Decked-Out Gays at OUT Magazine's OUT100 Gala

Gays are celebrating

Garys are enjoying. “I’m a straight girl, so I don’t really know why they asked me to be here, but my boobs have been out for years,” declared super diva Mariah Carey last Thursday when accepting the award on behalf of director Lee Daniels for OUT100’s artist of the year. Needless to say, the main floor of Terminal 5 went wild with Mariah’s words. Initially, it took a good while for her to come out from backstage after she was introduced by the cast of the upcoming gay series “Looking.” For a moment we all thought it was a joke, but then she came out gloriously and delivered the glamour and wit that we all expect from a true star diva.

The annual OUT100 gala — or should I say OUT100 2013 Presented by Buick? Either way, it was indeed heavily sponsored by the luxury vehicle marque of General Motors. There were two Buick models placed on the main floor of the building, where attendees could enter and pose for photos. The flowers decorating the entire space were real and fresh! The second floor of the venue was turned into a private VIP area where waitresses serving sushi rolls were trying to make their way into the crowd. I never knew there could be so many VIP people (just kidding). To add to the fun chaos of the evening, the red carpet was also located in the same place on this level, where illustrious guests and award recipients like Defense of Marriage Act plaintiff Edie Windsor and “30 Rock” actor Maulik Pancholy were faced with hordes of photographers’ cameras.

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On the main floor, a photo stand with a MasterCard backdrop invited guests to share their thoughts while holding a sign that read “Tell Us Why #Acceptance Matters,” a fun touch to a party that annually celebrates Out Magazine’s OUT100 list, comprising 100 of the most outstanding gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual people in the world. So it is needless to say that last Thursday night, the party was the place to be in New York City. I have never seen so many velvet designer suits in one place; it felt like a party commemorating Tom Ford’s days at Gucci and YSL. It was a beautiful and happy crowd indeed.

The musical part of the night was covered by YouTube sensation Steve Grand, who performed “You and I” by Lady Gaga, the fashionable DJ duo The Dolls (Mia Moretti and Margot), and the legendary Debbie Harry, who joked that she wanted to be the first one to do a concert from outer space, but would be happy to be a part of the Mile High club. Debbie closed the OUT100 celebration with “Mile High Club” and two additional songs. My favorite part of her presentation was watching Sharon Needles totally hypnotized next to the stage watching Debbie sing “Heart of Glass.” At midnight, once the main event was over, after-parties started popping up all over downtown. For me, it felt like it had been OUT1001 Arabian nights, so I went home, but I already can’t wait for next year’s gala.