Lesbians of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley Outings and Events

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The valley stretches before me at my feet

The ridges of distant hills cascading one after the other

Their silhouettes and shadows dominate the landscape

Each ridge a darker blue than the one before

The path before me winds and grows smaller with distance, becoming lost in the vastness of the horizon.

I love the top of the mountains.

The perspective, my sense of belonging here, intertwines with my own sense of smallness.

Grievances diminish and fade and seem petty in reflection

The beauty of the ridges and river fills me, pushing out daily concerns, future concerns

I feel at peace; it is enough

Thoughts of time

Places carved out over billions of years

Such quick flames were are

Grateful for consciousness, for this moment, to see this, to experience this.

It remains a mystery to me; all this.

Perhaps it is not for us to understand; perhaps we are only asked who we want to be in it.


Kim


Correction from last week. I miswrote that our president was convicted of rape, he was not, he was found guilty of sexual abuse in a civil court.

My book Travels Into Discomfort is available on Amazon.

It is a travel adventure in its prose and a journey to the heart in its poetry.

Travels Into Discomfort


  • "Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together." — Woodrow Wilson


Businesses - Let's Support Our Community

Barbara Carpenter Realtor 

Shann Carr

Comedian, Event Producer, Realtor, A Lesbian Concierge In The Desert

Andrea Voras, Gerontologist Dementia Specialist Life Aging Life Care Manager 

Corlyce Photography 

Chris Ann Kallgren Realtor 

Sunny Designs-Website & Graphic Design & Video

Rice Notary 

Nancy Minger - Massage Therapist 

Poochsitter 

Motivation Changes — Life Coaching - Dr Ann Sarah Engel, MSW, PhD  

Local Lesbian Hangouts - Cocktails & Dancing

The Roost

V Lounge

Community Bulletin Board 


The Hollywood Times is looking for Palm Springs entertainment event writers/interns


Coachella Valley Invitational Soccer Competition with the National Women's Soccer League Feb 16th and Feb 22nd

Coachella Valley Invitational


Local Lesbian Authors and Books
Community Resources - Food, Medicare Counseling, Advocacy, Behavorial Health
Women's Music Festivals, Weekends, Travel etc.
  • Cork Women's Fun Weekend
  • AdventureWomen: organizes exceptional women’s only travel groups spots around the globe.
  • Trafalgar: offers women-only guided vacations to various destinations, with local female guides and experts.
  • Road Scholar: provides educational and cultural trips for women of all ages and interests.
  • Adventures in Good Company: creates active and adventurous trips for women who love the outdoors.
  • Intrepid Travel’s Women’s Expeditions: explores local cultures and traditions from a female perspective, with female leaders and hosts.
Take Me Home - Pet of the Week

Fur babies needing family at Animal Samaritans

Shelter — Animal Samaritans


Email me at gabriolakim@gmail.com if you want something posted on the bulletin board, or an event promoted.

Hollywood Times - Valerie Milano


1. “Tell Me A Story Where The Bad Girl Wins,” New Book About Pioneering Female Cartoonist Barbara Shermund

https://hollywoodtimes.net/tell-me-a-story-where-the-bad-girl-wins-new-book-about-pioneering-female-cartoonist-barbara-shermund/


2. Celebrations ahead of 2025’s She Rocks Awards tempered with love for fire-ravaged Southern California

https://hollywoodtimes.net/celebrations-ahead-2025-she-rocks-awards-tempered-with-love-fire-ravaged-southern-california/


3. A Night of Bold Humor: Mina Hartong’s Show at the Revolutionary Stage in Palm Springs

https://hollywoodtimes.net/night-bold-humor-mina-hartong-show-revolutionary-stage-palm-springs/

Thank you.


Thank you to everyone who shares recommendations for a worthy figure in women's history, an article, a book, a movie, or a women-centric event for the newsletter.

Women’s History


Women, We Should Know


Lena Richard


Mama Lena was the “Martha Stewart” of New Orleans—a trained chef, acclaimed cookbook author, restaurant and catering business owner, frozen food entrepreneur, TV host and cooking school teacher. With skillful élan, Richard artfully tore down racial and economic barriers in the heart of the Jim Crow South, improving the livelihoods of current and future African Americans in her community. And while Mama Lena proved to be a mid-century force of nature across the food industry, today, her story remains largely forgotten by both New Orleans and the nation.


The "Martha Stewart" of New Orleans: Lena Richard (1892-1950) - CreoleGen


Chef Lena Richard: Culinary Icon and Activist | National Museum of American History

LGBT History Alive with Ronni & Kelly


Podcasts | Ronni Sanlo

In The Substacks


Federal firefighters fought L.A.’s blazes. Then came resignation offers.


Sundance 2025: A Gay and Trans Festival Recap (LIVE UPDATES) | Autostraddle


February 2025: What's New, Gay and Streaming on Netflix, Hulu, Max, Paramount+, Prime Video and Peacock | Autostraddle


This French film about Mexico has 13 Oscar nominations. Why 'Emilia Pérez' is tanking in Mexico


Why friendships are good for your health - and 5 expert tips to boost your 'social biome'


Women Around The Globe Are Now Running High-Growth Startups In Record Numbers

Worried about the legality of gay marriage and thinking you should get married just in case the laws change and having a problem booking an appointment at the City Clerk's office?


Fera Mostow  

I am a minister and will do marriages for any gay couple that wants to get married before the inauguration free of charge or   until Trump does something that eliminates gay marriage. 

All they have to do is email me and they can come here - Sun City Shadow Hills, and I'll do the ceremony.

Contact Fera at fmostow@gmail.com


Coachella Valley Invitational - National Women's Soccer League Meetup Feb 16th

Coachella Valley Invitational

Reggie Anne wants to get a group to together to enjoy the fun, carpool and split the parking fees.

Contact Reggie at reggie.annie.b@gmail.com for more info.

Sounds like a whole lot of fun






First up we have the play PERFECT ARRANGEMENT which is set in 1950 but with our political situation has become more relevant than ever.  


“It’s 1950, and new colors are being added to the Red Scare. Two U.S. State Department employees, Bob and Norma, have been tasked with identifying sexual deviants within their ranks. There’s just one problem: Both Bob and Norma are secretly gay, and have married each other’s partners as a carefully constructed cover. 



This twisty tale is inspired by the true story of the earliest stirrings of the American gay rights movement, madcap classic sitcom-style laughs give way to provocative drama as two “All-American” couples are forced to stare down the closet door.”


It runs February 6-16. Tickets are $40


For two days only, Feb 11-12 we are doing a special staged reading of the groundbreaking lesbian play (and later film) THE CHILDREN'S HOUR by Lillian Hellman. Tickets are $10


And later--April 4-12 we are presenting the lesbian themed play THE CAKE which is a touching and topical dramatic comedy about a vivacious, conservative North Carolina baker named Della. She faces a crisis of conscience when Jen--whom she loves like a daughter--asks her to bake a cake for Jen's lesbian wedding. Tickets are $40


Buy Tickets – THE BENT

Radical Harmonies - Free Screening - Feb 8th


Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Dee Mosbacher's RADICAL HARMONIES chronicles the history of queer music by (mostly lesbian) women.

Saturday, February 8 · 3 - 5:30pm PST

Palm Springs Cultural Center

2300 East Baristo Road Palm Springs, CA 92262


Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Dee Mosbacher's Radical Harmonies chronicles the Women's Music Cultural Movement and its evolution from "a girl with a guitar" to a revolution in the roles of women in music and culture, changing women, the women’s movement, and the music industry forever. Through festival and performance footage, interviews, and archival material from the 1960s to the 1990s, Radical Harmonies delves into a musical culture based on a commitment to feminism, diversity, equity, and inclusion.


In its heyday during the 1970s and 80s, the Women’s Music Cultural Movement offered a message that was different from the mainstream musical culture. For the first time ever, women made festivals accessible through sign language interpretation, differently abled accommodations, and sliding scale ticket prices. The movement also gave birth to an alternative industry that changed women and music forever. It opened doors for women producers, photographers, sound and light technicians, along with women-owned recording, sound, and distribution companies.


Free Tickets

Valentines Day Cookie Exchange and Coffee in Ruth Hardy Park

Feb 14th 10am to noon

Coffee provided, some chairs provided but bring one if you have a folding chair.

Parking is off Tamrisk and X marks the spot.


Signup Below

https://kimkieler1954.wufoo.com/forms/wlsew160ha4mr5/

Come to The Celebrate Kim Kieler Concert and Fundraiser!

 

The Celebrate Kim Kieler Concert and Fundraiser is an opportunity to express our appreciation and to help replenish her coffers.

 

The Celebrate Kim Concert and Fundraiser will be held on Thursday, February 27, 2 to 4:30 pm at a private homePayment by Zelle to 707-363-2698.  If your Zelle requires a contact name, it is Cathy Parker.

 

Once you have paid, send a text to 707-363-2698 with your name, email address and phone number.   The address of the event will then be emailed to you.

 

Suggested payment is on a sliding scale of any amount between $30 and $60  Of course, additional funds are welcome. Space is limited, so please reserve your seat early. 

 

 We all know her. Kim Kieler is the one who keeps us informed through the weekly newsletter, Lesbians of Palm Springs and Coachella Valley Outings and Events. She has opened her heart and her home to the local Lesbian community for many years. She hosts holiday potlucks, faithfully leads walks and hikes and finds time to volunteer

with other LGBTQ organizations.

 

Kim has generously supported the Lesbian community at her own expense.

                                               `

Renowned cellist and composer, Kye Marshall will provide entertainment. Her full-  length Lesbian opera, Pomegranate, has been performed by the Canadian Opera Company.

 

Kye has recorded four CDs and performed as a jazz cellist on Toronto radio and television as well as during Palm Springs Modernism Week. Kye will be accompanied by Peter Curtis on guitar as they perform jazz standards and show tunes from the American songbook

 


Easy/Moderate/Difficult Hikes



Tuesday Feb 4th 8:30am

Oswit Canyon

Length  5 Miles

Type    In and Out Elevation 1000 feet

Time    3 -4 hours

Difficulty: Moderate if you are experienced. Rock Scrambling is involved.

Meetup: South Lykken Trailhead. Go past 2800 South Palm Canyon Drive Palm Springs on the left for about a 1/4 mile south. Parking is on the right near the cement bridge.  This is a pretty hike with views of Palm Springs and, hopefully, a small waterfall. 1 1/2 miles in, we navigate the boulder fields as we enter the canyon with the help of friends. (bums are good on the way back.)  

Feature Waterfall, views, and canyons


Saturday Feb 8th 8am

Mission Creek to Whitewater Preserve

Length    6 Miles

Type      Car Shuttle

Elevation 600 feet

Time      4- 5 hours

Difficulty:  Moderate 

Meetup:    9160 Whitewater Canyon Rd, White Water, CA

            

Saturday Feb 15th will be Coffee Bean Canyon



Bring at least 1 liter of water. New hikers must register and sign a waiver.

Registration

Every Month Bird Watching Walks at Prescott Preserve


Join OLT Volunteer Kurt Kosek for bird watching walks at Prescott Preserve every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month at 8am. Birders of all ages and experience levels welcome. Walks are under 1.5 miles on dirt trails. The group meets at the old golf cart crosswalk on Farrell, just north of Mesquite. Plenty of parking on Farrell. 

2025 Walks - Regular Friday walk at Butler Abrams - Rancho Mirage - Dogs Welcome

9AM


Length   2.5 miles

Type     In 26thand Out

Elevation 45 ft

Time     1 Hr

Difficulty: Easy


Meetup is the parking lot at Michael S Wolfson Park

70001 Frank Sinatra Dr, Rancho Mirage, Ca 9227

The more you walk, the healthier you can become, major study finds (msn.com)

Details and Registration

Movie Meetup

Wednesday - Mary Pickford Theater


I'm still here

Feb 5th

11:05 am


I will be in the lobby by the tables at 10:30am


Based on a true story, this is a tribute to the strength of a matriarch who doesn’t have time to grieve or feel sorry for herself. She has children to love and protect


'I'm Still Here' review: Brilliant political biopic honors family's resilience during dictatorship - Chicago Sun-Times


'I'm Still Here' Review: Brazil's Biggest Actor Gets a Worthy Showcase

Details and Registration

Check This Out - The Lesbian Project Podcast


Episode 62 FREE: Australian court ruling, Lesbian Shakespeare, Erin Doherty, another dilemma for the agony aunts.


I love listening to these gals as they argue, debate, and commiserate.

Book and Movie Salon/Club -

2024 Schedule 2nd Mondays 5:30 pm



February is Movie Month


"I'd like them to say that Shirley had guts. That's how I'd like to be remembered."


Monday, the 10th of February at 5:30p PST/8:30p EST BAM Salon will discuss the movie Shirley directed by John Ridley, 2024.


Shirley Chisholm makes a trailblazing run for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination after becoming the first Black woman elected to Congress.



Details and Registration

The Palm Springs Cultural Center brings you a season of films directed by women. And we think our timing is pretty good, too! Curated by Deserted Films. It all begins on Sept. 8th with CLUELESS, and lasts through Spring of 2025. It's about women. And it’s about time. TICKETS: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/she-did-it-8-riveting-films-directed-by-women-clueless-tickets-1001604805937?aff=oddtdtcreator

This Week's Recommendation


Emilia Pérez on Netflix


Hard to describe but fascinating, one of those movies I'm glad I watched.


“Emilia Pérez”: Why This Year's Most-Nominated Film Is Also the Most Controversial Oscar Contender


Desert Legends


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All things Pickleball


For more information about pickleball, including lessons, leagues, and other lesbians playing pickleball - contact Mary Barsaleau.

Mary is a registered Pickleball Ambassador.




Pickleball points: Here are some tips and strategies specifically for seniors (msn.com)

PALS’ no-cost educational seminars provide up-to-date information, resources and opportunities to engage in essential planning ahead conversations before a major health or life-altering event occurs. For info about upcoming PALS Seminars with in-person and zoom registration links click here


9:30 to 11 am. 3rd Saturday

September thru June

PALS Death Cafe is a group-led open conversation about mortality that’s not a counseling or bereavement group. There’s no specified topics or designated outcomes. Just bring your questions about any aspect of death and dying that interests you. RSVP for the next PALS Death Cafe here. 

PALS Circle is an hour of enjoyable connection, support and friendship among LGBTQ+ seniors and allies. There's no agenda, no formal topic — just fun conversation and camaraderie each Monday from 6:00 to 7:00 PM on ZOOM. Sign up to receive PALS Circle announcements here




Lesbians Embracing Aging



Lesbians Embracing Aging: An Introduction

The mission of LEA is to encourage and assist LBTQIA women with healthy aging by creating

support networks of socialization, information, and healthcare.


We are forming a hub of LBTQIA Women and allies willing to help one another navigate the

changes and challenges of aging and help make the myriad of available services more accessible.


Please join us for our next meeting as we make progress toward our goals.

If you would like more information, be on our email list or join us for our next meeting TBA Please send an email to

LEAofCoachellaValley@gmail.com



The LEA women:

Kelly Watson, Lauren Nile, Barbara Tyler, Rita Gonzales, Kate Ullman, Ronni Sanlo


Evening Chat Group 5:30pm to 7 pm Every Wednesday


LIDS (Lesbians In The Desert) Wednesday evenings, 5:30 pm - 7ish — join us for a lively Zoom chat, catch up with friends, and make new ones! Open to Lesbians in and out of the Coachella Valley — California — all 50 States — and beyond. Please email NurseJaynes@yahoo.com to receive the invite with Zoom meeting ID & Passcode. Bring a friend! Hosted by Cindy T, Crickett, & Jayne


Hosted by Crickett and Cindy

Register Here

1st and 3rd Fridays are Wine Down Friday’s with the Coachella Valley Ladies of Justice and a Guest Speaker at theV-Lounge 5PM-6:30P. 600 E Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs.


Network, share info about your business/upcoming event or just drop-by to unwind and make new friends!


Gay Country Western Dancing - Saturday Nights

 

Join the Dance Ranch for a great night of country western dancing, including two-step, waltz, shadow, East and West Coast swing, and line dances. 


It all happens at Step By Step

933 Crossley Road, Palm Springs.

Admission is $5

Lesson is at 7pm. Dancing from 7:30-9:30pm


Dance Ranch Palm Springs is a country western dance group serving the LGBTQ+ community and its friends. Country dancers of all levels are welcome!

Learn more about Dance Ranch and find out what they’re teaching at danceranchps.org.

 

Our history will NOT be hidden!


Not with us two old lesbians and our awesome guests on guard! Our free podcast LGBTQ History Alive! with Ronni and Kelly begins

January 1, 2024. 


Meet the Two Old Lesbians!


Ronni Sanlo, Ed.D. is a retired UCLA professor and LGBTQ Center director, founder of the award-winning Lavender Graduation, and editor of the four volume This Day in LGBTQ History. Kelly Watson, Ph.D, DDS, is a retired recovery center director and business professional, and still and always involved with 12 step recovery.


2024 Schedule - Check it Out!

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The L-Fund empowers cis, trans, and queer identifying lesbians through financial crisis assistance as well as grants in the areas of education, the arts, and health and wellness.

If you would like to donate, please find us at https://l-fund.org/


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The Palm Springs Women’s Jazz and Blues Assoc. exists to preserve and foster an appreciation of jazz and blues music and to support female jazz and blues musicians who traditionally struggle for recognition and employment. The festival includes concerts, exhibits, presentations, films, and other events that promote an understanding and enjoyment of the work of women artists.

Jazz News and Events