On Sunday, April 19th, Davyn and I attended Loose’s Spring Fling day-to-night extravaganza, which raised money for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) and Trans Defense Fund, in collaboration with Boy Smells!

The night before the event, I watched Sirāt with my roommates. It depicted the beauty and ethereality of raving against the breathtaking background of the Moroccan Sahara. I thought to myself, “I hope tomorrow feels like this.” Then, the story devolves into [SPOILER] absolute carnal chaos, and I thought to myself, “Nevermind.” Shaken by the film, I woke up the next day feeling a bit weird and sort of existential. Either way, that day, it was my job to party!

She was so happy to have a drink ticket.

I picked up Davyn, and we headed downtown! Upon our arrival, we immediately met the charming and effervescent Miss Bricks, who was there supporting Flux, a trans advocacy group. I exchanged my drink ticket for a mighty strong margarita, and we sat down on one of the couches by the information booths. She told me about her work at the new Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center in WeHo, providing trans health care, sex education, and generally doing the Lord’s work. It was incredible to meet such a cool and creative doll following her passions and making a difference.

Miss Bricks and her lollipops were quite popular.

I wandered through the party, circling indoors and outdoors, picking up conversations with strangers and introducing myself as a journalist. It felt like a better fit than some of my other professional titles, and I quickly made friends, particularly seeking out the company of the handful of other women and trans folks at the event.

If they do another Fling soon, I would love to see more of the trans community in attendance, but on this day, I was happy to see the large group of seemingly affluent gay men put their money where their mouth is, directly supporting Trans Defense Fund and CHIRLA rather than purchasing an overpriced “Protect the Dolls” top or a “We Believe” yard sign for their front lawn. I don’t think it’s bad to do those things, but it was nice to see people show up and raise money for important local causes.

Sweethearts at the Flux information booth.

The music was great. Davyn and I flanked the stage, along with a Slovenian party boy on vacation in LA and a buff T-boy from the Inland Empire. Together, we held down the row, with me and Davyn periodically expressing regret over our impractical shoe choices (me in 4-inch platforms, her in flip-flops). Regardless, we turned it! The DJs, Saturn Risin9 and Liam Parsons, killed it, and it was one of the best sets I’ve been to in months (besides those at Parti). Rob Aquino, the creator of the event and our gracious host, was right there in the thick of it, dancing hard behind the DJ booth, too.

As the sun went down, I was walking towards the food vendors when I was stopped by a familiar voice.

“Tomi?”

I turned, and there he was, my old boss, from when I worked at a nonprofit a few years ago.

“Wow! I wasn’t sure if it was you!” he said, smiling. We hugged.

“Yeah… it’s me,” I said, trying to conceal the awkwardness of the situation.

“Well,” he said, looking me up and down, “You look gorgeous! Are you still… you still go by Tomi?”

“Yeah, I do, and thank you.”

I worked there early in my transition, and needless to say, it was a weird time. I asked how the organization was doing, he said it was going great, and then out of the blue, he apologized to me.

“I’m sorry it didn’t work out… you, working with us. You know… you’re great. You’re a great… person, you just weren’t a good fit for that job.”

I was taken aback a bit. It would’ve been nice to hear that at the time. Instead, they had abruptly ended my contract with no explanation, leaving me broke, disheveled, and confused.

“Yeah,” I spit out, “I guess not.”

I told him I was covering Spring Fling as a journalist (subtle flex), and said a quick goodbye to him and his husband. I then did what most rational people would do after such a strange interaction: got a drink and headed straight for the tarot reader.

Contemplative at the function like a TS Carrie Bradshaw.

I explained to the oracle my feelings of directionlessness.

“A lot of people I know are these cool girlbosses and just kill it in their specific fields, and I feel like an unfocused jack of all trades, master of none, and I don’t know if I have any particular purpose. Plus, like five minutes ago, my old boss told me I wasn’t good at my job and that’s why they fired me.”

The tarot reader listened intently and had me shuffle, then pick the cards. They laid them out in two lines, one representing me as I am, a “jack of all trades,” and the other representing an alternate path of corporate girlbosshood. According to the cards, I should not try to be “a professional” who channels all her passions into one line of work. The tarot reader said I was destined for a more multi-hyphenate life path, deriving purpose from the variety. I thanked them, paid them, and tried to heed the advice.

I introduced myself to dozens of strangers throughout the night, asking for their perspective on the event, how they heard about the party, whether or not they liked my outfit. You know, research. Being a journalist, I’ve found, works as a great salve for social anxiety. I can treat every conversation like an investigation, and I’m expected to bounce around from group to group. It was really fun, and everyone I spoke to had a great time!

Overall, Spring Fling raised over $7,000 for CHIRLA and Trans Defense Fund, and the attendees loved it! My only note is that I would have loved to see more women and more trans people in attendance (I feel that way about most queer events). On a personal level, I made peace with my administrative shortcomings, “felt the music” like the ill-fated ravers in Sirāt, and lived to tell the tale!

Thank you to Loose for having us, and thank you to CHIRLA and Trans Defense Fund for your invaluable work protecting trans and immigrant communities!

Donate to CHIRLA here and to the Trans Defense Fund here.

Follow Loose for updates on their next events.
Check out Flux and the Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center!

All photos taken by Davyn Knight.

Spring Fling Through the Eyes of a Partigirl

Desert Diva: My Weekend at Coachella