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Flogging And A Cocktail? Get Kinky At Howard Brown Big Orange Ball

By Ariel Cheung | October 19, 2016 1:14pm | Updated on October 20, 2016 8:29pm
 Attendees of the 2015 Howard Brown Big Orange Ball.
Attendees of the 2015 Howard Brown Big Orange Ball.
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Provided/Gold Grid Studios

BOYSTOWN — This year's Big Orange Ball promises to be a spanking success.

Not only will RuPaul's latest winner Bob The Drag Queen perform in all her irreverent, purse-first glory, but Howard Brown Health is featuring a kink room to add some "benevolent ouch" to its annual charity gala.

Two Mr. Chicago Leathers will be on hand for demonstrations and personal floggings (for a small donation). Howard Brown board member and Mr. Chicago Leather 2014 Miguel Torres will join reigning champion Todd Harris in delivering a little added pleasure to the party.

"We included these fun and unique opportunities to celebrate our community while educating and breaking down stigmas," said Diane Pascal, senior vice president of advancement and external relations.

In addition to the drag and BDSM communities, the party will celebrate diversity and the lively and historically significant club scene with DJs and Rebirth Garment dancers.

If kink isn't your thing, there's still plenty of entertainment at the costume party, which kicks off at 8 p.m. Saturday at Carnivale, 702 W. Fulton Market. Tickets are $150 in advance, or $175 at the door.

A silent auction offers aerial tours, artwork, and tickets for sports games and theater shows. Bidders can also donate services like HIV care for a year ($1,000), counseling session ($250) or a seven-day CTA pass ($28) for Howard Brown clients.

Craft cocktails and Carnivale catering will help fuel costumed attendees, who can also pose in a photo booth filled with props from the organization's Brown Elephant resale shops.

The upscale, elaborate gala, now in its second year, helps pay for healthcare and social service programs at Howard Brown Health centers in Chicago. The organization serves more than 27,000 adults and children each year, providing clinical care, research, education and advocacy in Boystown, Rogers Park and Englewood.

One of the nation's largest LGBTQ organizations, Howard Brown began in 1974, when a group of Chicago medical students saw a desperate need for counseling and treatment for gay men and lesbian women in a safe and confidential place.

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