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Bel Air poolside party gathered Hollywood's finest to benefit the ACLU

Los Angeles, CA — Three hundred or so of Hollywood's most influential gays, glammed up celebs and gorgeous philanthropists gathered poolside in Bel Air Thursday night to honor a trio of remarkable men and to pay tribute to the ongoing efforts of the American Civil Liberties Union. 

And if my language sounds a tad colorful, it's to represent the crowd—from the always engaging Sally Kirkland to soap star Heather Tom, stars from TV's Dante's Cove to Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum Amber Benson, Hollywood poured into the Bel Air home of here! Networks co-founder and President Paul Colichman for an evening of dancing, drinking and giving back. 

Colichman and his business partner, co-founder and CEO of here! Networks Stephen Jarchow, were honored for their years of tirelesswork promoting equality and change in the gay community through their pioneering efforts in film and television. 

Comedian Bruce Vilanch was on hand to honor the two, straight off his gig writing for the Oscars. After sneaking in a jab at Beyonce for not wanting to sing in Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson's shadow, he admitted the real reason he attended the ACLU cocktail party was to sneak a peak at outtakes from Dante's Cove. 

The ACLU also honored actor Chad Allen with a community service award, but the Shock to the System star couldn't attend because he was working. Vilanch pointed out this was actually a very good thing considering in the months after Allen was outed in the tabloids, the young actor feared he might never work again. 

Allen's good friend and frequent co-producer Tom accepted the award on his behalf. 

Tickets for the event were for a cool $150 each, with the money going to support the continued efforts of the ACLU of Southern California and in particular, the ACLU Lesbian and Gay Rights & AIDS Projects. 

The organization fights for the rights of gays and lesbians nationwide. In Southern California last year, the ACLU tackled many a battle, including a student newspaper that was shut down after attempting to run an editorial about gay and lesbian students on campus and a young woman who was expelled from high-school for hugging her girlfriend. 

For more information on the ACLU, visit www.ACLU.org. 

Written By Ross von Metzke
Article provided in partnership with GayWebMonkey.com.

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