BY CANDY PARKER

If asked to describe comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer in just one word, some may go with “ground-breaking.” This would, of course, be accurate. After all, Westenhoefer was the first openly lesbian comic to host her own HBO Comedy Special (1994) and to appear on the “Late Show with David Letterman” (2003). But that one word could never do her justice.

Self-deprecating. Raw. Hilarious. Legendary. Unpredictable. Candid. (That last one is by her own admission — I found it on her website.) All these and more could also be used to describe Westenhoefer, who is brazenly honest, outspoken and spontaneous in her comedy.

Westenhoefer began her stand-up career on a dare and she carries that same risk-taking attitude with her every time she takes the stage. With countless hours of material honed over a  career spanning more than two decades and a penchant for spilling the beans about whatever is currently happening in her life at the moment, Westenhoefer offers up a unique comedy set adventure every time she takes the stage.

Westenhoefer will soon be appearing with fellow veteran comic Jennie McNulty at two benefit performances for the United Church of Christ Coalition for LGBT Concerns. The first performance will be Saturday, May 17, at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, California. Tickets are available through www.brownpapertickets.com. The second show will be held Sunday, May 18, at Peace United Church of Christ in Santa Cruz, California. Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketriver.com. VIP tickets are available at each event and include a meet and greet with both comedians and priority seating.

I managed to catch up with Westenhoefer long enough to get her to answer our Fast 5 questions this week.

1. What are you most looking forward to in 2014?

Touring with Miley Cyrus. It’s not official yet, but a girl can dream.

2. Phone call or text?

Please, I beg you, text!

3. What would be your best piece of relationship advice?

Each partner should have full access to the other person’s phone, email, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts. (We’re pretty sure there’s a great story behind Westenhoefer’s answer on this one, but we maintain a strict five-question policy, so there was no chance for follow up.)

4. What’s the last movie you went to the theater to see?

“Despicable Me 2” with one million toddlers.

5. If you could have one super power, what would you want it to be and why?

To fly, both for the fun of it and to give the big finger to the airlines that rule my life.

Be sure to check out Westenhoefer’s website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

The post Fast 5 with comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Palm Springs, CA – Get ready for some ridiculously funny, gut-buster, riotous comedy with two of the most acclaimed lesbian stand up comedians in the country, Suzanne Westenhoefer and Dana Goldberg.

Slated to headline “The Dinah Comedy Night” on Saturday, March 31 at 8:00pm at The Palm Springs Convention Center in Palm Springs, CA, these two veteran comedians will pull no punches, offering an exceptional night of comedy galore.

In an industry that has for years radically been dominated by males, female comics have been progressively taking over the nation’s comedy clubs, bringing their own unique repartee, original voice and individual talent.

Who runs the world?

Westenhoefer and Goldberg have successfully been holding their own in this boy’s club for a long time, and keep pushing the boundaries to carve out a unique voice for women in comedy.
Westenhoefer’s groundbreaking 25-year career of stereotype-shattering and brutally honest comedy includes being one of the first openly lesbian comedians on “Late Night with David Letterman” and the first openly lesbian comedian to have an HBO special. She’s appeared on Bravo, Logo and GSN and has had live performances across the US.

The kid from Amish Country who began her comedy career on a dare is celebrating a quarter century of out, open, no-holds-barred comedy and of course promises to not play it safe at the Dinah.

As seen on TBS, ABC, and Last Comic Standing, veteran comedian Dana Goldberg is a force of nature on stage. With performances at The Comedy Festival produced by TBS and HBO, and the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland; her quick wit and playful stage presence have her earning loyal fans across the country and abroad.

Voted one of the “Top Five Funniest Lesbians In America,” Curve magazine raves, “Goldberg is one of the brightest lights in a stellar comedy landscape.” Advocate.com named Goldberg one of the top three LGBT comedians in the nation.
Comedy used to be a boys’ club, but who’s getting the last laugh now?

“At the Dinah, we are committed to openly celebrating our lives and what’s a good celebration without the sound of laughter. I couldn’t be more pleased to announce this stellar line up of two amazing and groundbreaking comedians who always hit it out of The Dinah park We moved comedy to Saturday so we are expecting a sold-out show this year, “says Mariah Hanson, founder and producer of The Dinah.

Celebrating its 28th Anniversary, Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend, is, once again, upping the volume on your laughter, bringing together two of the hottest lesbian comics on the circuit for an exceptional comedy night that is MUST SEE COMEDY!

The post Lesbian comedians Westenhoefer and Goldberg on tap for Dinah 2018 first appeared on Lesbian.com.

We had every intention of being homebodies this year. No travel at all, just a year to save our pennies and get grounded. It’s been delicious. After several months of staying in our little coastal home, my mind is sharper, my sleep schedule is approaching normal, and I’ve got a good start on my next book.

Then, something just as wonderful happened. The publishers of Sapphire Books invited us to be part of “Literary Adventures at Sea,” a program they put together with Olivia Cruises, which is being sponsored by Curve Magazine. I admit that I cried when we were asked. Two of our best friends urged us to join them. My sweetheart and I never ever dreamed we could go on a cruise. This one is sailing the inland passage of Alaska. Alaska! Growing up my parents’ apartment in Queens, I never thought I’d travel farther than Manhattan.

The Staten Island Ferry this ain’t. We’re celebrating our tenth anniversary in style—and with a cozy group of over 1,800 lesbians. As of a week ago, there were all of three cabins available. Even when I did go into Manhattan, the lesbian bars held no more than perhaps a hundred dykes? This is a floating women’s festival. This was the cruise that writer Cate Culpepper gave herself before she died, sans a boatload of lesbians. I expect to meet her spirit along the way, beaming at all the women, women, women!

I have visions of serenity, of calmly sailing wide blue waters, of passing glaciers of profound clarity and immensity, and perhaps a glimpse of northern lights to take our breath away after a long, long day of sunshine spent with my beloved on this, our tenth perfect year together.

The months leading up to this voyage have kept my sweetheart as busy as I’ve ever seen her. In what she calls her demented excitement about our cruise, she has already looked at 700 online pictures of where we are going. She has mapped out every deck on the boat. She has examined seventy possible off-ship excursions and has chosen the five best that suit us both. She’s even inspired and written half of this column.

All this in the evenings while I read my escapist books and try to ignore the impending departure from our home, which I find extremely difficult, and from our cat, whose diabetes worsens with stress, especially when we are away. Our cat Bolo considers “away” to be any time I’m not next to her writing a new book for my publisher, Bold Strokes Books, while she bats things off the side table. So concerned is she that we’ll disappear, that she follows me into the bathroom while I take a shower, eager to remind me that whenever I want to feed her is okay, as long as it’s now. Leaving her in the care of our truly devoted cat sitter for even one night is not readily forgiven upon our return.

My sweetheart usually spends two or three hours packing on the day of travel, while I fret, eyes glued to my watch. This time, a month before we set sail, she is already half packed and has written out the cat sitter’s check. Still she pours over maps of every location, wallowing in joyful anticipation. She has created an hourly itinerary Excel spreadsheet for each of the eight days we will be away. All I have to do is play that age-old game, Follow-the-Femme, though I know there will be hours blocked out to accommodate my visions of a week communing with the natural world and Cate Culpepper.

I’ve never lived with an overexcited little kid, but that seems to be who I fell for in June, 2007. She claims that I’ve recently given up hope of reading more than a chapter of any book without at least one peep from her that goes something like, “Can I just tell you this one thing about Sitka/ Ketchikan/Juneau/Victoria?” Or: our room, our view, boarding, disembarking, Suzanne Westenhoefer’s show, dancing, and where we’re going to have lunch on our drive home.

Such a woman deserves a bank-breaking anniversary, even if she’s been working overtime so we can afford it. The bathroom is stuffed with her luggage. The futon is covered with my suitcase and essentials and the cat’s been sleeping on everything, in a vain plea for us not to leave her for a whole week.

A week is forever to little Bolo, and forever is what my sweetheart and I have pledged to each other. It’s been an incredible ten years since we met. I could not have found a more unconditionally loving, funny, caring, understanding, helpful, lovely, intelligent, alluring, forgiving, patient, or fun wife if I’d been looking. Which I wasn’t. Silly me.

Copyright Lee Lynch 2017

The post The Amazon Trail: A Tenth Anniversary at Sea first appeared on Lesbian.com.

From the Barbie parties she threw as a child (Ken was never invited) to the biannual women’s weekend on the Russian River, Carmen McKay is a long-time event producer. She and her partner Annie Albright own the event production company She She, which focuses on lesbians over 35.

McKay started the Women’s Weekend at Russian River nearly 30 years ago. It had attracted 6,000 women biannually to small, scenic community of Guerneville. Eventually, she turned the festival over to the community and it petered out.

This September, McKay breathes new life into Women’s Weekend, September 12-14. When McKay does something, she does it big. In 1987, at the age of 25, McKay was the co-organizer of the Gay and Lesbian March on Washington, which attracted over 750,000 people.

She also tours with her one-woman show “Elvis’ Secret Dyke Daughter.”

McKay shared her wit and delightful personality in an interview with Lesbian.com.

Please tell us about the forest fire that started your Women’s Weekend 2.0 Festival. When would you say your passion for producing events began?

When I was about 7, I used to hang blankets on the clothes line in our backyard to use as stage curtains and put my little brother in a dress (as my main attraction), get my girlfriends to rehearse a Supreme’s song and dance, then put on a big show for the neighborhood parents. So, I’ve always had an Andy Rooney-Judy Garland, “let’s put on a show” kinda thing going on.

It’s a funny story, back in 1986, I was setting up for a women’s festival in Yosemite and there was a huge forest fire surrounding our camp, 150 workers were trapped. I happen to have a Wonder Woman outfit with me (I never leave home without it) and a motorcycle, so, when the fire blew off the road and we had one chance to escape I led the women out on my motorcycle and took everyone to a resort in Guerneville, California — four hours away — and diverted the festival goers to Guerneville and had the festival there. It all took off from there.


I read that the festival was founded by you, Beth Jackson and Eric Pariser. You turned the festival over to the community in the 90s, what made you take it over again?

I’ve watched it over the years and was concerned when it eventually devolved into a smaller, less impactful event. It’s like watching your child go downhill or something. The timing was great as the previous local organizer was burned out and was not going to continue after last May. I really have a powerful, personal vision about bringing the festival back to it’s original glory. I don’t get those kinds of visions very often, but when I do, there’s no escaping them. I’m really driven by the possibility of recreating something that makes a difference for women.

What changes should the crowd expect to see this year?

OMG, what can they expect NOT to see? We are pulling out all the stops! We are reinventing it with a huge, professional marketing machine, headliner entertainment like Beverly McClellan of NBC’s “The Voice,” Suzanne Westenhoefer and Julie Goldman of Bravo and Logo TV, and Lorie Moore from Fox TV’s “The X-Factor.”

We are also bringing in popular local bands like Azucar Con Ache and The Average Dyke Band, and also flying in very popular jazz and blues bands from Southern California like The Steph Johnson Band and Tori Roze and the Hot Mess.

We are getting the word out through our promotional partners, such as Betty’s List, The Bay Times, Epochalips and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (which will receive 10 percent of our profits). Plus we have some of the Bay Area’s favorite DJs like DJ Rockaway of the Bay Area Play Dances.

There are so many fun activities, like our “Largest Single Lesbian Mixer in the World,” the crafts fair, flash mob dance, color drop, golf tournament and wine tasting. The theme of our festival is, wait for it, “Practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty.” This is to inspire women to have permission to connect a little more, to swing out of their cliques and meet new people. We will be giving prizes from the stage all weekend for best stories about giving or receiving an act of kindness, etc.

From what I’ve read about this event, seems like it is catered to Baby Boomer lesbians, what is in it for the younger crowd?

We are targeting all women over 21. Women in their 20s and early 30s naturally gravitate to outings and events. They are all about partying and dancing and connecting and celebrating. Women over 35 have different values, generally. Women in their 40s, 50s and 60s want to celebrate and connect, but partying? Not so much. Given that nearly half of the population are Baby Boomers, it is a market that is not being directly served at many women’s events. Our diverse music and comedy and crafts fair will appeal to everyone during the day and the evening events are specifically geared for both age groups. From 7-10pm, we will offer music that appeals to the over 35 crowd, some old school, salsa, top 40 pop. From 10pm to 2am, we will offer hip hop, techno, house, etc. There is something for everyone.

Can single women over 40 expect to find their true love at this event?

Well, there will certainly be opportunities to meet quality, single women in their age group. We are bringing in lesbian dating and relationship experts from around the nation. Friday night, there will be a single’s mixer with Dr. Frankie Bashan of “The Little Black Book.” Saturday night, we have a single’s mixer with Mary Gorham Malia of “The Gay Girl Dating Coach.” We also have something special for couples on Friday night with the ladies from “Conscious Girlfriend.”

What drives you and motivates you to do the things you do for the lesbian community?

I dunno. It’s not exactly a choice. It kind of choose me. It’s what I have a passion for, and there’s nothing better than following your passion, right? It seems like things turn out for me when I am doing something that is authentic. This is authenticity on steroids for me. I guess producing lesbian events is my catnip. Plus, I am on a mission about fun. No one has enough fun, you never hear anyone say, “Oh, I need less fun in my life.” For many years, I had a management consulting business called “Serious Fun,” where I brought fun to corporate America, not an easy thing to do. I consider myself to be a “Funsultant.” I love creating events where people have the kind of fun they used to have when they were, like, 13. And it’s not about getting super drunk and passing out in your car. That’s not really fun.

What goes into planning where the event will take place?

All the events that we do for women are always done in a beautiful environment. With such busy lives, most of us don’t get enough time to hang out in nature, and you forget just how much being outdoors can de-stress and rejuvenate you. So, we looked at a lot of places on the Russian River and fell in love with the Monte Rio Amphitheater. It’s a gorgeous meadow surrounded by Redwoods and is backed up to a creek. And, it has a built-in stage! Really, it’s the perfect setting for the new Women’s Weekend 2.0 to be reborn.

Our evening dances are at the River Theater in Guerneville simply because it is the largest indoor venue in the area. We needed a venue that could hold hundreds of women throughout the night. Also, it has a knockout sound system and high-end laser light system that was purchased from the George Lucas Ranch Studio.

Give us a synopsis of day 1 and day 2 of the event. What will go on during the day and what will take place at night?

It will look like this:
Friday Night from 7pm to 2am, everyone will be at our private club (River Theater) for the awesome random dance party (for random acts of kindness). Women love to dance together. It’s not often women get to be in a private club with hundreds of other lesbians, pure lesbian protoplasm wall to wall.

On Saturday, there’s a golf tournament in the morning for those women that love to hit little balls with a big stick (I’m not a golfer). From 11am to noon, we have the largest single lesbian mixer in the world, where single women each have a piece of a sculpture that they will build together outdoors. Then the music and comedy happens outdoors from noon until 5:30pm or so.

Saturday night from 7pm to 1am is our senseless (for senseless acts of beauty) dance party at our private club with DJ Rockaway. Lorie Moore of the “X-Factor” will be debuting her new hip hop album, “Hot Diggity,” live at 10pm.

Sunday from 11am to 4pm is our good enough for jazz day at our outdoor amphitheater, wrapping up with comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer. We planned the day to start a little earlier and end a little earlier, so women will have time to drive home if they have to work on Monday. For local women, there will be a Lisa Sanders concert at the Main St. Station Restaurant in Guerneville, following the festival.

What do you have in store for lesbians after this event?

Our company, She She, which my partner Annie Albright and I own, produces events for women all year. We have a dance nightclub monthly in Los Angeles and San Diego. We do several annual retreats for women, also. We will be producing Women’s Weekend 2.0 again on the Russian River, May 15-18, 2015.

Where do you see this event 10 years from now?

That’s a wonderful question. The interesting thing about an event like this is when it is done well and is successful, it can really becomes a reflection of the best of lesbian culture.

It will depend on how women want it to develop. The foundation of the festival is that it provides a place for women to truly connect while having laugh-out-loud-pee-your-pants kind of fun, then it will continue to grow and develop from that premise.

As a producer, you have to constantly listen and watch for what women want, even when they may not know what that is, then you provide it. There is something so profoundly beautiful about group consciousness, when it is given an environment to grow beyond individual egos, some groovy things can happen. I can tell you that for May 2015, we will be bringing in even more art and culture to the event with a film festival and a theater production from the Los Angeles Women’s Theater Project.

Dana Brenklin is a Los Angeles based radio personality, award-winning poet and musician. Her radio show, “The Dana Brenklin Radio Show,” airs Thursdays at 9am pacific on kclaFM.com. Find out more at DanaBrenklin.com or listen To Dana’s shows on demand.

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Each week we celebrate the best in lesbian social media. Here’s our social media round up for April 13-20, 2014.

Rosie’s looking good!

Suzanne Westenhoefer was living the dream at the GLAAD Media Awards.

Jillian Michaels contemplates a new approach to dieting.

One of our Facebook fans had us chuckling at this timely reference.

Hooray for business owners in Mississippi!

A gentle reminder from Lady Gaga.

Comedian Sandra Valls weighs in with a grammar lesson for us all.

Happy Easter. No H8, yo.

The post Rosie sheds 50, Westenhoefer living the dream first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Wednesday kicks off the 24th annual Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend in Palm Springs, Calif., the largest queer female party and musical festival in the world. Known for its debauchery, infamous pool parties, world-class dance parties and musical talent, the Dinah Shore is the ultimate spring break for queer women, April 2-6.

The Dinah Shore isn’t just about scandalous parties. If you want to have a debauched weekend, if you want to network and promote your business, if you want to leave Palm Springs with new friendships, then it’s the place to be. To make the most of your trip, here’s a rundown on the week’s festivities.

Wednesday kicks off the complimentary Dinah Official Pre-party at the Hilton Hotel from 8pm to midnight. Thursday brings the Dinah Comedy Night at the Palm Springs Convention Center hosted by Suzanne Westenhoefer and featuring “Chelsea Lately’s” Fortune Feimster and “Last Comic Standing’s” Erin Foley and Gina Yashere. Doors open at 8pm and the show starts at 9pm. These opening events are a great opportunity to meet women that you can hangout with for the rest of the weekend.

The Dinah Opening Party kicks off the dancing Thursday night at 9pm at Zeldaz nightclub with the best DJs and a special performance by Palm Springs local, III G, performing her hit, “Wavy.”

On Wednesday and Thursday, all of the Dinah events don’t start until the evening, which is why you should take full advantage of the Palm Springs Dinah VIP program for Wednesday and Thursday Dinah guests. The city has provided a VIP card to Dinah guests offering discounts to Palm Springs sites and attractions. Enjoy the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, the world’s largest rotating tramcar, The Indian Canyons, shopping and dining out.

Local restaurant Frida’s, co-owned by a gay and lesbian couple, hosts a kick off event with a DJ on Wednesday at 6pm. Their food is a fusion of Mexican, Spanish, French, Cuban, Caribbean and Central/South American dishes. Plus they serve the most delicious mixed drinks. All of the proceeds go to the local LGBT community center.

Friday, April 4, from 12pm to 6pm is AfterEllen’s Thank God It’s Dinah Friday Pool Party at the Hilton main pool area. They’ll be DJs, cocktails, dancing, a live Sirius XM radio broadcast with OUT Q’s most popular radio personalities and a live performance by disco diva Evelyn Champagne King.

Friday night at 8pm in the Hilton grand ballroom, you can watch the latest web series and short films with the casts and crew who created them, hosted by JD Disalvatore, award-winning producer of “A Marine Story” and “Elena Undone.” The Dinah’s second annual Dinah Film Festival is screening “Dyke Central,” “Girl Gets Girl,” “#Hashtag,” “Kiss Her I’m Famous,” “Nikki and Nora,” “Little Horribles” and “Secrets and Toys” followed by a question-and-answer session with the casts and crews.

Expect an electric performance from Iggy Azalea at The Dinah White Party, hosted by Curve, on Friday at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The celebrity-studded red carpet arrivals begin at 10pm.

“The L Word” fans won’t want to miss the largest lesbian pool party in the world on Saturday, April 5, from 10am to 6pm at the Hilton main pool. “The L Word” Pool Party, commemorating “The L Word’s” 10-year anniversary, boasts an outside beer garden, thousands of women, go-go dancers, incredible DJs, a performance by “The Real L Word’s” Hunter Valentine, exclusive “The L Word” giveaways plus a photo opportunity from 2:30pm to 5pm with Leisha Hailey, Kate Moennig and Laurel Holloman, aka Alice Pieszecki, Shane McCutcheon and Tina Kennard respectively.

If you want a more chill pool environment on Saturday and Sunday and you like old school music, then you’ll want to attend The Dinah Pool Party II at The Saguaro, from 10am to 4pm. If you’re big into dancing with wet, half-naked queer women in hot weather, then be sure to be at the Hilton’s main pool at 4pm on both Saturday and Sunday for the Battle of the DJs.

Twin heartthrobs Tegan and Sara are ready to make you swoon, dance and sing along on Saturday night. Their concert starts at 8:30pm. Doors open at 7:30pm at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

Music sensation Eve is performing at The Black Party, the largest party of the weekend. Held at the Palm Springs Convention Center, doors open at 9 pm and the celebrity studded red carpet arrivals, with cameos from Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig, begin at 10 pm.

The celebrity poker tournament benefiting the Human Rights Campaign takes place during The Black Party at 10pm. You’ll need a ticket to The Black Party to get on the poker action. With a $50 dollar buy-in, you’ll be playing poker with a lot of your favorite queer women, from actress Nicole Pacent to filmmaker Rolla Selbak to “Real World Ex-plosion” star Ari Fitz. You’ll also be entered into a raffle to win a lot of amazing prizes, like a free weekend for two to The Dinah 2015, including 3 nights at one of the host hotels and two VIP tickets, a weekend for two to Shedonism, Las Vegas’ hottest women’s weekend, a gift basket from Curve and more.

Mary Lambert is singing “Same Love” at The Wet and Wild Pool Party on Sunday at the Hilton main pool at 5pm. From 10am to 6pm, you can get your dance, drink and swim on. They’ll be DJs, go-go dancers, plenty of beverages plus a special performance by Ifalade and Pink Dewberries at 1pm. Due to the popularity of “The L Word” reunion, there will be a second chance to see your favorite characters from 11:30am to 1pm at the Hilton pool.

The best way to end the weekend is at The Dinah Closing Party on Sunday night at Zeldaz nightclub. If you’ve been eying a special someone throughout the weekend, this is your last chance to make a move. It’s also your last chance to hang out with the women who you’ll leave Dinah Shore calling your friends. Get your dance on one last time, enjoy the people you’ve met this week and the incredible experiences you’ve shared. Additionally, you’ll enjoy a live performance by Thea Austin.

All photos courtesy of Club Skirts Dinah Shore Weekend and Frida’s.

The post What to expect at The Dinah this weekend first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Actress and therapist Cathy DeBuono lightens things up in her fourth episode with comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer.

Cathy and Suzanne deconstruct a love triangle, offer advice on finding your mojo and take a random tangential trip through several other topics for no apparent reason at all.

Learn more about Cathy at CathyIsIn.com.

The post What’s Your Problem? Cathy DeBuono with Suzanne Westenhoefer first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Lesbian comedians talk about why it’s important to come out of the closet.

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