We had a some encouraging news from Dr. Laura Rush on today’s #ILoveGayPalmSprings podcast. But it’s local success because of our governmental and health expert leader-ship in most of the valley. The heat won’t kill the virus, but plans are now underway with our many stakeholders to plan for reopening. (By the way, please don’t give any oxygen to the protesters, it only encourages them!).
At GayDesertGuide.LGBT, we continue to update our Events calendar with the plethora of virtual events that are happening daily – both locally and nationally. White Party would be happening this weekend – there’s a virtual WP on Friday and Saturday nights.
We learn about sex and intimacy suggestions from Davey Wavey and his site Himeros.TV. We also share Jimmy Boegle‘s daily coronavirus update article and bring some fun videos to you. All that on our website and shared on social media @GayDesertGuide. Our updated Community Events calendar is now available and we’re supporting local businesses with updated hours and offerings. Thanks for reading and listening to our podcast.
Brad Fuhr, your Gay Desert Guide…
I Love Gay Palm Springs Podcast – Episode 42 is Now Available
From the comfort of their own homes, hosts John Taylor and comedian Shann Carr, Dr. Laura Rush, Gay Desert Guide Brad Fuhr and CV Independent editor Jimmy Boegle are joined by Project Angel Food’s Richard Ayoub, DAP’s Darrell Tucci and the McCallum Theatre’s Jeffrey Norman! ”Take out shout outs” feature some of our favorite restaurants offering curbside pickup and takeout! [Listen] or [Watch]
On Sunday, April 26, at 5:00 p.m. PDT tune in to Together in Pride: You are Not Alone, a star-studded livestream event to bring the LGBTQ community together and honor our heroes during COVID-19. The event will also raise funds for Centerlink: The Community of LGBT Centers, including our local member center The LGBT Community Center of the Desert. With appearances by: Matt Bomer, Wilson Cruz, Melissa Etheridge, Kesha, Adam Lambert, Dan Levy, Sharon Stone, and more. Watch on the GLAAD YouTube Page.
On Friday, May 1 at 11:00 a.m. PDT, the cast and crew of Queer As Folk will reunite for their 20th Anniversary, and to raise funds for Centerlink. Look for a special appearance by guest star Rosie O’Donnell as well. Watch LIVE on Facebook
White Party Palm Springs Facebook Live April 25 & 26
While White Party Palm Springs 2020 has been rescheduled to the fall (Oct. 30–Nov. 2), Jeffrey Sanker Presents invites you to a free online virtual event on the weekend that White Party would have been: White Party Faceboook Live Main Event on Saturday, April 25 at 9:00 p.m. featuring DJ’s Isis Muretech, GSP, and Phil Romano — followed by the White Party T-Dance on Sunday, April 26 at 4:00 p.m. featuring DJ’s Anne Louise, Ben Bakson, and Dan Slater. Celebrate White Party weekend safely at home! More info
McCallum 2020-21 Tickets on Sale
The McCallum Theatre announced its new lineup for the 2020-2021 season, on sale as of Monday, April 20 at 9:00 a.m., with an exciting schedule of world-class artistry that has been the Theatre’s hallmark for more than three decades. The new season includes an assortment of McCallum debuts, along with iconic superstars, long-awaited return visits from show business royalty, plus a robust comedy lineup and an impressive array of Broadway’s most cherished, long-running shows. Tickets are available online only at www.McCallumTheatre.com.
DAP Innovates With HIV Self-Testing
Desert AIDS Project has added HIV self-testing to its sexual health products available for free to the community. Not only will this help their clients stay on top of essential HIV screenings from home, it will ensure that many in local recovery centers can still access HIV testing, some for the very first time. DAP was also one of the first to talk about smarter sex during COVID-19 and continues pushing this conversation. Read more about HIV testing and DAP’s COVID-19 response [here].
Hospitality Workforce Relief Fund
The tourism industry in the Coachella Valley has been deeply impacted by the COVID-19 crisis and many in the tourism community are facing extreme financial hardship. You can help these families through a donation of any size to the newly created Hospitality Workforce Relief Fund, created by the Greater Palm Springs Tourism Foundation. More info
Good Deed Friday at Eight4Nine
Eight4NineRestaurant and Lounge has launched “Good Deed Friday,” inspired by the generosity of Art Williams and Gene Leone, who funded boxed lunches for the heroic local doctors and healthcare workers dealing with the coronavirus crisis. This gesture of gratitude will continue every Friday until this crisis ends, and if you’d like to help fund this effort, please contact Willie Rhine via email or call 760-808-1077. And remember, Eight4Nine has a tasty to-go menu for delivery or curbside pickup! Learn more
CVRep Free Class on Broadway Musicals
Glenn Rosenblum presents a free webinar for Coachella Valley Repertory Theatre, “Broadway Musicals: Blockbusters from Gypsy to Hello, Dolly!” on Thursday, April 23 at 6:00 p.m. Rosenblum has developed a series of lectures spanning musical history from 1959 to 1977, which he has presented onboard Crystal Cruises and at CVRep. Enjoy this complimentary class once you register [here].
Tony Bennett Live Singalong
On Saturday, April 25 at 12:00 p.m., San Franciscans and others around the world are invited to raise their voices simultaneously in song by singing “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” Tony Bennett’s classic ballad. People are encouraged to take to their balconies, laptops, smartphones and backyards to send a message of love and strength to everyone’s favorite city and in tribute to all of the frontline workers in the fight against COVID-19. Participants are encouraged to live-stream and record their performances via social media with the hashtag #SingOutSF. More info
Palm Springs Modernism Committee Anniversary Video
Last October the Palm Springs Modern Committee celebrated its 20 year anniversary. As part of the festivities, founding president Peter Moruzzi gave a 15 minute slide talk covering ModCom preservation successes and losses, home tours, annual awards for preservation and lifetime achievement, parties, college scholarships, Modernism Week booths, 3D Maslon House tour, and lots more. They converted the show into a 15-minute narrated video that’s both fun and educational! [View here]
ICYMI – 420 Smoke Out Palm Springs
In case you missed it–you can view #ILoveGayPalmSprings hosts Shann Carr, John Taylor, Brad Fuhr and friends in a special 420 Holiday Smoke Out Zoom Party that was broadcast and captured on Facebook Live for posterity. Special thanks to The Lighthouse Dispensary! [View here]
TikiTronic Virtual Live Performance
TikiTronic, the 2-man retro lounge act, presents a 1-Hour Live Performance on Saturday, April 25 from 8:00–9:00 p.m. on Facebook Live. Grab a cocktail and enjoy a new set list of their re-invented 70s/80s classics, using guitar, moog, balafon, Simmons pads, ukelele, and theremin. More info
ShortFest Spotlight
The Palm Springs International Film Society has been updating their ShortFest Spotlight page every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with new thought-provoking, beautiful, and touching films to transport you, if just for a few minutes, into a cinematic escape. Recent additions include “Dust,” a coming-of-age story of a teenage girl on a toxic alien planet, “How to Make a Rainbow,” (pictured here) capturing moments of struggle and triumph, and “Chopper,” a tale of the food chain told in two minutes. Watch here
Virtual Events at The Center
Looking for connection in this time of self-isolation? The LGBT 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 the programs they are hosting:
Join host Shaun Samaro for The Center’s Facebook LIVE Virtual Zumba Dance Party on Thursday, April 23 at 5:30 p.m. Move, shake, jump, kick, dance, and work up a sweat while having a great time. More info
Virtual Trans Peer Support Groups
The Borrego Health Department of Trans Medicine has had to postpone their in-person peer support groups for trans youth and adults, but they will move forward with virtual support meetings on Fridays at 2:30 p.m. via Zoom until they are able to resume live meetings. Follow our link for meeting times and other participation details: More info
Certified Farmers’ Markets are Open
The Certified Farmers’ Markets in Palm Springs, La Quinta, and Palm Desert have provided a quick list of 5 tips to remember for shopping at the market in these uncertain times. The markets are on Saturdays, Sundays, and Wednesdays in PS, LQ, and PD respectively. The same great produce that you love is still available but the way we shop has changed to protect the health and safety of everyone during the COVID-19 pandemic. Follow the link for dates, times, and the 5 tips: Learn more
San Diego Pride Canceled
San Diego Pride’s Board of Directors and staff has announced that all in-person gatherings scheduled for July 2020 will not take place as planned, saying “Given the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, large-scale events such as Pride Parades and Festivals are simply not possible and pose too much of a risk to public health and safety.” San Francisco Pride has also been canceled, as well as the San Diego Comic-Con convention.
Palm Springs Art Museum At-Home Activity: Modern Architecture
One of the ways the Palm Springs Art Museum is keeping you connected during this time of shelter-in-place is by presenting activities to do at home, relating to the museum’s history and collection. Their latest activity, “Get Inspired by Modern Architecture,” highlights the work of E. Stewart Williams, the architect of both the Palm Springs Art Museum and the museum’s Architecture and Design Center, Edwards Harris Pavilion. Learn about the architect and his buildings, and then download line drawings of them created by Danny Heller, which you can color-in and even submit to be shared by the museum. Learn more
Make Sure You are Counted: Census 2020 and CMI LGBTQ+ Survey
If you find yourself bored at home these days, please don’t let it be because you haven’t filled out your responses for the the U.S. Census and the CMI LGBTQ Community Survey. Both are important ways to make sure you are counted, and heard!
U.S Census
Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau will attempt to count everyone in the United States on April 1, regardless of their nationality or sexual orientation. The 2020 Census will give people the option to identify a relationship as same-sex. Responses from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ+) community, a historically undercounted community, will provide reliable data to inform advocates, policymakers, and researchers working on LGBTQ+ issues. Start here
LGBTQ Community Survey
If you haven’t already, please take part in the Community Marketing & Insights (CMI) 14th Annual LGBTQ Community Survey. For over a decade, this survey has provided free data to help non-profits, universities, and organizations better understand and serve the LGBTQ community. 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. Think of it as the gay census! [Click here] to start the survey
