Gladys Over, a 6-foot drag queen sporting a sassy nautical dress, leads a gymnasium of 300 people in yelling "bitch!" at Brad Kilger, a Cheektowaga real estate agent.
But Kilger couldn't be more pleased to hear the chorus of resentment, because at Buffalo Gay Bingo, being "bitched" at means he has won.
For the past six years, a combination of drag queens, glitter, crude humor, and bingo has raised thousands of dollars to assist HIV/AIDS organizations throughout Western New York. Buffalo Gay Bingo turns the gymnasium of Lafayette Presbyterian Church into a consistently sold-out hall of entertainment and cash prizes. On the second Saturday of each month, attendees are dazzled – and lovingly mocked – by bingo's lead drag queen.
Before attendees start marking up their bingo boards, Over asks them to stand and raise their dabbers in allegiance to the bingo pledge:
"I solemnly swear…I am here to help people living with HIV/AIDS…I also swear…that bingo is just a stupid game."
Gay Bingo is more than just a game; it's a culture with specific guidelines, and as Over pointes out, it "isn't your grandma's bingo" – which is clear from Gay Bingo's interesting set of instructions.
"Little old ladies can't ‘shh' you here." Over told the crowd. "If they do, they can get the [expletive] out and you can stay."
Over, with some assistance from Jason Ward, the number caller, and Flip, the ball grabber, goes over the expected audience participation before the numbers start getting called.
At Gay Bingo, when B-1 is announced, every attendee is expected to answer in song with "… singular sensation, every little step she takes" from A Chorus Line. In similar fashion, it is "I-16… going on 17, what's a girl to do?" from The Sound of Music. But the bingo lingo doesn't just pay homage to musical theater – there is also the excitement and anticipation over the O's.
Whenever Ward announces an "O" number, he is sure to leave a pause for the audience to scream, "O-what?" If he answers with a number like, O-68, disgruntled moans fill the bingo hall. If Ward announces O-69, the entire hall stands and cheers.
Attendees who opt not to belt out the classic showtunes or participate in one of the various other scripted lines are reprimanded and forced to give a solo performance. Over and Ward are always watching for Gay Bingo faux pas.
Gay Bingo was brought to Buffalo by Michael Warner, president of the Buffalo AIDS Plus Fund of Western New York. He originally saw Gay Bingo being played for AIDS Philly on public television. He was immediately inspired to bring the game to Buffalo. He flew to Philadelphia and met with coordinators; it took Warner three years of working out details before he could begin running bingo.
The first Gay Bingo was held at the Trinity Episcopal Church on Delaware Avenue in 2006; within the year, Gay Bingo had to relocate to the bigger venue of St. John's Grace before finally settling in the current, and even larger, venue.
Warner estimated that there were about 100 people at that first bingo. In the last six years, attendance has tripled, and the hall often sells out.
Due to its popularity, the organization has been able to raise over $150,000 for HIV-related charities, according to Ward.
"It's fascinating [watching Gay Bingo grow]." Warner said. "It started out mostly gay. Then word was getting out, and it started going the other way. It's become so popular out in the 'burbs; you'll see more than half is white suburban women that are really into it, and we still have the gay crowd."
Before bingo starts, Over surveys the room. A lot of the attendees are bingo "virgins," and the majority of the crowd is straight. Over is sure to assert "the straights" are on her turf, and she asks, "Are you ready to go gay for pay? Because if you're not, then get the [expletive] out!"
The evening is a mixed crowd of seasoned bingo veterans, members of the gay community, and various others who have heard about it or come with friends. There is even a dedicated following from Canada.
"It's the first time we've been here," said Dave Walsh of Waterloo, Canada. "[Our friends] raved about it, so we had to come."
Gay Bingo veteran Jeff Quinton – who's made the trek from Niagara Falls, Canada to Buffalo for Gay Bingo about six times – brought Walsh and his wife. Walsh himself took a stab in dressing drag, showing up as "The Love Boat" cruise director Julie McCoy, adorned in a sloppy blonde wig and navy blue dress.
"Love Boat" was the evening's theme, and the rest of the Canada group filled out the cast.
Quinton has never won; the closest he has come to winning was when his partner won $37.50. For Quinton and Walsh, attending Gay Bingo isn't about winning. Quinton described it as an evening of "hilarity and cheap entertainment." Walsh is already planning on coming back to Gay Bingo again.
Playing Buffalo Gay Bingo costs at least $20, for which attendees receive a pack of eight game boards for the night's five games. Bingo players also have the option to buy additional game boards for the jackpot and mini-jackpot games.
These jackpot games have reached $784 in the past, and Kilger was the winner of the mini-jackpot game.
Kilger finally hit it big, receiving $562 on his 12th time at Gay Bingo.
"This is the first time I have ever won," Kilger said. "It's a lot of fun, and it's a good cause. And I've gotten to know the people, like Gladys. They keep me coming back."
When winners win they are encouraged to scream, "Bingo!" as loud as possible. When one of the many middle aged women suburbanites won, Ward asked, "Did I just hear a ‘bingo' or an orgasm?"
Warner said Buffalo Gay Bingo has given away over $65,000 in prizes since its beginnings.
The payout for Gay Bingo also attracts serious bingo players, like 55-year-old Alan Grice of Buffalo's Allentown neighborhood. Grice had seven boards going during the game Kilger wound up winning.
Grice has been playing bingo for 35 years.
"I love the game," Grice said. "I used to play seven days a week [and] go to Canada back and forth."
Grice has since cut back, but he still finds a bingo event to go to at least once a week. While he says it's definitely the most fun bingo he has ever been to, he sometimes struggles to put his serious bingo competiveness to the side.
"It's too slow because of all the fun parts," Grice jokes. "But if you just want to go and play bingo and have a good time, it's great. But, when you know you need O-69 and have to wait [for audience participation], it can get kind of aggravating."
Outside of the jackpot games, the regular games' winnings range from $50 to $150. Grice was able to snag a $50 win. In the past, he was won as much as $180 at Gay Bingo.
The next Gay Bingo event is slated for March 10. It will be Egyptian themed. The doors for bingo open at 6 p.m. at the Lafayette Presbyterian Church on 875 Elmwood Ave.
At 5 p.m., voucher tickets that ensure a game pack are available in the church's parking lot. The games begin at 7 p.m. but typically sell out before then.
Email: news@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
