Ben and Jimmy: Gay No-Shows
In addition to its fabled lilacs, Rochester is becoming justly famous for its LGBT Film Festival, presented by ImageOut. They had a benefit concert to advertise and subsidize their wonderful festival and they invited me! We brought the Hilarity Clinton ’08 Tour to upstate New York. Rochester is also famous for “lake effect” snow and there was a foot of it, so no lilacs, dang.
At a reception before the show for special benefactors and the board of ImageOut, I met lots of wonderful upstate NY LGBTs. One was a daughter of one of my fellow classmates at LeMoyne College, Syracuse, NY, Class of 69. Another recent LeMoyne alum was member of the ImageOut Board. Lesbian owned, Hedonist Chocolatiers provided refreshments, and I partook. By the time I hit the stage I was just peaking on my performance enhancement drug of choice. Michael Gamilla, the board co-chair was an excellent host and an indefatigable promoter of the Film Festival.
The next day I flew to Boston for the Men’s Event, a benefit dinner for the Fenway Community Health. I have emceed the Women’s Event many times and was happy to be asked to emcee the men’s dinner. I’m the Ryan Seacrest of Fenway Events.
Fourteen hundred extremely handsome men in tuxedos were there and we raised a lot of money. One attendee that night pledged $75,000 for the building fund for the almost completed Fenway Center, a fourteen floor state of the art builiding providing state of the heart care for LGBT people in New England.
Longtime mayor and great friend of the LGBT Community, Mayor Menino was in attendance. Ben Aflleck and Jimmy Kimmel were not. MA Gov. Patrick couldn’t attend; he was writing new lines for Barack Obama. Sen. Ted Kennedy received the Gerry Studds Pioneer Award and was his usual gracious and funny self in his acceptance speech.
When he asked me how I was doing, I told him, “Well, I’m a 60 year old white woman, last name Clinton, how do you think I’m doing?” He laughed and gave me a big hearty clap on the back.
