Gay Desert Guide Weekend: Oct. 23–25, 2020 - Gay Desert Guide Palm Springs

Virtual Desert AIDS Walk is underway this weekend. Our GayDesertGuide team is getting together (safely and socially distanced) on Saturday to do our part. We’ll miss the sense of community that coming together afforded us in the previous years and hope that 2021 will bring us back together.

We’ve got some work to do on stopping COVID-19 and unfortunately that includes moving back to the Purple Tier and restricting businesses – all in the hope that we can get our numbers down – and out!

As I termed it on the #ILoveGayPalmSprings podcast, our “social media cesspool” is pitting business owner against business owner, family member against family member and friends against friends. Here’s to the hope that our election will bring about change at the top. The trickle down effect could be almost immediate. Who wouldn’t like more civility in our social discourse?

Palm Springs Pride always brings our LGBTQ Communities together and this year that will be virtually.With no caravan, parade or in-person events, we’re teaming up with Alaska Airlines for “Light Up the Night” on Pride Weekend Nov. 6-8. We want you to photograph your pink or rainbow lights. Details below and on Facebook on how you could win one of two grand prizes of air travel for two on Alaska Airlines.

#ILoveGayPalmSprings
#ILoveGayCatCity

Brad Fuhr, your Gay Desert Guide

Virtual Desert AIDS Walk is Here

For the past thirty-four years of walking, the Desert AIDS Walk has ensured that those living with HIV and AIDS continue to thrive. Register today for the 2020 edition, which will be presented virtually on Friday and Saturday, October 23 & 24. The reason for “The Walk” has never really been about balloon arches or walker t-shirts. It has always been about the collective power of community and our shared vision of a future. This year, you register as always, create or join a team if you like, and then you can walk the traditional route or any neighborhood or trail of your choice! More info

Tune into NBC Palm Springs this Friday, October 23 at 11:30 a.m. when Sandie Newton will host a 30-minute special kicking off Desert AIDS Walk and taking a closer look into all of the important work that is happening at Desert AIDS Project. Sandie will talk to CEO David Brinkman, DAP Board Chair Patrick Jordan, and some important sponsors of the event as well.

Lesbian Virtual Speed Dating for Women of All Ages

Gay Desert Guide’s Fun & Games Dept. & TheMenEvent.com presents Lesbian Virtual Speed Dating for Women of ALL Ages on Saturday, October 24 at 4:00 p.m. Speed dating has never been more fun! Hosted by Comedian Shann Carr, who will make introductions before you go on several short one-on-one dates (each lasting 5-6 minutes), you’ll then mingle with everyone with a fun game and have real conversation about dating. Enjoy this opportunity to meet a lot of great ladies! Get tickets

I Love Gay Palm Springs Podcast – Episode 68

Hosts John Taylor and comedian Shann Carr are joined by a Clinical Pharmacist specializing in HIV, Lucy Ung, PharmD, plus publisher, editor, journalist Jimmy Boegle of CVIndependent.com and our pal Brad Fuhr of GayDesertGuide.com. We run the gamut of medical/pandemic news, Light Up the Night virtual PRIDE celebrations, the 2020 Virtual Aids Walk, and we surveyed 100 LGBTQ+ folks to play a fun round of Shann’s Friendly Feud! [Listen] or [Watch]

**Use discount code GDG10 to save 10% when you order from our podcast sponsor Out & About CBD.**

** Desert AIDS Project Offers Free At-Home HIV Tests: [Get Yours] **

Zoom That Tune Virtual Game Show – Halloween Edition

The Fun & Games Dept of Gay Desert Guide, along with TheMenEvent.com presents Zoom That Tune Virtual Game Show – Halloween Edition on Tuesday, October 27 at 7:00 p.m. It’s a blast! Join in for lots of laughing, socializing and Type A competitiveness as you test your knowledge of music in this fun interactive event. This month, all of the songs will all be associated with HALLOWEEN, with DJ Stevie Beat. Once everyone is in we will socialize a bit then your host will play snippets from 30 well established songs (3 rounds with 10 clues each). The first person who can guess the most wins! Get tickets

Strut Your Mutt Virtual Fundraiser Walk

Animal Samaritans presents Strut Your Mutt Day on Saturday, October 24. This virtual community walk and fundraiser benefits homeless dogs and cats, making Animal Samaritans’ life-saving programs possible. Register early and take part in one of many virtual events, hosted by Best Friends, leading up to Strut Your Mutt Day. More info

LGBT Secrets of the Louvre Museum

Gay Desert Guide’s Fun & Games Dept. and TheMenEvent.com present LGBT Secrets of the Louvre Museum on Sunday, October 25 at 11:00 a.m. The Classical tradition of the world’s largest and most-visited museum has always gone hand in hand with homoerotic tradition, of which the Louvre contains a number of the greatest examples. On this fun and informative 75 minute Zoom tour (led by Professor Andrew Lear, with Q&A), you will learn about: Love in the Greek gymnasium, the Hermaphrodite, myth and sexuality, the Emperor Hadrian and his lover Antinous, Michelangelo’s Dying Slave and his love poetry, Gay lib in the French revolution and much more! Get tickets

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Modernism Week Fall Preview is Here

Modernism Week presents a Fall Preview Online Experience available as online video programs beginning October 15 and concluding October 31. The pre-recorded video programs and one livestream social event will include a guided home tour series of five significant Palm Springs residences; an entertaining driving tour of Palm Springs with Charles Phoenix; “The Best of Mod with a Twist,” humorous and informative presentations about midcentury pop culture; conference sessions from “Fast Forward: Designing the Future of Palm Springs”; two new documentary-style films about the preservation of architectural landmarks in Palm Springs: “Preserving Modernism: The Town & Country Center”, and “The Restoration and Stabilization of the Cornelia White Residence” in Palm Springs, and a Zoom-based happy hour. Get tickets

Virtual Wine Tasting
The crew at Bouschet invites you to a VirtuREAL Wine Tasting on Saturday, October 24 at 2:00 p.m. on Zoom, this week featuring Greek and Bulgarian Wines, plus a special “Halloween” wine. Wine tasting includes freshly prepared food pairings, the wine samples, tasting notes and 10% off featured wines. Pickup or delivery available. More info

October is LGBT History Month:
31 Days, 31 Icons

LGBT History Month celebrates the achievements of 31 lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender Icons. Each day in October, a new LGBT Icon is featured with a video, bio, bibliography, downloadable images and other resources. Come back to our LGBT History Month Page each day to learn something new! [See today’s Icon Here]

LOOKING AHEAD

Palm Springs Pride: Light Up the Night

Palm Springs Pride is just around the corner, November 6–8, and Gay Desert Guide invites you to participate in our Light Up the Night display and contest by decorating your home or business with pink or rainbow lights. The best display could win you air travel for two on Alaska Airlines and other great prizes. So get your pink or rainbow lights today and start planning your display! Have it ready to show off by Friday of Pride weekend and stay tuned to our Facebook page for detail on how to participate in the contest. More info

Gaylarious LGBT Comedy Show – Spooky Comedy Festival

The Fun & Games Dept of Gay Desert Guide, in partnership with TheMenEvent.com, present a Halloween-themed Gaylarious Comedy Show on Thursday, October 29 at 6:00 p.m. Come for an hour of laughs with some of the funniest LGBT comics in the country for a Halloween edition! Featuring USA’s funniest LGBT and LGBT-friendly comedians from TV, Radio and Comedy Clubs across the country. You’ll have a gay ole’ time with a line-up of hysterical comics designed to have you laughing right down to your gay funny bones. Get tickets

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:

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.

Managing Emotions During a Pandemic with Jill Hingston, Ph.D – Tuesdays at 11:00 a.m.

Conversational Spanish with Guillermo Biro – Tuesdays at 2:00 p.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.

LGBTQ+ Youth Virtual Hangout with Miguel Navarro – Wednesdays at 3:00 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.

Who Cares: Caregiver Support Group with Perry Wiggins – Fridays at 3:00 p.m.

Full list of The Center’s Zoom programs [here]

The Economic Future of the Coachella Valley

A free webinar series from the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership, Palm Springs Life, and SBEMP Attorneys continues on Wednesday, October 28 at 2:00 p.m. to explore the question of how the Coachella Valley will bounce back from the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this installment, “Retail and Restaurants,” presenters Michael Braun (Grit Development), Tara Lazar (f10creative), and Patrick Klein (The Gardens on El Paseo) discuss the state of retail and restaurants in the Coachella Valley— from the impacts on sales and employees to the new world of risk reduction. More info

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