Provincetown Art Association & Museum hosted nearly 300 guests.
Attendees at MassEquality’s inaugural "Taste of P-town" benefit on Saturday, Aug. 28 felt the whisperings of fall in the cool evening air, but the crisp night didn’t keep anyone from crowding the raw bar on the patio of the Provincetown Art Association and Museum in P-town’s historic east end.
Nearly 300 guests milled throughout the galleries, sampling the best cuisine Provincetown has to offer: from Victor’s deconstructed Ahi Tuna Napoleon to Far Land Provisions’ Toasted Pistachio and Mango Goat Cheese Truffles, servers rushed to refill plates and keep the crowd satiated with delicate dishes. In addition, Truro Vineyards offered five distinctive wines for tasting. Proudly displayed were MassEquality’s endorsements of pro-LGBT politicos and Beacon Hill allies. In attendance were Rep. Carl Sciortino, Rep. Sarah Peake, Norfolk District Attorney running for Congress Bill Keating, former Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino campaign manager Ann McGuire, and candidates for the Cape’s open State Senate seat Dan Wolf and Sheila Lyons.
Absent from the event was MassEquality’s newly named Executive Director Kara Suffredini, who does not officially assume her new position until Sept. 7. A two-minute video introducing Suffredini was projected on a wide screen and met with prolonged applause.
The evening’s honoree was openly gay Marine Staff Sergeant Eric Alva, who received the Eric Rofes Memorial Award for demonstrating courage in his efforts in working with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) to repeal the military’s "Don’t ask, don’t tell" (DADT) ban on gays and lesbians serving openly. Sgt. Alva was the first American wounded in the war on Iraq when he stepped on a land mine and lost his right leg.
The Eric Rofes Memorial Award was presented to Alva (present only via Skype; he was in Texas and unable to attend in person) by openly gay veteran First Lieutenant John Affuso. "As an Army vet, it is my distinct pleasure to be here today to present this award to Eric Alva," Affuso said, and expressed his hope that DADT will be repealed in 2011. Affuso also praised MassEquality’s choice of Executive Director, calling Suffredini a "rock star."
"No one can question [Alva’s] patriotism," Affuso said. "No one should underestimate his tenacity."
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