Thursday, Jan. 07, 2010

And the winner is...

The last year (2009) has seen ups and downs for LGBT people - same-sex marriage victories in Iowa, Washington, D.C., and Latin America along with losses in California, New York and Maine. We said hello to Adam Lambert and goodbye to "The L Word."

We celebrated and remembered the history behind the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and the passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Iceland elected the first openly gay head of state and conservative Houston became the largest city in the U.S. to elect an openly gay mayor.

We cringed every time we saw Carrie Prejean and we loved the "Party in the F.I.P." We not only made it through another year, stronger and wiser than before - we've begun a new decade with the hope for a brighter future that will definitely include LGBT equality. Speaker of the New York City Council Christine Quinn said "the arc of human history is long and it always bends toward justice - but, sometimes it needs a tug," during a rally in NYC's Union Square following Maine's decision to ban same-sex marriage.

Times were tough in 2009. Many of my friends, and even some of you reading this column today, lost jobs. Almost all of us felt a tightening of our financial belts, so to speak. We made it through though, our friends in tow - there to celebrate, to provide a shoulder or even pass the time with a few cocktails at one of our favorite watering holes.

If that watering hole was Time Out! in downtown Myrtle Beach, then you've probably had 2009's recipient of the annual A Gay in the Life Award keep you company. In 2008, Weekly Surge and I chose to start honoring some of the inspirational folks in the Myrtle Beach area who do an exemplary job of supporting or furthering the lives of LGBT locals. There are quite a few people fit the bill. This year I chose to open up nominations to you, the reader. Several came in, especially via Facebook. You may know this year's recipient as the lovable teddy bear serving up drinks at Time Out! or even his boisterous alter-ego Jazzy Thunderpussy.

What you may not know about Charles Foster is his desire to help people. Always smiling, Foster can be seen running around at many of the local LGBT fundraising events. I have personally had the opportunity to work with him on several occasions and I'm amazed at how many times he calls me with another upcoming event he's excited about.

Foster, 44, lives in downtown Myrtle Beach with his dog Savannah and cats, Scookie and Sassy. He grew up in Salisbury, N.C., and moved to Myrtle Beach in 1998 just in time for the infamous 1998 S.C. Pride event which caused controversy among local politicians and the Burroughs and Chapin Co., Inc. Nearly two years later, he would start working at Time Out! and still greets guests today behind the bar several nights a week. One Southern Gay Writer fan on Facebook.com, Korey Frenton, said that Foster "puts the community first for sure."

Foster is an original associate member of CLAWS (Coastal Leather Allegiance to Wisdom and Service) and was named Associate Member of the Year in 2000 and Member of the Year in 2002 and 2007. Through the years, while CLAWS was heavily involved with local fundraising, Foster served as Sergeant at Arms and Vice President. Foster started the annual Christmas in July event as a fundraiser for Careteam's AIDS Walk which he later handed over to CLAWS to raise money for the local HIV/AIDS organization. The event became Careteam's largest fundraising event of the year, sponsored by CLAWS.

Frenton, also a former member of CLAWS, told me about how Foster continues to help people who are sick or have needs, including the hungry, mourning and hospitalized in addition to helping local AIDS charities. "He is the one who rallies the troops," says Frenton. Foster is also heavily involved in Red Ribbon Friends, a volunteer/membership organization formed to offer assistance and support to LGBT people who are affected by HIV/AIDS. As one of the founding members in 2003, Foster now serves as treasurer and fundraising chairmen. Each year, he heads up one of the biggest parties at Time Out!, Luau for the Cause, which raises money for Careteam's annual Dining with Friends event. Between his work with CLAWS and RRF through the years, he's helped to raise more than $30,000 for Careteam. Despite this outstanding accomplishment, Foster says "it's not really raising the money (that's important) . . . it's about the awareness." The main thing to remember, as Foster continues to point out, is that "this is still a disease and it's not going to end now. Everyone needs to help out as much as they can."

Foster loves living here because of the miles of sandy beach, but he quickly reminds me that Myrtle Beach is what you make it. In my opinion, Foster makes it a better place. "There are people out there that need help - still need help today. I'm just one person, just trying to get people involved," says Foster. "My main thing is just helping people in the community." In addition, Foster single-handedly organized a local food drive last year for Careteam's food bank and organizes the annual World AIDS Day candlelight vigil in downtown Myrtle Beach.

In his spare time, he has rolled with the Time Out! Bowling League for the past eight years and is a huge "Survivor" and "American Idol" fan. So next time you cozy up to the bar and see his smiling face on the other side, make sure to tell him "thank you" for all he does and encourages in the Myrtle Beach community. Congratulations Charles Foster on being the 2009 recipient of the Gay in the Life Award.

Have a thought, comment or Out & About event? Send Chris Rudisill an e-mail at SouthernGayWriter@gmail.com. You can also follow along on Facebook.com@SouthernGayWriter for more news and events.