With films about gay cowboys, a transgender parent and acclaimed gay novelist Truman Capote among this year’s Oscar favorites, two local LGBT organizations spent the evening celebrating for a cause.
Cabaret vied with cowboy hats at ‘Oscar and His Men: Where Hollywood Meets Halsted,’ a Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus (CGMC) event held at Sidetrack. The annual party is a significant fundraiser for CGMC, which is currently promoting its spring show, ‘The Ten Commandments: The Musical.’
‘We have a good time; it’s not a stuffy benefit,’ said co-organizer and CGMC member Keith Goad. Treasurer Ken Puttback added that ‘ [w] ith high-profile movies in the gay world, it’s doubly exciting.’
Down the street, the Center on Halsted celebrated its second annual Oscars Party at Circuit. The party marked the official launch of the Center’s public phase of its capital campaign. Funds raised will help build the new Center, scheduled to open in spring 2007.
Board member Mike Demetria said, ‘It’s very important for the Center to connect with the community; raising awareness of what we do is ultimately the goal.’
The event included a silent auction and a mock awards ceremony, with special honors given to the ‘Best Cowboy.’