OUTscene America: Chicago Red Dress Party attracts hundreds, raises thousands!

 

Marcus Riley and Candace Jordan with Powell
credit :: anthony meade


They came, they saw and they wore red. With the reviews now in for Chicago's first-ever Red Dress Party, held Saturday, April 16th event was a clear success in its effort to continue an ever-expanding national tradition of raising awareness of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and funds to counter its continued spread, reports ChicagoPride.com.

According to Kyler Powell, the party's executive producer, the event attracted some 300 eager partygoers -- almost all of whom decked out in their crimson attire of choice -- and raised approximately $20,000 for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and the Equality Project. While these numbers fell short of their lofty goals, Powell said it was an impressive showing for its first time out of the gate nonetheless.

"We were a little short, but it's still really good for the first year of the event in Chicago," Powell told ChicagoPride.com. "We're still really proud of what we did when compared to how other cities hosting the Red Dress Party did in their first year. The event went really, really well."

For comparison's sake, in its debut in 2001, the original (and now largest) Red Dress Party in Portland (Founded by Reid Dekker and Jeff Hawthorne), only hosted some 75 guests. The party, then, marked the public extension, as the legend goes, of a promise made between two men who had both contracted the HIV virus in the early 1990s: When one of the men passed away, the other would wear a red dress to his funeral. That promise lives on in parties held throughout the country today.

But success is not only measured by the number of figures written on a check. The goal of the Red Dress Party, Powell added, is indeed two-fold: In addition to raising funds for organizations working to better the lives of those living with HIV/AIDS and help prevent the virus's spread into affected communities, the event is intended to bring the issue out of the shadows.

"I'm really proud of all the work everybody put into this event to help raise the visibility of HIV/AIDS issues," Powell said. "I think the issue has become somewhat complacent in society and events like this bring the issue back to the forefront. I'm proud of everyone in Chicago for showing up and supporting the cause."

Among those who showed up were local media figures Candace Jordan (Candid Candace) and Marcus Riley (NBC Chicago), gay favorite singer-songwriter Kristine W and local drag-lebrity Miss Foozie, who greeted party guests on the event's red carpet.