Hello Friends, Thank you to everyone who has signed our petition asking for Michael Alig to be removed from hosting the Sex Cells event on October 27. The event is in one week's time, and I wanted to send you all an update on the progress of what we have accomplished so far. At this exact moment, our petition has gained the support of 1,500 individuals who believe that our nightlife spaces should remain safe spaces, and that murder and violence should not be normalized, glamorized, or put on a pedestal. Though I have been blocked from personally viewing the event page on Facebook as part of the promoter's effort to silence me, I have received confirmation from a friend that Mr. Alig's name has been removed from the graphic that displays on that event page. However, his name remains as being listed as a host of the event in the about section. Another member of our concerned party has been conversing via email with representatives of The Echo, where the event is scheduled to take place, and Spaceland Presents, the parent company of the venue. In this email, the person from Spaceland Presents states that Mr. Alig has been removed from the flyer, but that he will still appear at the event as a host. They also wash their hands of this and defer responsibility to the promoter, stating that their organization did not book him directly. There has been no official announcement from the promoter or venue against the fact that Mr. Alig was originally advertised to appear at the event. There has been no apology for the glamorization of violence and disgusting capitalization of murder from any parties involved. Mr. Alig will still attend the event. Mr Alig will still be paid for his time, money he will earn at the expense of an innocent life he took from this earth in cold blood, money that your fellow Angelenos will put directly into his pocket. (Sadly, we may have to acknowledge that contractually it may be impossible for us to prevent that at this stage) We have made some progress, but we have to realize-- They are throwing a bone our way in order to silence us. We will not let them silence us. The safety of our nightlife spaces is far too important, and the posterity of our beloved LGBTQA community is much too precious. We must continue making demands in order to maintain our nightlife spaces as safe. We must demand that Michael Alig does NOT appear at this event. We must demand that the promoter and venue make a public statement against Michael Alig, stating that he is not welcome at the event. We must send a clear message that Los Angeles is a place of peace and love, where life is celebrated and coveted, where the glamorization and normalization of murder and violence will never be welcome. We must let Michael Alig know that he is not welcome in our nightclubs and bars, that he is no kind of idol and that his celebrity is revolting. Here's what you can do... 1. Contact the promoter: Let them know how you feel. Tell them that you demand that Michael Alig be banned from this event. Tell them that you demand a public apology for their tone-deaf attempt to capitalize upon the brutal act of murder. Tell them that you demand that our nightlife spaces remain safe. Danny Fuentes - Owner, Lethal Amounts Gallery & Promoter, Sex Cells - danny@lethalamounts.com 2. Share with everyone. Share our petition. Share your stories. Share your reason for signing the petition on the change.org page if you haven't already done so. Our nightlife spaces are important to us. This is personal for all of us, and we all have something to add to this discussion. PLEASE refrain from using violent or hate speech in your comments, as this severely undermines our cause. This is everyone's space, and your outrage is understandable, but please avoid any sort of verbiage that undermines the peaceful, non-violent nature of this cause. 3. Inform the media. Let them know about this important story. Send news tips to local or national television stations, local publications, relevant blogs and websites, etc. If you are a journalist yourself, share the story with your readers. If you know someone who is a journalist or has a large following or audience on social media, ask them to get involved. Ask every DJ, promoter, party host, or nightlife persona to make a statement to their following condemning this event's repulsive celebration of violence and murder. Thank you for all of your support of this cause. Together, I'm sure we can make a difference and our protest will ensure that this party, and all of our nightlife spaces in Los Angeles, remain safe and free from the glamorization and normalization of violence and murder. It is a dark and horrible reason that we've all come together, but it is absolutely beautiful to see so many people banding as one for good. You are all beautiful, Patrick Waechter