Pace Press

Issue date: 3/16/05 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Stonewall Coalition The Real stars of Bigolicious: Rose Royalle, Sweety, Trandy, Flawless Sabrina & Lavinia Co-op

If the word "bingo" brings to mind a vision of senior citizens playing a wholesome game to win small tokens from the $0.99 store, Bingolicious may have surprised you. The event took place in the Eddie Layton Student Union last Tuesday night and included "old ladies" dressed in drag, but the comparisons to traditional bingo end there.

Sponsored by the Stonewall Coalition, an organization aimed at promoting peace and tolerance, the goal of Bingolicious was to garner support for the Ali Forney Center, a place for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth who have been abandoned by their families.

Bingolicious featured drag queens, Lavita Co-op, Sweety, Flawless Sabrina, Rose Royale, and Stonewall's own, Trandy. The newly renovated Student Union was decorated with a large arch made out of multi-colored balloons. Hosting drag queen Sweety commented on the display, comparing it to a gay prom, saying how much she wanted to see couple standing underneath it.

Later in the evening, when a member of security came in, Sweety stopped and asked if he would stand under the arch; looking appalled, he left. Sweety laughed as she said, "See, I know how to get rid of faculty."

Attendees did not have to pay to enter; instead, they were asked to bring a canned item or toiletry. In return, they were given a plastic yellow entrance band with a number on it.

Aside from entertainment provided by the drag queens, players were also treated to a complimentary dinner, which included salad, ziti, chicken and soda. Though the event started at 9:00 p.m., bingo didn't start until after 10 o'clock.

Before starting, Stonewall raffled several prizes to players with matching numbers on their entrance bracelets. The first prize given away was a limited edition Barbie and Barbie case. Selected after several failed attempts, the winner announced that she planned to sell the items on e-bay.

I was later surprised when I heard my own number called; I won an animal print bag with assorted items in it, including concealer and a pen, among other things. Several similar bags were also awarded.

The raffle number was also used to select participants for non-bingo games and a chance to win more prizes. As part of Bingolicious rules, players were required to participate in such events or risk being disqualified form winning any prizes.

Continued...

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