Pretty in Pink

Anthony Barber, aka Diva-Simone Slaughter. Photo by Trask Bedortha — Anthony Barber, aka Diva-Simone Slaughter.by Trask Bedortha

After four years and three venues, G.L.A.M. arrives at its grand finale and celebration, a pink party at Luckey’s Club Saturday, Aug. 1, to send off the whole G.L.A.M. family in style.

The drag show Eugene has grown to love began as Gays, Lesbians And More, offering a positive venue to queer folks and their allies. “It was about people who didn’t have a space,” says producer/emcee Anthony Barber, aka Diva-Simone Slaughter, who has performed in Eugene since “Baby Got Back” was the flavor of the week.

What now then for G.L.A.M.-goers? “People should know that G.L.A.M. isn’t dying — it’s evolving,” Slaughter says. The spirit of the event has always been that it was a home in the absence of a home, and for Slaughter, with the advent of The Wayward Lamb, a new explicitly queer bar, it’s time to move on.

What comes next will be something more diverse, featuring drag kings and other yet-unknown pleasures.

G.L.A.M. ran for its first year or so with Slaughter, Cornel Hardiman, aka Karess Ann Slaughter, and the internet go-go dancer celebrity Curtis Goodman, aka Vegas Platinum. In lieu of Goodman, the Pink Party lineup will feature long-time regular Bill Sullivan, aka Daphne Storm, who has traveled with the event from John Henry’s to Diablo’s and, finally, Luckey’s.

Storm, locally born and raised, isn’t heartbroken. “I’ve seen things come and go,” she says, adding that, in this case, “it’s a good thing.”

Storm and Slaughter met ages ago through the charity collective Imperial Sovereign Court, where they’ve since performed for causes like HIV Alliance and Sexual Assault Support Services of Lane County.

“A large part of my life has been drag and doing stuff for the community,” says Slaughter, who over the years has worked at about a dozen bars in the area, doing everything from bartending to hosting a dating game show. “G.L.A.M. was a good place to put all that together.”

“I spend a lot of time and effort on a look. I believe in glamor,” Slaughter says, recalling past wardrobes and themes. “We’ve done red parties, we’ve done green parties. We’ve never done pink,” she says. The drag party before there was G.L.A.M. was called Club Pink. “It’s an homage to that.”

Diva-Simone Slaughter, Karess Ann Slaughter, Rhea Della Vera and Daphne Storm will let loose, backed by the G.L.A.M. Squad go-go dancers, all to the tunes of DJs Jordin McDowell and John Strieder, 11 pm Saturday, Aug. 1, at Luckey’s; $5, doors at 9 pm.

Update: The print version of this story omitted that Rhea Della Vera will also be performing. Look for Della Vera to appear in a story in next week’s issue.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!