Dreams Can Change
Katy Perry at the 2026 MET Gala
My aunt once recalled the story when she suspected I might be gay, which thankfully she never confronted me about until I decided to come out on my own. It was one night when we were huddled around the TV watching “Project Runway,” and in André fashion, I was giving my opinions left and right on ways to execute designs better.
Now, you don’t have to be gay to be interested in fashion, but my aunt was right about two things: I was a lil queer who took “dressing well” seriously.
I love a lewk! Though I embody “Cheapskate Chic” because of this economy, I do care about what I wear and am constantly assessing what’s in. For example, it took me a minute to embrace the bigger pant trend Gen Z had cultivated, as I clutched, and somewhat continue, onto late 2000’s - 2010s skinny jean supremacy.
I’m not here to bash people’s love for fashion, but in André fashion, I am going to be vocal about what I find as problematic fixations.
Today, I’m referencing the Met Gala, or let us say the Bezos Gala. However, this isn’t just about the Met, it’s about how we all navigate compromised money in arts fundraising, and whether we’re willing to look at it directly.
As an Arts Administrator, I understand the financial challenges Arts and Culture nonprofits face in a world that desires artful ways of being while simultaneously degrading the very people in the industry who make that possible.
I posed the following question in my last piece, Humanity is Controversial: “Do we reject tainted resources, or attempt to repurpose them for good?” As Bezos is one of the top donors, perhaps alongside other questionable characters, do we turn a blind eye when “the arts are funded by the military, prison, fossil fuel and medical industrial complexes, by financial and real estate networks that amplify gentrification, and adjacent philanthropic groups complicit in racial and gender violence, police brutality, and genocide,” for the sake of being funded or for fashion?
It’s not just about money’s origin, it’s also about how our attention, another form of currency, is directed. While we’re watching celebrities on the red carpet, what are we not watching in our own communities?
“Problematic fixations,” is the phrase I used because our obsession with celebrities can even trump the lives of the people in our own backyard. For example, we may care more about Dolly Parton’s health battle than the community member battling with medical debt.
Notice how we behave.
So what if we shifted that attention? In Nicky Martinez’s piece “The World Is On Fire. Stop Investing in Celebrities and Invest in Your Community Instead,” they incentivize a shift on those who care about you and align with your values, morals, and political stances.
For example you can…
Spend Money on Their Creativity
Follow Their Socials (*cough* ASFlutist *cough*)
Consume and Share Their Content
Attend Their Shows
Leaning into the local community starts to make you feel full through the web of connection. To know what’s going on, where to go, and absorb various walks of life. That last one is critical because exploration shouldn’t be narrowed but widened as much as possible. These connections can then paint a more holistic scene of where you live, often understanding the needs that need to be amplified.
People like Bezos display convenience, and it can have its grasp on us as we are all looking for moments to breathe in this extractive society, but underneath, for example low costs, is “…often a sign of exploitation somewhere in the supply chain.” It’s challenging to spend money on local creativity when “ticketed events, or local handmade items that seem ‘expensive’ compared to the ‘same things’ you can find on Amazon,” but the price tells a story about values.
Here’s the real difference: “Knowing your money is actually helping people and going directly to their livelihood and communities makes the price worth it. Just compare the feeling of spending money on helping people who share your morals and values, versus buying things to help fund another billionaire trying to colonize space while actively funding fascist organizations that aid in kidnapping people off the streets. How we spend money is one way we show up for what we believe in.” - Martinez
It could simply be described as the Met’s annual tradition of raising funds, but most things are more than they seem. While the gala raises millions and celebrities pay $100,000 per ticket, 91% of the Met’s hourly staff and 27% of salaried union staff earn less than a living wage.
Lil gay André even had thoughts about attending the Met Gala someday, but those have flattened as I’ve learned more about the operations of the fashion industry and neighboring entities like those above, and shoutout to Ugly Betty for helping start those investigations at an earlier age.
And as for my fellow Arts Administrators, think about your special events. Yes, it’s a fundraiser, but what ethical ways could be activated? Perhaps…
Offer discounted entry for people who live in the organization’s immediate neighborhood. This isn’t charity, it’s recognizing that your neighbors are stakeholders in your success and deserve access to what you’re building in their community.
Collaborate with locals by activating an open submission process to be incorporated as a performer, an auctioned artist, or caterer. Too often, local creatives are overlooked in favor of “major” players or out-of-town favorites. Adopting this process signals that your organization values its local creative ecosystem. To ensure equality, have a community panel for selection rather than defaulting to the organization’s usual aesthetic preferences.
Form a multicultural community committee that shapes the event from beginning to end, not just for input, but for actual decision-making power. This challenges the default assumption that arts organizations know what’s best for their communities. When diverse stakeholders help design the event, they’re more likely to see their values reflected and feel their contributions matter.
With increasing numbers of younger audiences having a watchful eye on the ways organizations navigate, these individuals emphasize the importance of steadfast beliefs and values that engage and contribute to the cultural framework, with 8 out of 10 willing to make extra efforts for something aligned with their principles.
Therefore, if Arts and Culture is meant to transcend generations, we must acknowledge up and coming constituents, even if older generations have made their current money moves challenging.
The youth will inherit and create change.
So I’ll ask: what do you believe in?
Lil gay André still loves fashion and dreams big, but now those dreams look like supporting local designers, questioning who’s funding the spectacle, and building community. I’m choosing to believe in the everyday celebrities in my neighborhood, the ones who show up without a red carpet, the ones whose creativity deserves my attention and my dollars.
