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August
2001
By Barry
Jones
 I
am proud to say that on Long Island there are quite a few
great organizations, providing a variety of services to the
GLBT community. I would like to welcome LILCI
(Long Island Lesbian Cancer Initiative). LILCI
is a grass roots feminist initiative dedicated to securing
lesbian sensitive services for woman living with cancer and
their families. Their goal is to educate the lesbian community
about cancer, cancer politics and available resources. They
also seek to empower lesbians living with cancer. Hats off
to their coordinator, Diane Bruessow for this much
needed service. You can find them on the Internet at "www.mautnerproject.org/longisland."
In my
"Underrated Heroes" segment I have not a
person, but an agency to commend. This agency has been around
for some time. They provide anonymous referrals. People call
them to find out the when, what and where's of any kind of
service, event or social activity in our community. That agency,
of course, is the Gay and Lesbian Switchboard of Long
Island. I want to thank Bill McCarthy, their
current and former board  members
and volunteers for their years of service to this community.
If you would like to volunteer or make a donation to the Switchboard,
please contact me through the email address below. Well the
news of the summer was LIGALY's
first gay prom (The
Pride Gala). It was covered by all of the major televisions
stations. David Kilmnick, the board of directors and
volunteers should be applauded for this milestone. And from
what I have heard it was great. It also seems that during
the planning of this event a lot of calls came in from adults
wanting to attend also. There were a limited number of adults
who attended as chaperons.
Well it
seems Mr. Kilmnick, knowing the reaction toward the event
came up with a great idea. "The Pride Benefit Prom"
will be held at the Island Hills Golf and Country Club in
Sayville on Saturday, November 3rd from 7:00 pm till midnight.
The LIGALY
prom for adults, the prom you always wanted is a benefit for
Long Islands
Gay and Lesbian Youth organization. The prom includes
a cocktail hour, live performances, a four-hour buffet, and
an ice cream bar. More fun is still being planned. For more
information or to purchase tickets please call (631) 665-2300.
VISA, MasterCard, and American Express are also accepted.
With a
shoulder-to-shoulder crowd of 500+ people, Deluxe at
Luxe hosted their Dock of
the Bay 2001 Kick Off Party. Quite a bit of
money was raised, thanks to Charlie, John and
Paul. There was a special show orchestrated by Peter
Miller, including himself, Delphina and Peggy
Pussie. The board of directors of GALFOLI
would like to extend very special thanks everyone at Deluxe
@ Luxe. We would also like to thank everyone that attended,
including Larry and Mike from the Bunkhouse
(Dock of the Bay sponsors). Along with its financial
success, the event was great outreach to a new generation
that wants to get involved and build a better GLBT community
on long Island. The response and interest in GALFOLI
and Dock of the Bay
was very positive and will make this year's event even bigger
and more successful.
Close
to Home was one of my favorite restaurants, but when Dennis
Mannarino sold it I stopped going there. Sure I loved
the food, atmosphere and service, but without Dennis I felt
it would change. Well I was wrong. I recently went there to
celebrate a special occasion. (I have to admit I missed going
there. So I went). Well, nothing had changed. The food is
still the best; atmosphere is as warm friendly, and inviting.
As in the past everyone is welcome. It was great seeing Betty
Ann and Barbara again. And the new owners, Robin
and Bill Ebt want to welcome everyone from our community.
Close to Home, everything intact, except Dennis.
Please
email me at SocialSpeakingLI@aol.com,
if you have any comments about this column, questions about
any of the people or organizations mentioned or would like
an event covered.
Till
next time... Barry
Photos:
Al Guardino (for LIGALY)
Louis Trapani (c) 2000-2001
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