L.A. Street to Be
Renamed for Pioneering Gay Therapist

A street in Los Angeles's San Fernando Valley is set to be renamed for a beloved lesbian psychotherapist.

Ventura Place, just north of famed Ventura Boulevard in the Studio City district, will be renamed Dr. Betty Berzon Place on Sunday. The renaming will be attended by local politicians and aides, including openly lesbian Torie Osborn, senior adviser to Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Also in attendance will be Terry DeCrescenzo, Berzon's life partner.

Berzon, who died in January 2006, helped establish the Gay Psychological Association and served on the boards of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, the Whitman-Radclyffe Foundation, the Gay Academic Union, the National Gay Right Advocates, and the Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services. (The Advocate)