What a week and weekend of celebs in the Coachella Valley. Kristin Chenoweth graced the stage at Oscar’s last week during open mike night. And on Saturday, I hosted Amazing Race Season 32 winners James and Will at 1501 Uptown Gastropub. They’re working on a new video project with OUT Traveler and we got to dish about Greater Palm Springs while enjoying the many dishes that Chad sent to our table.
The countdown is on to June 15th when the state opens up. We are making plans for #PalmSpringsPride and the entire 2021-22 season. Download our calendar PDF from the home page or search our online events calendar by name or browse by date when you’re in town!
A big shoutout to everyone who made Episode 100 of the #ILoveGayPalmSprings podcast EPIC! You can find it on Facebook videos. We debuted info on Palm Springs Pride 2021 with Ron DeHarte and had many other special guests too. A big thank you to the NKOTB, Crown Town Cakes!
Brad Fuhr, your Gay Desert Guide
#ILoveGayPalmSprings
#ILoveGayCatCity
#ShopLocal and … #WeArePalmSprings
Palm Springs Pride 2021: You Are Included
Palm Springs Pride Week organizers have announced a traditional slate of in-person Pride events for the 35th annual LGBTQ celebration scheduled for November 1–7, 2021. The Pride parade and festival, featuring multiple stages of live entertainment and a vendor marketplace, will return to downtown Palm Springs. As the COVID-19 crisis subsides, the stage is set for California’s only large-scale, in-person Pride event to move forward in 2021. Providing a space for the community to gather after the stress, uncertainty, and isolation of the pandemic is expected to attract record attendance to Palm Springs. Read more about the scheduling and timing of events, as well as a look at the motivation behind this year’s Palm Springs Pride poster designed by Shag: [here].
Remembering the Golden Girls: Second Show Added!
The Fun & Games Dept of Gay Desert Guide SOLD OUT our first presentation of An Evening on the Lanai: Remembering the Golden Girls, so we bring you a second show on Thursday, June 24 at 7:00 p.m. at Oscar’s! Join season one writer Stan Zimmerman for fun trivia, clips from favorite episodes, prize giveaways, sing-alongs, and Q&A. Hosted by on-air personality Alexander Rodriguez from On the Rocks with Alexander and a regular guest on the #ILoveGayPalmSprings podcast. Check out Palm Springs Life’s interview with Zimmerman [here]. Act fast before this one sells out too! Get tickets
ShortFest Official Selection Announced, Tickets on Sale Wed June 9
The 27th Palm Springs International ShortFest is returning for in-person screenings from June 22–28, and passes are on sale now. General Ticket Sales begin Wednesday, June 9 at 9:00 a.m. and the official selection of films is now available for viewing on the ShortFest website. ShortFest will screen 49 curated programs showcasing 295 films including 32 World Premieres, 13 International Premieres, 46 North American Premieres and 22 U.S. Premieres in-person at the Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs. This year’s programs include audience-favorites Gayla!, This American Life, Brave New World and the family-friendly Shorties! New programs include Power to the People, Codes of Conduct, Nights to Remember and more. The ShortFest Forum returns with virtual classes and panels to make it more available to all, including international filmmakers unable to attend. More info
Pride TV Trivia Party: Golden Girls & More
Gay Desert Guide’s Fun & Game’s Dept and TheMenEvent.com present PRIDE TV Trivia Party! Golden Girls + Hit TV shows of the 70s, 80’s & 90s on Wednesday, June 16 at 4:00 p.m. on Zoom. Celebrate The Golden Girls and your favorite TV shows including Brady Bunch, Rhoda, Dallas, Laverne and Shirley, Gilligan’s Island, Mary Tyler More, Mash, The Jeffersons and many more! This night of fun, conversations and lunacy is so entertaining because we make the questions easy and enjoyable for everyone. Celebrated Gay comic Oscar Aydin (a self professed Golden Girl Expert) will be your host. Get ready to laugh! Get tickets
LGBTQ+ Pride Night at Dodger Stadium
The Los Angeles Dodgers and LA Pride present the 8th Annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night at Dodger Stadium on Friday, June 11 at 7:10 p.m. The game against the Texas Rangers is a special night celebrating the LGBTQ+ community with drink specials in the pavilion bars, a recognition of First Responders from Los Angeles LGBTQ+ community, and additional surprise guests featured during pregame ceremonies. Friday Night Fireworks will also return that night, set to a special mix by DJ Bowie Jane. Get tickets
PrEP and PEP After Vaccination
The Center and Eisenhower Health present PrEP and PEP after Vaccination on Wednesday, June 9 at 4:00 p.m. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, also known as PrEP, is a powerful prevention tool in the form of a pill, taken daily to prevent HIV. Find out more information about PrEP, and if this tool is right for you in this informative panel discussion with Alex del Rosario, MD, Eisenhower Health, Rob Fontanilla, PA, Borrego Health, and Andy Glorioso, PrEP Program Manager, DAP Health, regarding PrEP and PEP during COVID and post-vaccination, plus care services here in the Coachella Valley and what is available to you. More info
I Love Gay Palm Springs Podcast – Episode 100!
The #ILoveGayPalmSprings Podcast is celebrating 100 episodes, with a special edition that streamed live on Facebook from Arenas Road! Host John Taylor, Comedian Shann Carr, and Gay Desert Guide Brad Fuhr gathered outside the local favorite Streetbar and welcomed special guest Ron deHarte of Palm Springs Pride! Ron brought the scoop on what promises to be a memorable event planned for November. Also joining were podcast regulars Dr. Laura Rush, Jimmy Boegle of CVIndependent, plus: Nino Eilets of The Standard, Vincent Corrales, David White of the Palm Springs Chamber, and a very special 100th Episode Cake from Crown Town Cakes! Watch the 100th episode
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Cinema Under the Stars
The Palm Springs Cultural Center continues to run their outdoor Cinema Under the Stars program, but just two weekends remain before they close it for the season on June 19. You can camp-out in your own chairs or reserve one of the available picnic tables. You may also pre-order a boxed dinner from Mildred’s Chicken & Waffle Dinners! On Friday, June 11 the film will be “Back to the Future: Part II” (with Part III to follow next Friday, June 18), and on Saturday, June 19, it’s Best Picture Oscar winner “Moonlight” in honor of Juneteenth. Get tickets
Sunnylands Center & Gardens Begins Summer Hiatus June 7
Sunnylands Center & Gardens has closed for its annual summer hiatus as of Monday, June 7. Sunnylands will reopen for its eleventh season on Wednesday, Sept. 15.
15th Annual LGBTQ Community Survey
Please take part in the Community Marketing & Insights (CMI) 15th Annual LGBTQ Community Survey! Participation in this survey gives important feedback to our LGBTQ community media and organizations, and provides data to companies interested in serving our community, sponsoring our charities, and supporting their LGBTQ employees. The survey should take about 12 to 15 minutes to complete. Make your voice heard! [Click here to take the survey]
Virtual Events at The Center
The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert continues to connect people, using the technology of group-meeting platform Zoom, which you can use on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. Here’s just a taste of their programs:
Social Caring in the Face of Quarantine with Alexis Ortega – Mondays at 11:00 a.m.
Zumba for Beginners with Shaun Samaro – Mondays at 10:00 a.m. Returns June 14
Managing Emotions During a Pandemic with Jill Hingston, Ph.D – Tuesdays at 11:00 a.m.
Fifty+ Fit with Lynn Simonson – Tuesdays at 11:00 a.m.
Prostate Cancer Support Group – 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 4:00 p .m.
Trans Tuesdays with Jill Hingston, Ph.D – Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m.
Seated Wellness with Lynn Simonson – Thursdays at 10:00 a.m.
Women’s Chat with Kim Kieler – Thursdays at 10:30 a.m.
Men’s Chat with Stuart Huggins – Fridays at 10:30 a.m.
LGBTQ+ Youth Virtual Hangout with Miguel Navarro – Fridays at 2:00 p.m.
Who Cares: Caregiver Support Group with Perry Wiggins – Fridays at 3:00 p.m.
Full list of The Center’s Zoom programs [here]
THIS WEEKEND
Eve Adams: A Daring Life and Dangerous Times for a Radical Lesbian
Gay Desert Guide’s Fun & Games Dept. and TheMenEvent.com present Eve Adams: A Daring Life and Dangerous Times for a Radical Lesbian on Sunday, June 13 at 11:00 a.m. Join acclaimed historian Jonathan Ned Katz for an exploration of the incredible life and times of radical lesbian Eve Adams. She changed her name, befriended famous anarchists, sold radical papers, and ran lesbian-and-gay-friendly speakeasies in Chicago and New York. Then, in 1925, Adams risked all to write and publish a book titled Lesbian Love. In a repressive era, Adams’s bold activism caught the attention of the young J. Edgar Hoover and the US Bureau of Investigation, leading to her surveillance and arrest. Get tickets