On a Sunday afternoon, Rory Manns, 25, strolled into the park, soccer ball in hand. Located to the west of Downtown Los Angeles, the Vista Hermosa Natural Park is a pocket of rolling woodlands that cradle streams and lush meadows. It has always been a space of community, peppered with picnic areas, a playground and an amphitheater. Meeting at the park was therapeutic for the group, allowing them to express themselves and learn from one another in a safe, intimate space. “Just how affirming and natural and just how seen you feel in a friendship, how deep those connections are.

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