LGBT benefit show to be held

Lovers of Lady Gaga now have a chance to ‘just dance' all night while supporting LGBT equality rights.

Gagarazzi, a Lady Gaga- themed variety show, will benefit the LGBT advocacy group Equality Texas on Sept. 30 at The Highball.

The event is being held to help raise awareness of the mistreatment of the LGBT community, but it is not meant to be super serious. Gagarazzi creators and organizers Haylan Teel and Dena Greenwalt of Homespun Horror and Freehand Flicks are sponsoring the event along with Yelp.

The 21 and up show starts at 10 p.m. and doors open at 9 p.m. for pre-show videos. The lineup consist of performances by Jigglewatts, Dolls From the Crypt, Austin City Showgirls, Black Widow Burlesque, Stars & Garters, musicians, dancers and more.

Cover for the event is $7 at the door, but it is a discounted $5 for costume-clad partygoers. Aside from the show, there will be a photo booth, costume contest and silent-auction-style raffle for Gaga-themed dolls, jewelry, soap, artwork and other items.

Coco Lectric of The Jigglewatts said the troupe is really excited about the challenge of incorporating Lady Gaga's style and fashion while maintaining a sense of classic burlesque. She said they are looking forward to reaching out to a new audience and helping a cause really important to them.

"Gay male teen suicides are staggering," Lectric said. "It's really sad."

About 50 percent of the featured acts responded to an ad Greenwalt and Teel placed on Craigslist, and all of the acts are performing free of charge as a donation to the cause. Teel is honored and overwhelmed with the amount of support and donations they have received in planning this event.

The two came up with the idea for the benefit last fall and planned to host it in April, but pushed it back due to Teel falling ill. Greenwalt said she's glad the event was postponed because of all the awesome acts and donations that have come to the table while re-planning it.

When it comes to the LGBT community, Texas is not exactly known to be a very open and accepting state, said Jigglewatts burlesque dancer Pearl Lux, but Austin is somewhat an oasis of tolerance.

Teel said, "There are a lot of places in Texas where this event would never fly."

Greenwalt said Lady Gaga has helped put a fire under the LGBT tolerance movement and really makes an impact on the community.

"This is our generation's version of the civil rights movement of the 1950s," Greenwalt said. She said Gagarazzi will support Equality Texas because the advocacy group is about getting people's mindset to change.

This event should set an example to the rest of the state, Lectric said. "It's not just a ‘gay' event, it's a ‘people' event."