This is the IMRU Community Calendar featuring all
the best things to do and see under the rainbow of Southern California
Tuesday, September 27 - National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NGMHAAD) is observed in order to reflect on how HIV/AIDS has affected gay and bisexual men. At the same time, it serves as a time to recognize the invaluable contribution of gay and bisexual men to the development and the implementation of programs towards the prevention and treatment of the disease.
Fauci goes on to share that HIV/AIDS is still taking a “terrible toll” on gay and bisexual men. Since AIDS was first recognized in 1981, more than half a million from this group have been diagnosed with the disease, with more than 300,000 succumbing to it. Despite the fact that sexually-active gay and bisexual men made up a small percentage of the male population in the United States aged 13 years old and older, sexually-transmitted HIV among their group made up more than half of new diagnoses of HIV in 37 states in 2008.
Prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS among gay and bisexual men, however, has been challenging, mainly due to the fact that prejudice and discrimination make it difficult for them to have open access to prevention, treatment and care. Still, their contribution to HIV/AIDS research through participation in research efforts and clinical trials has been invaluable. Dr. Fauci expressed gratitude to gay and bisexual men “for their leadership in advancing HIV/AIDS research and their participation in studies aimed at controlling and ultimately ending the pandemic.”
For more info, go to: http://www.napwa.org/content/national-gay-mens-hivaids-awareness-day-september-27-2011
Wednesday, September 28 - Women On a Roll Conversation Salon
Join Women On A roll for the Conversation Salon meeting the last Wednesday of every month in the San Fernando Valley.
Wednesday, September 28
7:30 p.m. Arrival & Refreshments
8:00 p.m. Conversation
RSVP to diane_woar@hotmail.com.
Weekends thru October 1 (Six Shows Only!) Tom Whitman and Joe Everett Michaels are proud to present the return of MOMMIE QUEEREST to its original home in West Hollywood. The hit LA Weekly Theater Award-winning comedy opens Sept 22, four days after the 30th Anniversary of the movie “Mommie Dearest,” on which the parody is based. As the fifth stop on its national tour, MOMMIE QUEEREST will play six performances at Cabaret Ultra Suede under the Direction of Christopher Kenney.Told by an all-male cast of four, MOMMIE QUEEREST entertains the notion that Crawford was actually a man in drag, a fact she hid from her fans, her children, and the world. Even when Christina finds out, takes revenge, and writes “DaddyDearest” it’s Joan who still has the last laugh. MOMMIE QUEEREST will play Sept. 22-Oct. 1,Thursdays through Saturdays at 8PM, for a total of six performances at Cabaret Ultra Suede (661 North Robertson Blvd). Tickets are $25 and may be purchased at www.plays411.com/MQor by calling 323-960-7774. MOMMIE QUEEREST: Winner of Best Comedy Director at the LA Weekly Awards 2005! "Mommie Queerest" will fracture Crawford cultists, and true believers should sit up front.” -LA TIMES "Don’t dismiss Mommie Queerest as just another single-entendre-laden queer recontextualization. Jamie Morris’- Mommie Queerest rebuilds the Bad Mama Crawford myth from the mud up, creating a surreal gender-and-culture-fuck taken to ambitiously ridiculous extremes. --The Stranger (Seattle) "Thank goodness for guys like Jamie Morris. He conceived and adapted "Mommie Queerest" in which every essence of absurdity is multiplied by the nth degree to create a loony, over-the-top experience that has let me officially join the fan club." FOUR STARS (out of four) --IN Magazine (LA) "In Mommie Queerest each joke is taken to such dizzying altitudes of absurdity that after a point I wasn’t so much laughing as gasping for oxygen." --Portland Mercury MOMMIE QUEEREST Director – Christopher Kenney Producer – Tom Whitman and Joe Everett Michaels Cast (in Alphabetical Order): Brooks Braselman Gavyn Michaels Jamie Morris THEATRE VENUE: ULTRA SUEDE, 661 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90069 OPENING NIGHT: 22nd SEPTEMBER 2011 @ 8 pm RUNS: Fri, Sat 8 pm and Sun, 3 pm TICKETS: $25 General Admission, Ticket Line: 323 960-7774 Sunday, October 2 10th Annual West Hollywood Book Fair 10AM to 6PM West Hollywood Library & West Hollywood Park FREE Admission The West Hollywood Book Fair is home to 12 STAGES + THE WRITING ROOM + 125 EXHIBITORS! The Book Fair and ALL Book Fair events are FREE!
Here’s the break down:
Seven Author Panel Stages ——————————————————————————– Five Performance Stages ——————————————————————————– The Writing Room ——————————————————————————– Exhibitors ——————————————————————————– For more info, go to: http://www.westhollywoodbookfair.org/ Wednesday, October 26 We Dare You to Come to MONSTER'S BALL Wednesday, October 26, 2011, 10-2a.m., Dance all night Costume Contest with Cash Prizes $25.00 Incentive for the first 25 Black men to get an HIV test Event open to ALL........ WHAT: Fred & Jason’s Halloweenie WHEN: Friday, Oct. 28 at 9 p.m. WHERE: Hollywood Forever Cemetery COST: $65 for general admission tickets through Friday, Sept. 30 INFO.: For more information, go to www.ypchalloweenie.org. Saturday, October 29 Go-Go Dancer Appreciation Day TUESDAYS http://itmm.mylifemystyle.net/ the Kick Back’ Discussion Group For Young Men 29 and Under Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the Month from 7-9 p.m. The New Drop-In Community Youth Center 4067 W. Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019 — 323-733-4868 Free and Open — Refreshments served www.inthemeantimemen.org — www.mylifemystyle.net OUR MISSION “In The Meantime Men’s Group, Inc. is purposed to enrich, empower, and extend the lives of intergenerational black men, respectful of sexual orientation, through social, educational, health and wellness programs and services.” In the Meantime Men's Group, Inc. is a 501 (C) 3 non-profit community service organization. Over the past 10 years In The Meantime has been on the forefront of creating an environment that supports, empowers and educates black, gay, same gender-loving and bi-sexual men in Los Angeles County. Through an integrated holistic approach to wellness, In The Meantime (ITMT) focuses on the mental/emotional, physical, spiritual, and economic well being of a community that is oftentimes isolated and excluded from mainstream society. ITMT facilitates three home-grown HIV/AIDS empowerment prevention programs, two (weekly) social discussion support groups, peer and group counseling, a black men’s wellness conference, a three day men’s empowerment retreat, the SOLA Meth Crystal Meth Taskforce, and the South Los Angeles Black Gay Men’s Taskforce, computer training, a quarterly community publication (Message In The Meantime), an online weekly newsletter, and a host of community and cultural events that focus on community building that include a King Day Celebration and a Kwanzaa Celebration. ITMT’S most recent program addition is a community drop-in center that provides a relaxed social environment for youth programming, and HIV/AIDS testing and counseling activities. WEDNESDAYS Gay and Lesbian Sierra Club has a weekly Griffith Park Conditioning Hike every Wednesday night at 7pm. Join the Sierrans for a moderate hike of 5 miles to Mt. Hollywood with an eleven hundred foot gain. Lug-soled boots are best for traction, but some hikers wear sneakers. Bring a flashlight if you’re not used to hiking in the dark. Rain cancels. That’s every Wednesday, 7 p.m. sharp by the flagpole near the vending machines at the Griffith Park Visitors Center. Check out other gay and lesbian Sierran outings at http://angeles.sierraclub.org/gls/ You can find information on these and other events listed on the IMRU Google Calendar athttp://tinyurl.com/6au4tl5 which can be viewed/printed in monthly/weekly/daily or agenda forms. We also blog about important happenings at http://imru.posterous.com/ where you can leave comments or suggestions and cross post links to the Calendar on Twitter as well as our Facebook page—so it pays to be a Friend and/or to Follow Us.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
647 N. San Vicente Blvd.
* Fiction Pavilion
* Comics, Graphic Novels & More Pavilion
* That’s Entertainment Pavilion
* Mystery & Suspense Pavilion
* Queer & Quirky Pavilion
* Current Events & Hot Topics Pavilion
* Open Book Pavilion
* Theatre Stage
* Poetry / Hybrid Stage
* Storytelling & Readings Stage
* Teen Stage
* Kids’ Stage
Home to writing workshops all day long!
* General Fiction & Non-fiction book sellers (book stores and presses)
* Literary Organizations
* Rare and Collectible book sellers
* Arts Organizations
* Children’s Book sellers
* Theatres
* Literary Journals
* Comic Book sellers
* The “Comics Scene!”
* The “Mystery Lovers’ Scene”
* Food Vendors
In The Meantime's Annual BLACK PARTY
Jewel's Room
4067 W. Pico Blvd., LA CA 90019
$7.00 Admission
(Free with Black Card)
Drink Specials & Entertainment
Suggested Attire: All Black or a Costume
11pm to Midnight
1st Place $250.00, 2nd Place $125.00, 3rd Place $75.00, 4th Place $50.00
Supported by In The Meantime's General Fund and AIDS Health Care FoundationL.A. Gay & Lesbian Center: Halloweenie on October 28 at Hollywood Forever
L.A.’s most monumental Halloween party, with an open bar, dancing, and
music by Grammy-nominated circuit king Dave Aude and DJ Beau Dasher! Proceeds support L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center services
6000 Santa Monica Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90038
$125 for VIP tickets through Friday, Sept. 30
$75 for general admission starting Saturday, Oct. 1
$150 for VIP tickets starting Saturday, Oct. 1
$1,000 for cabanas, which include:
Admission for six
Cabana near the dance floor
Private drink service
Preferred parking for two vehicles
The City of West Hollywood has a long history of being on the cutting edge of new artistic and musical endeavors. The Whisky A Go-Go, the first live music venue and the only surviving one to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, opened its doors in 1964 and soon after launched a trend that would ultimately become the norm in clubs all over the world by suspending cages with Go-Go dancers from the ceiling of the club.
“From the Whisky to Micky’s, from Voyeur to Club Eleven – Go-Go dancers perform all year long for the delight of both locals and tourists in West Hollywood,” said West Hollywood Mayor John J. Duran. “We have more Go-Go dancers per square mile than any other city in America and it’s time we celebrated their efforts and hard work!” continued Mayor Duran.
In the mid-1960s and the 1970s, the Sunset Strip became a major center for the counterculture as Go-Go dancers did their thing at the Whisky and other clubs along the Strip. In 1968, the first Groovy Guy contest was started as a marketing tool for the then newly-formed Advocate magazine and as a way to unite the Los Angeles gay community. By 1970, the contest had become so famous that The Advocate featured a Groovy Guy float in the first gay pride parade down Hollywood Boulevard and that summer’s contest was held at Ciro’s Restaurant (now The Comedy Store). The Groovy Guy contest ran in one form or another through 1991.
“Go-Go Dancer Appreciation Day is about celebrating the part of our West Hollywood culture that arrived with the freedom generation and stuck around through the decades as an expression of who we are,” said Councilmember John D’Amico.
By the early 1970’s both the female and male Go-Go dancing phenomenon was part of West Hollywood culture and dancers have been appreciated on stages big and small at clubs across the City ever since.
Go-Go Dancer Appreciation Day will consist of the City working in conjunction with local businesses to stage an amateur Go-Go dancer competition on Larrabee Street north of Santa Monica Boulevard. Clubs along the Sunset Strip will also participate and businesses Citywide will be hold special events and offerings on Go-Go Dancer Appreciation Day.
