By BetteAndTinaForever

Day 3: Women’s 11 Event in New York City (November 1, 2008)

Saturday morning I was on Greyhound bus on my way from Philadelphia to New York for the last event, Women’s 11 Benefit for the local LGBT Center. Taking the bus from one city to another should be simple, right? I had my ticket, I was at the bus station an hour prior my departure and the bus only takes two hours to reach New York…simple enough.

Well, it turned out that nothing ever is that simple. First, I was put on the bus that left a half an hour earlier, which wasn’t that bad but after driving over an hour, our bus driver suddenly announced that he was completely and utterly lost and we had to go back towards Philly (to Mount Laurel) to get back on the right track. So my simple trip to NYC lasted almost four hours.

And then I got a room at the hostel because everything around the Chelsea area was booked. Staying at a hostel is no place to relax before a big event. I spent another hour just looking for a lock so I could put all my valuables in a locker for safekeeping while I was gone.

Images from the movie Hostel kept dancing through my head and it didn’t help much to relax me either. Thank goodness my friends stopped me from watching it again before leaving on my trip or it would have made things even worse. To be fair, this hostel turned out to be really nice and I made it on time for the event. Ultimately, that’s all that matters.

Onto the event. The LGBT Community Center was having their Eleventh Women’s Event since the first one was hosted in 1998. The first was inspired by the Women’s Gala at Bill Clinton’s presidential inauguration. Women’s Event 11 coincided with the Center’s 25th anniversary. The evening was filled with pink cocktails, fine dining, fashionable evening gowns, a silent auction, dancing with music by DJ Karin Ward and the L Word ladies, of course.

For the past ten years the Center has paid tribute to phenomenal women who have served the community. They have included Kate Clinton, Whoopi Goldberg, Billie Jean King, Eve Ensler and others. This year the three distinguished honorees were Ilene Chaiken (we all know who she is), Stephanie Gibbons (Executive Vice President of Marketing and On-air Promotion of FX) and Lisa Sherman (Executive Vice President and General Manager of Logo). As part of the celebration, the LGBT event served as a salute to the final season of The L Word. Jennifer Beals, Pam Grier, Rose Rollins and Daniela Sea attended the benefit to support Ilene.

The funds raised during the Women’s 11 Event will be used to sustain an array of programs, services, and activities that serve women throughout the New York tri-state area, from mental health, social services, youth programming, cultural programs, breast cancer awareness and educational forums.

First I ventured into the dining room, thinking that was where the cocktail reception was being held. It was empty, except for Jennifer Beals, Faye Katz from Showtime and waiters who were preparing the room for dinner. I knew that Jennifer didn’t feel well so I didn’t want to bother her. I simply said that it was a great pleasure to hear her speech during the Obama Rally and that I wanted to thank her for that. I also added that she was the only one talking and not just reading from the paper.

Jennifer replied that it was easy because she wrote most of the speech and then she asked me if I was willing to volunteer during the election since that was the purpose of the rally. I told her that I would volunteer in my state. She was a little surprised when I told her where I’m currently living because it’s predominantly a republican state. We do have a growing democratic community in the city which was proven in the recent election as Obama was only a few percents behind McCain for most of the night.

Faye then told me that Jennifer wouldn’t be able to do interviews at the moment but I could check later. I left the dining room and finally found the cocktail reception. It was definitely a fancy reception! Everyone was dressed up and the waiters were moving around with the trays full of hors d’oeuvres, cocktails and wine.

While I was mingling with people and looking for some potential interviewees, I think I tried every possible snack that was directly in my path. They were delicious but I wasn’t there just for the food so my eyes were moving around the room, searching and waiting.

The first person I approached was Richard Burns, the Center’s executive director. I briefly talked to him.

B&TF: Tell me a little about the Center as well as this event tonight.

RB: In this year, 2008, the center is celebrating its 25th anniversary. And tonight, this is our 11th annual Women’s Event, which is the biggest gala for Lesbians and their friends in NYC. The funds we raise tonight go to help support a vast array of programming that the Center provides to the Lesbian community, including our Lesbian Cancer Initiative which serves Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender women who have recently been diagnosed with cancer, those who need support and help navigating the cancer system in NY and also provides support to their caregivers.

It supports our young women programming. You know, we have active LGBT youth program; more than 350 different young people are served in our youth program each and every month and young Lesbians come together for rap groups, support groups to find out who they are and develop a strong, proud Lesbian identity; know they should stay in school and look forward to strong, healthy lives as adults.

B&TF: So, the ladies from The L Word were invited tonight: Pam, Jennifer, Ilene, Danielle and Rose. What can you tell me about them? How long have you known them and what’s your first impression of them?

RB: Well, we’re very, very lucky to have the cast of The L Word here with us tonight and Showtime has been tremendously supportive of the Center. And we’re delighted to be honoring Ilene Chaiken, the creator and producer of The L Word.

B&TF: So it’s going to be honoring her as being the creator of the show?

RB: She has a long history as a pioneer in developing positive Lesbian images in television. And it’s very important that we recognize that and encourage that to happen more in the future.

B&TF: One more question – do you know of any spoilers of what’s going to happen in Season 6?

RB: I’m not telling a word!

After more food and a few drinks I saw Matthew Blank, Chairman and CEO of Showtime and I decided to use this opportunity to ask him about The L Word and the spin-off.

B&TF: Admittedly The L Word is very popular and we’re coming up on the final season. Who made the decision that there’s going to be no more L Word and why because we really wanted it to go on?

MB: Well, this is the longest series in Showtime history. We supported it longer than anything in the 35 years of Showtime. So, that’s a pretty great statement. That’s a better statement than why would it go on. We’re pretty excited about it.

B&TF: Do you think it’s because that it just needs to end or that there are no more stories to tell. What was the thinking?

MB: I think, just long. It just plays its force for Showtime. You know, we can’t see having anything on the air for as long as this, frankly. And so, it’s been a huge success.

B&TF: And now it’s going to be spun-off with Alice. Is it going to be shown on Showtime or the internet or where are we going to see it?

MB: I can’t comment on that yet.

B&TF: So you don’t know or…?

MB: I can’t comment on that yet. We’re still figuring it out.

B&TF: Alright. Well we want to see that too.

MB: Okay, good! Thank you. Thank you for your support!

Then I went in search of Ilene who was talking to some people but I was told by her publicists that Ilene was done with interviews for now and would possibly talk with me later. I didn’t want to wait around so I ate more food instead until I saw Rose Rollins.

Continued >>