Turn It Up For Change

Turn it up, turn it up, turn it uuuuuuuuuuup!!!

W Hotels Worldwide and Human Rights Campaign (HRC) teamed up with Grammy and Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson (JHud) to well... turn it up!

Not gonna lie the urban pop culture reference, turn it up, did make me snicker a bit and was expecting a plugger that had more bodacious posteriors than text. Quite the contrary, launched in October 2014, TURN IT UP FOR CHANGE is a fundraising and awareness initiative to support the fight for nationwide LGBT equality. Currently, W Hotels around the country host monthly TURN IT UP FOR CHANGE music events, in which a portion of proceeds (equal the number of states that currently recognize same-sex marriage). JHud doesn't make it out to every event, so ya'll should feel some kind of special.

And what better way to get the queens out of Boystown than to snag Dreamgirls show stealer JHud to lend her name to the cause. Absolutely kicking myself in the head for forgetting to ask JHud her favorite Harold's chicken shack, though I assume it's the one off the 95^th Red Line stop, even if they give you a slice of wheat bread instead of two slices of white. But any who apologies for my bird tangents. The singer opened up to me of why she agreed to TURN IT UP FOR CHANGE with W Hotels Worldwide and HRC.

"Anything I can do to support the LGBT community I will. I just had to be a part of it. From this event I want people to take away the same kind of spirit and attitude I have for the LGBT community. We all have the right to love and equal rights," said Hudson.

NYC social staple and promoter Legendary Damon and 'Drag Manitee's' Trannika Rex welcomed guests to a turnt evening of a live DJ set by DJ White Shadow's cayute self and words by JHud in W Lakeshore's penthouse event space Altitude.

Now, you know that the night wouldn't be complete without some queens taking to stage and impersonating the superstar. Drag queen Shea Coulee and community advocate Precious Jewel channeled that inner Effie and left some guests edgeless. Precious and her man Miles did a very entertaining duet that was the perfect nightcap to an already fun evening.

All photos are by Chris Free of Project Captured.