The Student News Site of Central Oregon Community College

The Broadside

The Student News Site of Central Oregon Community College

The Broadside

The Student News Site of Central Oregon Community College

The Broadside

GSA hosts a noisy night

Josh Ballou
The Broadside

Stefanie Jackson, of COCC Gay Straight Alliance, was at it again, bridging the gap between the gays and straights right here in Bend.

“That’s so Gay-Night of Noise” was open to all ages Friday night at The Domino Room with special guests Chris Doucette and Portland’s own dynamic duo Chi-Chi N Chonga.

The night started with an open mic for anyone interested in showing off their skills on stage. Just after 9 p.m. the show began with New York comic Chris Doucette.

The crowd filtered in and out of the Domino Room to enjoy a smoke in the night air and to be able to hang out with the members of the GSA, who were outside greeting new arrivals, finally enjoying a break from setting up an event that started a little rough. A week or so prior to the event the GSA was still trying to secure funding but in true form they got everything in place to provide the community, young and old, the show promised.

Doucette, a gay comedian, provided light-hearted entertainment about sex, alcohol and other cliché aspects of gay life, garnering sporadic laughter from the crowd that was inside to enjoy his routine. But the audience seemed to be awaiting ChiChi N Chonga who came out on stage with members of the GSA ready to give the crowd a little taste of Portland’s night life.

ChiChi N Chonga
One of Portland’s most well known drag duos, Chi-Chi N Chonga hit the stage to give the crowd what they were waiting for.

“The ChiChi N Chonga experience is a high energy, lightly-political, hilarious, subversive, progressive live musical show created in an effort to make people laugh and bring light to issues we find important … that mixed with live rapping and care free love,” is how the ladies
described their show.

These two energetic ladies have performed together since high school but only as ChiChi N Chonga over the last year. They come out on stage and reinvent about a dozen songs using tracks most everyone knew and loved and incorporating lyrics from songs from the past
decade or so.

The crowd danced along until the very end of their set.

The Dance Party
After the ladies left the stage, the entire GSA membership got on stage to thank everyone for their support and to wish Tom Bidot a happy birthday as the real celebration began.

The remainder of the evening is always a dance party and this one began with the GSA dancing to P!NK live on stage.

The night was and always is about bringing together the under-served gay community here in Central Oregon and hopefully creating ties with the surrounding community.

GSA events are in my mind always a success because it is the only venue for this community to come together. Like it, love it, leave it or loath it, ”That’s So Gay” events are most likely here to stay so I suggest you get on board and, if nothing else, check one out.

Josh Ballou can be reached at [email protected]

P.S. For more dirt and pictures from “That’s So Gay-Night of Noise” check out TheBroadsideOnline.com

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