During much of the Twentieth Century gay life in Los Angeles took place behind closed doors or, as Joe Therrien said it, "under the dark cloud of fear that the vice squad would arrest you if you even hinted of being gay." In the post World War II years there were known cruising grounds in Los Angeles, such as Elysian Park and the Griffith Park trails.  However, once the vice squad learned that gay men were cruising the parks, the only worthwhile action in town was at the baths or places like the bathrooms at Farmers' Market in downtown or the darkened balcony of the Grand Theater.  Joe Therrien, who was the office manager for the Los Angeles YMCA in the 1950s, had this to say about the post war years, "We didn't have gay bars then, but we did have places in downtown where gay men would meet, like Harold's, the Waldorf and the Crown Jewel.  Back then you had to be careful about every move you made.  There was a lot of entrapment back then.  I heard stories of men being arrested after making advances to undercover cops, and the vice was always picking up men at the parks.  Back then if you were arrested for cruising, your name was printed in the newspaper, you would have to register as a sex offender and, to top it off, you were required to carry a card in your wallet that classified you as a sex offender!

The men arrested were participating in a "mock slave auction" as a  fund-raising benefit for gay organizations.  According to the press, LAPD officials had been preparing the raid for several weeks beforehand, and when the raid finally took place, the media trailed behind them.  Val Martin, the "slave auctioneer" at the benefit, recalled: "...a very groovy guy comes to me with a leather jacket and a leather cap, torn jeans, very good looking.  And he comes to me and asks what is the price of these slaves, so I told him...as soon as I said 'sold' and received the money from him, the whole thing comes down.  He gives a hand signal to the rest of the police, and a couple of helicopters, three or four TV cameras, and 120 policemen surrounded the premises..."  In the end, the City of Los Angeles dished out over $150,000 of taxpayers' hard-earned money to conduct the bathhouse raid.  The following morning the Orange County Register's headlines read: "Police free gay slaves!"  And the Pasadena Star News quoted one police officer as saying, "We went in and liberated them."  Anyone familiar with the homophobic history of the L.A.P.D. should not be surprised to discover that this "liberation" involved handcuffing the defendants, forcing them to lie face down or kneel, then packing them into a crowded bus to jail for processing, denying them the opportunity to use the toilet, and taunting and photographing them at the police station. 

On February 21, 1903, New York City police conducted the first recorded raid on a gay bathhouse, the Ariston on West 55th Street.  After sending in undercover officers to spy on activities, the police soon determined that the Ariston was a "resort for persons for the purpose of sodomy."  There were 78 men caught in the raid, but 26 were arrested.  Twelve men were brought to trial on sodomy charges, and 7 men received sentences ranging from 4 to 20 years in prison.  When the policemen entered the bathhouse, they blocked the exit and rounded up the occupants of the baths, including the employees, who were scattered throughout the facility.  The police denigrated the patrons as fairies, and one defendant recalled them shouting, "Come out here, Maude!" as they pounded on a dressing room door, and "Oh, there is the indignant lady," when the occupant swung open the door. 

"POLICE RAID ARISTON BATHS--Intense Excitement Among 60 Persons Inside--Parkhurst Society Takes Part--Evidence Had Been Sought for Weeks.