Voyeur will be alight with stars from various sectors of the entertainment world this weekend for a birthday celebration with a benevolent focus.
“Party Like a Pornstar,” which starts at 8 p.m. at the club, 1221 St. James St., will pay tribute to birthday boy and local adult film star and promoter Gunner de Medici while raising funds for Equality Pennsylvania.
The night will feature performances by “American Idol” alum Erika Schiff, drag star Sherry Vine and P.A.K. — a trio that includes Kitty Meow, Power Infiniti and Kevin Aviance.
Aviance, a popular performer in the New York City nightclub scene, was the victim of an antigay attack in 2006.
De Medici said he wanted to use his birthday as a way to put the spotlight back on Aviance and the issue of hate crimes.
“Kevin’s a friend of mine and he went through a lot after he was attacked,” he said. “He just launched his new album and I thought it’d be great for his fan base to see him again. Kevin’s really the posterchild for hate crimes and, with these sorts of crimes reoccurring so frequently recently, I also thought this was a great opportunity to get involved in this issue.”
Schiff said several of her own gay friends have been victimized in recent weeks. Organizers sought a component that was making strides in the fight against anti-LGBT hate crimes, and found a good match with Equality Pennsylvania.
“We want to give as much as we can to Equality Pennsylvania because they work so hard,” she said. “Ted [Martin, Equality PA executive director] is always in his car, running back and forth from Philadelphia to Harrisburg. They’re really an organization that’s out there working to get laws passed and to make things happen, so we’re really excited to be able to help raise money for them.”
Organizers don’t have a specific fundraising goal but are hoping to pack the 1,800-person capacity club with supporters.
The crowd is expected to be diverse, de Medici said.
“Kevin has been a gay iconic figure since the ’80s and ’90s,” he said. “Even though he’s been out of the limelight for a while after the horrible incident in New York, he’s had five Billboard number-one singles so he’s popular too with the newer generation.”
Doors open at 8 p.m., and the $20 cover includes an open bar until 10 p.m. VIP ticket-holders will get top-shelf open bar from 9-11 p.m. The live show begins at 11:30 pm.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/events/173683269400280/.