Drag Brunch Triumph!
Thank you to everyone who came out to support the Fleet Week Drag Brunch.
I started throwing parties in my early 20s. “Shotgun” at the Eagle LA (formerly Gauntlet II) was my magnum opus, a three-year running weekly party where beers were $1.25 and the pool was free. Charlie, the owner of the bar, welcomed our diverse crowd of women, trans people and punks of all genders into what had been, until then, an exclusively men’s leather bar. We were there to fill up Wednesdays, their slowest night, and fill them up we did.
Pride parties, fundraisers, drag shows, we created a place for people who didn’t see their lives reflected in the pink washed version of gay life.
Fast forward 20 years, and I’m living in San Pedro, married and a new parent, caring for my own aging parents, and seeking community and friends close by. My years of driving up the 110 multiple times a week to socialize are behind me.
Without a de facto gay bar in San Pedro, I looked around for the place most likely to take us in. The Sardine rose to the occasion, and had the space for brunch, being a mostly night time venue.
At 10:05am last Saturday, I wasn’t sure what to expect. We’d had some pre sales but not enough to pay all the performers, vendors and make a decent donation to the charity. By 10:45am, a line was forming across the Sardine’s storefront on Pacific and around the corner onto 11th street.
The magic I felt reminded me of those Shotgun days.
I stuffed a few delicious Miller Butler pancakes in my mouth, taco style, too rushed to use a knife and fork. There were technical kinks to work out, artists to greet, and I had to glue my new lace front moustache onto my face.
Once the doors were open, it started to flow. Two months of planning and putting in the work culminating in vibes, fun, smiles, laughs, and purpose.
We created a vital space for our community to see and be seen, welcome new visitors and honor our history. We supported local artists and cultural producers (yes, drag is art) and we did it without corporate sponsorships or grants. WE did it.
We raised $600 for Veterans for Equality, who provide additional support and security to LGBTQIA+ events across the country.
People said to me: thank you for making this space. And, I hope you do this again. And, Pedro needs this.
To support Coastal Commons LA and future events like this, consider donating here.
