From left, Charles Robbins, executive director of The Trevor Project; Damon Romine, director of entertainment media at GLAAD; his father, David Romine; and Larry Barrett. Photo by David A. Lee. From left: Ilene Chaiken, creator and executive producer of TV's The L Word, along with cast members Jennifer Beals, Pam Grier, Rose Rollins and Daniela Sea. Photo by Jicky
MARRIAGES
Romine/Robbins wed—in father-son double ceremony
Charles Robbins, executive director of The Trevor Project, the nation's suicide prevention helpline for gay youth, and Damon Romine, director of entertainment media of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation ( GLAAD ) , wed Nov. 2 in Palm Springs, Calif., in a unique double ceremony. The couple have been together nine years and were wed alongside Romine's father, David Romine, and his partner Larry Barrett, of Topeka, Kan., who have been together for 16 years.
This is believed to be the first double-wedding ceremony in California shared by a father and son since marriage equality took effect in June. ( Of course, whether the couples are still married is uncertain since the state's voters passed Proposition 8 two days after the weddings. )
Out actor George Takei and his new husband were among the two dozen family and friends who attended the weddings at the Viceroy Palm Springs. Following the ceremony, the newlyweds—both pairs—were the guests of actor Leslie Jordan at his one-man show, My Life on the Pink Carpet.
Celebs attend NY center's women's event
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center ( the Center ) hosted its 11th annual Women's Event Nov. 1 in New York City. The organization also celebrated its 25th anniversary in conjunction with the event. Over 550 people attended the cocktail reception, dinner, and silent auction, including several cast members of The L Word and distinguished honorees Ilene Chaiken, Stephanie Gibbons and Lisa Sherman. The event raised over $350,000 that will be used to sustain an array of programs, services and activities that serve women throughout the New York tri-state area, including mental health, social services, youth programming, cultural programs, breast-cancer awareness and educational forums.
BIRTHS
Katja Lynn Koehlinger-Branch
Simone Koehlinger and Lora Branch ( both of the Chicago Department of Public Health ) are now proud parents. Koehlinger gave birth to a baby girl—Katja Lynn Koehlinger-Branch—Nov. 9 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital/Prentice Women's Hospital at 3 p.m. Koehlinger-Branch weighed 8 lbs., 9 oz.
Black Ensemble receives $250K
The Chicago Community Trust recently awarded the Black Ensemble $250,000. The newly awarded funds will be put towards the theater's $20 million capital campaign, dubbed The Next Stage, that is raising funds for its new Black Ensemble Theater Cultural Center.
The cultural center—a state-of-the-art, 50,000-square-foot facility—will be located at 4440 N. Clark.
Common Threads receives turkeys
Common Threads—an organization co-founded by chef Art Smith and his partner, Jesus Salgueiro, to, among other things, educate children on the importance of nutrition and physical well-being—announced that 50 of its affiliated students will receive 12-lb. turkeys and turkey breasts for Thanksgiving.
Holiday turkeys will be distributed to students at the South Shore Cultural Center in South Shore, Jordan Community School in Rogers Park and Nicholson Elementary School in Englewood. See www.CommonThreads.org for more info about the organization.
