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Astraea Coast to Coast

Ray Hsia, Events Manager

Astraea events are buzzing from coast-to-coast!  From film premieres to house parties, book readings to cocktail receptions, the range of events exemplified Astraea’s philosophy—bringing together many different people in a multitude of ways will move us towards social, racial, economic and gender justice.

Astraea Grants Assistant and professional performer, Yvonne Fly Onakeme Etaghene, brings poetry to Astraea’s Party with Pride

Things kicked into high gear in Dallas with a sunset cocktail reception at the home of Pam Gerber and Suzanne Slonim.  With a long-established reputation as LGBT activists in Texas, Pam and Suzanne were excited to host their first Astraea House Party. The event was so invigorating that Pam declared she would absolutely do it again!

For Cinco de Mayo, we visited Houston, where renowned philanthropist Tracy Gary hosted a jam-packed party in her intimate home.  With lively conversations, various cocktail concoctions and over 40 guests, Tracy’s event was our Houston highlight.

Events don’t get bigger than our co-sponsorship of Women’s Night at Asia Society’s Leo Bar in New York City.  Over 400 women rubbed elbows while enjoying free exhibition tours of the Asia Society Museum and chatting the night away over lychee martinis. This bi-annual event is rapidly proving itself to be an event to be marked on every woman’s social calendar.

San Francisco was our next destination as we celebrated the Bay Area Spring Fling.  Set at the vibrant San Francisco LGBT Community Center, the afternoon event featured Leslie Larson—acclaimed author and recipient of the 2006 Astraea Lesbian Writers Fund Award in Fiction—reading from her new book, Breaking out of Bedlam.  Audiences enjoyed a sneak preview of a short film from the 5^th Annual Queer Women of Color Film Festival, hosted annually by our grantee partner, Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project. We are truly honored to have such outstanding artists highlight our event. We look forward to returning next year!

Next was our co-sponsorship of the New York premiere of Straightlaced, an Astraea-supported documentary revealing how gender performance norms and anti-gay attitudes restrict everyone. Directed by Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Debra Chasnoff, the event featured a dessert and wine reception with the production team that not only gave deep insight into the subject matter, but also delved into the internal workings of capturing this story on film.

It wouldn’t be Pride Month without our annual Party with Pride at Executive Director Katherine Acey’s home.  The only event coordinated and hosted by the entire Astraea staff, Party with Pride featured delicious edibles ranging from pot roast to cupcakes, all handmade by Astraea staff members.  Our talents however, were not limited to our culinary skills. Grants Assistant Fly Onakeme Etaghene performed a rousing set of passionate poetry that enthralled the crowd in the garden oasis of Katherine’s backyard.

We are keeping the momentum going!  New York City will see a fabulous event this fall featuring a special guest star.  And Astraea is building on the rousing success of our house parties with a new program—Justice Socials—because the social justice movement begins at home.  Stay tuned for your chance to get involved by hosting a Justice Social of your own or attending one near you!