“If you were wondering who I am, I’m a man, just like any other man, unlike any other man.”
The lyrics to Peter Allen’s song that ends each performance of “The Judy Show!” by Michael Holmes. I was in attendance on Sunday at The Purple Room as Holmes gave a shout out of support to drag performers coming under fire worldwide.
The song takes on new meaning in today’s environment of limiting free expression. This week’s Drag4Drag rally on Tuesday will bring together most all of the area’s performers in a show of solidarity that will help turn the tide against this movement of hate and bigotry. Holmes will be there as “Judy”. Let’s all join in and make our voices heard.
Brad Fuhr, your Gay Desert Guide on KGAY 106.5 Palm Springs
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Drag4Drag Rally Palm Springs
Desert Stonewall Democrats, the ACLU and our local drag community present Drag4Drag Palm Springs, a rally to protest the appalling recent wave of homophobic, anti-drag legislation sweeping the country, on Tuesday, April 18 at 5 pm at the Forever Marilyn statue in Downtown Palm Springs. Come together as a community to show your support for drag performers everywhere and fight back against hate and discrimination. Come dressed in your best drag attire and bring your protest signs to express your solidarity! Bella da Ball will serve as mistress of ceremonies, accompanied by celebrated local activist (and KGAY’s own!) DJ Galaxy, The Durbins, and more. More info
Come home to the Arenas District, the heart of the LGBTQ community in the heart of downtown Palm Springs for an After the Rally Gathering! The Arenas District consists of Bear Wear, BikePS, Blackbook, Chill Bar, Daddy’s Barbershop, Dick’s on Arenas, Division, GayMart, Hunters, Johannas, Quadz, Rough Trade, Streetbar, The Evening Citizen and Tryst.
Trans and Non Binary Tuesday
The Transgender Health & Wellness Center presents Trans and Nonbinary Tuesday on April 18, from 6–7:30 pm at Trixie Motel. TNBT falls on National Transgender HIV Testing Day. HIV tests kits will be available as well as PrEP and PEP education provided by DAP Health. Food will be provided, and beverages and other food items can be purchased at the bar/cafe at Trixie Motel. More info
Palm Springs Pride Festival and Parade Registration Open
Palm Springs Pride has announced they are now accepting applications for this year’s 37th Annual Palm Springs Pride Festival taking place Saturday and Sunday, November 4 & 5, from 11 am to 9 pm on Saturday and 11 am to 4:30 pm on Sunday in downtown Palm Springs [Register here]. The Palm Springs Pride Parade will be Sunday at 10 am [Register here]. Early registration discounts are available up to noon on Wednesday, May 31.
Making Magic for Mizell
The Mizell Center presents their gala fundraiser, Making Magic for Mizell, at Tamarisk Country Club on Tuesday, April 18 from 6–9 pm. This celebrated location will open its doors to just 150 guests for one night of pure magic, all to benefit Mizell Center’s vital programs and services. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, a live auction featuring exotic travel packages and local culinary surprises plus a show by award-winning magician Danny Magic that will engage you with world-class sleight of hand. The evening concludes with an exquisite buffet dinner presented in true Tamarisk style. Get tickets
Celebrating National Poetry Month
In recognition of National Poetry Month, Mizell Center presents an exciting evening in their 3rd Wednesday Speaker Series, featuring a talented and diverse group of local poets reading from their works, on Wednesday, April 19 from 5:30–8 pm. Mizell Center invites you to honor one of the oldest forms of literary expression, with poets Naveed Ansari, Dorothea Bisbas, Ray Chavez, Lauren Cruz De Armas, Anita Harmon, Ruth Hill, Gary Hunter, Leanne Kathleen Ingino, Lorenz Qatava, Alden Reimonenq, Brittny Roberts, Peter Shireson, Catherine Stanley, Bernard Sturgil, Dylan Turner and Glen Vecchione. Get tickets
Plaza Theatre Open Houses
The Palm Springs Plaza Theatre Foundation is holding free Open House events at the theatre to display plans and renderings of the renovations to the historic building. The informal Open House events will take place every Tuesday from 7–8 pm through June 6, where Foundation board members and other volunteers will greet attendees and answer questions about the project. The purpose of these free weekly events is to provide attendees with an opportunity to see firsthand the restoration plans for the iconic building as it enters its Next Act. Reservations are not necessary. More info
Michael Pacas Presents Big ‘n’ Easy
Palm Canyon Theatre presents its last Cabaret Fundraiser of the 2022-2023 on Wednesday, April 19 at 7 pm. Michael Pacas will fill the Palm Canyon Theatre stage with his enormous personality and booming vocals for a saucy night of cabaret titled Big ‘n’ Easy. Hailing from Louisiana, “Big Daddy” Pacas promises a decadent evening of southern bawdiness and beads. Musical Director Jaci Davis will join Pacas as they ladle out a spicy Louisiana gumbo of jazz, blues, pop and unearthed comic treasures. Katie Dixon will sprinkle in her talents to add to the cabaret menagerie. Performers donate their time and talents to benefit the 26-year-old nonprofit theatre, its education programs and the culture it cultivates in the Coachella Valley. Get tickets
Film Screening: The Need to Grow
The Palm Springs Public Library is showing the film The Need to Grow on Wednesday, April 19 from 6–7:30 pm in celebration of Earth Day. With only 60 years of farmable soil left on Earth, The Need to Grow offers an intimate look into the hearts of activists and innovators in the food movement. Follow as an 8-year-old girl challenges the ethics of a beloved organization – a renegade farmer struggles to keep his land as he revolutionizes resource efficient agriculture – and an accomplished visionary investor faces catastrophe in the midst of developing a game-changing technology. Narrated by Rosario Dawson. More info
Understanding Respiratory Issues
Eisenhower Health and the Mizell Center present Understanding Respiratory Issues: Spirometry Lecture and Screening on Thursday, April 20 from 12–1 pm. Spirometry, which measures the amount of air that a person can blow out of their lungs, is the most common test of lung and/or pulmonary function. The speakers for this event are Nadia Jensen, RCP, RRT, Respiratory Case Manager, and Jamie Balius, RCP, Respiratory Coordinator. Join Nadia and Jamie for a discussion about respiratory health, how to manage your medications, and why you need to be screened. More info
Mid-Century Moderns
The Mid-Century Moderns musical returns to Oscar’s Downtown Palm Springs every Thursday and Friday in April at 7 pm. Journey back to 1966 Palm Springs, along with the music of Tom Jones, Petula Clark, Lesley Gore, Frank and Nancy Sinatra, The Association, The Monkees and many more in the delightful tale of a plucky Wisconsin widow from frump to fabulous when she finds herself at the center of modernity in Palm Springs. Get tickets
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