It started out as a noble endeavor on behalf of a forgotten community. Given the dearth of hangouts and fun happenings for Philadelphia’s lesbian population, Jessica Graham and business partner Luca Stone came up with a novel idea: Why not hold a weekly party, sometimes themed or costumed, where women of like minds and lifestyles can come together for drink, fun and a bit of naughty frolic? The idea took off, and the folks at Valanni, a restaurant and club in the heart of the gayborhood at 13th and Spruce, were enthusiastic about hosting the parties. Now a month later, Valanni has canceled the parties, leaving Graham and her fellow party organizers scrambling for another venue and nursing some ill will.

"We had the parties every Thursday during March," says Graham. "When we proposed the idea, the people at Valanni were totally into it. In fact, they suggested that the party be a bit more wild than the girL parties we host every month. So we gave them the Iron Lace theme, with a little burlesque, drag kings and fetish demonstrations by Domedy."

Domedy, Graham explains, is a troupe that performs a light-hearted mixture of domination and comedy involving fetish costumes and intricate bondage techniques done with a splash of lesbian good humor.

The parties, Graham says, were a smashing success, drawing not just lesbians but gay men and straight men, women and couples. But according to Graham, the Domedy aspect became the cause of some concern for the club's management.

"We had the women doing some bondage demonstrations and kind of tying each other up on the dance floor," she says. "It was well-received, I thought, and all in good fun."

Then the party got pooped. Graham says Valanni managers called a meeting two days before the fifth scheduled outing and told the organizers the party's over.

"They sat us down and said it was over," Graham grumbles. "They told us that the owner and staff were uncomfortable with the rope play, and said that they had gotten one complaint via e-mail from a customer who was offended by the party. They offered to cut the parties to once a month, but didn't want to hammer out the details. We got the idea they just didn't want us back, and we won't go where we're not wanted."

Jeanette Moore, Valanni's day manager, says it was she who called the meeting, and while it's true they'd rather not have Iron Lace back, Graham left the meeting with the wrong impression.

"I probably didn't express our position as clearly as I should have, and if so, that's my fault," Moore says. "We did get one complaint, but the reason we canceled the parties was strictly business. After expenses, including $250 for a DJ, we just weren't making money. Truth is, we did better on an average Thursday than we did when they held the parties. We usually lost money or just broke even. The only night we made a profit was the night of ŒDining Out For Life,' and that was more due to the Dining Out crowd than the partiers."

Valanni is a small, 54-seat restaurant, Moore explains, and even a small loss in profits is a crippling blow.

"We cater to a mixed clientele," she says, "and we depend on the theater crowd from the Avenue of the Arts as well as our regulars. Still, our decision has to do with profit and loss, not fetish demonstrations or anything like that. We like the girls a lot, but I just couldn't justify the expense. Like I said, I'll take the blame for not working out the financial piece better beforehand, but that's what it comes down to."

Moore admits that Graham is correct in saying that the club offered to host the parties once a month, and says that the offer still stands.

"They didn't really seem interested in doing it once a month, I guess since they already have their monthly girL parties at Cianno's," says Moore. "I really feel bad about the misunderstanding, and I hope we can work it out someday in the future."

Moore says that this week she'll take the first step toward working it out by sending Graham a note of thanks for thinking of Valanni, and an offer to work together again soon. That note may find a chilly reception from Graham, who says that she'd like to find another venue to host the party, but with two jobs she's having trouble finding the time.

"They canceled two days before the party," Graham fumes. "That hurt us financially, since we had already done all the fliers and advertising. We were just trying to do something positive for the lesbian community and the nightlife here in Philly, and we're still committed to that. Eventually we'll find another place to hold the parties and we'll rise again. The whole point was to help a neglected community to flourish. That's why this whole thing is so upsetting."