A DAY IN "THE LIFE OF RILEY"

When I was a teen, the whole high school journey seemed to be about having a date for the prom. In the south, there's little or no concern about anything but the hetero-sexual values and making sure those show up. And I took on that responsibility, even though I felt deep down inside I was gay. That  feeling wouldn't get a voice for another ten years.

But fast forward 20 years and I'll show you a ME who is going to the prom with my man, Anthony. WE'VE COME ALONG WAY, BABY... and THANKS to BLEU Magazine publisher Devon Christopher, who came up with the concept of "Bleu Prom ’07 – The Second Time Around". Devon and friend Richard Pelzer, who consults with BLEU, invited Anthony and me to participate as they suspected that neither of us got the chance to do our PROMs the first time exactly like we would have wanted. So, we accepted the invitation and were pleasantly surprised at what was there to meet us at at Strata NYC (21st Street and Broadway). (www.stratanyc.com)

First... a BLEU carpet that allowed us to pose in our ensembles that Anthony picked out for us to wear.

I ran into many friends, including Jaime Earl (www.jaimeearl.com), who worked on the art direction for the night. Jaime Earl LLC is a solid competitor in the field of organic skin care products. She has been in business since 2003, and during that time has developed a full line of 100% natural, premium "Green" skincare products for face & body, professional use and for use at home. Her products are "Green", meaning 100% chemical and paraben free, yet having a shelf life of one year. The company started out of a mother's need for high quality treatments that didn't irritate her daughter's severe eczema. She also wanted something that actually made an impact, a difference, and out of her desire for a line of sophisticated products that were luxurious, effective, and completely clean. I met Jaime many years ago in Atlanta through my good girlfriend Camille... and she is now thriving with her products. Good to see her...

But back to the prom, America's Next Top Model candidate Jade (who I hung out with a year from this night at "The Color Purple" after party) was not in attendance, but donated $1,500 towards the OPEN BAR. GENEREOUS! Another finalist Nik showed up to crown "THE KING" and "THE KING".

The night was co-sponsored by Gay Men of African Descent (GMAD) & LifeBeat and was set up to raise awareness and bring about a greater sense of community among gay men of color.

The event was hosted by arts, culture and entertainment expert Nathan Hale Williams and included a special performance by several artists from Columbia's Music with a Twist roster. recording “This event is a dream come to reality,” says Devon Christopher, Publisher of Bleu
Magazine. “I am overly excited at the opportunity that we will all get a chance to do it all over again, but this time…our way”. AND WE DID! CONGRATS, DEVON and all of BLEU!