From Inside The Boudoir
It’s Ladies night
by Stephanie Brooke Smith
go-go dancers, and DJs, to perform. Altogether, they cover all of the bases to ensure the success of Boudoir Entertainment events and the satisfaction of all of the guests.
Alright ladies and gents, I know I am not the only one out here that has been asking the question: “Where are all the lesbians?” Well, thanks to the amazing dedication and perseverance of three exceptionally talented young women here in the Coachella Valley, we now know where to go to find the ladies-Boudoir Entertainment biweekly events at Georgie’s Alibi, above Azul, in downtown Palm Springs! This driven trio of young women responsible for creating and developing Boudoir Entertainment are Delfina Zarate, Alexis Ortega, and Marie Elloso. These women were born and raised in the Coachella Valley and are enthusiastically committed to their community. As a result, they noticed that there was a gaping hole in the area of nightlife activities available to the lesbian and queer women in the valley. After noticing this lacking quality in their community, Zarate, Ortega, and Elloso came together and took the initiative to create the entertainment group called Boudoir Entertainment, that specializes in filling this gap so that lesbian and queer women can have a place where they can socialize and form new friendships and relationships with other women in the community. Zarate, who works as a bartender, very animatedly expresses that is it is her responsibility and pleasure to “promote Boudoir (Entertainment) so it can be recognized for its value in the community.” Ortega, a Stanford grad who works for the Desert AIDS Project, is the woman in charge of social media, marketing and promoting the brand of Boudoir Entertainment, which is described as being “luscious, refreshing, alluring, mesmerizing, and ecstasizing” on the website. Elloso, a student at College of the Desert, is the first face that all newcomers encounter when they attend any Boudoir Entertainment event. She is also responsible for bringing in local talent, such as burlesque dancers,
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According to Zarate, providing a “safe space and atmosphere for women to be themselves and be free to be who they want to be” is an important goal of Boudoir Entertainment. Not only are Boudoir Entertainment events welcoming to the ladies of the LGBTQ community, they are open to everyone, which helps to promote a stronger sense of community throughout the Coachella Valley. Similarly, Ortega states that being welcoming to all people is such an integral part of Boudoir Entertainment and its commitment to “help(ing) change the view point of the community about lesbian and queer women” which will assist in ensuring the long term success of Boudoir Entertainment in the Valley. Along with this, Elloso maintains that Boudoir Entertainment is also able to promote prosperity for women in the Valley as a result of the utilization of the local talent during each Boudoir event. In addition to providing a fun and exciting environment for lesbian and queer women in the Valley to hang out and socialize and promoting prosperity for women, Boudoir Entertainment is also all about giving back to its community in a variety of ways. Boudoir has promoted fundraisers by local non-profit organizations, such as the Desert AIDS Project, and also donated a quarter of the proceeds made during its 2013 Dinah Shore event to FIND Food Bank. In this way, the ladies of Boudoir Entertainment hope to inspire and encourage the youth of the Valley to give back to their community as Zarate, Ortega, and Elloso are all in their twenties and tend to reach the younger crowd within the community. As a result, they bring about an entertaining and youthful energy to the LGBTQ community which stands out in the crowd that is largely made up of older individuals. In keeping with the many great opportunities that Boudoir Entertainment has brought to the Valley largely in support of the needs of the lesbian and queer women in the LGBTQ community, this column will appear as a monthly installment in The Standard Magazine and will discuss a variety of women’s issues that are actively affecting the lives of lesbian and queer women in the community. Thus, a larger community will know the issues that are hot topics of discussion in the Lesbian world. Stephanie Brooke Smith stbsmith2011@gmail.com