Bibi Chic Raised over $2,000 for Six Queer South West Asian (Middle-East), North African

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - San Francisco's Premiere Queer South West Asian (Middle-Eastern), North African Charitable Party was an amazing hip shakin' success! On Saturday, April 19th, a lineup of artists of the music and performance variety and hundreds of womyn and men came together to shake their hips for charitable-ness at Bibi Chic!

Bibi is a local, grassroots, event that celebrates queer South West Asian, North African (SWANA) people and friends, contributing proceeds to charitable causes, that positively impact our community. Bibi Chic, the fourth event since our June 2007 inception, raised over $2,000 for our beneficiaries!

Bibi is pleased to announce that all contributions to Bibi are tax deductible! We are offering everyone tax deductible donations to contribute to our beneficiaries! an unprecedented six queer SWANA organizations are simultaneously benefiting through a charitable, queer dance event!

Our beneficiaries, Helem (LGBT Center in Lebanon), ASWAT (Gay Palestinian Women's Group), IRQO (IRanian Queer Organization), and IraqiLGBT are doing crucial and sometimes dangerous work to assist, protect and extend the rights of queer SWANAs. These organizations' groundbreaking work have saved countless lives and have had innumerable positive impact our lives here and in South West Asia, North Africa.

Financial donations will directly impact and elevate the incredible work that our beneficiaries are doing. We encourage everyone from all walks of life to donate! Checks should be made payable to SFLGBTPCC with "Bibi Chic" in the Memo line.

Send to:
SF LGBT Pride Celebration Committee
ATTN: Bibi Chic
1800 Market St, PMB 5
San Francisco, CA 94102

"Bibi Chic" must appear in the Memo line for Bibi to receive donations. Tax deductible donations for Bibi Chic beneficiaries close on and my be post marked by Friday, May 23rd!

In addition to the four pre-selected organizations, Bibi Chic patrons voted at the event, and Bibi Email List Members can vote through May 23rd for two more organizations to become Bibi Chic's community selected beneficiaries!

"The work that Bibi volunteers, Bibi patrons, and the Swana community are doing in San Francisco is unparalleled," exclaimed Rostam, co-executive producer of Bibi, "we are at a critical turning point in our history of queer Swanas. Your donations will help immensely! A special thanks to the San Francisco Pride for coming on board as our fiscal sponsor."

For more information and press photos about Bibi, please visit MySpace.com/BibiSF or contact Rostam ( ProjectBibi [at] yahoo.com).

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Words from our beneficiaries:

"Four years ago, Helem was founded in Beirut, the first LGBT center in an Arab country," said Bassam K., coordinator of Helem San Francisco Chapter, "Helem and other LGBT groups in Iran, Iraq, and Palestine deserve every dime we collect at this fundraiser."
Helem.net

Arsham P., Executive Director of IRanian Queer Organization adds, "IRQO is grateful to help more than 70 refugee cases in 2007 and most of them will resettle in Canada and USA...we will spend all donations and grants for Iranian queer refugees and their safe houses and health issues."
IRQO.net

"I am writing to thank you for this amazing initiative and that it is really a great honor to us that we are there in your minds and hearts as you are all in ours!" pronounced Rauda M., General Coordinator of Aswat.
ASWATgroup.org

Ali H. from Iraqi LGBT expressed, "On behalf of IRAQI LGBT and myself, we would like to express our sincerest and deepest gratitude for your kind and great effort to donate to our organization."

"Your willingness to look at the problems through a lens of humanity head on and find it in your heart and soul to assist our organization and the very individuals whether it be many or one makes a sentinel change in how IRAQI LGBT is able to operate and provide support, security and some peace of mind."
IraqiLGBTuk.blogspot.com


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