The ThunderBlogs

The drag-queen-hosted charity event Bingo for Life, held weekly to support people with terminal illnesses, broke its fundraising record this past month by surpassing $5000.

Amid a dance party atmosphere of spinning lights and Top 40s music, over 120 people packed the Celebrities Night Club dance floor Wednesday to sit at table tops strewn with bingo cards, ink daubers and $3 drinks. Their donations raised $1250 toward food services at the Vancouver Friends for Life Society, an organization which provides support to people living with AIDS and other terminal illnesses.

Despite the serious cause, “Joan-E”, the heavy-set and fouled-mouthed drag queen who has been hosting the event since its inception in 1997, had the room laughing and cheering all night. Her sidekick “Summer Clearance” played along.

The drag queen duo sat at a table on a raised platform to the side of the dance floor. Joan-E was donned in a spaghetti strap dress, sparkling silver heels and a large hairpiece of dark curls. She pressed a wireless microphone against her lipstick-caked mouth. Summer would pass her a ball. Joan-E would tell a joke.

It all played out much like a Rocky Horror party. Each time Joan-E called “O-69!” strobe lights flashed and the group cheered. After “B-4!”, came a synchronous: “B-4 What!?”

The bingo players – that is, partiers – spanned nearly all ages, races, gender identities and orientations.

Near the DJ booth sat a bachelorette party of nine young women in devil’s horns. The 21-year-old soon-to-be-bride had never attended Gay Bingo before. Her friends found the event online.

Another party table was celebrating a 55th birthday. This was the third year the lesbian bartender had held her birthday party at Gay Bingo.

Men too were mixed in with partners and friends across the dance floor and bar tops. Those who sat on bar stools swung their feet to the soundtrack of kitschy theme songs. Others changed seats between rounds to chat with someone new.

Muscular male servers balanced trays of cheap drinks and swung their hips while squeezing between tables.

Plasma screens flashed “Bingo for Life!” and “We Have a Winner!”

Organizers said the funds raised by Bingo for Life are increasingly important for the gay community.

“People living with life threatening illnesses are off the government’s ‘ra-ra list’,” said Terry Halliday, a long-time Friends for Life volunteer. “So we need [the society] to support the community.”