Posted on 05/15/2006 4:20:33 PM PDT by lauriehelds
They tore up the terrazzo dancing salsa at South Beach's Pearl. They jammed to electronica and played make-believe news anchors and firefighters at the Miami Children's Museum. They did the Dirty-South grind, chains of them in bikinis and surfer shorts, around the pool at the Surfcomber on Collins Avenue.
More than 7,000 lesbians, from South Florida, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, even Canada, France and South America, came together over the weekend for the blowout fundraiser Aqua Girl. They didn't stop dancing until well into Sunday evening.
They also didn't stop surprising themselves with their ease in blending together. In a culture that rigorously breaks down into types -- butch/lipstick, urban gear/Birkenstocks, baby dyke/older lesbian -- Aqua Girl, in its sixth year, is notable for its ability to bulldoze barriers.
''We're talking to all kinds of girls. It's not always that way at home. Lesbians tend to stay segregated,'' said Stacey Wallace, 35, a black narcotics officer with the Philadelphia police force.
Wallace and her girlfriend, Lori Smith, 37, also a Philly police officer, strolled the Surfcomber pool party Saturday afternoon, making new friends among the 1,500 revelers.
Anglo gays and lesbians tend be the most involved -- and most visible -- in South Florida activism circles. Their Hispanic and black counterparts may be large in numbers, but they are from communities where being out can be more costly.
During Aqua Girl weekend, local lesbians who are rarely on the scene mixed with the always out-and-proud. The dinner, comedy night, brunch and sold-out dance parties (one of them, called Candyland, at the Children's Museum) attracted everybody, including hip-hoppers, rockers and the reggaeton set, and everything, including Lil' Kim look-alikes, J.Lo wannabes and Shane clones.
But for all the different looks and backgrounds, it was a celebration of commonality.
''Everybody is on the same page,'' said Kara Ferguson, 26, a black kitchen expediter for Home Depot who flew in from Mantua, N.J. ``Aqua Girl is how it should be every day.''
You only had to say ''The L Word,'' and folks in the crowd responded with the name of the character they're having a TV thing with on the Showtime lesbian soap.
''Shane for sure,'' said Colombian Maribel Alvarez, 23, of Hialeah, who studies accounting at Florida International University.
Alvarez's girlfriend, an FIU student who lives with her Cuban parents in Kendall, is ''more of a Carmen girl'' -- but she didn't want to be on the record.
''I work as a secretary in a very Cuban medical office. It wouldn't be cool if my co-workers knew I was a lesbian,'' said the 26-year-old, in lipstick and high heels at the sun-baked pool party.
``Yeah, I guess I do look like a straight girl. I don't want to wear a sign that says I'm gay because not everybody would be cool with that. That's just the reality. I don't even really go to gay clubs. But Aqua Girl is a big deal.''
The weekend, produced by volunteers, benefits the Women's Community Fund, which supports the local lesbian community through grants and scholarships. With the $86,000 generated by last year's Aqua Girl, the organization gave $15,000 to such groups as the Gay & Lesbian Film Festival and Pridelines Youth Services and set aside $30,000 to create a women's healthcare initiative. They hoped to boost this year's take to $100,000.
''There are other women's weekends around the country. But they're mostly for profit,'' said Alison Burgos, president of the Women's Community Fund. ``This one is 100 percent about giving back to the community. It's volunteer-driven, and the locals really take pride in it. It's about partying, but it's also about being involved.''
About 60 percent of the crowd this year was from South Florida, Burgos said. Organizers keep admission prices affordable to attract a mix of women.
''The pool party is $15 in advance and $20 at the door because we want everybody to be able to come,'' said Burgos, a longtime lesbian-events promoter. ``We don't want to exclude the younger girls or the girls who don't have a lot of money. We want the whole community to be out.''
Even a few straight girls in the crowd felt the vibe of inclusiveness. Jen Scordamaglia, 17, and Jen Buitrago, 18, who were hired to model tiny Perfect Tan bikinis at the pool party, were at ease in a sea of ogling lesbians.
''When a guy says something to you, you want to slap their face,'' Jen Scordamaglia said. ``But these girls are all really respectful. I'm more comfortable here than I usually am around all straight people.''
Pretty sad !
3.. 2.. 1..
yuk...barf...ack...ptui...blech
I can't see Hillary! in that picture. What's up with that?
LesbiFriends!
Probably holding her breath below the surface......
WOOHOO!
Did someone say end times?
2nd lesbian: No, let me be Frank.
Wallace and her girlfriend, Lori Smith, 37, also a Philly police officer...
"...'Ey. 'Ow you doin'?..."
Glad they hire minors to model bikinis at a lesbian pool party.
That's what they call it these days?
like most red blooded males I don't seem to mind watching two hot chicks kissing, but most lesbians, especially the hard core femenazi types look like they roll their own tampons.
How do I get invited to this party? From the picture it looks like they are lipstick lesbians.
probably sounded like a pie eating contest! (an old Joan Rivers line).
"Jen Scordamaglia, 17, and Jen Buitrago, 18, who were hired to model tiny Perfect Tan bikinis at the pool party, were at ease in a sea of ogling lesbians."
An obvious attempt to please and be sensitive to the lesbian pedophiles.
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