L.A. Scene September '09: Mia Kirshner's Benefit, GLAAD "Top Chef" Invasion, and The Gay Marriage Plays

I Live Here

While browsing for lattes in the bookstore a few months ago I noticed the book I Live Here by Mia Kirshner (and others). I assumed it was something trite about the experience of playing a WEHO lesbian on Showtime. I didn’t bother to flip it over. Turns out it’s a seriously intricate portrait of war, globalization, ethnic cleansing, and AIDS. So I’m an ass.

It seems that Mia has been seriously committed to bettering the world for the past eight years. Now you feel bad about knocking Jenny, don’t you? Well probably not, but this isn’t a dialog ladies.

Mia recently held a benefit for the Kachere Juvenile Prison in Malawi, where she is trying to improve conditions for the young inmates, many of whom are held in sordid and dangerous conditions for petty crimes.

Thankfully, Dara Nai already covered the situation in Malawi in her AfterEllen interview with Mia last month. So I’ll just tell you about the party.

It was held at the Causecast headquarters in Santa Monica , a really cool space that looks like a barn that’s been converted into a nightclub. On arrival I noted a very attractive woman loitering outside in a dress and heels, who turned out to be Rose Rollins who played Tasha on The L Word.

On entry all guests were handed a flashlight and instructed to head toward the exhibit, where dark corridors were covered with art and writing created by Kachere inmates.

The exhibit

The display was beautiful, agonizing, and fortunately spit us out at the bar. Perfect.

Suddenly it was a wild party filled with lesbians, hors d’oeuvres, even a photo booth!

Rose Rollins,Dalila Ali Rajah and Dutchess Davis

Eventually we were brought back into the main room to hear more about the organization. Mia kicked off the auction, and she was very gentle and demure, i.e. Canadian. That kind of attitude can get people to open their hearts, but not their wallets. Fortunately, the louder and taller Rose Rollins stormed the stage, took the mic, and successfully got the ball rolling.

Rose Rollins and Mia Kirshner on stage during the auction

The auction wound up being a huge success, with people bidding on elaborate Mexican vacations and agreeing to purchase necessities like soap for Kachere inmates. There was a silent auction as well. Bridget McManus was the ecstatic highest bidder on a giant basket of colorful undergarments.

Karman Kregloe, Mia Kirshner, Dara Nai, and Bridget McManus

The event struck the perfect balance of raising awareness and allowing the guests to just have fun. After the auction everyone was released to mingle once more. 

“Oh, are you one of those people who wanted me dead?” was Mia’s opener when I introduced myself and admitted to writing a column for AfterEllen.com. I assured her that Jenny was already dead before I turned in my first article and anyway I don’t usually write about television because that would involve research.

I didn’t admit that I had totally misjudged her.