often felt constrained by the binary gender assignments of the time, while it tells a documentary history of Lesbians of Color, Gay and Lesbian Latinos Unidos (GLLU), Lesbianas Unidas (LU) and A Gay Latino AIDS Project—groups central to the city’s burgeoning queer, brown, and activist scene.
Otero’s parallel story of becoming an electrician offers a unique vantage point of a city in the midst of restructuring, as Otero’s labor contributed to building some of the most iconic structures in Los Angeles, such as the Universal CityWalk, U.S. Bank Tower, and the Metro Rail.
Meticulously researched, L.A. Interchanges invites readers to delve into the intricate interplay between personal experience and historical context. It is a testament to the complexity of intersectional identities, and the unwavering spirit of those who strive for justice and belonging in the face of adversity.
By combining the intimacy of a personal memoir with the rigor of documentary history, Lydia Otero weaves together a rich narrative of identity, activism, and personal transformation. With meticulous attention to detail, Otero traverses the homes of family members to dancefloors, bustling work sites, and organizing spaces in search of brown and queer belonging. Through photographs, archival documents, and compelling storytelling, Otero crafts a passionate narrative of personal becoming amid the political and cultural currents of 1980s Los Angeles.
Grounded in the philosophy that the personal is political, Otero portrays fellow organizers as strategists exploring previously unimagined avenues to address the needs of brown queers. The book traces Otero’s transformations and blossoming sense of self, which often felt constrained by the binary gender assignments of the time, while it tells a documentary history of Lesbians of Color, Gay and Lesbian Latinos Unidos (GLLU), Lesbianas Unidas (LU) and A Gay Latino AIDS Project—groups central to the city’s burgeoning queer, brown, and activist scene.
Otero’s parallel story of becoming an electrician offers a unique vantage point of a city in the midst of restructuring, as Otero’s labor contributed to building some of the most iconic structures in Los Angeles, such as the Universal CityWalk, U.S. Bank Tower, and the Metro Rail.
Meticulously researched, L.A. Interchanges invites readers to delve into the intricate interplay between personal experience and historical context. It is a testament to the complexity of intersectional identities, and the unwavering spirit of those who strive for justice and belonging in the face of adversity.
- GenresQueer
208 pages, Paperback
Published July 28, 2023
3 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 16, 2025
"endings are always hard, but this one feels like a victory. i will always love los angeles. as much as as a city is able to, i feel like it embraced and nourished me."
wow! i loved this! SO MUCH. lydia otero's writing/photos show the importance of what it means to be part of a community and just how important it is to actively fight for the ability to show the world that "hey! we're here! HIIII!" this is full of stories about queer latine activists, working class people and witnessing the restructuring of LA during the 70s/80s (from both a queer and latine pov) otero's personal/historical memoir is another book that's taught me (a queer chicana living in california) the history of queer latinos that i never would've known about if it weren't for otero's meticulous documentation and so for that i'm so grateful to have found a copy of this book!
wow! i loved this! SO MUCH. lydia otero's writing/photos show the importance of what it means to be part of a community and just how important it is to actively fight for the ability to show the world that "hey! we're here! HIIII!" this is full of stories about queer latine activists, working class people and witnessing the restructuring of LA during the 70s/80s (from both a queer and latine pov) otero's personal/historical memoir is another book that's taught me (a queer chicana living in california) the history of queer latinos that i never would've known about if it weren't for otero's meticulous documentation and so for that i'm so grateful to have found a copy of this book!
August 7, 2024
I enjoyed this and learned a lot about movements that I was tangential to during the period of time covered in this book. Really well written, but I felt that parts lacked the emotion I so enjoyed in In The Shadows of the Freeway.
Still, I learned a lot about the author's time in LA, which touched on other issues, like women in the trades and AIDS activism in communities of color. Worth reading if you are a Lydia fan (I am!), and if you want to know about brown queer activism in LA in the 80s and 90s.
I appreciated the author's honesty while discussing the Encuentro in Mexico and the struggles the LU contingent had with the larger conference.
If you are an archives fan like me, the book is chock full of wonderful pictures and documents from the period discussed.
Still, I learned a lot about the author's time in LA, which touched on other issues, like women in the trades and AIDS activism in communities of color. Worth reading if you are a Lydia fan (I am!), and if you want to know about brown queer activism in LA in the 80s and 90s.
I appreciated the author's honesty while discussing the Encuentro in Mexico and the struggles the LU contingent had with the larger conference.
If you are an archives fan like me, the book is chock full of wonderful pictures and documents from the period discussed.
September 10, 2024
A wonderful book that weaves together memory and historical events so beautifully. I enjoyed Lydia’s flow and writing style. It was like reading a long counterculture grassroots zine with hints of academia and historical writing.
March 2, 2024
For chicane/latine voices and stories
August 14, 2023
Excellent book that helps illuminate an overlooked sector of LGBTQ activism. The book, which chronicles the emergence of the "brown" sector of the movement, interweaves the well researched history of the movement with the author's personal journey and life story, continuing where "In The Shadows of the Freeway: Growing Up Brown and Queer" left off.
Interspersed with very personal memories, there are also an abundance of photos and documents that bring the story of the movement to life and give it a humanity that is both readable and relatable.
Like her previous books "La Calle" and "In the Shadows", Lydia Otero has again helped to preserve the stories of the underrepresented and often forgotten people that fought to have their voices heard in the struggle toward greater equality and justice.
Interspersed with very personal memories, there are also an abundance of photos and documents that bring the story of the movement to life and give it a humanity that is both readable and relatable.
Like her previous books "La Calle" and "In the Shadows", Lydia Otero has again helped to preserve the stories of the underrepresented and often forgotten people that fought to have their voices heard in the struggle toward greater equality and justice.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews