The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada, also referred to as The Center, will host its 22nd annual Honorarium Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016 in The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The organization’s largest annual fundraiser, the Honorarium will feature a VIP cocktail hour, silent and live auctions where guests can bid on exclusive luxury items and experiences, a culinary spread by the chefs at The Cosmopolitan in addition to bottle-service style lounge seating. And for the first time ever, The Center announces an entertainment component by comedian and 2016 Qmmunity Honoree Margaret Cho.

“This will be my third personal experience at the Honorarium,” says Michael Dimengo, who became CEO of The Center in 2014. “In the past two years, I have been strikingly impressed by the outpouring of support and generosity by people who come together not only to honor our honorees but to support The Center. Each year, The Center depends upon the success of this event to fund its operations and its continued social impact within the LGBTQ and wider Southern Nevada community. Get ready for an outstanding event!”

Bestowing honors upon the local LGBTQ community’s most dedicated and influential leaders, volunteers, allies and financial supporters, The Center announces its 2016 award winners:

· PERSON OF THE YEAR — MATTHEW FRAZIER
Matthew Frazier is a trustee of the John C. Kish Foundation and founder of The Social CirKISH Foundation. With classes held at The Center and other locations throughout the year, the Social CirKISH program promotes physical and social development of under-served youth through the exploration and participation of circus performing arts. Frazier has a BA in history from Brigham Young University followed with a Juris Doctorate from The University of Utah College of Law. His passion for nonprofit work has led him to serve on the boards of UNLV, The Animal Foundation, The College of Southern Nevada, The Public Education Foundation and The President’s Advisory Council for the Smith Center for the Performing Arts.

· ALLIES OF THE YEAR — DANIEL AND ROBIN GREENSPUN
Daniel Greenspun is the founder and past chairman of Greenspun Media Group, which publishes a variety of titles including Las Vegas Magazine, Las Vegas Weekly and Vegas Inc. He is also the founder of Vegas.com and LasVegas.com. Currently, he is developing Cityledger.com, a Blockchain advertising business. Robin Greenspun has a long history as an arts advocate, once serving as treasurer for the Kennedy Center President’s Advisory Committee and most recently serving on The President’s Advisory Council of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. She recently received the 2016 Nevada Woman Filmmaker of the Year award from the Nevada Women’s Film Festival. Together, the Greenspuns own the internationally recognized CineVegas Film Festival. The philanthropic arm of their family, Greenspun Family Foundation, supports numerous local organizations and charitable causes such as Three Square, The Lou Ruvo Brain Institute, Nathan Adelson Hospice and the Greenspun School of Urban Affairs at UNLV. Within the LGBTQ community, the Greenspuns are involved with the local Human Rights Campaign chapter and actively support The Center.

· CORPORATION OF THE YEAR — COX COMMUNICATIONS
Cox Communications is the nation’s third-largest cable company and leading provider of broadband communications to Las Vegas residents and businesses. Cox is known for its pioneering efforts in cable telephone and commercial services, industry-leading customer care and its outstanding workplaces. For eight years, Cox has been recognized as the top operator for women by Women in Cable Telecommunications. Cox has ranked among DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity 10 times, including the last nine years. Internet technology and cable television at The Center are supplied by Cox, and the provider’s charitable arm, Cox Charities, recently granted The Center $5,000 to use toward arts and culture programming.

· QMMUNITY ADVOCATE OF THE YEAR — MARGARET CHO
Beginning with her early days in Southern California, comedian Margaret Cho has always been the Agent Provocateur of stand up. Never one to shy away from a taboo topic, there are no subjects off limits. Her socially aware, no-holds-barred brand of comedy has made her both a thought leader and a tolerant teacher to those with open minds and open hearts. An accomplished performer in all formats, Cho has conquered the worlds of film, television, books, music and theatre. Having been nominated for three Grammy Awards and one Emmy Award, her comedy tours are a constant sell-out both in the U.S. and abroad. She’s had two shows debut Off-Broadway (“I'm The One That I Want” and “The Sensuous Woman”) and her last stand-up, psyCHO, was filmed at the historic Gramercy Theatre in New York City. With so much success in her artistic life, Cho has never turned away from the causes that are important to her. She is incredibly active in anti-racism, anti-bullying, homeless and gay rights campaigns, and has been recognized for her unwavering dedication over the years with many accolades and awards. From her activism to her music to her stand up, Cho is honest, forthright, passionate, uproarious, raucous, bold and unyielding.

The Honorarium will begin at 5 p.m. in the Brera Ballroom featuring cocktails, culinary stations and a silent auction. At 7 p.m., guests move to luxurious lounge seating inside The Chelsea where the program begins at 7:30 p.m. with guest speakers, video introductions, a rousing live auction and an awards presentation. After the conclusion of the Honorarium program, Cho will perform a stand-up comedy set beginning at 9:30 p.m. with doors opening to the general public at 9 p.m.

Lounge seating and enclaves for parties of 10 or 12, as well as individual tickets, are on sale now at www.thecenterlv.org/honorarium. Early bidding on silent auction items will also be available via the website. All proceeds from the Honorarium will go toward supporting The Center’s programs and services for the LGBTQ, allied and low- to moderate-income populations it serves throughout the following year.

September is National Suicide Prevention Month.

As someone who has experienced the devastation of suicide in mourning the loss of friends who have taken their own lives, it’s important to me to recognize this annual awareness campaign. In addition, like many of you, I’ve battled with my own demons and depression over the years, which has included suicidal thoughts. While no one can or should tell another how to think or feel, it’s critical to remember, however – especially in down times – that suicide is preventable. Someone loves and misses you this very moment, and help is available – whether you believe that or not. Furthermore, if you know someone who is deeply depressed because you’ve recognized the warning signs, it’s your humanitarian responsibility to reach out and offer an ear that will listen, a shoulder to cry on, or a hand to hold. Here are a few other ways to help.

1. Educate Yourself on Depression

While you may be able to spot signs of depression in a loved one, are you confident that you’re well informed on the matter? Depression is a tricky and sensitive disorder, and it will benefit both you and the person suffering from depression if you educate yourself on the potential causes and effects. For instance, onset of depression may be triggered by a specific event or a series of events, like a string of bad luck, and it also may be linked to a brain-chemistry imbalance not connected to an event, according to Psychology Today. Thus, knowing what you’re dealing with before entering the trenches is recommended.

2. Show You Care By Asking Questions

When we’re depressed, we experience feelings of loneliness or perhaps that no one cares about our predicament. But that’s not the case. In fact, friends and family are often eager to help those who are depressed, and one of the first steps to showing your support in your loved one’s time of need is to ask questions.

“Your friend may be so desperate that she’s had a suicide plan in action for weeks, or she could just be under a lot of stress at work,” writes Therese Borchard at EverydayHealth.com. “She could be having a severe episode of major depression, or just need a little more vitamin D. You won’t know until you start asking some questions.”

Some questions to ask may include:

• When did you first start to feel bad?

• Can you think of anything that may have triggered it?

• Do you have suicidal thoughts?

•Is there anything that makes you feel better?

• What makes you feel worse?

• Do you think you could be deficient in vitamin D?

• Have you made any changes lately to your diet?

• Are you under more pressure at work?

• Have you had your thyroid levels checked?

3. Provide Support Without Judgment

The last thing someone who’s already at their lowest needs is to be judged for how they’re feeling or acting. Dealing with a depressed person is not always easy, granted – they’re irritable and sometimes lash out – but it’s in those moments that you should try to put yourself in their shoes. You don’t know what’s going through their head, what stresses they’re facing that brought them to this breaking point, or the painful physical manifestation of depression they may be experiencing. So, just be there for them – without any restrictions or conditions. Let them talk, vent, cry if they need to – all the while being a soothing, reassuring voice and pillar of strength to which they can cling.

4. Suggest Seeking a Professional Who Can Help

While providing nonjudgmental support is critical to someone who is depressed, you should together recognize that you, as a friend and likely nonmedical professional, can only do so much. If the depression is mild to severe – that is, it’s more than just a “bad week” – suggest seeking professional help. Ask family and friends for psychologist and psychiatrist recommendations – while being considerate to the person in need by keeping them anonymous – and return with those recommendations and your availability to accompany your loved one to the first appointment, if they’re open to the idea.

5. Take Matters Into Your Own Hands If You Have To

If your loved one’s depression is so severe that you’re afraid they may do something drastic, like commit suicide, you have every right to step in and call the proper authorities. Your friend or family member may not like you very much at that moment – in fact, you may become mortal enemy No. 1 for a while – but when the depression is properly treated and that black cloud dissipates, they will recognize that you were acting purely out love and concern and in their best interest. You can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for advice at 800-273-8255, but if it’s an emergency situation dial 911.

There are no angel wings.

Instead, Dolly Parton scoots into a drab backstage garage on her own two legs like a unicorn dream: knee-length canary yellow dress, rhinestones, more rhinestones, and a glow that can apparently turn even an industrial underground into heaven on earth. 

But something’s off. Something is missing. Angel wings, I think. 

Which, of course, you expect from a beaming Dolly Parton, even as she literally just stands in front of you. Her presence alone radiates her own healing power as she greets a mishmash of fans one by one, all of them basking in her shine. 

Moms, dads, kids. An elderly woman in a wheelchair. Me, a gay man. 

This woman – a country queen, a “backwoods Barbie,” the self-proclaimed fairy godmother – has united us all merely by existing. And if it wasn’t already evident, it certainly is in her midst: Dolly Parton is the only religion we may ever agree on. 

For over two transcendent hours during her Pure & Simple tour, in support of her 43rd studio album of the same name, the Goddess of Goodness emerges as something too precious for this world. During her song “Little Sparrow,” the stage goes dark as screened-in birds take to the sky alongside Dolly’s silhouette – or, in this case, the Grand Rapids, Michigan arena she was setting aglow. Add “bird whisperer” to the long list of Dolly’s accomplishments, which is seemingly endless: 100 million albums sold worldwide; 25 certified gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards; 25 No. 1 songs on the Billboard Country charts, a record for a female artist; seven Grammy awards and 10 Country Music Association awards; one of only five female artists to win the CMA’s Entertainer of the Year Award; an Oscar nomination for writing the title song to one of her many films, 9 to 5, and obviously, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

An angel, though? 

Parton demurs. “I don’t know if I’d go that far! I don’t think I’m all that!” she says, as humbly as you’d expect, laughing the squeakiest of laughs. 

Our 11-minute chat is peppered with that trademark Dolly charm (I conclude the interview by thanking her for bringing joy to my life and she responds like my mother: “Love you too!”). And yes, 11 minutes. “I don’t know where you got that odd number,” she squeaks again in her godly Southern accent, acknowledging the bonus minute her manager, Danny Nozell, has graciously given us. “He’s saying you’re getting a li’l something extra!” 

Read on as Dolly blesses us with an extra 60 seconds of divinity, along with a look back on her introduction to the gay community, that time she may have gotten a contact buzz from Willie Nelson’s grass and, like any paragon of virtue, helping her own family members come to terms with their sexuality. 

Growing up in the Great Smoky Mountains, did you know any gay people? If I did, I didn’t know they were at the time! (Laughs) We were just mountain people, and I did not know at that time – I sure did not.

What was your introduction to the gay community then? As I started to be a teenager there were a couple of guys downtown that everybody was sayin’ were queer, ya know? I know they often said that about anybody who was odd or different – “they’re just queer, just strange and odd” – but the way they would talk about these two guys they would say, “Well, they’re sissies, they’re girls.” I was a teenager then. But in my early days we did not know (what gay was). It didn’t take me long to know that people were different and that was always fine with me ’cause I was different too, and I embraced and accepted them and I _knew_ them. I knew them well. But no, in my early days I did not know. But I know a lot of them now! I have a huge gay and lesbian following and I’m proud of ’em, I love ’em and I think everybody should be themselves and be allowed to be themselves whoever they are, whatever they are. 

How big is your gay circle these days? You know what, I have so many (gay) people in my companies. And later on, I did find out I have many gays and lesbians in my own family. We accept them, we embrace them. Oh, there are some in the mountains who still don’t know quite what to make of it or how they should feel about it, but they’re ours and they’re who they are and we know they’re wonderful and they’re like us. We love the fact that they are who they are and we nurture that. We don’t try to make them feel separate or different. We embrace it.

Because you’ve always been so LGBT-affirming, are you a safe place for them to open up about their sexuality? 

Yes! Actually, I’ve had many people through the years who I have helped to feel good about themselves. I say, “You need to let people know who you are and you need to come on out. You don’t need to live your life in darkness – what’s the point in that? You’re never gonna be happy; you’re gonna be sick. You’re not gonna be healthy if you try to suppress your feelings and who you are.” 

I have a couple of transgender people in my company who are on salary with me, so I am totally open for that. And a lot of people feel like they can come to me… and they do! Whether it’s about being gay or whatever, a lot of people do me like they used to do my mama and come to talk to me about things. Hopefully I’m able to help. I think I have. 

When were you first aware of transgender people? I remember watching the news when I was a girl and they (were talking about the) first operation that somebody had. That’s the first time I ever heard about that, and so that was many, many years ago. But yeah, I’ve known a lot since then, though. 

Throughout your career, gay people have leaned on you for musical moral support while also absorbing your sage wisdom. But what have you learned from the gay people in your life?

I certainly know that the gay people I know are the most sensitive and most caring of all. I think they go through so much that they have to live with their feelings on their sleeve. They’ve had to go through so much that I think they’re very emotional and tenderhearted and more open to feelings, so I’ve just learned the same things I try to learn from everybody. I know they’re good people and I’ve tried to learn from that as well. They’re very creative, most of them. And I think that also comes from just embracing the fact that they’re different. Most of the gays I know just want to make the world a more beautiful place like I do. 

After 50 years of marriage, what inspired your new self-proclaimed “friends with benefits” song, “Outside Your Door”?

Well, I’m married, but I’m not dead! I’m a romantic, fantasy person and I’ve felt all of those feelings. I’ve been through everything in my life. And when I don’t write about myself, I write about other people that I know and their relationships, and people I know who don’t know how to express themselves. So I gather my ideas from everything. And hell, you don’t get too old to fantasize! 

There’s a 20-minute intermission during your Pure & Simple show. What do you do for those 20 minutes?

It takes every bit of my time! I fly back to my bus right after intermission, and I go back and I change. I take a little breather to cool off for a minute, and then I change clothes – that’s the only change I do (during the show). Then, I change my hair, change my wig, and I touch up my makeup. And by the time I’m done with all that it’s time to go back on.

What if you have to pee? 

Oh, I take a pee break and drink a little bit of water. But yeah, it’s just a pee and pray break! (Laughs) 

You jokingly mentioned during the show that you should run for president. Say you were elected – what would be your first order of business?

I would just resign! That’d be my first order if I got elected – I’d say, “No, I don’t want it, I don’t want it!” (Laughs) But no, I don’t know what I’d do. I don’t even think on those terms. I’d make this world a better place, I’ll tell you that. 

During the show you hysterically joked about how you could get a contact buzz from Willie Nelson’s tour bus. Where do you get your sense of humor and sharp wit?

Oh, that comes from both sides of my family. My mama’s people were hysterical; my daddy’s people were hysterical. They just had a different sense of humor, and that’s how we got through everything, with our sense of humor. And as a writer I just think funny. I try to find things to laugh about and so anyway, I just say whatever I say. 

What’s the closest you’ve gotten to Willie and his weed?

Oh, I know Willie really well! I sang with him on my last album. We did a duet together called “From Here to the Moon and Back” and I was singing – well, I was trying to sing and I said, “Willie, I’ll tell you, you’re the worst person I ever tried to sing with. I mean, you’re brazen! I can’t keep up with you! I’mma need a sack of your grass! I’mma need something!” But he laughed so hard. But anyway, I love him, but he’s Willie and that’s OK. 

He smoked in the studio with you there is what you’re saying? 

Oh, yeah! Willie smokes at the drop of a hat! I probably had a contact high from that too! 

You’ve been singing “I Will Always Love You” since the early ’70s. What does that song mean to you now that it didn’t mean to you when you first wrote it?

Well, you appreciate things more as you get older. That song is just the gift that keeps on giving. It’s always getting licensing in my publishing company; somebody’s recorded it and we’re signing off on that. And so the fact that people are always calling me and always wanting rights for (the song for) a wedding – I actually rewrote it as a wedding song; it makes a beautiful song – it just makes me appreciate the fact that I’ve been able to write something that’s been that meaningful to so many people through the years. So, it does touch me. And it turned out to be the perfect song to sing to my fans – it’s the song I like to dedicate to the fans. Not the sad parts, but the good parts – especially the line of, “I will always love you” for letting me do this.

Mark March 3-5, 2017 on your calendar. ClexaCon is coming to Vegas!

What’s ClexaCon? It’s a convention that “brings together queer women from a multitude of fandoms across TV, film, and the web to celebrate our presence in the media.”

ClexaCon is named after the much loved TV couple Clarke and Lexa of The CW’s The 100. You may remember that controversy followed after Lexa was killed off on the show this year. This infamous moment in television history sparked discussions around queer baiting and the Bury Your Gays Trope. It ultimately led to $130,000 being raised for The Trevor Project, which focuses on suicide prevention efforts among LGBT and questioning youth, and many TV writers signing The Lexa Pledge, a commitment to treating LGBT characters more inclusively. 

The convention will be held at Bally’s and Paris in Las Vegas. VIP packages have already sold out, but three-day and daily passes are still available. 

You can expect a lot of the same staples we’ve all come to love about fan conventions: celebrity guests, panel discussions, an artist alley and yes, costumes are encouraged.

Names to get excited over include fan favorites Gabrielle Christian and Mandy Musgrave of South of Nowhere (2005-2008), Katherine Barrell of the new TV hit Wynonna Earp and wives Shamim Sarif and Hanan Kattan, who brought us the classic lesbian films The World Unseen (2007) and I Can’t Think Straight (2008). More names are still to come.

“We are a fandom community united by our common love for queer content, our interest in better representation, and our desire for progress and improvement in the media,” reads the ClexaCon website. Now, how can you resist that?

For more info and to purchase tickets, visit www.clexacon.com.