“Unlike anything I’ve seen before at the Center,” said one attendee of the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s latest community event, Juice Box. “So cool,” said another, “I wish there were more spaces like this for us.”
A radical new take on Women’s History Month celebrations, Juice Box was an art- and pleasure-centric event showcasing the talents of LBQT women and gender-expansive folks. Conceived as a fully immersive sensory experience, every aspect of the event design was created to evoke one of the five senses—taste, touch, smell, sight, and hearing—in order to center and prioritize pleasurable experiences for lesbian, bisexual, queer, and trans women.
“We were thrilled to honor the resilience, leadership, and contributions of queer women and gender-expansive trailblazers who have been central to our collective liberation,” said Giovanna Fischer, Chief Equity Officer, Los Angeles LGBT Center.
The event, supported by presenting sponsor Curvy Couture, transported guests to a pleasure garden where they were welcome to sip natural wines produced by California-based women winemakers, sample specialty cocktails created by chef Angel Dimayuga, and witness a one-of-a-kind shibari performance by artist Coco Celeste.
“We really view our partnership with the Center as an extension of our brand mission,” said Summer Beltran, Brand Marketing Manager for Curvy Couture. “Our goal is to uplift everyone from all walks of life. We want to make sure everyone feels seen and supported, which is what the Center does through experiences like Juice Box or Pride month.”
As performer Coco Celeste, clad in head-to-toe latex, led a shibari performance on stage in the Renberg, guests were served a cup of soothing lapsang souchong tea to calm the mind, followed by a chewy bite of fruit leather-covered mochi to give them “a taste of Coco’s ass in latex.”
“My food and art experience is an opportunity to celebrate the flavors, stories, and creativity of the LBQT community,” said Dimayuga, who helped curate the standing-room-only performance in the Renberg Theatre. “It’s an invitation to connect with yourself and one another with depth and levity in pleasurable, meaningful ways.”
Ultimately, the goal of the event was not only to give LBQT women and gender-expansive people a place to connect and feel seen, but also to help connect guests to Center services that support this community. Representatives from key initiatives, including the Audre Lorde Health Program, Trans Wellness Center, Center South, and Trans Lounge, were all on hand to help link guests to the high-quality care they deserve.
Photos by Jordyn Doyel.
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