Pacific Pride Foundation’s Royal Ball

(L-R): Linda Wallem-Etheridge, Jane Lynch, Jason Collins, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Don Roos, Dan Bucatinsky, and Joanna Kerns, photo by JP Montalvo.

(L-R): Linda Wallem-Etheridge, Jane Lynch, Jason Collins, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Don Roos, Dan Bucatinsky, and Joanna Kerns, photo by JP Montalvo.

Pacific Pride Foundation (PPF) hosted its Fourth Annual Royal Ball fundraiser last month at the Bacara Resort & Spa. The sold out event attracted 500 guests and a host of local Hollywood celebrities. Among the stars out that night: Jane Lynch of Glee fame was the Master of Ceremonies for the evening, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld, Veep) presented Pacific Pride Foundation’s first ever Advocacy Award to Award Winning Director/Screenwriter Don Roos and Emmy award winning actor Dan Bucatinsky.

Danny Franzese, co-star of Mean Girls and the HBO series Looking; Marisa Tomei, actress and producer; Mary McCormack, actress, writer, and producer; Michael Morris, television director and producer; Linda Wallem, actress, writer producer; Jeff Perry, actor; Linda Lowy, casting director; Jason Collins, NBA Basketball star and Brunson Green, film producer and president of Harbinger Pictures, also attended the event.

(L-R) (back row): Pacific PrideFoundation Board of Directors: Marco Silva, Ralph Barbosa, Lamar Pugh, honoree Dan Bucatinsky, MicheleHock, honoree DonRoos, Solomon N’dungu, Alan Rose, Jessa Tucker Riley and  Auralee Bunch. (front row): Go-go dancers from The Abbey in West Hollywood, photo by Joel Conroy.

(L-R) (back row): Pacific PrideFoundation Board of Directors: Marco Silva, Ralph Barbosa, Lamar Pugh, honoree Dan Bucatinsky, MicheleHock, honoree DonRoos, Solomon N’dungu, Alan Rose, Jessa Tucker Riley and Auralee Bunch. (front row): Go-go dancers from The Abbey in West Hollywood, photo by Joel Conroy.

Each year, Pacific Pride Foundation hosts the Royal Ball to bring together gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) people and straight allies to share a memorable evening of fun and celebration of our diverse community, all in support of Pacific Pride Foundation’s vital programs and services for the LGBTQ and HIV communities.

The mission of Pacific Pride Foundation is to advocate for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community; care for people living with HIV; and prevent the transmission of HIV. For more information, please visit www.pacificpridefoundation.org/.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, photo by Joel Conroy.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, photo by Joel Conroy.

Costumed greeters welcomed guests to the Pacific Pride Foundation's 4th Annual Royal Ball. Photo by Isaac Hernandez.

Costumed greeters welcomed guests to the Pacific Pride Foundation’s 4th Annual Royal Ball. Photo by Isaac Hernandez.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine on May 13, 2015.