DVLF TOY returns as evening event, Peppermint to headline

Members of Philadelphia’s LGBTQ+ community will be able to get into the holiday spirit while giving back to life-saving organizations. On Dec. 9 at UArts Hamilton Hall, DVLF TOY will return once again as an evening event.

While DVLF Board Vice President Karl Michelfelder said TOY is “wonderful every year,” he said DVLF wanted to “spice it up a bit” by bringing on new initiatives and reintroducing old ones. Among the latter is the return of TOY as an evening event for the first time since 2019. TOY was entirely virtual in 2020 due to lockdown and for the past two years, it was a brunch event. This year will also feature the return of TOY’s usual open bar, food and silent auction. DJ Jersey will be spinning tunes throughout the night at the event’s new location at UArts Hamilton Hall. Michelfelder described the venue as a “tall, cavernous space, which is really cool” due to the ability to decorate the space to DVLF’s needs.

Another notable addition to this year’s TOY is drag performer Peppermint, the first runner-up on season nine of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Michelfelder said he has worked with the performer several times, noting “how wonderful and pleasant she is and how much she does for the community.”

“Last year, we didn’t really have any sort of featured entertainment,” Michelfelder said. “And we really wanted to do something special this year. So we started looking at our options, and I came across Peppermint again.”

In addition to “Drag Race,” Peppermint has performed all over the world and has appeared on several TV shows. Among her accomplishments was being the first trans woman to originate a principal role on Broadway when she was cast as Pythio in the Broadway musical “Head Over Heels.” 

However, Peppermint is also involved in humanitarian efforts. She has helped raise more than $100,000 for the Human Rights Campaign and is deeply involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS by participating in the M.A.C. Aids Fund and the HIV Vaccine trials network. Michelfelder noted these accomplishments as one of the reasons why DVLF booked her for TOY.

“So much of our funding goes toward these critical, smaller organizations that really do amazing work for the community,” he said. “So we wanted to make sure that we were bringing in someone who was aligned [with our efforts].”

Each year at TOY, organizations receive grants from DVLF. To select the 2023 Emerging Needs Grantees — as they are dubbed in the program — a committee at DVLF chose from a selection of applicants and ultimately recommended that funding be awarded equally to a total of eight organizations. These include former grantees Prevention Meets Fashion, Hearts on a Wire, The Attic Youth Center and Uplift Center for Grieving Children. Additionally, four other organizations will receive DVLF funding for the first time. These are Dollhouse Project, Eastern PA Trans Equity Project, Philadelphia Voices of Pride and Education Law Center.

Dollhouse Project is an ongoing outreach program geared toward TGNC people of color and provides necessities, such as safe-sex kits, for those engaged in sex work and have highlighted opportunities to acquire HIV. Michelfelder noted that the group’s work is “done by the community in the community and I think it’s really important for sex workers to have resources.”

Eastern PA Trans Equity Project (EPTEP) is a trans-led nonprofit that provides services to trans and gender-diverse Pennsylvanians in a 25-county region in Eastern PA. Michelfelder said that while there may be plentiful resources for trans individuals in Philadelphia, “we appreciate [EPTEP’s] work across the state.”

Meanwhile, Philadelphia Voices of Pride is “combining social justice with art, which we appreciate,” Michelfelder said. The LGBTQ+ and ally vocal ensemble aims to provide positive LGBTQ+ representation by donating resources to benefit LGBTQ+, HIV and women’s organizations.

Last but not least, the Education Law Center aims to provide initiatives for students of all gender identities and sexual orientations to thrive. Michelfelder said their work “is absolutely essential right now, because we have people like the Moms for Liberty, who are trying to ban books [and] ban trans people from using proper bathrooms.”

While attendees will have a lot to look forward to when it comes to the grant presentation, performances, music, food and drinks, Michelfelder said guests will also have the pleasure of supporting DVLF’s efforts.

“[DVLF] provides for the most essential pressing needs of the community at the time,” he said. “We take great care to review and grant money to organizations that are addressing current needs. And this is the only way we can do these things. The only way we support these organizations is through people attending our events, donating and sponsoring. I think anything and everything is so deeply appreciated. So part of attending the event is supporting the organization.”

DVLF TOY will be held at 7 p.m. Dec. 9 at UArts Hamilton Hall, 320 S Broad St. To learn more about sponsoring the event, visit dvlf.org/toysponsorship. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit dvlf.org/toy2023.