Big hair for the big bucks at charity fundraiser

By Deborah Taylor-Hollis

Last month I went to Oakland for the annual Oakland Museum's White Elephant Sale fundraiser, a charity event that helps keep the museum afloat by letting me buy all the great junk I haven't bought at my local garage sales.

My mom and I walked for March of Dimes charity events every spring to help wipe out children's diseases, and the door-to-door contacts were a good way to meet neighbors.

I thought I well understood how to raise cash in any given social group, until I was invited to be presented at the annual San Jose IRLM's Coronation Ball.

The IRLM is the Imperial Royal Lion Monarchy, a 31-year-old charity organization of the gay community. A friend calls it "Drag Rotary," and it was an amazing night.

My first indication that this was no ordinary fete was the invitation itself, which included dress codes for "leather formal," "evening formal," or "costume"--the coronation ball for the new court empress every year is a themed event. This year's "court of gratitude and attitude" presented the event as "San Jose Mean Streets: Where Superheroes and Villains Collide."

Now, evening formal I know, but I had no idea what "leather formal" was, and I knew better than to try and outsparkle or outfeather some of North America's best drag queens at a special event. Some of the ladies had wigs bigger than a VW, and all of them shimmered like diamonds.

"Leather formal" included "full regalia" with the awards, pins and accolades earned within the leather, gay, bi, trans, and kink communities, and included high-fashion kinkwear, expensive boots, military uniforms for those that served, and combinations that eluded me but fit in to a "T."

There is an annual election for the new empress, who then appoints her court for the following 12 months. The festivities include command performances by the best of the drag community, special production numbers by the court itself, and lip-sync dances that rival a Las Vegas showroom for their elegance, costuming, make-up and attitude, all of this is sandwiched in between the ongoing presentations to the empress of visiting dignitaries and other courts from all over North America.

The outgoing Empress XXXI Mizz Monique Moore started out the evening as Wonder Woman, the theme that was also the table ornamentation, later changed to a poison ivy costume to die for, and eventually ended her reign in a stunning green-sequined formal.

Right about now I am sure you are asking yourself, "What does all this have to do with charity?" Well, that is the whole point.

The entire international court system of North America is built for the express purpose to raise funds for charities big and small, through events that give them the opportunities to dress up, perform and gather together. The bottom line is cash for the less fortunate.

Last year our local court raised more than $30,000 and that was during an economic downturn in the valley and its attendant lowered expectations for fundraising. This is not about small change.

Some local groups providing services for children, the homeless, the deaf, and ill cannot make ends meet without the funding they receive from the IRLM. The charity safety net IRLM provides tries to fill in the huge holes left behind when government services are "trimmed back." These are exactly the kind of fundraising events and charity causes that the Bush administration prizes so highly and looks to when it speaks about communities taking care of their own rather than seeking government assistance.

So there I was, in my formal black gown and shawl, with my hair up and my pearls on, waiting to be presented to the empress as a part of the town dignitaries, businesses and organizations portion of the evening's festivities. San Jose City District 6 Councilman Ken Yeager had already been presented and offered a proclamation to the court, and I was rather nervous. That "Will I trip on the ramp?" thing always creeps up when the spotlights go on. My escort, "the baron," was in a simple tux and smiled gently as they announced my name, and I tried to glide forward on the banquet floor between the divas, the superheroes, the villains, and the wait staff to reach the ramp.

She was charming, gracious, and just as beautiful up close and personal as she appeared at a distance during the opening number. I will wear my pin from the event proudly, and feel closer to my friends and colleagues in the alternative communities we share this life with. And I will envy those big-hair ladies for quite a while to come. They were "marvelous."

---

You can contact me in the hairspray aisle at Walgreens or at DTHollis@svcn.com.

---

Around The Glen

Deborah Taylor-Hollis: The Imperial Royal Lion Monarchy's Coronation Ball

Sports Briefs

High school sports