GOOD EVENING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, OUT OF TOWN VISITORS, HONOURED GUESTS;

TWENTY YEARS AGO REGINA’S GAY COMMUNITY WAS STRUGGLING—HELL, WE HADN’T EVEN ADDED ANY EXTRA LETTERS TO OUR NAME YET!  
WE DIDN’T HAVE A NAME ON OUR DOOR, AND WE OCCASIONALLY HAD TO DUCK TO AVOID BEING HIT BY SAW BLADES.
WE WASHED VILE GRAFITTI OFF OF OUR WALLS AND WATCHED A GENERATION STRUGGLE WITH THEIR HEALTH WITH NO HELP FROM THE SYSTEM.
WOMEN WERE STILL FINDING THEIR WAY IN OUR COMMUNITY, BEER WAS $2 A BOTTLE AND BLACK SAMBUCA DID NOT EXIST.
TWENTY YEARS AGO, THE ONLY FAMILIES WE HAD WERE THE FRIENDS WE MADE HERE.
AND NOW….
NOW, WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE THE FEELING OF STANDING HERE TWENTY YEARS LATER IN A COMMUNITY CENTER WHOSE NAME PROUDLY LIGHTS UP BROAD ST., KNOWING THAT THE PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM CAN ALL MARRY LEGALLY, RECEIVE THE HEALTH CARE THEY NEED WHEN THEY NEED IT, AND BE A PART OF THIS LONG RUNNING TITLE THAT WELCOMES EVERYONE TO PARTICIPATE!
AND OUR FRIENDS ARE STILL RIGHT HERE WITH US.
SPECIAL THANKS TONIGHT TO THAT GUY 20 YEARS AGO WHO TOLD ME I COULDN’T DO THIS BECAUSE I WAS A “STUPID FISH”
ICE AND STORM POWERS TO MITCHELL, WHO LOVES A GOOD SCULLY MONOLOGUE AS MUCH AS I DO
GOOD LUCK, LEXI AND ADAM—YOU KNOW I’LL ALWAYS TELL YOU THE TRUTH
AND TO GIRTH BROOKS AND MERCEDEZ BENDZ, ENJOY THIS NIGHT—YOU’VE EARNED IT, WITH YOUR HARD WORK, DEDICATION AND CREATIVITY.
THIS IS FOR ALL OF MY FRIENDS WHO BELIEVED IN ME WHEN I COULDN’T.

PLEASE WELCOME YOUR DOUBLE-DECADE MR GAY REGINA
MR GAY REGINA 4, THE DOLPHIN MISTER (cos I'm a smart mammal not a stupid fish)
MICHELE