BY PAULO MURILLO
PALM SPRINGS
INTERNATIONAL BEAR CONVERGENCE FEBRUARY 20-24
Bears are coming out of hibernation and are heading to the International Bear Convergence (IBC), the premier winter event for Bears & admirers in Palm Springs. The event will take place on February 20-24, 2025. This desert oasis opens its arms and welcomes thousands of frisky, furry bears, their friends & their fans to Palm Springs
The four-day event will come to life with DJs, live entertainment and thousands of bears from around the globe. “The last 8 years have been hugely successful and expect more of the same in 2025 with record-breaking attendance,” state co-producers Nino Eilets & George Frank. “As always we will be pulling out all the stops to make this year an event to remember.”
For more info visit: www.ibc-ps.com
LOS ANGELES
COFOUNDER RESIGNS FROM TOM OF FINLAND FOUNDATION AFTER NAZI FIASCO
Durk Dehner, the co-founder of the Tom of Finland Foundation, has resigned from his position as president and has left the board of directors. This decision follows the removal of Dehner as a judge from the International Mr. Leather (IML) competition due to resurfaced photos of him wearing Nazi regalia.
The Tom of Finland Foundation, which Dehner co-founded in 1984 with the artist Tom of Finland, is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the work of the late Finnish artist. The foundation operates out of Tom of Finland’s former home in Los Angeles, known as Tom House, which houses an archive and hosts artist residencies.
WEST HOLLYWOOD
STARS COME OUT TO PERFORM AT ELTON JOHN AIDS FUNDRAISER
Midwest pop princess Chappell Roan is performing in the City of West Hollywood. The Pink Pony Club singer is delivering a show-stopping performance for a good cause at the 33rd Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party on Sunday, March 2, 2025. The star-studded event returns West Hollywood Park, promising an evening of glamor, music, and meaningful fundraising. Hosted by Elton John and David Furnish, alongside co-hosts Jean Smart, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Neil Patrick Harris, and David Burtka, the event supports the Foundation’s mission to end new cases of HIV and provide critical care to marginalized communities affected by HIV/AIDS.
COACHELLA VALLEY
NONPROFIT LAUNCHES SCHOLARSHIP FOR GAY BLACK MEN IN INLAND EMPIRE
The Brothers of the Desert, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting Black gay men and allies in the Coachella Valley, has established the Brothers of the Desert Scholarship Fund in collaboration with the Inland Empire Community Foundation. This groundbreaking scholarship focuses on students at the intersection of Black and LGBTQ+ identities—a demographic often overlooked. To qualify, applicants must be gay Black men who have completed secondary education or a two-year college program in the Inland Empire and been accepted into a four-year college or university in the U.S.
LOS ANGELES
LEGISLATION TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF HIV & OTHER INFECTIONS
Democratic Caucus Chair and Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Hollywood) introduced a new bill, AB 309, to combat the spread of HIV, viral hepatitis and other bloodborne pathogens. AB 309, sponsored by the California Pharmacists Association, the Health Officers Association of California, the Drug Policy Alliance, and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, is part of a multifaceted approach to protect public health. California first began allowing local governments to authorize pharmacies to sell syringes to adults in 2004. After twenty years, extensive research and data collection has proven time and time again that increased access to sterile syringes reduces transmission rates and prevents needless deaths. AB 309 will empower pharmacists to continue furnishing sterile syringes at their discretion and allows adults to continue possessing syringes for personal use without a prescription.
