Linda Perry and Co Bring Chique and Cool back to the Lesbian World with An Evening with Women

Last Saturday night, The LA Gay & Lesbian Center's annual lesbian cornerstone fundraiser was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, with performances by Pink, Linda Perry, Gina Gershon and Heart, and special appearances by Sarah Silverman and Renee Zellweger. The auditorium was filled with a who's who of lesbians in the LA community, rockers, celesbians and an unusual amount of gay men! A record $370,000 was raised for the organization.

This was Perry's second year at the helm of the event - joined by co chairs Brent Bolthouse and Shannon Del - and they knocked this event out of the park on all levels. The stage show alone was sensational, and the vibe they bring to this black tie event is a combination of rock n roll, upscale, laid-back yet sophisticated hip. Which is what you could expect when the opening number was Gershon belting out "What's New Pussycat?" whilst prancing across the stage.



Heart rocked out "Barracuda" and "Crazy on You", while Pink performed an astoundingly emotional "What's Up?" with Perry on acoustic guitar, and Sarah Silverman was her usual hysterically wrong with her comedy set.

Chef Jamie Lauren captained the kitchen and provided a welcome departure from the typical banquet fair, including vegan brownies which were my personal favorite!

Gershon and Perry commanded the live auction on stage, which riled up the entire place, and was entertaining in and of itself as they got $12,000 for a vespa signed by Pink - and adorned by Pink as she offered to pose for photos straddling the winner Heather Hinkee for a photo op on stage. Other live auction scores were a dinner cooked by Top Chef Jamie Lauren, a tattoo from LA Ink's Kat Von D and two recording sessions with Perry.

The Board of Directors of the Center gave a well-deserved award to LA activist Jewel Thais-Williams, who founded Jewel's Catch One in Los Angeles - the first African American gay club in the country.

Perry credited her friend and assistant Shannon Del with bringing her to the Center. Del recounted her own experiences coming to Los Angeles and finding the Center and it's services after being disowned by her family for being a lesbian. She shared on stage her experiences with drug and alcohol addiction brought on by the criticism and abandonment of her family, and how the Center's counseling services saved her life.

Perry is a powehouse by any standard - having rose to fame in the group 4 Non Blondes, then branching out to be a uber producer/songwriter with hits like "Beautiful" with Christina Aguilera and "Get This Party Started" for Pink. She's also written for Alicia Keys, Kelly Osbourne, Courtney Love and Gwen Stefani. Her energy and commitment to helping the Center has certainly yielded incredible results, and she made sure to thank her girlfriend, actress Clementine Ford for "putting up with me the last few months".

For a look inside, check out all the photos:

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