When it comes to this year’s Stonewall Black & White Ball, almost everything is themed around 30.
Compass, Florida’s largest LGBT community center, is approaching its 30th anniversary. The date of the celebration is on June 30, and the cost to get in is $30.
It’s the seventeenth occurrence of the Ball, however, and is also meant to celebrate almost 50 years of the LGBT movement’s success. This year’s theme will be ‘Glimmer of Pearls,’ and the partygoers dressed in black and white cocktail attire will be able to dance, drink, and participate in a silent auction.
Around 1,500 people typically attend from around South Florida, including local leaders.
“The Stonewall Black and White Ball not only recognizes our collective history, but it sheds light on opportunities for our community’s future through fully inclusive social justice leadership,” Compass’ website states.
Compass has been supported throughout the years by local leaders that would later become public officials, state senators, county commissioners, state representatives, and more. To honor these people for using their power to help the LGBT community despite public scrutiny, the annual Compass Leadership Award is annually presented. This year’s award will go to Palm Beach County School Board Member Erica Whitfield.
The annual Michael Brown Faces of the Community Award is also presented to an influential community leader who has “demonstrated notable efforts toward promoting pride and a connectivity within our diverse community.” This year’s award will go to Carole Benowitz, who is the president of the local chapter of PFLAG, a nonprofit organization that advocates for and educates people about the LGBT community.
VIP tickets that include the Award Reception, Award Ceremony, and Stonewall Ball are $75. The host of this year’s award reception will be Virginia Sinicki, a DJ and radio personality with The KVJ Show at 97.9 WRMF.
Other performances at the Ball will feature drag queens Velvet Lenore and Miss Palm Beach Pride 2018 Rianna Petrone.
The VIP Award Reception begins at 7 p.m., while general admission is at 9 p.m. Tickets can only be bought online, and the event will be held at the Harriet Himmel Theatre in West Palm Beach.
