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| Photo: Melinda Charlet |
Written by George Scott
FireHouse is hosting Drag Night for Linda on June 10, starting at 7 p.m. The purpose of the event is two-fold. The first is part of a drive to providing ongoing nightlife opportunity for the LGBT community. However, more importantly, Drag Night for Linda is being held in support of local resident Linda Stay in her fight to kick cancer.
Linda Stay, a self-described “accidental activist,” is no stranger to confronting obtrusive obstacles. She is arguably southern Utah’s most recognizable advocate for the LGBT community. Stay just recently pulled off one of the biggest events for Equality Utah as the event coordinator for the Say Yes Celebration, a celebration and fundraiser for education, awareness, and outreach for the LGBT community. In addition, she was the event coordinator for one of the biggest New Year’s Eve celebrations in southern Utah this past year. There really is little that ever gets in Stay’s way as she is constantly looking for opportunities to support the community—either publicly or privately—offering her time, knowledge, and often a shoulder.
Those who know Stay agree that she is fearless and passionate in everything she does. It is often her voice that is heard the loudest (both, figuratively and literally) in standing up for those being treated unfairly. Her sense of community, uncanny ability to bring people together, and unstoppable passion is amazing to behold. The countless people she has touched, shed a tear with, and shared a smile with reaches all across the globe. Many lovingly refer to her as “Mama Bear” because they know she cares and fights for others like they are her own cubs.
In between the New Year’s Eve celebration and the Equality Utah Say Yes Celebration, Stay received news of one of the biggest challenges of her life. On Jan. 28, Stay was diagnosed with an aggressive and invasive form of breast cancer. The hit comes especially hard for her due to a past bout with a brain tumor 20 years ago. She was given three months to live. She won the battle but was left with Cushing’s disease. Treatment and the complications of Cushing’s disease put her immune system in a severely weakened state. This makes the new treatment more difficult than often is associated with breast cancer and has Stay at an increased risk for complications—making the healing process much slower than normal. In March, Stay underwent a double Mastectomy in an attempt to avoid the rapid spread of the cancer and has found herself in the hospital multiple times since for extended emergency stays as a result of the severe complications.
Friends and family say that standing up, yelling the battle cry, and charging ahead like a crusader is what Stay does best. Her compassion and willingness to champion others is breathtaking. The way she jumps in and makes things happen instantaneously is inspiring. The leadership skills she operates with makes the community a more inclusive place to live. However, as vibrant and strong as she is, this is a battle she cannot accomplish on her own. The “Mama Bear” needs a mama bear.
Stay has a supportive family and a base of friends that are helping with the day-to-day care involved. Her husband, Steve Stay, has set up a few things where the community can offer humor to keep the smiles coming. With laughter being the best medicine, Stay and company are getting their daily dose. What the family cannot accomplish on their own is covering the overwhelming medical expenses needed to offer the best lifesaving outcome today and best quality of life in the years to come. With the intense chemotherapy treatments she is undergoing, it is critical that she receive a regimen of integrative treatments to boost her immune system which are not covered by insurance and require travel to medical facilities. These critical medical treatments and travel-related costs have come with a steep price. The family’s resources were depleted rapidly and are in need of financial assistance to continue.
To help get the ball rolling, Teresa Skeri, manager of FireHouse, spearheaded Drag Night for Linda as a way to celebrate Stay and offer assistance in the fight. The coordinators of the event have been busy securing donations to be used as prizes throughout the celebration. A modest donation of $5 pays for admittance into the event and includes a ticket for the prize drawing. Additional tickets for the drawing are available with a suggested donation of $5 each or 5 for $20. Reserved VIP seating can also be purchased by contacting Morgan Barrick (435) 229-4044. All proceeds from the event will go directly to Stay to help with the mounting costs associated with treatment.
St. George’s fast and uprising DJ Ballin will host the event along with drag queen superstar, Trè L’trache. Entertainment will include live music, karaoke, performances, prize drawings, and more from 7-9 p.m. Then from 9-10 p.m., the catwalk will showcase the sensational swagger strutting sexiness of drag queen and king hopefuls from all over the area as they compete for the crown. Interested competitors need to contact Matthew Jacobson at (435) 632-2424 to be entered into the competition. The party will continue until the wee hours of the morning with some of the most sensational people in southern Utah as they celebrate life and Linda.
For those unable to attend the event but who want to help Linda embrace life to its fullest and continue to make a difference in the world, donations can be made at www.YouCaring.com/Linda or by mailing funds to: Linda Stay, P.O. Box 910196, St. George, UT 84791. Donations can also be dropped off at FireHouse at 1476 West Sunset Blvd. through June 10.
