At The 2012 Toys Party In Chelsea

Above is the ten-foot-high mountain of toys I encountered at last night's Toys Party, the 27th annual holiday event at Chelsea Piers which raises money for SAGE (Services & Advocacy for Gay Elders).  The event always sells out and the well-dressed crowd of over 2300 was already in a  block-long line when I arrived.  I didn't get a lot of photos as my loyal photographer Dr. Jeff was unable to attend, but below you'll find some shots of JMG readers, uberblogger Andy Towle, NYC Council candidate Corey Johnson, radio host Michelangelo Signorile, nightlife photographer Gustavo Monroy, GLAAD's Rich Ferraro, blogger Kenneth Walsh, and hilarious comedian Robynne Kaamil.  Mayor Bloomberg reportedly spoke to the crowd, but I must have been somewhere else in the giant complex. I don't think I've ever been at such an enormous gay party where most of the crowd didn't have their shirts off.  The toys are donated to the USMC's Toys For Tots program.

UPDATE: The final shot above (that I'm in) is from the event's digital photo booth. Hundreds of more booth photos can be viewed here.

UPDATE II: The embedded slideshow seems to be slowing the page load today, so I've removed it. See the full-screen photos here.

CORRECTION: Although I'm pretty sure I heard the party's announcer say "Toys For Tots," which is a USMC program, I've been corrected as to the destination of the toys. They will go to: "The 9th Police Precinct Community Council, Ali Forney Center, Brooklyn ACE Integration Head Start, God’s Love We Deliver, Grace Baptist/Faith Mission, St. Ann’s Episcopal Church of the Bronx, St. Francis Desales Church of Rockaway NY, UWS Jericho Project/Brick Church, and Youth 4 Seniors/Harlem InterAgency Council."

Thursday: Robbyne Kaamil At Duplex

My pal and former coworker, the hilarious Robbyne Kaamil, will be doing her raunchy stand-up act at the Duplex in the West Village this Thursday at 7pm.

Comedian/actress Robbyne Kaamil who has matched wits with Howard Stern returns to the stage with her hilarious and thought provoking one woman show, Raw & Real. Robbyne uses explosive poetry, side-ripping comedy and dramatic interludes to explore racism, police brutality, abusive relationships and sex (the good, the bad and the ugly).

Tickets are $20, reservations required. Robbyne warns: "If you're under 21, overly sensitive or dislike profanity please keep your ass at home." Next month Robbyne performs every Monday and Tuesday at Provincetown's UU Theater.

Saturday: Robbyne Kaamil's "Raw & Real" At Duplex Cabaret

This Saturday the hilarious Robbyne Kaamil will perform her "Raw & Real" one-woman show at the Duplex Cabaret in the West Village.

Comedian/actress Robbyne Kaamil who has matched wits with Howard Stern returns to the stage with her hilarious and thought provoking one woman show, Raw & Real. Robbyne uses explosive poetry, side-ripping comedy and dramatic interludes to explore racism, police brutality, abusive relationships and sex (the good, the bad and the ugly).

Robbyne and I worked together for several years here in Manhattan and shared the stage at Reading For Filth back in the spring. She is hands down one of the funniest people you will ever see. Highly recommended. Tickets here. Robbyne warns: "If you're under 21, overly sensitive or dislike profanity, please keep your ass at home."

Recap: Reading For Filth

Last night's Reading For Filth show was moving, hilarious, historic. I read something from the JMG archives, Tripping Over The Tubs, and that went over pretty well, but then my former co-worker, the dynamic one-woman circus called Robbyne Kaamil (above, before the show) blew me off the stage with a rousing part-poetry, part gospel, sex-positive performance that had the audience shouting her mantra, "Fucking is a GOOD thing!" I really needed that, because prior to taking the stage, I (and most of the audience) was completely verklempt from Eric Leven's moving story about meeting an HIV+ man and his own later close call with the virus.

But more tears would come immediately after Robbyne's performance as the surprise special guest we'd been promised turned out to be an actual (and legal) transgender wedding. Rapture Books owner Joe Birdsong called the wedding party over from a nearby restaurant and the room was suddenly flooded with 50 new people, including the happy couple and the reverend. And suddenly a room that moments earlier had been raucous with talking and house music became pin-drop silent and reverent. It was beautiful, just lovely, and I had to use my touk to dab my eyes.After the wedding, we schlepped over to Eastern Bloc where Eric was co-hosting a Hanukkah party. Eric handed out the yarmulkes (mine said "Bat Mitzvah of Meridith Haley Spiegel") and thanks in part to the Ginch Gonch-clad Manischewitz shot boy, we were soon rocking out to some Klezmer-techno. My yarmulke kept falling off my giant head, but Wayne Hoffman (below, with Eric) sort of screwed it on so it would stay. Next year, I'll bring a bobby pin. What a great night! And this time, I actually got to bed by 1am.