Politics meets couture cuisine at MassEquality benefit

Provincetown Art Association & Museum hosted nearly 300 guests.

Attendees at MassEquality's inaugural "Taste of P-town" benefit on Saturday, Aug. 28 felt the whisperings of fall in the cool evening air, but the crisp night didn't keep anyone from crowding the raw bar on the patio of the Provincetown Art Association and Museum in P-town's historic east end.

Nearly 300 guests milled throughout the galleries, sampling the best cuisine Provincetown has to offer: from Victor's deconstructed Ahi Tuna Napoleon to Far Land Provisions' Toasted Pistachio and Mango Goat Cheese Truffles, servers rushed to refill plates and keep the crowd satiated with delicate dishes. In addition, Truro Vineyards offered five distinctive wines for tasting. Proudly displayed were MassEquality's endorsements of pro-LGBT politicos and Beacon Hill allies. In attendance were Rep. Carl Sciortino, Rep. Sarah Peake, Norfolk District Attorney running for Congress Bill Keating, former Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino campaign manager Ann McGuire, and candidates for the Cape's open State Senate seat Dan Wolf and Sheila Lyons.

Absent from the event was MassEquality's newly named Executive Director Kara Suffredini, who does not officially assume her new position until Sept. 7. A two-minute video introducing Suffredini was projected on a wide screen and met with prolonged applause.

The evening's honoree was openly gay Marine Staff Sergeant Eric Alva, who received the Eric Rofes Memorial Award for demonstrating courage in his efforts in working with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) to repeal the military's "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) ban on gays and lesbians serving openly. Sgt. Alva was the first American wounded in the war on Iraq when he stepped on a land mine and lost his right leg.

The Eric Rofes Memorial Award was presented to Alva (present only via Skype; he was in Texas and unable to attend in person) by openly gay veteran First Lieutenant John Affuso. "As an Army vet, it is my distinct pleasure to be here today to present this award to Eric Alva," Affuso said, and expressed his hope that DADT will be repealed in 2011. Affuso also praised MassEquality's choice of Executive Director, calling Suffredini a "rock star."

"No one can question [Alva's] patriotism," Affuso said. "No one should underestimate his tenacity."

Alva's video chat was projected on the screen. "I am a proud, gay, disabled, Hispanic man, and also a veteran of this country," he told the crowd. "I am with all of you in spirit."

Following the conclusion of the evening's speeches, the airy, tall rooms of the Provincetown Art Association and Museum filled with the first notes of postprandial piano as attendees resumed their mingling and donation envelopes were passed. Works of art from PAAM's 12 x12 Silent Auction adorned the walls of the Charles W. Hawthorne Gallery, creating a quilt-like, patchwork wallpaper. Photographs, mixed media, paintings, even comic strips -- each work occupied a canvas 12" wide and 12" tall. The exhibit attracted a good amount of attention from the "Taste of P-town" attendees following the presentation of the Eric Rofes Memorial Award.

Despite the hints of autumn chill nipping at the doorstep -- a signal both of the seasonal and, for MassEquality, organizational changes just around the bend -- the interior mood was festive, decidedly jovial and celebratory, as though by continuing the evening it would be possible to stretch summer an hour or two longer. In a matter of days, those who spend the summer months in P-town would begrudgingly rejoin the workforce or the classroom, and resume their productive, focused lives. This is no end to a summer vacation for MassEquality, however. Despite rising temperatures and the call of beach vacations, MassEquality volunteers and staffers have spent the summer working with the same fervor and dedication as accompanies their every season.

The money raised at the "Taste of P-town" event will help fund MassEquality's important work in offering advocacy and support for LGBT people in what is fast becoming the organization's catch phrase, perhaps introduced by Suffredini -- "from the cradle to the grave" -- throughout the coming year.

For more information, please visit massequality.org.