Nearly 250 fabulous folks packed Southside Preservation Hall this past weekend and raised more than $18,000 to support LGBTQ+ community and art programs in Fort Worth.
The Celestial Ball, a fundraiser that blends cocktail-lounge elegance with the disco-era sparkle of Studio 54, offered both a safe space for queer people and allies to party while also building long-term community sustainability.
The ball was presented and hosted by Trinity Pride, Fort Worth’s local LGBTQ+ advocacy group. Trinity Pride President Roger Calderon kicked off the evening by talking about “creating a strong foundation, so that for years to come, there is a community that can keep Trinity Pride running for all of us, all of you, and for everyone else that comes after us.”
Funds raised from the gala’s ticket sales will partially go toward the revitalization of Q Cinema, Fort Worth’s historic queer film festival co-founded by Todd Camp and Shawn A. Moore in 1998. Hosted by Amphibian Stage in South Main Village, the fest is slated to make its return in November, bringing back the platform for queer filmmakers and audiences in a city where few LGBTQ+ dedicated art spaces remain.
Remaining funds from the night will go toward Trinity Pride Fest, which will return to South Main on Saturday, June 27, following last year’s successful turnout of 7,000-plus people, as well as additional LGBTQ+ community programming and resources.
Calderon, who moved back to Texas in 2019 after nearly two decades in New York, told the crowd that he originally left the state because he “didn’t want to be gay in Texas,” reflecting the long-standing political and cultural struggles for LGBTQ+ rights and visibility here. Calderon went on to express gratitude for the local community, saying, “This is what Texas is now and what we will fight to keep.”
The projects funded by Trinity Pride will support the overall mission: “to create safe spaces that celebrate authenticity, creativity, and belonging” in Fort Worth and all of North Texas.
The entertainment for the evening featured performances from August Edwards, Mystique Summers, and Deja Dubois, who began their performances with a choreographed dance to the song “This Little Light of Mine,” followed by solo dance and drag acts.
In between performances, partygoers took to the dance floor under the Southside Preservation Hall disco ball with music provided by DJ Amy H. Graves.
Trinity Pride hopes to continue hosting fundraising events like the Celestial Ball in the years ahead. Given the sold-out crowd and waitlist, the gala is likely to become a recurring fixture on Fort Worth’s LGBTQ+ community calendar.
