I’d like to start by congratulating the winners from Nightlifegay. com’s first Gayborhood Games on Sept. 26 at Voyeur Nightclub (formerly Pure, 1221 St. James St.). All participants delivered standout performances in front of a packed house, but the winners separated themselves from the competition to earn their titles in Philadelphia’s first live “Best Of” contest. Here’s a quick rundown of the champions: Outstanding Chef: Rachel, More Than Just Ice Cream; Outstanding Salon, Women: Ettore Salon & Spa; Outstanding Salon, Men: Andre Richards Salon; Outstanding Drag Act: Alexis Cartier; Outstanding Comic: Jess Carpenter; Outstanding Vocalist: Howard Frankel; Outstanding Bartender: Henry Brinton from the Venture Inn.
A big thank-you to all the sponsors, contestants and volunteers who made the Gayborhood Games a success. Your support and participation enable the development of innovative events that keep our local LGBT social scene evolving.
Speaking of evolution, the next two weeks offer events to further the LGBT political movement and build the visibility of our local gay community.
Over the past several months, I’ve grown increasingly excited about one of the most significant events in the fight for LGBT civil rights — the National Equality March in Washington, D.C. Over this weekend, a series of political and community-building events will take place in our nation’s capitol, culminating in the Equality March and Rally. Beginning at noon Sunday, Oct. 11, participants will march to the west lawn of the Capitol building for a series of inspirational speeches and music from 2-5 p.m. Organized by one of the pioneers in San Francisco’s gay-rights struggle, Cleve Jones, the national march couldn’t come at a more important moment.
Due to a series of recent events, such as President Obama’s leadership vacuum on LGBT civil rights; an increasingly vocal opposition to key issues including marriage equality, the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and statutory protections from workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity; and a very troubling culture of legislative appeasement by many of our community’s largest advocacy organizations, it’s critical that each of us contributes to a new LGBT grassroots movement for equality. This ambitious goal is why I’ll be heading to D.C. this weekend. It’s not OK to be satisfied with maintaining the status quo by solely relying on existing organizations to fight the battle on our behalf. Each one of us must take responsibility: We must get involved, get active and not stop until we’re guaranteed equal rights under the law. Visit equalityacrossamerica.org/march for more information.
As the National Equality March is underway in Washington, many gay and lesbian Philadelphians will be expressing their spirit at OutFest — our annual Gayborhood block party in celebration of National Coming Out Day. From noon-7 p.m. Sunday, the streets will be filled with local businesses, organizations and community members sharing resources, stories, information and laughs. It’s always a fun afternoon, and one of the last opportunities to hit up a weekend festival before outdoor events take a break for the winter. Check out phillypride.org for more information.
Also taking place this weekend is Sapphire Fund’s Blue Ball. One of the country’s longest-running multi-day dance events, Blue Ball benefits local charitable organizations. On the heels of Wednesday’s Junior Blue party at Woody’s and Thursday’s cocktail event at Q, 1234 Locust St., Blue Ball is well underway. The main event is at Voyeur Nightclub from 10 p.m.-8 a.m. Featuring super DJ Tony Moran, this is guaranteed to be an amazing event packed full of hot guys and special surprises. General-admission tickets for the main event are $25 and VIP passes are $35. Visit blueball.sapphirefund.org/2009/ for information or to purchase advance tickets.
Looking past this weekend, I’m thrilled to be involved with one of the most exciting Halloween events ever made available to gay and lesbian Philadelphians: Gay Community Night at Eastern State Penitentiary, 2124 Fairmount Ave. This is the first time Nightlifegay.com has partnered with Eastern State Penitentiary for a special LGBT event at Terror Behind the Walls. The event will be held Oct. 21 from 7-9 p.m., with a limited number of tickets available until Oct. 20 only through Nightlifegay.com/tickets for $20. Immediately following Terror Behind the Walls, of-age participants are invited to the Urban Saloon, 2120 Fairmount Ave., for a post-tour party until 11 p.m.
If there are any events you’re excited about that aren’t included in this column, send information to [email protected], and I’ll feature it on Nightlifegay.com. ’Til next time, get offline and see what your community has to offer!