We are California

Every Thursday, we give you this week’s LGBTQ to-do list.

– There’s a series of benefit balls being held in Philly this weekend leading up to OutFest on Sunday. I had a hard time picking only one, so here’s a quick rundown of all four: To get the balls rolling, Q Lounge (1234 Locust St., 215-732-1800) will host the Blue Ball Weekend Kickoff at 8 p.m. tonight. On Fri., Oct. 9 at 7 p.m., throw on your snazziest attire for the Indigo Ball, a highfalutin fundraiser at the Park Hyatt (200 S. Broad St., 215-893-1234). If high-priced fundraisers aren’t your scene, you could check out the hipper, sweatier Blue Ball 2009 on Sat., Oct. 10 at 10 p.m. Held at Voyeur Nightclub (1221 St. James St., 215-735-5772), this soiree will be flooded with queer ladies and gents from up and down the coast shaking to the beats of DJ Tony Moran. And finally, if you can muster up energy for one more, G Lounge (111 S. 17th St., 215-564-1515) will host Ultra Blue on Sun., Oct. 11 at 8 p.m. Proceeds from each and every event will benefit the Sapphire Fund, which provides money to support local LGBTQ organizations. With so many balls, I feel like Scarlett O’Hara in the height of barbecue season. I better check my dance card.

– On Fri., Oct. 9 at 8 p.m., get your giggle on at Tuscany CafĂ© (222 W. Rittenhouse Square, 215-772-0605), for $10, where local comedian Neil McGarry will perform standup in his self-produced, recurring comedy series, “Attack of the 1-4-5.” Joining him will be other LGBTQ comedians, including Mike Eiswerth and Jess Carpenter, recent “Outstanding Comedian” winner at the Gayborhood Games. McGarry, a self-proclaimed meta-comedian, says his routine will include material about his experience as a gay comedian. “I will talk about times I or other comedians have been heckled on stage,” he says, “or about the experience of being gay in the straight guy’s world of comedy.” I saw both McGarry and Carpenter perform at the Gayborhood Games, and thought they were great.

– If your interests lie more in the area of activism, consider a bus trip to Washington D.C. for the National Equality March at noon on Sun., Oct. 11. Supporters will parade the nearly 2.5-mile distance from McPherson Square to the U.S. Capital West Lawn demanding equal protection rights for the LGBTQ community. Visit the Web site to find ways to get involved right here in Philadelphia. This is the perfect weekend to celebrate how far we’ve come, and to rally for the road ahead. Go gays!

– And for art and history connoisseurs, there will be an opening reception at William Way Community Center (1315 Spruce St., 215-732-2220) at 6 p.m. on Thu., Oct 15 to reveal its newest gallery exhibition, “Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals: 1933–1945.” This traveling exhibit from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum will be on display in the Mark Segal Ballroom through Dec. 4. Following the reception, there will be a screening of the documentary Paragraph 175. Space is limited for the film, so be sure to RSVP.

– And, of course, OutFest! Check out my preview here. It goes down Sun., Oct. 11.

Itching for more gay events? Check out our LGBTQ listings.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 8th, 2009 at 4:00 pm and is filed under Art Phag. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.