On Thursday, May 3, Sacramento’s popular Drag Queen Bingo fundraiser is expected to top the $50,000 mark for funds raised to support local non-profit organizations. Thursday’s event will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at Hamburger Patties, 1630 J St., Sacramento, benefiting the Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Softball League. Since the first number was called on Aug. 12, 2009, which benefited Sacramento charity WEAVE, Drag Queen Bingo has raised $49,153.63 for local charities and non-profits. Each event benefits a different local non-profit organization. In its nearly three-year history, the event has raised money for 45 different charities, including the Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center, the Sacrament

Although the four-letter word “hate” doesn’t get censored, the actions that are fueled by it do. According to psychology Professor, Dr. Gayle Pitman, hate stems from individual psychological issues—fearing or hating what people are, or psychological issues projected outward caused by social, institutional and religious teachings. “In some ways, religion is a good thing, but it can also be used as a powerful and dangerous tool,” said Pitman, who has taught psychology of sexual orientation and psychology of women for 11 years at Sacramento City College. In 2009 and 2010, two hate crimes were reported in the Los Rios District—both occurred at City College, according to Los Rios District P

SideTrax, a night club being built on top of Hot Rod’s near 20th and K streets, is now on pace for a Labor Day weekend opening, and an innovative membership program may be the key to allowing 18- to 20-year-olds access despite the club having a full bar. The venue was initially scheduled to open last spring, but the date had to be pushed back due to construction delays involving design changes and the addition of an extensive patio. Owner T.J. Bruce said the club will accommodate about 300 people in a cigar bar-meets-urban lounge setting with high-quality sound and lighting systems. Bruce also owns nearby Lavender Heights night spots The Depot and Badlands, and he said SideTrax will app

Through a collaborative effort between faculty and students, Sacramento City College will host the first Los Rios District-wide LGBT Conference Friday, March 16, from 1–5 p.m. in the Student Center. The grassroots effort for LGBT education, rights and services in the Los Rios district is an attempt to increase understanding and support for all students and faculty throughout the system.“Even though we are one district, we are four different satellites, and [the conference is] kind of getting everyone together to start a dialogue,” said Queer Straight Alliance faculty adviser and Workability counselor Derrick Wydick. “We are hoping to support the efforts that are already established at eac

This past weekend marked the 20th anniversary of the Sacramento International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (SIGLFF) at the Crest Theatre. The festival ran selected film series each evening from Thursday to Saturday. Founder Alan Cole started the project in 1992 as a student-run film festival that received support from Sacramento State University, Gay and Lesbian Alliance students with grant funding from Associated Students Inc. , which is a official governing body which operates the sponsorship of programs and services to CSUS students. A bevy of sponsors and volunteers support the board of directors, programming and gala committees to prepare and organize the annual festival that takes p

The Sacramento International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival kicked off Thursday evening, celebrating its 20th anniversary of great indie LGBT films and their filmmakers at the Crest Theatre. The festival is a non-profit organization, dedicated to showing independent LGBT films in [in or from?] Northern California. The festival continues through Saturday, with each evening concentrating on different subjects. Thursday evening focuses on male relationships, Friday on female relationships, and Saturday showcases a series of short films. Each year brings opportunities to show more films, give more money to nonprofit LGBT organizations and provide grants to filmmakers. Each evening, films begin

The NorCal AIDS Cycle had a record-setting year in 2011, raising more money for area non-profit organizations than any HIV/AIDS fundraising organization in recent Sacramento history. The event is among the most successful Sacramento charity fundraisers in history based on total dollars raised. The organization will distribute a total of $190,000 to area HIV/AIDS service organizations, returning 70 percent of total funds raised to beneficiary organizations at a check presentation ceremony at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 8, at Hot Italian, 1627 16th Street, Sacramento. A record 96 cyclists, along with 30 volunteer crew members—who also raised money—participated in the four-day, 330-mile cycling fun

Gay leaders in Sacramento are organizing an effort for their community to be considered in the city’s redistricting process.  The gay community has formed a redistricting committee through the Sacramento Rainbow Chamber of Commerce’s foundation.  Rosanna Herber, chair of the new committee, said the center of the city’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community is in Midtown and downtown. “We would like to see those areas in one district,” Herber said. The LGBT population wants to be considered a “community of interest,” which is one of the elements the City Council will use to redesign its districts, Herber said. Steve Hansen, a member of the city’s advisory redistrictin

SACRAMENTO , CALIFORNIA - Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Phillips issued a three-page worldwide injunction calling for the Department of Defense (DoD) to suspend all investigations and discharges related to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy. This development comes weeks after Phillips’ ruling that the policy is unconstitutional, going against the First and Fifth Amendments. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is expected to appeal the decision which will carry the case up the Court of Appeals of the Ninth Circuit. Sacramento Valley Veterans (SVV) member, Anthony Loverde, provided testimony in the bench trial held in southern California in July this year. The Log Cabin R

 For local businesses all over Sacramento, there’s nothing like making great connections, branching out your network, and reaching consumers in need of your products. The Rainbow Chamber of Commerce provides an umbrella of networking opportunities for gays, lesbians and gay-friendly business owners through monthly mixers to political and community social events. Thanks to the success of its exceptional members, the Rainbow Chamber of Commerce gives back to our city through the Rainbow Chamber Foundation. Providing college scholarships and leadership awards to outstanding gay, lesbian and gay-friendly youth, the RCC Foundation takes tremendous steps forward to help improve the lives of the

Among requests for more volume in the stage monitors and playful banter with admiring fans, Jennifer Knapp's sound-check at Harlow’s last night revealed an openness and vulnerability that has begun to define her return to music. “Is this night being billed as 'An Evening with Jennifer Knapp?'” she asked the sound man as he fiddled with dials on the board. “Yup,” he replied. “Well then I'll be needing four fingers of scotch and a Playstation,” Knapp replied under her breath with a playful smile. Knapp left a thriving career in the Christian music industry, which had earned her a Dove Award, Grammy nominations and more than 1 million records sold, because of a culmination of issues that

The Capitol Mall proved to be a pleasant crowd gatherer for today's Sacramento PRIDE Festival. Southside Park was the starting point for the parade which traveled north on 7th St and ended on Capitol Mall. Here's some snapshots taken during the parade and festival: Fred Palmer holds a rainbow flag gliding down 7th St. in the parade. The River City Sisters march up 7th Street. Darrell Steinberg and Dave Jones sit atop the back seat of a convertible.  Priscilla Carlisle marches up 7th Street. Fans lined the route (above and below) . Ballroom dancers Melissa Bryden and Janell Darrock. The parade dispersed into the crowd at the PRIDE Festival along Capitol Mall betw

Sacramento's PRIDE 2010 kicked off with Dyke Night, an evening of music and entertainment on the west Capitol steps to lead into the new location of this year's festivities on Sacramento’s Capitol Mall near between the Tower Bridge and the Capitol building. Here are some moments: Two women in the audience respond to the performers on stage. Allyn Pharo and her dog Sterling. The crowd filled the lawn in front of the west Capitol steps. Aurora (top and bottom) played to the crowd. Emcee and Organizer Hilary Hodge keep the pace going throughout the evening. Tina Reynolds, Equality Action Now, gave folks an update on Prop.8. Dancers from Hot Pot Studios (above) moved their bodi

With an iconic new location--Sacramento's scenic Capitol Mall, expanded marketing efforts and a growing roster of prestigious corporate sponsors and exhibitors, the 26-year-old Sacramento Pride Festival is expected to break attendance records on Saturday. The June 19 Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., attracting an estimated 10,000 visitors and bringing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of economic benefit to Sacramento’s downtown area. Festival admission is $10. After a number of years at South Side Park, the Festival will move to Capitol Mall in 2010, where a street-festival layout sandwiched between the Tower Bridge and the State Capitol dome is expected to add novelty

Let’s face it—a sawbuck just doesn’t go very far these days. But thanks to generous corporate sponsorships and a year's worth of robust volunteer effort to build the event, Sacramento Pride is shaping up to be the best value of the region's summer festival season! Sacramento Pride Festival, Saturday, June 19, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., will be held at Sacramento’s scenic Capitol Mall for the first time this year. To go along with its exciting new location, Pride's volunteer organizers are bringing in new attractions, star-power entertainment, and excellent swag--all for the price of a $10 admission ticket. Here is a list of the top 10 added values for guests attending Sacramento Pride: 1) $50

This is not your daddy’s Sacramento Pride! Sacramento Pride is making big changes in 2010, all aimed at transforming the annual regional celebration of LGBT culture and accomplishments into an event worthy of its new tagline, California’s Capital Pride. The list of changes begins with the day-long Pride Festival’s move this year to Sacramento’s Capitol Mall. The Festival will be held Saturday, June 19, from 10 am to 5 pm. Sandwiched between the State Capitol dome on the east and the golden spans of the Tower Bridge on the west, the Festival’s move to the scenic city gateway is intended to raise visibility and emphasize the important role of the LGBT community in Sacramento and statewide.

"Does sexuality matter in the comedy business?" I asked Suzanne Westenhoefer, who has been credited as the first lesbian comic to come "out" in mainstream comedy. "I started my career as a lesbian before I was a comic," she said, "and started as an activist before I was a lesbian. I was one of those people in high school who would get into arguments with the sociology teacher and stand up for the 'misfits,' of which I was one of." Making a stand was what seemed to drive her forward. Westenhoefer did not always identify as a lesbian, however. Early on she felt that she was out of the mainstream but it didn't occur to her that she was gay until she was 19. "It was such a shock when it occu

Chamber donates additional $500 to national gay youth suicide prevention organization The Rainbow Chamber of Commerce of Sacramento, a networking and advocacy organization for lesbian, bisexual, bisexual and transgender and LGBT-friendly businesses, has pledged a $10,000 contribution to the Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center. The donation will be made in quarterly installments, with an initial $2,500 installment to be paid immediately. Established in 1986, the non-profit Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center provides programs and services for at-risk lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth, mental health services and support groups for LGBT youth and adults, a free weekly legal clinic

Terry Sidie, founder of the Rainbow Festival (in cowboy hat), strikes a pose with volunteers and Sterling, the civilized dog. Joe Velez leads Sacramento Women's Chorus through several songs. A Small Difference Choral group entertains the crowd. Cheer SF, Cheer Sacramento and Cheer Sirens do their acrobatic routines. Several individuals and groups sang to the crowd and got them dancing. Photos (Joe Velez & Sacramento Women's Chorus | Launa Cornwell Photos | Kati Garner    

The Sacramento Rainbow Chamber of Commerce will hold its 3rd Annual Installation Dinner on Tuesday, Sept. 22, at the Radisson Hotel Sacramento. Guy Farris, co-host of News 10’s popular TV magazine program, Sacramento & Co., will serve as Master of Ceremonies. The evening will begin with cocktails at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner and live auction with auctioneer David Sobon of Maximum Benefit Auctions at 6:30 p.m. Auction offerings will include fine wine and dining packages, exotic travel and other luxury items. All proceeds from the dinner and auction will benefit the Rainbow Chamber Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting programs for at-risk youth and other causes. The evenin