I Won't Be Seeing You In September

There has been some rather disturbing events here in South Jersey, all surrounding the benefits and their recipients. And I, for one, am not having it anymore. I have written many times before about my devotion to raising money to combat HIV/AIDS. This disease has devastated my life. I have cried an ocean over the people I have lost to this horrible illness. My heart will be forever broken because of this disease. Because of that, I have devoted myself to raising money for our local A.I.D.S. charity, the South Jersey AIDS Alliance(SJAA). I have almost put myself into the grave entertaining people in order to raise money for this noble cause, pushing myself, and quite willingly, because so many people are too sick and too weak to help themselves. How dare I say, "I'm too tired to get on stage" or "I just don't feel like it today". There are people who can't take a day off of living and dying with HIV/AIDS, and I'll be damned if I am going to let them down when I still have breath in my body.

But recent events have soured me on all of it. I cannot take this anymore. I have done all I can and I am so tired of feeling like every fucking thing that I have done is considered worthless. That my efforts have less value because of my limited resources or capabilities. That the millions I have helped raise were very welcome but, they can do better without me. I can go on and on about how angry I am over the cancellation of our annual Miss'd America Pageant this past January, which I still feel was a huge mistake. Compounded by the fact that the organizers of said pageant couldn't behoove themselves to notify the grunts in the trenches that it was being pushed to September until I pushed the issue and finally got an answer from them. This was AFTER we had already bought fabric for gowns and costumes, started rehearsals for our performances, hired dancers, cleared our schedules, etc. Although the official reason was given that they are concentrating on a big event in February (the upcoming Broadway On The Bay) and they wanted to do something big in the former and traditional Miss America pageant month of September. The unofficial and unconfirmed reason (and I suspect the real one) is that the owner of the Miss'd needs time to open the little club he's installing in his new building so he can hold the official after-party and reap some financial benefits for himself.

Then there was the bejeweled slap-in-the-face when I heard that the reason we weren't invited to perform in Broadway On The Bay was because they weren't sure how the "drag" act will go over. Even though we brought the house down when we performed at the last Broadway show. Even though the hosts of the production are doing a comedy drag number THIS YEAR. We were invited to buy one of the $75 or $125 dollar tickets to watch the show from the audience.

How mighty white of them.

That brings up our Red Ribbon Bingo. Does anyone have a clue when, where, or if it's ever going to be done again? I know I haven't a clue. My repeated emails to the SJAA have gone unanswered. How the hell can they just ignore an attempt to raise some serious money for them?

This has all left a very bad taste in my mouth. A considerable feat since I have been known to put some rather nasty things down my throat (yes, I went there). So, Chunkie Marinara and I have an idea. Since Miss America thought Las Vegas was so nice, we think so to. I have already begun to organize a little vacation, and end-of-summer soiree for all the past Miss'd Americas who have done so much for the SJAA and the Miss'd Pageant owners.

MORTIMER, CHUNKIE, MISS TENE, JOY, MORGAN, CHAYLMIDA, AND THE REST ARE GOING TO VEGAS, BABY!

That's right. Come September, all of us will be on a jet plane for The Meadows (Las Vegas in English). Every last one. Including some of our biggest supporters (Becky, this means you. Patti, this means you). I have had enough. It's petty. It's juvenile. It's mean-spirited. And it's brilliant.

It's not like they have needed any of us recently, anyway.