LookOut

by Tim Brookover

GOOD WORKS

Neil Sackheim (pictured left, with his pooch Cooley) and David Smith (with his dog Boudreaux) are honorary chairmen of the September 27 Paws & Claws on Parade benefit for the Spay-Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP). The event at the George R. Brown Convention Center will raise funds for SNAP clinics in Houston; San Antonio; Los Angeles; Monterrey, Mexico; and on Native American lands. KHOU anchor Lisa Foronda, who co-emceed the Pride parade, will preside over the gala. Sean Hawkins is SNAP executive director.

The crowd that savored the May 17 AssistHers/An Uncommon Legacy progressive dinner made stops at the homes of a generous group of hosts: Barbara Baldero and Donece Knudsen; Alex Martinez and David Arpin; Glen Dickson; Frank Billingsley and Kevin Gilliard; Sherri Oldham, Lauri Laufman, Melody Page, and Laurel Keith; Tony Carroll and Bruce Smith; and Gregg Farris.

Now AssistHers is prepping for the annual Decadent Dessert Extraganza.

Planned Parenthood, a longtime community ally on the HIV and women’s health fronts, will toss its Crystal Ball Gala on September 19 at the Warwick. Beverly Robinson and Sally Russ chair the event, which honors activist Burdine Clayton Johnson.

As you read this, the team of John Cichon, Barry Mandel, Gilbert Perez, Gary Rod, Shana Ross, and John Tucker are no doubt refining the script for Aquanet: The Montrose Hairspray, the October 18–19 Halloween Magic HIV/AIDS benefit show.

Also making final preparations are the hosts of the October 10–12 Steel Weekend 2003, the brand-new successor event to the Grey Party. Thomas Urban leads the host group, which also includes John Benevides, Ron Foster, Brian Kinney, Mike Klare, Ralph Taylor, and Bryan Williams. Proceeds from the three days of parties will benefit five community health-related causes.

CAMP IT UP

The memory of the late, great drag diva and fundraiser deluxe Lady Victoria Lust lives on in the twice-yearly LVL PWA Campouts. On September 26, campers from around the state who live with HIV/AIDS—along with friends, family, and caregivers—will converge on Buzzard’s Peak, 30 acres of woodlands near Temple, for the fall event. The Texas Conference of Clubs, which includes the local Colt 45’s and Houston Area Bears, owns the spread and donates the use of the facilities. John Szewczyk coordinates the two-day campout. Camper attendance ranges from 30 to more than 70.

PWA Holiday Charities in Houston, the charity founded by Lady Victoria (Marvin Davis), handles campout costs. The weekend fee to campers is only $25. The fee is waived for individuals who cannot afford that amount. The camp offers make-your-own sandwiches on Friday night, three hot meals on Saturday, and a Sunday continental breakfast.

The National Leather Association Houston recently donated $1,200 to the campout effort, Szewczyk says. Other local support has come from Mary’s and Bricks, among other groups and businesses. To make a donation or to register for camp, contact Szewczyk at tex4ever@hotmail.com.

“Usually on Saturday night some of the guys present a camp drag show,” Szewczyk reports. And if that prospect isn’t incentive enough, consider this: “By the end of September we have usually at least had a cool front so it’s a little cooler up there.”

IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

On September 21, friends of Club Rainbow owners Lynn Allen and Alexis Wasifuddin will throw a 3 p.m. baby shower for the couple to celebrate the impending arrival of their twins. Alexis’s due date for the boy-and-girl set is November 26.

BIG NEWS

On September 20, the Houston Big Men’s Club celebrates its first birthday with a 6 p.m. potluck at the Houston GLBT Community Center. Beginning this month, the group (www.houstonbigmensclub.com) will meet every third Saturday at the center.

“We offer a safe environment where big guys can go and not feel like outsiders,” club president Dominic Barcigalupia says. The local group is a chapter of the national Affiliated Big Men’s Clubs.

Over Labor Day weekend, Barcigalupia and other Houston members will travel to Washington, D.C., for the convention of the national organization. He will run for president.

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