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This Is Not Your Grandmother's Bingo

Despite 30-degree weather, 285 people brave the winter wind to stand on line to play bingo. Only 225 make it in. Finding a good seat within earshot of your friends is chaos, but a good seat is key to enjoying the cabaret show that unfolds at Buffalo Gay Bingo.

The hostess of Buffalo Gay Bingo’s Valentine’s Day themed event, Gladys Over, is a six-foot glamazon reminiscent of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, with her shimmering dresses—three changes in the course of the evening—inch-long caterpillar eyelashes and black feather boa. She introduces us to the rules of the session with an unabashed, raunchy sense of humor that would make Hugh Hefner blush.

Though she is the only one who gets stage time, Gladys Over is not the only drag queen in attendance. Augusta Wind is anything but Disney in her larger-than-life Queen of Hearts regalia, complete with nine-inch-tall collar and golden tiara. Vanity Vogue, first in her cowgirl outfit and then in her pink-winged fairy outfit, worked the overflow room.

Jason Ward, the Buffalo Gay Bingo’s co-creator, is the official ball-caller, and tunes his musical skill as he leads the crowd in song. When B-2 is called, the crowd is required to sing it back to the theme song of the Pink Panther movies: “be-two, be-two” and so on. I-16 prompts the crowd to sing “going on 17, what’s a girl to do,” as in The Sound of Music. You’ll have to find out for yourself what happens when O-69 is called.

Winning comes with rules. Ward advises future winners to “yell [bingo] out like somebody stole your purse; lesbians, like someone stole your Birkenstocks.” His sense of humor is infectious and his direct interaction with individuals in the crowd gives the event the feel of a family reunion.

Admission is $5 and $20 will get you the works. The eight different games include standard one-line bingo, the letters L, T, X and Z as well as coveralls. Minimum payouts are $50 and the big payout, based on sales, totaled $653 on a recent night.

Michael Warner, president of Buffalo Gay Bingo, explains that he “saw it in Philadelphia on public television five years ago” and was inspired. He got a copy of the tape, studied it and borrowed from it to create Buffalo’s version. It premiered in July 2006, after a year of “lots of legal stuff,” says Warner.

Started with a group of 120 friends and family, Buffalo Gay Bingo has since grown out of Trinity Church and has now overgrown St. John’s Episcopal on Colonial Circle. Warner says that while St. Johns has been “gay-friendly,” they are currently seeking a space to accommodate 300 to 350.

Gay Bingo is a powerhouse generator of charity funds. All monies, rent and supplies excluded, goes straight to benefiting the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS. For Valentine’s Day, the Gay Men’s Chorus was gifted with $1,500, which will allow some of its HIV-positive members the opportunity to travel to Miami for a convention of choirs.

While the name may suggest that the event is gay exclusive, Gladys assures us that “the crowd averages half and half” and adds “there are always a lot of new faces, and a lot of repeat customers are getting turned away.”

Be sure to bring an open mind, a sense of humor and a willingness to participate on March 8 for the Mardi Gras themed event. The calling starts at 7pm but be sure to get there at least an hour early if you want good seats.