On Oct. 11, Howard Brown Health held its 11th annual fundraiser at the Park West, 322 W. Arbitrage Ave., nightclub in front of a rowdy audience.
The event, which was originally titled Who’s That Girl, was renamed WIG: Work It Girl, with this year’s theme being “Legacy of Love: Decades of Defiance.” The importance of this year’s title was twofold: The event was both a look at the organization’s 50-year history and future and a celebration of the impact of female impersonator and personality Chilli Pepper.
The audience watched a lavish extravaganza with filmed commentaries, musical numbers and spoken reflections about Howard Brown Health; a personalized tribute to Pepper; and a bevy of noted drag performers and dancers. The financial goal of the evening was $100,000 [$115, 000 was raised by the evening’s end] with the funds earmarked directly for Howard Brown.
There was also a silent auction, an active auction for a drag makeover for an audience member [the auction was so popular that there were two winners] and an anonymous donor challenge match, which bolstered donations. Pepper was honored with the Heart of Howard Brown Award for her decades of devotion to the community. Speakers at the event included Travis Gayles, MD, who is President and CEO of Howard Brown Health.
Performers for the evening included host Gina Belle, Robyn Fiierce, Sheeza Woman, Sasha Love, Mimi Marks and Kara Mel D’Ville, with a dance troupe provided by AJA Talent and choreography by Ethan Kirshbaum. Kevin Mohsenzadeh served as WIG Legacy Committe Chair.
The filmed segments showed how Howard Brown began when four medical students who wanted to help the LGBTQ+ community would meet to brainstorm in a room above a grocery store across the street from the Biograph Theater in 1974. In 1976, the first board of directors secured a budget and named the all-volunteer clinic The Howard Brown Memorial Clinic in honor of Dr. Howard Brown, founder of the National Gay Task Force and a former New York City public health commissioner who helped change the perception of gay men by coming out publicly.
The clinic later mushroomed into a powerful force during the AIDS crises and focused on community members who were uninsured or underinsured. The clinic also partnered with other organizations, including Lesbian Community Cancer Project and Northwestern Hospital, and has grown with six locations on the north, south, and west side of the city.
Sponsors for WIG included United Healthcare, Replay Beer and Bourbon, Hydrate, Heitman Real Estate Investment Management, Nestle, Vital Specialty Pharmacy, Tom Segal and Adam Colangelo and Randy Gellman.
