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Volume 15/Issue 21

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

The New Orleans Alliance of Pride has made the "How to Get Your Pink Card" game as the official fundraising game of PrideFest '98. Some of the Pride Board members, myself included, have taken the game home and played it with friends and family. The game is a "must own!" If you don't have one for your home, you need to get one.

I call it the "gay game of Life." It brings you through Discovery, Exploration, "In & Out" of the closet and Nirvana (where you become an official "family" member). Included in the paths are gay trivia, truth or dares, and even ATTITUDE cards. I like the attitude cards the most. With attitude cards you get to throw attitude by reading another player and taking points from them. For defense you may get lucky enough to draw an anti-attitude card where you get to read them back and take even more of the original reader's points. My second favorite is the cards with the big red lips on them. They are the Truth or Dare cards. You never know what you may have to tell the truth about or how daring you may become in responding to the orders on the cards. Some cocktails and a game board can bring hours of laughter and a good time.

Washington, D.C. has made a hit out of it as a fundraiser. Here's a little more scoop from their end: "Coming Out Goes Straight...New Board Game is Cleaning Out the Nation's Closets!"

Washington, D.C. - A new board game is making J. Edgar Hoover turn over in his grave! Part spoof, part educational challenge, "How to Get Your Pink Card" is the first product designed to demystify gay icons, fashions and vocabulary and has been called by MSNBC the REAL game of Life'! The game builds a unique bridge to open lines of communication between straight and gay audiences.

Players explore gay culture and history by going through the coming-out process in a fun, non-threatening environment. "I am using the game in my classes and counseling sessions," said Norrine Mack, a high school counselor. "The game is a perfect tool to teach kids that being gay is okay." How to Get Your Pink Card-Tm was created in response to an increasing acceptance of and interest in gay life. "This is a straight-friendly game," said Romanus Wolter, co-creator. "We created Pink Card to entertain our friends and educate our families." "Being gay is not a game - but it can be fun,"' said Marguerite Arnold, co-creator. "Pink Card celebrates the influence gay culture has on all of our lives."

According to Andrea L.T. Peterson whose review of the board game first appeared in Quest magazine in Denver, "This game has been tested ... The game lasted about an hour and we were rolling on the carpet laughing when it was done." Sharon R. Cairns of The Washington Blade had this to say: "At last, due to the enthusiasm and creative genius of Romanus Wolter, [and] Marguerite Arnold, a thoroughly gay (although very straight-friendly) board game that can and should be played with all your friends and family."

Groups around the country are using the game as a unique outreach and fundraising tool. In February, a Washington DC group providing outreach and education to gay and questioning youth used the game to raise $1,500 in one evening. The game was also featured at The Washington DC Gay Pride Festival in June, 1997.

Speaking of fundraising... the efforts of the New Orleans Alliance of Pride have been very successful this year. With the new resolution of the board to become more inclusive, adjustments have been made and are being implemented each year. One of the first efforts of inclusiveness was the yearly Pride Party series which began last year. The theme was the "Rainbow Color" series. Herewith the participants and what they raised to help put on PrideFest `96:
Bourbon Pub/Parade - Pride & Joy Party:$378; Corner Pocket - Yellow Party: $1,000; Good Friends - Silver Screens: $540; Lafitte's - Blue Ball: $271 Oz - Purple Party: $500; Rubyfruit Jungle - Red Party: $100.

This year's theme was "Family Gems & Stones" and here's what they raised for PrideFest '97:
Bourbon Pub/Parade Emerald: $263; Good Friends - Diamond: $650; Fashion Cafe - Precious: $720 Lafitte's - Blue Sapphire: $1,065; Oz - Amethyst: $500; Pookie's Palace - Opal: none reported; Rawhide 2010 - Onyx: $350 Rubyfruit Jungle - Ruby: $215 "Patchwork of Pride" will be the Pride Party series theme for PrideFest '98!

A very grand "Thank You" goes out to the participating bars for their fundraising efforts that helped make our PrideFest celebrations successful. I ask that you all personally thank the above listed bars and owners for their help. FYI: We are the only Pride organization that has been pre-launched by the community bar scene. The International Lesbian and Gay Pride Coordinators have commended the New Orleans Alliance of Pride for being able to accomplish this. The board wishes to pass that honor on to the bars that have helped make it possible, as well as being a part of making the PrideFests so successful! Just remember that you all make the PrideFests what they are. What you put into it is what you will get out of it. I will give a full update with highlights on PrideFest '97 in the next issue... so keep watch!

Now on to a review! When it comes to the music industry I thoroughly enjoy seeing "family" members `COME OUT' and be who they are in the lime light. Her name is Joi Cardwell. Signed in with Eight Ball Records, she has done a great job with her talent as well as her entertainment abilities.

She has been featured in some major mags such as Detour, HX for Her Magazine, Genre, Streetsound & OUT. You've probably heard one of her latest dance hits, "Love and Devotion," played in the clubs.

Joi Cardwell is a complete package-singer, songwriter, producer, and performer. From her humble beginning as a 5-time winner of Amateur Night at the Apollo to #1 on the charts, Joi has been wowing fans with here emotive and uplifting performances, selling over 1.5 million records worldwide. One of Dance Music's most productive artists, Joi has released three albums in the past 5 years and written 95% of her own material. Joi's chart experience is second to none as each of her albums have produced at least two hits which have fared Top 5 or better.

Of Joi's some twenty-odd singles, nine have charted on Billboard's venerable club chart. Joi is able to reach any audience, whether alone or playing with her full, 8-piece band, as her music covers a wide range from the surreal to the best of music on the edge.

Joi Cardwell as also received critical acclaim as a songwriter. Her songs have been performed in the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Africa. Joi's songs have been used in commercial formats, underlying advertisements for radio, and featured on movie soundtracks such as "The Watermelon Woman", an independent release currently showing around the U.S. as well as Epic's "Brazen" soundtrack ("Something That I Said") in '94. Joi is a prolific lyricist, and is capable of collaborating with comparable musicians. She has collaborated with the likes of Kashif, a multi-platinum artist and producer, Grammy nominee Greg Smith, as well as NARAS board member and multi-platinum Dj/Producer, Frankie Knuckles.

In addition, she has performed abroad in stadium venues, supporting acts such as Toshi Kubota. In America, Joi has performed in notable venues as House of Blues/L.A., New York's Irving Plaza, S.O.B.'s, Tramp's, and the Knitting Factory, The Garage, Palladium, Limelight, and Sound Factory" Starck Club/Dallas; Liquid, Amnesia, and Glam Slam in Miami, Sound Factory/ San Francisco, and Shelter/Chicago. Internationally, Joi has amazed audiences at Ministry of Sound/London, The Nice Jazz Festival/France, The North Sea Jazz Festival/Holland, Gold and Velfarre/Tokyo, and countless others. For more information on Joi Cardwell, or to schedule an interview contact.- Jimmy Smith @ eightball records-212.337.1200 or fax 212.337.1414. 50 W 17th. St. 12th. Floor, New York, NY 212.337.1200 Fax. 212.337.1414.

Well that's all for this issue, till next time!


Love Always, Sonny C .

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