Drag Queens In Our Community.

    I was checking my calendar tonight to see what I going on in the next couple of weeks. One of the events is the AIDS Walk fundraiser that will be happening in a couple of weeks at Club 1220. That got me to thinking about how much money has been raised at the club by all the Drag Queens over the years.   The AIDS Walk fundraiser itself has raised easily over $10,000 in the past five years and that is just one of the fundraiser that happens on a yearly.

   There have been events for all kinds of charities at Club 1220.  We have raised money for The Trevor Project, the campaign against Prop 8, different cancer organizations, numerous HIV and AIDS groups and several kids organizations, like the Sunburst Project that puts on a camp for HIV positive kids. I tried to figure how much money has been raised by the Drag Queens at Club 1220 in just the past fourteen years that we have been putting on shows there.  I could not come up with an exact number, but it is over $100,000. I can’t even think of how much has been raised at Club 1220 since it’s opening days over 33 years ago.

   Now, that is just one club in a suburb of the San Francisco area.  Now think of all the bars and clubs just in and about San Francisco. Think of all the Drag Queens that have organized fundraisers for one organization or another. Now, think of all the Drag Queens across America. That is one hell of a lot of money raised.

   Fundraising is also just one part of what Drag Queens for done for the Gay Community. They have also been very active in advancing equal rights for gays, lesbians and transgender people.  We have even come to credit Drag Queens to leading the revolt against police at Stonewall in 1969, an event that has become to be known as the beginning of the Gay Rights Movement.

   Drag Queens even go back further then that. All the back in 1936, there was a club that opened in the North Beach area of San Francisco. The club was called Finocchio’s and it was on of the first places in America that dazzled their guests with the female illusionist, but I will leave that for another blog.