April 2002

By Barry Jones

Well, it’s been a very eventful winter season. Most notable is a “new annual must go to fundraiser.” LIGALY’s Mardi Gras 2002 Party was so much fun, with it’s original theme. David, Robert, Lenore, Joe, Yvonne, Brenda, Louis, and their gay youth volunteers worked hard on this event with great results. Over 250 attendees donned their Mardi Gras best, complete with masks and beads. Not bad for a “first time out” event. Fundraisers are important for all agencies, not only to raise money, but also as outreach to the community. Mr. Kilmnick has been very supportive of fundraisers for other organizations. So it was great to see so many from various organizations supporting LIGALY (Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth, Inc.).

Present were John Deitz, Jim Greene, Al Lawrence, and Frank Lapple of the Long Island Ravens MC, Joan Bloodgood, Bill McCarthy, and Paul Paquette of the Gay and Lesbian Switchboard of Long Island, Louis Trapani and Jed Ryan of LICKtheWeb.com, our Long Island Good Will Ambassador and Executive Director of the Long Island Pride Parade, Jim Pizzo, Bill Borman of the Nassau County Lesbian & Gay Democrats and GALFOLI (Gay and Lesbian Foundation of Long Island), Jim Coppola, Dennis Mannarino, Walter Jackson, and Jan Geiger of GALFOLI, Steve Flynn of the Long Island Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Walter Ratuchny and Rob Jackson of CHOLI (Community House of Long Island), and Suffolk County Legislator Jon Cooper and his partner Rob Cooper.

Also present was Mike D’Antonio of OUTreach, a Long Island Gay and Lesbian Radio Program that airs on Saturday evenings at 8:00 PM on 88.7FM, WHRU, Radio Hofstra University. Mike was broadcasting live at LIGALY’s Mardi Gras and did interviews with community members from various organizations including GALFOLI, the Long Island Pride Parade, the Nassau County Lesbian and Gay Democrats, the Long Island Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and of course our host LIGALY.

A beaming board president, Tom Maligno had a lot to be proud of. Not just about the success of the event, but also about the news of the evening. LIGALY is in purchasing a building. Yes, I said purchasing, not renting. The building is very close by to their current location and I have seen it. It is a freestanding fairly new handicap accessible building. It is quite large and they will be remodeling the inside to suit their needs. My partner, Jim has been inside the building and is very impressed. LIGALY is the first strictly GLBT organization to actually own their own building. Knowing their executive director and board, they are probably planning on expanding their services into new territories. The move-in date should be sometime during April.

The very next night it was off to The Vanderbilt for the Miss Auntie M’s Pageant 2002 benefiting Auntie M’s Helping Hands and LILCI (Long Island Lesbian Cancer Initiative), a wonderful, but more formal event. Our hostess was the great Ariel Sinclair, who has always supported our community by donating her various talents. Attendees include Steven Flynn of the Film Festival, Diane Bruessow of LILCI, Denise Amato formerly with the Lavender Women Radio Show, GALFOLI board members, Jim Coppola, Walter Jackson, his partner Jan Geiger and one of the original fundraising machines, Peter (Pep) Miller. Also in attendance were Walter Ratuchny and our own Jed Ryan, who was also one of the judges. I am quite sure it was hard for the judges to decide which of these multitalented creatures should wear the Miss Auntie Ms crown. But they needed to choose one. So the winner was Miss December ‘ Princess Janae.’ Congratulations to the guys from Auntie M's for staging such a classy event.

Walter Jackson, Jan Geiger, Barry Jones, Jim Pizzo, & Jim Coppola of GALFOLI

Jan suddenly delivers a surprise to the author of Socially Speaking!

On V-Day we stopped by Forevergreen where Camille and crew hosted "The Vagina Monologues," a fundraiser benefiting LILCI. This event was ever so moving and touching. There were readings from various women in our community. It ranged from extremely emotional stories to totally hilarious stories. Kathy Rosenthal, Maria Mezzatesta and Denise Amato were among the monologue readers. Most notable was Maria Mezzatesta's orgasm monologue, which still has me laughing. Among the supporters was Stephen Sebor of the Long Island Rainbow Connection television show, Sandra Jelnicki of the Log Cabin Republicans, Veronica Philips-Marino of GALFOLI and The Long Island Lesbian who was also a sponsor of this event. Congratulations to Diane Bruessow for staging such an educational event.

We recently had dinner with Lynne Critelli. You remember Lynne. She along with Daphne-Rubin-Vega made up 2/3 of ‘Pajama Party’ a very popular late eighties/early nineties trio. They recorded quite a few dance hits such as ‘Over and Over’ and various other hits. Well back then these talented ladies donated their time to various organizations such as PWAC to raise money for the cause. Lynne, who is truly talented and beautiful, is also a very independent and aggressive lady. She was once engaged to Tiko Torres of Bon Jovi fame but decided that they would be better off being friends. Ms. Critelli has a very beautiful, strong and unique voice along the lines of lets say Janis Joplin and the soul of lets say Tina Turner. So it was no surprise to me that she left Pajama Party.

So Lynnie went on to pursue other musical interest and also to become Mrs. Brett Saberhagen then of the New York Mets and Daphne went on to Rent and Rocky Horror fame. Lynne continued to support the community by donating money and opening there business at the time Brett Saberhagen’s Hits and Fun Arcade in Babylon for PWAC’s children with aids program, donating baseball tickets for all PLWA's on long island and even opening her home to film a public service announcement for PWAC about AIDS. Each Halloween she would have the front yard of her lavish home turned into a haunted house for all children to see and enjoy. She was also lead singer in a great band then called ‘Full House.’

Unfortunately at her husbands insistence she gave up singing whether it be at clubs or weddings. So she gave up her career and so it seems her identity to become a baseball wife. I was totally surprise at that knowing her and her strong personality her individuality and her love of entertaining. Well due to some indiscretions on Mr. Saberhagen’s part, she is divorcing him. I know this is a very hard thing to do and in fact he has called her to reconcile. But if she decided to do that it would be strictly on her terms only. The good that has come of this is that she is back to being her own, strong, talented self and has gone back to singing currently with a band called Mystic. She looks as beautiful as ever and is inside also. Hamm I am trying to talk her into writing a "tell all" book about these secret lives of baseball players. Trust me some of these stories are quite interesting. So I welcome back Lynne Critelli and thank her for her years of support to the community.

In an e-mail from Kevin Calhoun regarding the December Socially Speaking column pertaining to gay/gay friendly restaurants on Long Island, Kevin suggested I go to a place that he and his partner had frequented. The restaurant is called Meritage. I contacted another couple to go with us and then thought of some other friends we promised to go to dinner with. Before I knew it turned into dinner for 8. Meritage is located off South Country Road in Bellport and is a true gem. It has a sophisticated, but not stuffy atmosphere with beautiful floral arrangements and brick walls. The night we went the restaurant was totally booked with a diverse crowd. The staff was extremely friendly, greeting all that entered and exited. Since there were eight of us we surely got a true sampling of a lot that was on the menu. The presentation of the food was truly first class, which to me is important. OK, you might ask, it looked good, but how did it taste? I canvassed my dining partners and it was unanimous, the food was superb. Our hosts were Keith O’Donnell and Matthew Scollan. I had a conversation with Keith, introducing my friends and myself. He was totally sincere and appreciative of our business. I watched him go table to table, chatting with all guests and making sure they were comfortable and having a positive experience. I highly recommend the community experience this restaurant for it is truly a place where I feel comfortable and at home. That’s Meritage on Station Road just north of South Country Road in Bellport. Please don’t be disappointed, call 631-286-3300 for reservations.

I am happy to announce that the Gay and Lesbian Switchboard of Long Island is holding their Annual coffee House Café fundraiser once again. This event has always been a favorite of mine. This year it is being held at The Thatched Cottage in Centerport. Knowing Ralph’s attention to detail I am sure everything will be first class only. Ralph Colamussi is a great supporter of our community, hosting fundraisers for various organizations on Long Island. There will be entertainment by Grant king, Dennis Milone, Estrogen and my favorite, Mike Bonti. Mike is a very talented singer and a great supported of the community. Tickets are only $18 in advance or $22 at the door (if available). This includes coffee, refreshments, valet parking and a bunch of warm and talented people. That’s the Gay and Lesbian Switchboard Annual Coffee House Café, Friday April 12^th at 8:30 PM at the Historical Thatched Cottage in Centerport. For more information call Joan Bloodgood at 631-399-2234. See you there!

As I stated in my last column, Bill Borman, president of the Nassau County Lesbian and Gay Democrats wants to invite all to their spring brunch at R.S. Jones in Merrick on Sunday April 21^st, another important fundraiser. This group endorses candidates in favor of our rights as gays and lesbians. There will be select speakers, great food, good company, music and another chance to be entertained by the fabulous Mike Bonti. Tickets are $30 in advance (received by April 8th), $35 at the door. Mail checks to the Nassau County Lesbian and Gay Democrats at P.O. Box 334 Long Beach, New York 11561-0334 or e-mail them at NCGayDems@aol.com.

I recently received an e-mail from Sunfire, editor of Touching Body and Spirit, a Huntington-based publication devoted to the spirituality of gay men.  He asked me to let the community know about a retreat for men and women running from Friday evening, May 31st, through Sunday afternoon, June 2. “Embodied Spirituality: a Soul’s Journey” will be led by the experienced retreat facilitators Kindra Joy Oneson, from Canada, and Sunfire. Through discussion, meditation, breath work, ritual and conscious touch they will help participants explore and reclaim their innate spiritual natures. The retreats, which started about ten years ago with a series of retreats for gay men in Mt. Sinai, were moved a few years later to their own retreat center, Dawn Manor, in the Catskills.  They are now expending their offerings to include retreats for lesbians and retreats that include the full GLBT community and our straight supporters. More info may be found on the web site, www.dawnmanor.com or by calling 1-800-248-3413 for a free brochure by mail. If you have any questions about this event, you can also e-mail Sunfire at sunfire12@earthlink.net or call him at 631-424-3606.

Please e-mail me at SocialSpeaking@LICKtheWeb.com, if you have any comments about this column, questions about any of the people or organizations mentioned or would like an event covered.

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