Comments on Drag Out at Gay Bingo?

ECB must be so pleased.

They should make him wear a Burka!

Political correctness run amok. Seriously, he is the best part of a great show. What a shame to see him go.

Wow, you found something to drag Lifelong through the mud for again? I'm sure you do have that call in to them!

Dear God, please dont bring back Mark Finley.

Actually, David, it found me. And I do have a call into them. For reals.

This is so stupid - and so typical of why I stopped doing AIDS fundraising.

I worked Gay Bingo for years as a member of the Bunny Brigade. I took it off for "the cause", flirted outrageously, did all sorts of things that would go against the "sexual harassment policy", and had a great time doing it.

Back in those days, when AIDS was a cause rather than an industry, it was as much to raise spirits as it was to raise funds. It was a very grim, very sad time for people with HIV/AIDS and the people who loved them. I think a lot of people have forgotten - and a lot never knew - how desperate things were. The drag queens, nuns and bunnies helped put a brave, campy face on it.

Good luck on filling that Bingo Hall, LLA - it will probably turn out to be as successful as the AIDS walk is now.

You hit the nail on the head, Catalina.

Wow. Sounds like gay bingo is getting ready to play it straight?

There's always the roller derby, Glammy.

WOW. Well I guess I won't be doing gay bingo anymore, this just makes it plain old bingo. Boo!

To Glamazonia I am shocked and you still rock my world! You were one of the best parts of going to GAY Bingo.

I can't wait to hear the response.

Can we all just agree that humor of any kind is offensive?

This sounds fucking stupid. Why get rid of the drag queens? I would think the DQs are the only things that make bingo tolerable.

Anyone who conflates a drag show with sexual harassment needs help removing their head from their ass. It's just this kind of puritanical idiocy that turns real sexual harassment into a joke.

THANK YOU for all the love and support I've been receiving - over the years and especially today!

Be kind to Dan - he has actually written some very nice and supportive articles about Lifelong, during the Podlodowski administration. I called him first with this news 'cause he's been the Hostess himself and I've always admired his (sometimes biased) but always honest opinions.

I have no idea what Lifelong has in mind for BINGO or any of it's other events - I guess we'll all have to watch.

It's definately skewing towards a straighter audience - sometimes up to 50%, by an un-scientific show of hands.

Sad, sad, sad.

Thank you again for all the kind words!

XOXOX,

GLAMAZONIA

So when does Dan stop being such a tease and finally post a picture of himself in drag? You know you want it, kids.

I love you, Glammy and Seattle loves you! LLAA made a HUGE mistake.

Yeah #14, Dan needs to post one of his pics of him in drag!!!!!!

Just when I was thinking of playing Bingo with Glamazonia...

Host your very own Bingo Game...show LLAA you don't need 'em.

if you want to email Dave its

davidr@llaa.org

seriously, putting a lid on sexual language and vulgarity just worsens the cause. If we stop talking about sex openly it makes it more difficult to talk about hiv prevention. What bullshit. The vulgarity, drag and sexual humor is what drew the crowd to gay bingo...do people really think that we went there to play bingo? i know people that didnt even pay attention to their cards for pete's sake.

Shit. Not only will I not be attending gay bingo, I've got a ton of donations that are going to have to go somewhere else, I guess.

Way to go, soul-less pricks.

I think I'm with a lot of people here: pics or gtfo vis a vis Dan in drag.

But on the actual topic at hand:

My university had a Kinkfest a few weeks ago, and the drag queen (Muffy!

I think of all the creativity, talent, hard work and TIME that goes into performing in drag - particularly someone at Glamazonia's high level of expertise. I think of the money raised for LLAA through Gay Bingo. I think of all the positive things done with that money that has changed so many lives. I find Glamazonia's dismissal unacceptable and quite a "slap in the face" to the rest of the Seattle Drag Community. I think it would behove LLAA to reconsider their decision.

Hmmm...did someone complain or something? I don't get it. I'm sure 100% of the straights there like the drag queens otherwise they wouldn't be there. I don't think this is because they want the Bingo to 'go straight' They seemed to attract a bunch of straights WITH the drag queens.

LLAA should consider their base. Really. I understand wanting to grow the event, but this doesn't seem the way to do it.

So no naughty language or Drag Queens? How boring.

Why don't they just hold it in the basement of Catholic Church already?

I want to say that Glamazonia being let go as the Hostess of Gay Bingo makes me sad. But it doesn't. It really pisses me off. I completely agree that this decision is destructive and yes, a slap in the face. Not only to the drag community but to the entire community, queer and queer friendly alike.

The idea of wanting to make this amazingly fun and unique and beneficial event more "appropriate" is ridiculous. Being flirtatious, wearing risque clothing, saying "naughty" words...WHO THE *FUCK* (Yeah I said it) CARES? Gay Bingo is just that, it is for the gays. We are a hyperaware community that should be past puritanical guidelines of everyday life. And anyone who isn't GLBTQ but supportive, understands that and probably shares it with us. No one who is paying money to be there cares about any of these issues, in fact they are THERE for these issues. They want to see an 8 foot a million man in (flawless) drag act vivaciously, tell crude jokes, flirt with any and all and show a little skin. They want to stand up and scream "OH! Sixty Nine!" My entire family went to Gay Bingo several years ago and they still talk about how much fun it was.

But in the end we can blog and slog all we want, what we need to do is take action. LLAA is not untouchable. We can prove to them that we don't want Gay Bingo turned in to a dull mainstream "straight" (in all forms of the word) event. Let's let LLAA really know how we feel. Because I think there are many people out there who feel the same way I do, and I feel like it would be impossible to support an organization, financially or morally, that would make such a POOR decision.

And to Glamazonia (Thom Hubert), I think you are taking this all incredibly well. You have an enviable amount of grace dignity, strength and absolute professionalism regarding this whole ordeal.

Very well said Amazin Jake. Bravo.

Mark Mom Finley is behind this...

That old hag will be licking his toothless gums for this job even though Lifelong fired him in 1996 for, ahem. "MISSHANDLING" funds, ahem...

I guarantee you Seattle, Mom-Zilla will be jockeying tooth (well, false tooth anyway) and nail for this position- mostly because the people who fired him are no longer there AND he's counting on people having a hazy memory of the facts surrounding his said "firing".

I will also point out that this monster went so far as to tout himself as a "Co-Founder" of Gay Bingo. How he managed to get away with this outrageous lie is beyond me. The Pride committee looked the other way and hired this evil fiend to host our gay Pride parade anyway. Mark must have some powerful yet grotesquely manipulated friends...

to #26 and the rest of Seattle-

Danger Will Robinson! Danger!

Wow. And what the community doesn't need- a successful event botched by a new ED and/or other corporate types that think they know it all.

I don't know all the facts. If this pans out I think the stupidity should show the LLAA Board they made a serious mistake in promoting up this new ED into that position. If it's for the reasons (or similar) to what has been outlined above then it's pretty apparent that LLAA has some real issues that need to be discussed in the community.

If on the other hand there are other reasons LLAA made this move, they need to be upfront and quick about how they respond to the community about this. Legitimate reasons would go a long ways to preventing this highly successful event from dying in the eyes of the community.

Note to LLAA: Wake up. This won't go away.

What?? That's why one GOES to an event hosted by a drag queen. Did Dr. Laura and Bill O'Reily take over the organization or something?

And, yes, I'd LOVE to see pics from Dan in his drag days.

LLAA: This is utter stupidity. I 100% agree with Coffman.

I quit going when the Bunny ass and tits were not there. God, they wore jockey shorts and for 10 bucks they would pour water on them to make it more sexy.

Yes, dicks on parade.

Post the date of the next board meeting and let's all show up in drag and do a big loud protest. From the heart.

Gay men and lesbians started the damn organization, and after all our money has funded it.

The key word is corporate funders don't get it. Who gives a shit what they get, aside from being so boring on purpose.

The word is Liberation and the drag community is part of our liberation.

More funny as well, because Glammy is not convincing as a woman. Just good humored parody of parody.

Dan was pure bitchy cunt cutout. Great makeup and hair ... by Zora as I remember.

I will do my old drag persona at any protest, Tanya Tupperware. Let's do it, support the Court, drag in general, and tell the silly fucks at Lifelong to get a life.

Maybe picket some corporation as well. Stir some parody funny funking cock and cunt shit.

this sucks. i donated 10 times the amount of money during gay bingo that i'd normally donate - glammy was 100% the reason. this dave guy is a moron disguised as a republican if he thinks that this is a good move. it's GAY BINGO for fuck's sake! how am i going to fill a table of 30 without telling them stories about glammy screwing with the sign language interpreter? this sucks ass.

is it just me or is seattle becoming an ever worse place to live?

I guess it's happening to all of america, but it seems to be happening especially fast here.

and you can email gaybingo@llaa.org

catalina vel-duray @6 really said a lot for me. Tradition and history are not nothing.

I don't know why this particular piece of news strikes me as dismissive of the memory of those who were here but aren't now, for whatever reason.

Hunter @18 is right. What the fuck is LLAA thinking. Nobody gives a shit about Bingo. We all went to watch the 8' tall drag queen with big shoulders and crazy sexy dresses tell sexually suggestive jokes for a couple hours once a month. I've gone several times a year for many years, brought friends, even straight friends. Everyone loved Glammy. Without exception, Glamazonia is almost the entire reason we went. Glamazonia is who made Gay Bingo fun!

Either Richart has some other agenda, or he has completely lost his fucking mind. This PC bullshit sounds like a made-up excuse.

Who are they planning to replace Glamazonia with, Rich Little?

Not to change the subject, but hey, everyone who's reading this comment thread - gay, drag, and otherwise - remember Paris Is Burning? - the one and only NYC documentary? The Realest... The Fiercest? There's a screening this Thursday. RSVP here. THEN there's an after party, at the best-gay-bar-in Seattle-EVER (and-about-to-close) PONY. Real-deal Paris Is Burning superstar HECTOR XTRAVAGANZA will be there. Come pay respects. The drag-fag circle will be complete. Seattle's not dead! Not yet...

You know, while there's a very good argument to be made about how the "face of AIDS is changing" - anybody who has been out to Bailey/Boushay in the last decade can tell you that - there's no reason for LLAA to change the face of GAY bingo. Even if AIDS is "not a gay disease anymore", bingo is still a viable venue among the gay and gay-friendly for fundraising.

And anyone who has ever been to gay bingo can tell you that the crowd is not all gay. Back in my day, it was probably 60% gay, 20% gay hangers-on, and 20% hardcore bingo types (yes, they exist) who appreciated the light-hearted tone of the event.

If the big thinkers at LLA have become so corporatized that they actually fear their drag queen "vendors" being inappropriate, the answer is simple: contract out Gay Bingo. The sisters could sponsor it. Or the Court of Seattle. Hell, I'd even ressurect the Bunny Brigade (as long as it was clearly understood that I would never, ever, have to appear in a pair of jockeys, wet or otherwise)

The sponsoring group would conduct gay bingo,with the proceeds going to LLAA.

As it stands now, I really wonder what they'll come up with. Without a drag hostess, without the obligatory O-69, without the nuns, what will it be? Might has well just farm it out to the suburbs, and let the seniors have at it.

I love how the left's fondness for sensitivity training and speech codes comes back to bite it. "But we only meant that to apply to straight, white males!"

Nowwwwww it all makes sense!

A friend is coming to visit this spring on a Gay Bingo weekend, so I went to LLAA's website looking for pictures to show my pal how much fun it is.

But no pics of Glammy. At all. Or even a reference to her -- as I believe there has been in the recent past.

Any tech geniuses out there about to figure out when the old pages may have been switched over?

... okay, Google makes everybody a tech genius...

Google's cached copy of the Gay Bingo page from Nov. 3 touts 7'-2" hostess Glamazonia... but she was no where to be seen when I checked last Tuesday-ish.

When our local gay bingo hostess-in-drag moved out of the state, attendance fell 90% overnight.It seems people came to bingo to be entertained. Don't let misguided leaders kill gay bingo by making it boring.

In case no one's noticed, LAA has become noticeably more prudish over the last several years. Think Sally Clark for heaven's sake. And Tina P about had a heart attack when she saw a sticker that said "Dance proud, fuck safe, shoot clean" at a benefit at the Paramount. The fuck had to go.

I'm hoping this is not David's doing, but rather that of a couple of risk averse clenched-butts on his board.

Gay Bingo is getter more and more straight? For true? Well, that seems to go along with the dismantling of Capitol Hill as the Seattle's gay neighborhood. Maybe LLAA IS trying to appeal to a straight crowd. But do upwardly mobile, young white straight people play Bingo?

Sadly, as they say, everything must change.

Not to change the subject AGAIN, but back to PARIS... THIS this is a great NY Times article. The changing face of drag? Does it still have power? It really DOES. Tons of people - photographers, internet junkies, writers, creatives, all sorts of MEDIA - they pay attention. GLAMAZONIA - grrr'irl - get a YouTube! However silly. Make your own Bingo-themed videos with a cheapie camera. Start ruling the New World...

Glam said:
"It's definately skewing towards a straighter audience - sometimes up to 50%, by an un-scientific show of hands."

Hey, I'm straight, and I loved your show, Glam. I never saw you cross the line with anyone who wasn't willing to take their shirt off or get their ass spanked. And even then what you did or said was tame compared to what movies and TV shows depict.

I agree with many of the commenters here that Gay Bingo won't be the same without you. I hope LLAA comes to their senses sooner rather than later.

Thanks for the memories!

Last thought - Glamazonia! Go internet! So many more people paying attention...

Okay, so not to be the buzzkill, but Glamazonia was a horrible host. She was boring, the same shtick every month, and a fraking image crazy-queen. She treated the female staff at Lifelong like crap and harassed most of the male staffers as well. She over-controlled her image to the point that she wanted royalties if her image was used, and was kind of offensive.

It's time for a new person to take over Bingo. It's not that Lifelong cared about her over-the-top-ness I think, it's more that her whole shtick was being an over the top whore-drag-queen who could get people to take their shirts off or saying fucktastic.

Needless to say, I think the tactics at Lifelong were less about Glammy and more about moving the show on. Glammy only cares about herself. She doesn't foster the gay community or the drag community in Seattle.

Lifelong wasn't saying they wanted rid of her, they just wanted a respectable figurehead.

I say good riddance. Get a new person in there. Someone who doesn't put on the same tired "make fun of women and make men feel embarrassed to be gay" and update Gay Bingo with creative drag faces.

Lifelong was sick of Glammy and so am I.

P.S. I hope she takes that shitty Miss Intermission with her!!!

Justard

and Justard's only prior post was on fat-hipster girls at Pony

http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/06/pony_up_1

I guess he just likes to dis.

Justard, even if what you're saying is true (and I wouldn't know, since I didn't work there, I just attended a few times because it was fun), if the policy as stated in this blog post is accurate, it is SO much bullshit.

This sounds like it was a simple power trip and no where did I get the impression that LLAA is trying to remove drags from Gay Bingo.

Nor do I get the impression that it's "skewering towards straights" just because some consideration is requested. Who doesn't get sick of hearing the f-word or cunt every other word?

Any drag queen worth their salt would be able to come up with creative and imaginative ways to be just as outrageous, the way the best have. Gawd, I think even Priscilla was PG-13!

This just seems like a lazy popularity contest and sad to see so many people bashing the LLAA for all the amazing work they do. Sad.

Justard, you are a hypocrite slimebag with zero credibility. If you represent the kind of people behind this anti-sexual-harassment policy, then you've just proven it's 100% crap.

#51

Amazing work? They shuffle files, and are well paid.

The era of real activist AIDS work ended years ago.

Their PR game is all they have, talk and self promotion, to the sky.

If a person with AIDS really needs help, they get more from the missions and social services at the hospitals.

Even the thrift store is a profit center, and to get some used clothes a person with AIDS has to grovel to four or five people and might get a voucher for 25.00.

As we all know, Seattle is awash with free clothing, but not at the AIDS INDUSTRY THRIFT STORE.

Dan, you need to start the step by step expose of this malignant organization.

The tales of their disregard for people with AIDS in recent years are rampant.

Their housing program is simply cruel and unusual punishment. With a little effort you will hear stories of abuse that will curl you hair. Commonplace. Monstrous stuff assuming their clients are sick and dying and disabled. Of course, that is why they push them around so much.

They have cut many people with AIDS off food delivery and then, enlarged the programs to other folks for hard cash from the state. Good business Tina.

Oh please, we can all see what this is.

Richart is new to the organization, and feels the need to assert himself. From his vantage point, Miz Glamazonia is outshining Lifelong, and he obviously believes that this simply will not do. It's very shitty that the man is using a sexual harassment policy to get Glam outta there--not least because it guts the true purpose and value of such policies.

Thom (Glam) always handles things gracefully even when he doesn't. I love Thom.

Lifelong will realize their mistake when Bingo dies because no one is attending.

What a shame.

You gays and your drama, sheesh.

Living far away, I'll probably never get to see the event but I hope that Glamazonia hangs in. Hey, it's not impossible. Mae West made it work.

As a volunteer for Lifelong, I went to nearly every event last season and was blown away at how amazing each and every Bingo was. LLAA will be begging Glammy to come back after they realize that there aren't any tickets selling for the new season, that the sign language interpreters are going on strike because there's no Glammy to fuck with them anymore and no one, NO ONE is going to command the attention of a crowd in 8 inch (shit, maybe higher) heels like Glamazonia. People do what ever she says! Call a fake bingo? Pay $20. You don't have to, but you better if you don't want the aforementioned 8 in. heel up your ass! Not like Glammy would ever do that...

Seriously, the bottom line is, I will continue to volunteer for LLAA because I agree with their mission and believe that they provide invaluable services and support to the community. However, unless they bring Glammy back, I will not be volunteering for Bingo. I do not wish to show support for the decision that was so foolishly made. I would encourage volunteers that support LLAA's mission, but disagree with this rediculous change, to choose other community outreach programs to give their time to.

Don't worry Glamazonia, they'll be back.

A couple of years back I thought it would be great to do some volunteer work with LLA. FUCK!! There was a four page application I had to fill out, background checks and everything else. I didn't even have to do that much work to get my own JOB!!!

I filled out half of the paperwork and said screw this. I now volunteer at a couple of homeless shelters in town which didn't ask for my life history and a DNA sample.

Actually Glammy should do Gay Bingo for someone else. I'm sure there has to be plenty of worthy causes who would LOVE to have her.

Glamazonia is a great host. And Dan Savage was a pretty darn good host in his day too. It's too bad they never got to host together!

I saw Glamazonia at the Rat City Rollergirls "Big Gay Bout" during the Pride, um, controversy.

Glamazonia did a show that was family-friendly and still entirely entertaining.

One kid did almost cry, but Glam explained that she was just a funny sort of clown.

Is it possible that there is a disproportionate need for drama in the gay community? Leading to divisiveness at every turn? Will our hero, Dan, get to the root of the problem? Stay tuned for the next big adventure of Dan Savage, America's Topper (tm).

Well, this is sad news. People go (went) to Gay Bingo to be a part of all the craziness.

Don't think I'll be going back again.

Do people that go to strip clubs get upset by the sexual content?

Why would you go to a drag-hosted event if you were so easily offended?

Dumb

OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!

I will grant that it is possible that Glammy is an egomaniac and hard to work with (I have no idea, but I suppose it's possible).

If so, then Richart's excuse of not being PC enough is bullshit. If Glammy was hard to work with or a control freak or whatever, then they should have just said so instead of making up a bullshit excuse.

If they replace Glamazonia with another fun entertaining drag queen (please Gawd, NOT Mom Findly!), Gay Bingo may still succeed. But if they try to sanitize the entertainment for the straights and the PC crowd, the audience will dry up completely in a month or two. This is not my grandmother's bingo. This is Gay Bingo!

Dumb. Really dumb.

Since they serve booze - that is where the profits are at - you have to be 21.

CALLED AN ADULT VENUE, old enough to drink, old enough to fuck, old enough for Glammy's humor and THEATER..

These new age morality police are creepy. Just who are they protecting from adulthood? Tina? Swishy Dave?

Stupidly out of touch is the concept. Silly managers is the rule.

Marketing concept sucks.

REMEMBER IT IS A MANDATORY ADULT EVENT, ALL ADULTS, NO KIDS. And it is a stage show, Glammy is a performer. She/He is not staff, but a hired performer on the stage in an adult venue.

Hard liquor being served, fun and more fun for all, money being raised for the Aids Foundation - a Seattle tradition - what was broken?

Crap like this reminds me of when a new condo went up next door to the club Circuit in Chicago and it almost got shut down by the tenants of the new condo because of noise complaints. Most of the tenants were well to do gay men.

It also reminds me of that scene in the movie Flawless where the log cabin repuglicans try and get the drag queens to tone it down and Philip Seymour Hoffman SHUTS THEM DOWN!

fascinating...and scandalous!

and for once, a brouhaha that DOESN'T involve the LGBT Center or former director Shannon Thomas...

or does it?!?!?!?

there MUST be an evil plot here somewhere!

has all the makings for one of Showtimes gayriffic series.

Hey, PLEASE don't blame the straights! We had nothing to do with it. It's the boring conservative gays' fault, not ours.

mike hunt

ho ho ho - santa is responsible

evil plot, no - evil stupid, yes

what strange piece of brain matter surfaced shannon, long gone shannon?

see someone for your mind state

From the LLA Website:

"THANK YOU FOR MAKING OUR 2007 GAY BINGO SEASON A RECORD-BREAKING YEAR!"

Seems to me you wouldn't want to make any changes if that was the result. If it ain't broke...

Oh please dear god, no more Mark Mom Finley!

...if it ain't broke ... BREAK IT

there are stupid people running the Aids INC. File Shuffle Foundation ...

Tried to call there, of course no one is in the office yet , it is not noon.

Work day, don't be silly.

This last episode has totally turned me off. No more anything for them from this Proud Flaming Queen.

AIDS is now the Black African disease and Gay Americans living with HIV are in the background. Given that new reality, a Great Host/ess is not needed to appeal to the masses. One must still ask for money, but this from the Soccer Moms.

I used to volunteer for Gay Bingo years ago and can tell you that Glam was a horror to work with. She was abusive to staff and was always more focused on herself than the mission of Lifelong and Gay Bingo. I haven't heard anything, but I wouldn't be surprised if this was just an excuse to get rid of her.

Besides, has she really come up with any new gimmicks since 2003? How many times do we have to watch her take boys' shirts off and make the ASL interpreters sign dirty things?

There was Gay Bingo before Glam and there will be Gay Bingo after Glam.

Glamazonia is fanfuckingtastic.

Dave Richart is a cunt.

The TOTAL irony of all this is that straight people go to gay events like this BECAUSE Drag Queens are fun, outrageous, and funny in ways they could never be. Straight people go FOR the drag queens, you fan-fucking-tastically stupid mother-fuckers! Way to lose ALL your audience....

To #76

You think that was bad?! You should have worked with Mark Mom Finley- just ask any one of his "Ex" assistants...

Or The Tacky Tourist Cruise promoters

Or Neighbors

Or SGN

Or UPN 11

Or... Shall I go on?

My point is, any "drag queen" is a horror to work with! Some more than others...

TO ALL THAT WOULD CARE

Gay bingo has died ... gone into legend.

It will be replace by ordinary, boring and dull, hard core old folks bingo.

Yuk.

Or, commonly called corporate sanitized bingo.

My office is in chaos, no more tables from here, we will just go to a bar and get drunk, and not pay a table fee of 200.00

I echo 2, 6, 9, 11... holy crap way too many to list here.

GLAMMY you rock. Wherever you go, we'll follow and support you.

I'm done with LLAA gay bingo. They just lost a multi-table multi-night supporter. Fuck em.

Burka BINGO... Bringin' Sexy Back...

#79, I totally agree... there are some drag queens that are very difficult to work with. However, I've also worked with some that are extremely generous, witty (without having to resort to cheap laughs), talented, and easy to work with.

I just feel that before we all jump to conclusions and start boycotting Lifelong (which does do lots of great work for many people who need help), simply because a fired drag queen is lashing out, let's see what they can come up with for the next season. Maybe it will go down in flames and maybe this is the end of Gay Bingo as we know it, or maybe they'll get a great new host and it'll be just as good as it always has been. Who knows?

Yeah, I'll bet it'll be a total blast being at a 100% PC sexually neutered no-bawdiness-allowed Bingo night. No matter WHO they hire, they're going to have to adhere to the new sexual harassment policy that Richart has instituted.

They might as well start trucking in the little old ladies from the Nordic Rest Home. Sorry, I can go to any tired old church basement and get "regular" bingo.

There are proud fags here and then the sheeple - ie. Jackson and others.

Either they work for Aids Inc. or just can't make a decision and call shit, like shit.

By the way, our own parody of the accusation of the straight world that we are feminine men -- is -- is -- DRAG.

It is part of our liberation going back decades and decades, long before the perspective of the over paid blue noses at Aids Inc.

I want a picket line - in full vulgar drag to the max. Hundreds will be there, no time for mealy mouth bull shit.

Sisters should lead the boycott, as we all know they are very vulgar, sexual to the porn level, and offensive to the straight world.

Let's go for Liberation from dull witted conservatives in our community and the still very homophobic straight world.

Why do new executives always think they have to change things? I attended gay bingo BECAUSE of Glamazonia. So until either she is back or Dave Richart is gone, I'm going to boycott all LLAA events. My charity dollars will be going elsewhere now. (Dave, the fake tan in your bio photo really stands out.)

pride fairy doesn't apparently understand sarcasm when she reads it.

the (tired) point i was making, is that last year, every thing fubar in the Seattle Gay World, was the fault of the Center/Shannon. (admitedly, some of it was)

this ridiculous debacle has nothing to do with the Center-Thank ! Lifelong is shooting themselves int he ass, all by themselves.

jeesh

though i will say, why DO drag queens have to host every fucking gay related event on the planet? i know there are a couple funny articulate fags/dykes/trannies out there capable of hosting an event without wearing a bad dress and being mikehunty. i loves me some (good) drag performers, (who are few and far between) but maybe it's time to get out of the tiara/maybelline rut and explore a few non-drag options in the world of lgbt fundraising. (but not boring ass pc ones, please.)

DAN for HOST!! (sans drag)

Please don't let the toothless hag (Finley) gum her way into Glam's job. He is an evil social climbing Ho. Nice on stage and rude and mean off.

Dan,

You should get back into the Gay Bingo business. They need some good 'ol all American competition. You could fill the house wherever you held your bingo event and raise a ton of money that would go to effective AIDS agencies.

Dina Martina would be a delightful hostess for the evening.

Rosie O'Donnell is looking for work, isn't she?

The biggest question here is who is the hottie in the picture with Glamazonia? Or is this comment too sexually suggestive for bingo?

I just want to say thank you again to everyone posting their messages of love and support for me. Honestly, I was in tears last night reading them. I know it sounds corny, but it was like the end of 'It's A Wonderful Life' where everyone from the community of Bedford Falls showed up to support George Baily when he needed it most. I had no idea that this slog would get the response it has - keep it going!

But, I also want to say that while yes, I am sad to no longer be hosting Bingo, I'm more sad for LLAA. For all of the volunteers that have given their time and energy, for the donors and sponsors.

For better or worse, LLAA is the major AIDS help network in our region. and there is SO much potential for good to happen there.

Anyway - it'll be someone else's job now, and I hope they do well with it and have as much fun as I did.

I'm happy to have made an impression on so many of you.

But let's remember - we're not mourning GLAMAZONIA; she's not dead. I don't know what's next for her, but I assure you, you will all hear about it!

XOXO,

GLAMAZONIA

glammy, good point. it's important to keep supporting LLAA. but now they are going to have to work harder for my money because i will not support them through Gay Bingo

I don't care. Does anyone know the hot cop in that photo?!?

Lifelong AIDS Alliance posted a GLAMAZONIA update on www.llaa.org.

re #96, it's a lame response from lifelong, sounds like a whining little kid saying i told you so. wow. what a mistake. i'm not wild about gay bingo but this will be its death knell. not that im sad about that other than i would think lla would need the $$. any word on how they will make up that difference on the aids walk?

Doesn't Lifelong know never to fuck with a drag queen?!? Go Glammie Go. Let us know when your new show will debut--we'll support you! You should have a sign up on your website where people can leave there email so you can notify us when Glammie is back.

And what are they doing with Miss Intermission?

Ironically Lifelong used to host a big safe sex night at Club Z in Seattle.. and I oughta know because I was a featured performer twice (and recommended friends of mine in the porn industry for the event which by the way included demos on fisting and a jerk off show by 'ahem' the star of the evening).

Glamazonia, sweetheart come to New York. I have produced and hosted a weekly fundraising Bingo night called PORNO BINGO for the last three years at a small dive bar in midtown. Sure, we've had some charities in town turn their noses up at taking money from us but other charities are laughing all the way to their clients whom we are able to help through the money we raise. We have porn stars, go go boys, drag queens, singers, leather guys etc and give away gay porn (dvds, mags, toys, lube) and theatre ticks. And yeah we talk about sex (safe sex) and (gasp) swear.

Sheesh!! Glammie come to New York for a visit and we'll promote your appearance!!!!!!

Porno Bingo. Has a nice ring to it... Having watched queens like Jackie and Ursula for the last 10 years, Glammie's antics are PG13 at the very worst.

I honestly do not get people like Richart - oh wait, I do - see there's this awful, little faction of gays born without a sense of irony or style, yet who get into non-profit work and seem to need constant validation by wanting to "take their media to the next level"... You know, get the gays in the burbs to come in... These are the same ones who bore the shit out of me by throwing lukewarm events, boring dinners and lame opening parties. I sit there and wonder why I bother to donate to the various causes and realize because it's the cause, not the people...

John Waters recently said there should be a return of Gay Troublemakers. Not saying that Glammie's our martyr by any means, but this means war on mediocrity... I say someone should do a Porno Bingo here in Seattle and run it like a PAC organization and give to various causes. Hire strippers and have it be a private party --- use sex to sell compassion and raise money for things like Lifelong with the supreme irony that someone else runs a better show.

Hubert is an abusive ass. A friend of mine referred to his passing thusly: "Seems drag is out along with good-natured sexual innuendos..."

Well, anyone who has seen her act knows that Glamazonia is about as "good-natured" as Ann Coulter...

Old-school raunch-drag is deceased. Can we please stop trying to reanimate this lip-syncing corpse and move on to whatever is next? I know that drag queens threw rocks at Stonewall but can we all grow up just a tad? There are good drag queens and there are evil drag queens. There are also a precious few ORIGINAL drag queens.

Hubert is neither "good" nor "original." Let's move on, shall we?

It's just plain shitty that LLA would treat someone who has done SO much for their shitty organization with such disrespect. GLAMAZONIA has hosted Gay Bingo for years and garnered local and national press for years. Without batting a stack of false eyelashes, GLAMAZONIA effortlessly carried Gay Bingo from the wee Temple De Hirsch Sinai to the ginormous 900+ seat Naval Armory. LLA at the very least owes GLAMAZONIA a public and sincere apology. It's too late for them to salvage Gay Bingo, but at least they could try not to be total a-holes to someone who's done nothing but rake in money for their organization.

At the worst, LLA is setting a dangerous precedent for Seattle. How long before gay dance clubs close because of fear of sexual harassment claims against owners by patrons? The next step is obviously that clothing stores will only be permitted to sell "appropriate" clothing for fear of lawsuits from people offended by what they sell.

Glammie, you are what made Gay Bingo what it was for my partner and I. We love you, and are very angry about this, and we let LLAA know.

I will always remember our limo ride to bingo with you. You're a true star.

I'd send you a more personal note, but I'm not on myspace.

This was brought to my attention by Will Clark, and I'm glad he did because this is a blatant display as to why people are having less and less loyalty to the American gay culture. Because fools who head the LLAA, are thinking like corporate America, instead of worthwhile human beings.
What do they hope to accomplish by doing this? Considering how many comments against it have flooded this blog post in such a short span of time, all the LLAA is doing is enlarging the fault line that is running through the gay community. They need to accept the variety of taste within the gay community, and stop trying to make everyone the uptight clones of one another they are.

GOOD LUCK with the impending transition! I have been a volunteer at the GayBingo in Philadelphia for over 5 years and, really, it never bounced back when the original hosts- Chumley and Carlotta- left the stage for good a couple of months after my first night of selling 50/50 tickets! The reasons were not similar but the outcome may be just as dim for your Bingo there in Seattle though i hope not. Not only did we lose two AMAZING hosts but we lost our troop of Bingo Verifying Divas (some of whom had been there with C & C since the inception of GayBingo in 1996!) and a slew of long-time players and volunteers. They all realized an era had ended and it was time to move on. I stayed and it has been... interesting to see the changes that have come and keep coming about over and over again. So, Good Luck, again, to Glamazonia and the organization moving forward! It just sounds rediculous, all of this to me. You'll find out!!

I'm glad someone sent me an e-mail to let me know about this article. My friends and I were just about to lay out the cash for a full-season table for 10, even hoping to get a more expensive "queen for a day" table for one or two of the nights. Now that LLAA has fired Glamazonia, none of us are interested in attending at all, let alone buying season tickets. Does ANYONE go to Gay Bingo for the supposed enjoyment of playing bingo? We certainly didn't. We considered the SHOW well worth $20 a night. Now that's gone, and there's simply no point in attending. That's more than $2,000.00 that LLAA won't be seeing, and I suspect many more will do likewise.

THANK YOU, NICK - I've been hearing this a lot.

Something is incorrect about your post, though.

I think it's worth letting everyone know that ticket prices are going up 25% next season - that's $25 folks.

Just an FYI.

XOXO,

GLAMAZONIA

Excellent point, Glam! I had forgotten about the price increase. Frankly, we knew about the $5 increase, and none of us objected. We knew the show was STILL well worth the price!

I'll be watching for the press conference when you put together your own show elsewhere!

Well, sh*t, F*ck, D*mn! Do they really think I went to bingo for the effin paper dotting?! Chr*st on crutches. Hey, Lifelong, good luck with the new church format. Lord knows how easy it is to get butts in pews. This is one metro-sexual that won't be supporting bingo any more. Where we going next, Glammy?

GLAMAZONIA has been featured all year in a video pod on Al Gore's Emmy Award winning TV network Current TV. The short documentary which I directed shows just how much work GLAMAZONIA put into Gay Bingo every month. Tens of thousands of people have been exposed to Seattle's Gay Bingo through GLAMAZONIA's tireless work and tireless promotion. Regardless of one's personal taste, the facts remain that GLAMAZONIA made Gay Bingo what it has been for the past few years, extraordinarily successful and lucrative for LLAA.

Well LLAA you just killed one of the best events that Seattle had to offer. Gay Bingo had a sell-out season, raising huge money for Hiv and Aids, and you felt that something needed to be fixed??? Well you can delete me from your list of financial supporters!

Pushing papers and getting paid well? Yow, I though running a business had nothing to do with paperwork or getting paid.

I'd like to know where everyone on this post works to justify their silly criticism of LLAA. It's not like they kill fucking KITTENS for chrissake!

LLAA MAKES PUBLIC STATEMENT ON MYSPACE!

Posted today around 12:30PM via a bulletin post:

To the Lifelong AIDS Alliance Community:

On Tuesday afternoon, a decision was made by Lifelong AIDS Alliance to discontinue contract negotiations with Thom Hubert (aka GLAMAZONIA), host of our popular Gay Bingo events for the past seven years.

While we planned to share this news with our community in our upcoming email newsletter, word of the impasse spread quickly when Thom contacted the media as well as his friends and supporters. We hope that the following information will help everyone come to a more complete understanding of the situation.

Each year we have met with Thom to negotiate a contract for the upcoming year. This year our “official” negotiations started on October 11, though staff had a number of conversations with Thom throughout the year regarding his role as host. In the end, Lifelong decided to end the negotiations. Throughout the process Lifelong listened to Thom’s requests regarding Gay Bingo, however there were a few areas that we, as an organization, couldn’t overlook – primarily Thom’s refusal to adhere to our harassment policy as it relates to his treatment of our staff and volunteers.

Our harassment policy covers all Lifelong employees, volunteers, board members, donors, and contractors with aim to create “an atmosphere where there is respect for all human dignity.” We had asked him to treat our staff and volunteers with dignity. Thom didn’t feel that “GLAM” could adhere to the policy.

Thom has publicly shared that Lifelong received complaints from sponsors and has made statements that the decision to end our contract was made in large part to his use of two “four letter words.” In part this is true. We have received complaints from sponsors and we take them seriously. We have also received numerous complaints from attendees. But these complaints pale in comparison to the commitment we have as an organization to our volunteers and staff.

The decision to end the contract was not about the use of two curse words and political correctness. As a progressive organization, we are certainly not going to say that the “F” word is inappropriate in every setting – we use the word in some of our materials for a very specific audience. The audience turning out for Gay Bingo is much more diverse.

We fully understand the nature of the show, its colorful history and what it calls for from a drag queen to perform. We are fully aware of our roots and our place in the community. In no way is Lifelong trying to “de-gay” or “de-drag” the event. We are working with other drag queens locally, regionally and nationally to fill the wonderful shoes left by Thom.

But what is being overlooked in this fray is the very reason the event was born – to further the mission of Lifelong, the largest AIDS service organization in the Northwest.

We had earnestly hoped to continue this event with Thom to help these programs and services grow. We are sad that the relationship has come to an end but are still deeply appreciative of the commitment Thom had shown over the past seven years toward Lifelong AIDS Alliance.

If you have questions that remain unanswered, we hope that you will contact our Gay Bingo staff at 206-323-0069 or gaybingo@llaa.org.

On behalf of the staff and board of Lifelong AIDS Alliance, thank you for your continued support.

And here is the direct link to the MySpace bulletin if you'd like to share your comments there!

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=138654854&blogID=328908000

My apologies for a third comment, but I had an inaccurate time in my post. Their bulletin was actually posted 12:33 AM, not PM....

As in someone must have shit their pants when they saw what was going on on slog and decided they needed an immediate midnight public statement.

Not only an "immediate midnight public statement," but a self-serving, defensive one, which places any and all blame on Glamazonia, ESPECIALLY for daring to go public before LLAA could "pretty up" the story for their next newsletter.

This situation reeks of a type of internalized homophobia that, after being “out” for 30 years, I can’t stomach. If anyone else feels differently, I respect their opinion… however, I personally find David Richart’s response unsatisfying.

Some of the sponsors complained. Some of the attendees complained. Well I’m sorry. It’s an over-21-only alcohol-being-served event called (cue hint #1) GAY BINGO where a (cue hint #2) 7-FOOT DRAG QUEEN (HELLO?!) is running the festivities… and they expected…? Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm? The Osmonds? Lawrence Welk? A reading of Catcher in the Rye? (no… wait… that was banned… it’d have to be Where’s Waldo.) Now they can put a big paper ribbon across the front door that says, “Gay Bingo: Sanitized for Your Protection (now Glamazonia free!)”

If Glamazonia had done anything that had actually broken the law, he likely would have a) been brought up on charges and b) fired promptly (and with good reason). They wouldn’t have waited until contract negotiation time.

Buh-bye Gay Bingo. It was fun while it was fun.

Glammy, whither thou goest, well, tell us where it is and we'll meet you there.

Dave Richart's letter on the LLAA website is inaccurate in so many areas.

I had no conversations about my employment with anyone during the
year, other than asking if they were expecting to offer me another
contract for 2008, so that I could say 'see you next season' at the
last bingo in June, or'see ya, it's been fun."

I was told 'of course! It wouldn't be Bingo without you!

I asked (two times)to take the same sexual harrassment training class as everyone
else at lifelong, so that if were to be held accountable for it, I had
the same information as the rest of the staff.

I made a MPAA inspired 'rating box', as a suggestion to put
on posters, programs etc to accept responsibility for my words/actions
and relieve LLAA from liability.

I never 'refused' anything - I went out of my way to seek their help
in defining how the policy applied to the Bingo event/venue and to me
as hostess.

I am not or have I ever been an 'in your face' entertainer. I have no desire to humiliate or degrade anyone, nor I think I have.

And, if LLAA thought that that I did, WHY would they offer me another contract?

There is no grievance system outlined, no consequences specified.

I left our Oct 31st meeting by saying that I look forward to returning
as Hostess, I WANT to sign the contract, I just needed clarification
as to how GLAMAZONIA would/could operate within the guidelines.

The clauses about 'fuck' and 'cunt' I thought smacked of censorship,
but I agreed not to say 'cunt' (I don't anyway) but still couldn't
get an answer as to what would happen if 'fuck' happened to slip out.

They left that meeting saying that they needed to discuss amongst them
as to what they were able to accommodate, etc.

I said of course - I didn't expect them to be able to acquiesce to
everything, and that I wanted to work together to negotiate something
we were all comfortable with.

They thought that they would be able to get back to me by end of
business that day, if not the next.

November 13th - the bomb drops.

Again - THANK YOU To all for your encouragement.

XOXO,

GLAM

What a disappointment…

First they destroyed the Chicken Soup Brigade, a fun organization which was transformed to a boring corporate style called Lifelong.

Now the host has to behave as a conservative for a community that fought for freedom of expression, and sexual orientation, who will be force to behave next, the audience at gay bingo or the rest of the gay community?
Ah but this is a country with freedom of speech and acceptance of diversity, and we want to be the example for the rest of the world.

Soon we will not be able to express in public in any way.

to #26
I TOTALLY AGREE!!!

"Mark Mom Finley is behind this...

That old hag will be licking his toothless gums for this job even though Lifelong fired him in 1996 for, ahem. "MISSHANDLING" funds, ahem...

I guarantee you Seattle, Mom-Zilla will be jockeying tooth (well, false tooth anyway) and nail for this position- mostly because the people who fired him are no longer there AND he's counting on people having a hazy memory of the facts surrounding his said "firing".

I will also point out that this monster went so far as to tout himself as a "Co-Founder" of Gay Bingo. How he managed to get away with this outrageous lie is beyond me. The Pride committee looked the other way and hired this evil fiend to host our gay Pride parade anyway. Mark must have some powerful yet grotesquely manipulated friends..."

Mom-Zilla's (mark mom finley)desperate attempt for attention...

You know that sorry old thing is trying to win the crown of Miss Gay Seattle-AGAIN!!! He won it back in the early 90's and now he is trying to get the title for the 2nd time! LOL! I thought that title was for young queers just embarking on their drag career- mark mom finley is in his 50's or 60's or something and is a washed up old drag clown working at sleazy old R-Place... Sad how mental illnes is even uglier and embarassing in an old drag queen!

Having formerly worked at gay bingo for a couple years in the early ‘00’s, I can’t read anymore without sharing details about a possible other side of this story. I loved Thom/Glamazonia and many nights he/she made Gay Bingo amazing, but the story I don’t think is being told is the difficulty it was to work with Thom/Glamazonia, thus more than likely leading to the parting of ways.

I’m sad Glam has taken this so public. The end of any relationship is hard, especially a 7 year one, whether it be a love relationship or a working relationship. As a supporter of Lifelong, I have faith in Lifelong’s decision and hope that others will also, and eventually understand this business decision that was made. I’ve had to ask myself, are we really getting the full story from Glam and The Stranger?, or is there always much more to it and another side?

If you weren’t a regular bingo attendee, you didn’t see the times Glamazonia was all over the male ball callers, yet neglected and hardly had conversations with the female callers, which led to many complaints by the lesbians. If you weren’t an employee, you didn’t hear about the many complaint letters written to Lifelong or the phonecalls from people threatening to drop their support because of things Glam has said or done. You don’t know the conversations held with Glam before, during, and after the event to get her to take it down a notch, only to then watch her take it up a notch to prove who is really running the show. There were many nights as an employee, I felt handcuffed by Glam, and was given attitude. Remember, she worked FOR gay bingo. This was not the Glamazonia Show, this was Gay Bingo. You don’t hear the stories from volunteers who said they no longer want to work at Bingo because they were afraid of Glam or didn’t like feeling forced and pressured to take their shirts off. (When you have fear like this, it leads to harassment, which is probably the part we’re reading about where the harassment policy came into play). And who knows what more went on long after I left. I’m sorry to shed more light on this story, but let more truths be told please. It appears to me that Lifelong made a business decision to find a respectful employee who they can manage and feel will work for them and with them.

Glam/Thom, I love your talent and I expect to see you reappear in another show someplace somewhere. Thank you for the many many laughs.

Gay bingo, I can’t wait to see what you have in store for us. Something fresh will be great! The Tonight Show didn’t die without Johnny Carson, and Gay Bingo won’t die without Glam.

Please though, lets not lose sight of the real cause here, and that is to support our brothers and sisters living with HIV and AIDS.

I am extremely thankful for each of Supporter's comments, and extend this gratitude to the other individuals who have spoken up about their experiences with GLAMAZONIA and have come to the defense of Lifelong.

I, too, respect GLAMAZONIA's talent and am sorry to see that she will no longer be hosting Bingo. However, I am far more saddened by the petty, uninformed, and altogether inappropriate comments being made about Lifelong and its employees. I certainly respect everyone's right to express their opinion, but for your own sake, please let it be an informed position rather than simply jumping on to the first juicy gossip bandwagon that presents itself on the internet. Stooping to such pettiness is an ineffective and immature way to defend GLAMAZONIA.

Ugh- can't believe this. I've known Thom for a couple of years now and got to know Glam a bit, too. Even when Thom and I did not see eye to eye on things, and even when he really pissed me off, I NEVER lost the respect that I had for what he did for LLA. Bingo was part of my coming out and was key to meeting an entirely new set of friends. With no Glam, Bingo just won't be the same. Another great place to meet like-minded people will go up in dust.

Now, that being said: LLA & GLAM - GET YOUR 'ARSES' BACK TO TABLE AND GET THIS WORKED OUT. IT IS NOT TOO LATE. LESSER MEN, WOMEN, AND DQs HAVE WORKED THROUGH GREATER ISSUES. IT'S SIMPLE - FIGURE IT OUT! EACH OF YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE TO DO INCREDIBLE WORK!

Let us play a fun game...

If GLAMAZONIA was such a nightmare, why even negotiate?! If things were so DIVA filled, and harassing, and uncomfortable for staffers and lesbians around...why not tell GLAM, "...say goodnight Gracie?!?"

Because the harassment is bullshit!

LLAA had NO PROBLEM whatsoever collecting the dollars, which were more than plenty of the shirtless gays, and staffers that GLAMAZONIA "exposed and embarassed". Why didn't they do what any good corporate and Christian fearing folk would do and say, "NO, we are appalled by your antics and your sexual harassment money...give it back!"

Why? Because they hypocritical and greedy; not to mention lazy. Well if they thought Bingo was a chore before, welcome to real work kids.

When Tina P. left, she took the best part of the organization with her...its SOUL!

F.U. LAAA

LOVE TO GLAMMY!

actually when tina left the organization, it was finally able to breathe again and have it's soul returned.

To #122

First let me say that you are a prissy little (and by little I mean BIG) asshole.

SECOND and most important of all- the Gay Bingo patrons are not there to see you, they are not there to be entertained by you, they are not there to hang out with you- the patrons are there to see a GLAMAZONIA and play BINGO. Anything less than that is just lame old tired old bingo! It is the uniqueness of the Glamazonia’s show that keeps patrons coming back. Not you. Not butthole pussy, fake tan, Progeria disease victim Dave Richart, nor the whiny power tripping board (who have their undies all in a bunch cuz GLAMMY doesn’t do exactly as he is told…

As for the lesbians you speak of- everyone knows lesbians are pissed off about everything- waaah waaah waaah “I’m not getting enough attention, I don’t like drag queens, I don’t have a penis! It’s always something…

I also used to volunteer for Gay Bingo and the #1 complaint of all those penis envying dykes was the drag queen host. The reasoning behind it was that (according to the dykes) the drag queens were a caricature of what a woman was and that was offensive to them as women (and I’m using that term women loosely here).

Your whiny assholish e-mail and the statement by fake tan, Progeria disease victim Dave Richart posted on the LLAA website betrays exactly what I would expect from jealous idiots who are thinking more of there own self importance than what the PAYING patrons want.

Gay people are known for pushing the envelope- get over yourself and give us back our GLAMMY!

To #122

First let me say that you are a prissy little (and by little I mean BIG) asshole.

SECOND and most important of all- the Gay Bingo patrons are not there to see you, they are not there to be entertained by you, they are not there to hang out with you- the patrons are there to see a GLAMAZONIA and play BINGO. Anything less than that is just lame old tired old bingo! It is the uniqueness of the Glamazonia’s show that keeps patrons coming back. Not you. Not butthole pussy, fake tan, Progeria disease victim Dave Richart, nor the whiny power tripping board (who have their undies all in a bunch cuz GLAMMY doesn’t do exactly as he is told…

As for the lesbians you speak of- everyone knows lesbians are pissed off about everything- waaah waaah waaah “I’m not getting enough attention, I don’t like drag queens, I don’t have a penis! It’s always something…

I also used to volunteer for Gay Bingo and the #1 complaint of all those penis envying dykes was the drag queen host. The reasoning behind it was that (according to the dykes) the drag queens were a caricature of what a woman was and that was offensive to them as women (and I’m using that term women loosely here).

Your whiny assholish e-mail and the statement by fake tan, Progeria disease victim Dave Richart posted on the LLAA website betrays exactly what I would expect from jealous idiots who are thinking more of there own self importance than what the PAYING patrons want.

Gay people are known for pushing the envelope- get over yourself and give us back our GLAMMY!

Yeah, wow... harassing staff, volunteers, patrons and interpreters while asking for rediculous amounts of money should totally continue. Ya'll are f'in brilliant.

I'm with Justard. Glam was getting old and boring. Many of us got tired of the sexist shit she would pull on women (when she wasn't ignoring them completely). Glam being replaced is the best reason to go back to Bingo in over 2 years.

You idiots who have jumped on the drama that Glam and Dan "I hate Lifelong and Gay City cause I am a whiney ass" Savage have created obviously have no idea what Lifelong does everyday and the hard work their employees put into serving people--both positive and negative.

I can't wait to see what post-Glam BINGO looks like, an have two tables reserved for the Jan 12th date!

WELL SAID!

The Queen is Half the Mess.
November 14th, 2007 by QuakerJono
I’m cross posting this piece about drag queens, so get over it.

Specifically, Glamazonia, the long time host of the Lifelong AIDS Alliance in Seattle’s Gay Bingo fundraiser. According to Joe.My.God, the Alliance instituted a new set of anti-sexual harassment policies which led to Glamazonia being asked to either clean up her act or move on.

According to Glamazonia, it is strictly impossible for her to refrain from using the words “fuck” or “cunt” in her act so she’s no longer hosting. As she says, “There was language [in the policy] how ‘the performer/mc will prepare material avoiding sexually suggestive material… will use appropriate language and avoid vulgar language.’ As a drag queen, if I stuck to this stuff by the letter, why, I’d have to wear a black robe and stand behind a podium and just read the numbers out. The contract said, ‘the host will not act in a flirtatious manner, will not wear reveailing (sic) clothing, will not make sexual gestures or comments.’ How could any drag queen appear or perform under these guidelines?”

Well, Dame Edna seems to manage it. So does Charles Busch. Indeed, even RuPaul managed to realize that “fuck” and “cunt” would probably result in her single not getting played, so, according to rumor that I’m making up for dramatic effect, changed the chorus of her song “Supermodel” from “You better work/FUCKING CUNT” to “You better work/COVER GIRL” and is now semi-famous for it.

Part of the problem, though, is that Glamazonia apparently didn’t even try and, apparently, doesn’t think she should have to. The Seattle Lifelong AIDS Alliance is a non-profit organization providing needed services to those living with HIV/AIDS. As a non-profit, they are dependent on charitable donations for their programs to function. The more charitable donations they receive, at least in theory, the more programs they can offer and the more clients they can service.

The event in question is “Black Tie Bingo”. Now, while I will fully admit I swear like a drunken sailor on my blog as well as when I’m drunk…and on a sailor…I know that there are appropriate places for outlandish behavior and there are times to not work “blue”. When you have an event that seems to be specifically targeting a classier audience in an attempt to pull in bigger donor dollars, there are lines you shouldn’t cross. It’s important to remember that the goal of the evening isn’t to show to the audience how outrageous one is, but to raise the most dollars possible for the cause.

Glamazonia seems to freely admit that the only humor she can pull off is offensive and inappropriate and, instead of trying to expand her act (and subsequently, quite possibly, expand her own client base), she ignores the requests of the organization and then rails at their impossible (although seemingly quite reasonable given the event) standards, blaming the organization and political correctness instead of her own inability when the organization no longer requires her services.

Are you kidding me? It’s like she made an outfit out of sequins, feathers, gold lamé and the victim card.

Of course, the blogosphere ( or the section of it that actually cares) is aghast at the Lifelong AIDS Alliance for their actions. Commentors at Joe.My.God called them everything from “stupid PC fucks” to “dumb fucking cunts”. Of course, the inability of drag queens to self-censor appropriately is never called into question and, indeed, is soundly derided as being just another victim of “PC-itus”.

The same “PC-itus”, one would assume, that many gays and lesbians suddenly catch when someone calls them a “fag” or “queer”. So, PC is hate speech…when you don’t like it?

The thing that’s most shocking about all of this is that a well-respecte agency dedicated to actually doing something in the community and helping those who need assistance is being raked over the coals because the only type of humor Glamazonia is self-admittedly capable of supplying is inappropriate trash humor. If that’s not shooting oneself in one’s well-manicured, 12?-Fuck-Me-Pump wearing foot, I’m not sure exactly what is.

Posted in Misbehaving, Politics, Idiots, Gay and Lesbian |

Wow-for a progressive, interesting city, ya'll are a bunch of pathetic fuck-tards if you can all really comment this much on a drag queen and non-profit event. Where's the debate on the war, the environment, or other issues that seemingly rank much more important?? The slog rarely comes this alive.

It's further proof that the conversation about AIDS in our country has devolved to a tragic place; people are missing the point that there's still a crisis and infections are still an issue. AND THAT THERE'S STILL NO CURE. That's what ya'll should be worried about and spending the same amount of energy on. Wow, for an enlightened city ya'll seem pretty tragic to me.

For Justard's sake I do hope that they are able to score Ani DiFranco as the new hostess; so that your poor little wounded lesbian heart will mend. Many, many, many, many lap-lickin' lesbians ADORE GLAMAZONIA, as I see them flocked to her at Purr after every Bingo. So, from here on out, if you don't like HER, stay at The Rose, or dyKEA. :)

Secondly, I wish that LLAA supporter was intelligent enough to write their own piece on the subject of GLAMAZONIA and drag; but they weren't.

B) The author of your cross posting should do a little more research before they become an expert on the history of Drag, and its Entertainers. Charles Busch and RuPaul consistently use foul language in their work; and at last check the Bush Administration hasn't completely censored art, and language in whatever form an Entertainer choses to use it; the same however can't be said for LifeLong. (For the record, as far as I know from the google search I did on GLAMAZONIA, she has never sought to release a single. Just FYI)

The author should also note that no one but the folks that were in the room discussing the contract negotiations know for sure what GLAMAZONIA was willing and unwilling to do. But I am confident, as a bingo patron, and a longtime fan of GLAMAZONIA's that she was pretty certain what event she was negotiating for, and the audience that she was to perform for, and knows what language is 'BIG GIRL TALK' and 'little Disney CHUCK E. CHEESE talk'. And unless I missed something last season we are dealing with a 21+ audience, right?!? Just tossing that out there.

I implore the author to submit their own drag audition video; as this person is OBVIOUSLY more qualified than anyone else here; as this person is an EXPERT in the art of Female Impersonation.

And while we are on the subject of how LLAA requires a more warm and inviting and non-threatening atmosphere; one free of foul language and sexual innuendos ~ let's go to the clip:

COME ON ME, NOT IN ME

LLAA's latest tagline; printed on fliers distributed in local GLBT bars here in Seattle showing the male physique with a huge load of jizz shot on his neck. CLASSY, and family friendly I'd say. :)

Along with their catchy tagline, I am equally amused at their continued sponsorship with AstroGlide Lube (you know, for butt sex), and LoversPackage (you know, sex shop) and they even give away sweet little family friendly gifts for the 'Queen For A Day' table sponsored by Toys In Babeland (you know, dildos, vibrators, cat-o-nine tails OH MY!) But as long as they are collecting money from these family friendly businesses, and the items and check aren't attached to a 7'2" DRAG QUEEN wearing a size 14...not 12...size 14 'FUCK-ME-PUMP' (really would have expected a better adjective from the author, since this person agrees that FUCK is a horrible word) then I guess it is okay.

wtf - I agree with you 110% that the GLBT community should be debating over 'the War in Iraq, the environment, or other issues that seemingly rank more important', I really do.

And if you have attended GAY BINGO, hosted by GLAMAZONIA, you would be aware that GLAMAZONIA has touched on some/many of the points listed above; but she also did more than touch on those points. GLAMAZONIA provided amazing ENTERTAINMENT to the audience, allowing them for a brief amount of time once a month to relax, reflect, and know that gay, straight, bi, thai, muslim, jewish, democrat, republican, male, female, despite our differences there is one thing we all have in common: we are all human.

Her talent and humor eased the chaos of our day to day lives, and gave us a chance to laugh...something that this city, state, country, world needs more of.

I am not claiming to know everything there is to know about GLAMAZONIA, because I don't. And I am willing to accept that not everyone found her humorous; but for every one that didn't, five-ten-twenty more did. GLAMAZONIA's presence packed the house; forcing LLAA to search for larger venues with each passing season. So, GLAMAZONIA making last year's bingo for LLAA the, '...record breaking year...best year yet...' according to their own admission wasn't too horribly offensive.

Lets not forget too, that GAY BINGO is a purchased ticket event; an event that you CHOOSE to pay for and attend. "GAY BINGO, hosted by Seattle's premiere 7'2" Drag Queen GLAMAZONIA" was read on their website up until this week. Those that are more sensitive could have chose to spend their money else where, but they didn't; this includes but does not limit the repeat attendance from some 'hurt' lesbians to the event that they were well aware was emceed by GLAMAZONIA.

And, even if there are hundreds of thousands of angry men and women protesting GAY BINGO and LLAA, you wouldn't have known it by the thousands of dollars that LLAA happily and eagerly accecpted each GAY BINGO month for the past seven seasons. You also wouldn't have known it based on the attendance. Yet, the question still remains unanswered by LLAA and it supporters, "If GLAMAZONIA was so offensive and harassing mean-spirited, and DIVAesque why offer a contract to be negotiated?!?

What I know for sure is that Drag Queens, Female Impersonators, Artists, and any other name you want to call them have dealt with censorship and bullying from the beginning of time; I myself have been on the receiving end of it. And it is always chalked up to a 'business decision'; that I can accept. And as sure as I can accept that, I am also sure that GLAMAZONIA, Dame Edna, RuPaul, Charles Busch, Chocha Fresca, Dan Savage, LaVanda Dela Rosa, Latrina Bidet, Coco Vaughn, Gaysha Starr, Sylvia O'Stayformore, Maxine Delacut, Misty Stevens, Lilly Armani, Kahlua Ice, and all that have walked before them knows that it only REALLY hurts when it comes from our own community.

Where does it end?!? Those involved in the decision to can GLAMAZONIA should know that if they'll do it with you, they'll do it to you. Karma is a bitch, and she says, "CUNT!"

Quit missing the point!!

Glamazonia was fired for the way she treated Lifelong staff and volunteers. It got worse every year and they finally had enough!

Go reread Lifelong's statement.. it says it right there:

"there were a few areas that we, as an organization, couldn't overlook - primarily Thom's refusal to adhere to our harassment policy as it relates to his treatment of our staff and volunteers."

They're not talking about her show or sexual harassment. It seems they're talking about how she treated/harassed Lifelong staff and volunteers offstage!

I just hope they don't hire Mark Mom finley!

Amen to that brother!

I'm not totally surprised at this. I remember being part of a hiring committee which interviewed a transsexual. Katherine Kizer, director of HR, made a comment calling the transgender person "pathetic" and stated that "if a person is transgender, she should at least be pretty."

Lifelong, engendered in people like David Richart and Katherine Kizer, has always hit below the belt. The agency practices institutionalized racism and is only diverse on its lower levels.

There's probably some issue about money or a grant in here somewhere. Lifelong does some great work, but it drives away competent employees who demonstrate integrity.

what a shock that this has deteriorated into such DRAMA! glammy was fired and that sucks for those of us who went to gay bingo every years, every game. but LLAA was the employer and decided to end its relationship with glammy, so now you have some choices:

get over it
don't get over it

i'm somewhere in the middle - i'm going to give the new gay bingo a shot but if it sucks they won't see me again. but i'll make sure that somehow i keep supporting LLAA.

i'll preface this by saying that i volunteered at gay bingo off and on for years, all the way back through the mark 'mom' finley, dan savage, and chocha fresca years and awhile with glamazonia as well.

boffo journalism dan, giving an open forum to a burned and humiliated ex-employee railing against their former bosses. i totally understand why people react this way, cuz they're fed a story that, well, makes a story! but they should stop and question...is there something IN THIS for glam to make herself out as the victim? ummm...YES! she just lost her best gig and shes gonna ride this crap till the wheels fall off.

point blank: glamazonia thought it was THE GLAMAZONIA SHOW featuring gay bingo. she would push the envelope to prove it was the glamazonia show. the audience never noticed the times she never talked to female ball callers, or when others would try to run the show and she would yell "NO! we're running late as is".

sadly...i can totally see myself waking up tomorrow and clicking on cnn.com and reading in one of the headlines, "gay drag queen fired by AIDS org". next thing you know, its on 20/20 in a sensational expose. and then Bill O'Reilly picks up the story and...god forbid, takes Lifelong's side!!

get some perspective before you comment, people. its never easy taking the high road. i bet for every person who doesn't want to go to bingo anymore, there are two who will come back excited about the new direction. i for one am excited...excited to see how long it takes for every drag queen in town to start tripping over eachother trying to position themself as the new hostess!

RE: #121

UPDATE!!!!

Mom-Zilla's (mark mom finley)desperate attempt for attention... FAILED!!!!

Last night that sorry old thing tried to win the crown of Miss Gay Seattle-AGAIN!!! He won it back in the early 90's and he tried to get the title for the 2nd time last night! LOL! No-one voted for that manipulative, attention whore "drag Clown" and he lost to the beautiful Jada Manilla...

I always thought that title was for young queers just embarking on their new drag careers- mark mom finley is in his 50's or 60's or something and is a washed up old drag clown working at sleazy old R-Place...

Sad how mental illnes is even uglier and embarassing in an old drag queen! last night his delusional mental illness was in true drunken regalia as he failed to garner the respect or votes from all in attendance. His patently transparent attempt to get undeserved attention failed yet again...

I'm sure that trailer park back in Centralia is looking better and better for Mom-Zilla! Kisses!

RE: # 132 & 128

Hey Glammy- Get a life and quit posting supportive replies under assumed names. Aren't you on to 'bigger and better' thing yet? Loser...

At least forget to cap your name, jackass.

Darling -

How sweet that you think I need to write my own posts of support.

The only replies I've posted, I signed with my own name.

If I have something to say - I say it. No need to hide - isn't what this whole thing is about?

I know to which post you're referring, and the poster has made themselves known to me - but ghostwrite my posts? I think not.

Much love,

GLAMAZONIA

After reading all these posts one thing is quite clear- the firing of Galazonia was POLITICAL. It had nothing to do with policy infractions. Everything LLAA claims was a reason for letting Glamazonia go could have been rectified well before it got to this point. The people who keep posting that "I volunteered for Gay Bingo" and "Glamazonaia was horrible to work wih" CLEARLY have a vendetta or ax to grind. Did Glamazonia not hit on you and it hurt your feelings? I think # 127 said it for me with this:

"...the Gay Bingo patrons are not there to see you, they are not there to be entertained by you, they are not there to hang out with you- the patrons are there to see a GLAMAZONIA and play BINGO. Anything less than that is just lame old tired old bingo! It is the uniqueness of the Glamazonia’s show that keeps patrons coming back. Not you. Not butthole pussy, fake tan, Progeria disease victim Dave Richart, nor the whiny power tripping board (who have their undies all in a bunch cuz GLAMMY doesn’t do exactly as he is told). ...the statement by (fake tan, Progeria disease victim) Dave Richart posted on the LLAA website betrays exactly what I would expect from jealous idiots who are thinking more of there own self importance than what the PAYING patrons want.

Gay people are known for pushing the envelope- get over yourself and give us back our GLAMMY!"

Cut and Print!

This from LLAA's website under 'employment':

"Candidates for employment at Lifelong should be aware that this is a unique work environment in which topics of sexuality and sexual orientation are an integral part of our everyday prevention and care work. Often, these topics are discussed openly and may include graphical representations as part of our information sharing. Individuals who are uncomfortable with such open discussions may choose not to work at Lifelong."

They should add:

But using 'fuck' will get you fired.

Anyone see their new bar cards with the slogan, "Come on me, not in me?"

Classy folks there at llaa.

count me out for any more support for them.