Laurie Gordon may be out but the harm silence and gaslighting aren’t.
Editor’s Note: all images in this post can be made larger by clicking them.
Well. It took two months, a boycott campaign, a viral Instagram campaign and a whole lot of public pressure for the Art Deco Society of California to finally release a statement with more than vague promises.
On June 12, 2025 the ADSC sent out an email claiming they have officially cut ties with Laurie Gordon, Chair of the 2025 Preservation Ball. They say her views no longer align with the society and that she will no longer represent the organization or hire the Decobelles for events.
At first glance that might look like progress but your privilege is going to allow you to be fooled. This is not accountability and anyone who has ever been racially profiled, victimized or personally attacked because of their race, knows what I mean. This is image management. Here is our take on why this is performative and what can be done to make things right.
1. Laurie Gordon Is the Scapegoat but She’s Not the Only One
Let’s be clear. Laurie Gordon absolutely made harmful decisions. She allowed racist Orientalist costumes at a public-facing event and refused to take responsibility even when called out. These are the quotes from the email that Laurie Gordon sent to Marisa Firebaugh after she posted on Facebook and published her article on Hollywoodland News: Racism at the ADSC Preservation Ball: A Call for Accountability
But she was not operating solo. The Preservation Ball was planned approved and supported by the ADSC Board.
They were informed and chose not to act. They issued no personal statements and stayed silent for weeks.
Now that the spotlight is on them they want to distance themselves. That is not leadership. This is self preservation and, once again it’s signed by ‘the Board’ with no individual names still no personal accountability.
2. Still No Apology to the AANHPI Community
The people who were harmed at the Preservation Ball have yet to receive a direct apology. Not one sentence in this statement acknowledges the AAPI guests or anyone who was impacted by the cultural disrespect that played out in real time.
Marisa and I confronted this couple, as captured on video, when they attended the Avalon Ball at Catalina on May 17, 2025.
Now the Art Deco Society of California still takes no responsibility. But then what? Nothing is addressed by name. No apology is made to those who were hurt. No steps are laid out for repair.
And who were these people? No one has told us who they are. No one has said they will be banned from events going forward. No lessons were learned as they freely admitted when they said to us (as quoted from the video): I feel sorry for you. If this is what your life is, that’s sad. There’s going to be things like this and Sounds like you’re looking to be offended when they were allowed to stay and when we asked that, they told us Did you ask Laurie Gordon about it? She said it was okay.
3. No Financial Transparency
Still nothing about the $375 that was spent on preservation in 2024 despite six-figure income. Still no explanation of where the money went or how that supports their mission. Still no release of financial records from 2020 to 2023.
Instead we get vague language about “restructuring” and “commitments” with zero detail. That is not transparency. That is stalling. Where is the accountability with Karol Hoskings? Why are we not naming the Board members who are accountable for financial mismanagement?
4. DEI Deserves More than Lip Service
The ADSC says inclusion is not a buzzword. But this entire response proves that for them it has been. There is no plan. No timeline. No mention of a diverse review board. No action toward rebuilding trust with historically excluded communities.
If you think that the Indigenous community has forgotten the racist incident of November 2020, we haven’t. I lived in San Francisco. I went to the Gatsby Picnic that followed the Art Deco Society of California’s Board President, Heidi Schave, dressing in “Politically Incorrect Thanksgiving” photos.
Without real steps this is just performative damage control.
Where the Hollywoodland News Stands
We’ve read the email. We’ve read between the lines and we are still not showing up.
- Accountability is not cutting ties with one person and moving on.
- Accountability is not vague emails with no action.
- Accountability is naming the harm acknowledging the impact and doing the work publicly.
If the ADSC wants to rebuild trust they need to meet the demands outlined in our boycott. Until then the vintage community steps back.
We are not dressing up
We are not staying silent
We are not going anywhere
We encourage you to share this image on your social media and if you want the full boycott breakdown: https://www.hollywoodlandnews.com/boycott-the-gatsby-summer-afternoon-2025
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