If you’re a lesbian film buff with a secret interest in tantric sex, then this might be your lucky day! In the next week or so, there are not one but two film festivals taking place in San Diego that are certifiably geared towards your unique, feminist tastes – LUNAFEST, taking place at The Center, and FilmOut, taking place at the Museum of Photographic Arts. If mainstream blockbusters like Sahara leave you wanting to reach for a bottle of Paxil, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the screen selections waiting for you at both these festivals – real, emotional stories of women that are sexy, fun and thought-provoking all at the same time. All you have to do is tuck your cats (or kids) in for the night, grab your favorite female friend, and make your way over to the box office. Really, ladies – it’s that easy!

Your first stop should be LUNAFEST, a national festival of films by, for and about women, taking place at The Center’s Women’s Resource Center on Friday, April 22, at 7:00 p.m. LUNAFEST was created by the makers of LUNAbar to raise awareness about women’s issues, highlight women filmmakers, bring women together in their communities and raise money for the Breast Cancer Fund, a nonprofit organization that works to identify and advocate for the elimination of environmental and other preventable causes of the disease. LUNAFEST donates all of the proceeds generated at each festival to the Breast Cancer Fund and the local nonprofit organizations that host each festival. Fifteen percent of the proceeds of each festival go to the Breast Cancer Fund, and the remaining 85 percent raised by each individual festival goes back into the local women’s organization or college group that hosts the festival (for us, that’s the WRC) – so by enjoying these films, you can support your community!

“We’re so excited to be hosting such a diverse film festival,” said WRC Coordinator Claudia Lucero, when we chatted about the event via phone. “The films being featured at LUNAFEST will cover a wide array of topics, including women’s health, cultural diversity, body image, sexuality and spirituality, all of which are vital issues within our community.”

The $15 admission charge includes the whole film festival and a coffee, tea and dessert reception starting at 6:00 p.m. Or, for $10, you can just check out the films, which begin at 7:00 p.m. If you’re interested in women’s filmmaking, then this is your kind of event. For those that need a little extra incentive, I’m sure there will be plenty of free LUNAbars to snack on throughout the evening!

Once LUNAFEST has you all warmed up and talking film like a pro, you should make your way over to FilmOut, San Diego’s premier gay and lesbian film festival, taking place at the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park April 28 through May 1. The folks at FilmOut have a killer women’s lineup this year, with a little something for everyone. Of course, one of the standouts is Betsy Kalin’s Hearts Cracked Open: Tantra for Women Who Love Women, which screens on Saturday, April 30, at 4:00 p.m., along with Annie Sprinkle’s Amazing World of Orgasm. The latter is said to contain a six-minute-long orgasm guaranteed to leave you panting in your seat! (See for yourselves. I’m not kidding!) Other standouts include local filmmaker Helen Lesnick’s erotic film Inescapable, screening with Giovanna Chesler’s short, Handsome, on Saturday, April 30, at 7:00 p.m., and the Girls Shorts collection, screening Sunday, May 1, at 5:30 p.m. Tickets for all films are available at Obelisk Bookstore (1029 University Ave.), but certain films often sell out. Grab your tickets now while they’re still available!

It isn’t often that we, as queer women, have this type of programming available to us, so I encourage you strongly to take advantage of these two film festivals. Ask anyone making queer films today and they will tell you that if we don’t support these films and prove that there is a market for them, GLBT films will not get made. We will no longer see our own stories being represented on the big screen, and will be forced to resort to Spike Lee’s version of what it means to be a lesbian (see Lee’s She Hate Me for that train wreck). I hope to see you all at LUNAFEST and FilmOut, enjoying the films with me and my friends – just don’t think about stealing my LUNAbar!

In other women’s news, Siren Open Mic for Women enjoyed a successful opening night at Korova Coffee Bar on April 7, practically packing the place with female performers and enthusiasts alike. Singer-songwriters Molly Jenson and Evan B. brought down the house with their incredible harmonies, and many Siren veterans and newbies hit the stage during the open mic portion of the evening. The folks at Korova tell me that they have plans to stay open until 12:00 midnight beginning very soon, which is good news to those who wish the show could have run later. The next Siren is set to take place on Thursday, May 5 (that’s right, Cinco de Mayo!), at 8:00 p.m., with sign-up for the open mic beginning at 7:30 p.m. I hope you’ll join us for a free evening of spoken word, music, activism and more!

In other Siren news, the Big Kitchen (3003 Grape St. in Golden Hill) and it’s fabulous owner, Judy “the beauty on duty” Forman, will be hosting a spaghetti dinner fundraiser for Siren on Thursday, May 26, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. $10 will get you a heaping plate of spaghetti and more, with more than 50 percent of the proceeds going to Siren’s programming. There’s even talk of setting up an open mic at the dinner, so the Siren spirit can really get going. For those of you who have not been to the Big Kitchen or met Judy, now is your chance to enjoy one of the most unique, revolutionary and wonderful businesses in San Diego. I promise you’ll go back for more!

Lately, I’ve been getting a bunch of inquiries about what’s available for lesbians living in San Diego’s North County. With that in mind, I’d like to remind all you northern dykes that Lesbians in North County (LINC) gets together on a weekly basis to provide support for those living a drive away from Hillcrest. LINC is a grassroots, nonprofit organization that provides a safe and open environment for women seeking support and social activities. There are no elected officers, no dues to pay, no agendas to serve. As a collective body, LINC provides a network for the lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, and strives to be a powerful voice and visible sign of integration into the greater community. The group meets at the Palomar Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (1600 Buena Vista Dr. in Vista) every Friday at 7:00 p.m., so if you’re stranded in North County, go check it out!

For those of you interested in polishing up your Women’s Studies knowledge, SDSU’s Women’s Lecture Series is in full swing again this month, presenting “Lesbian Health with Professor Susan Cayleff” on Thursday, April 28, at 7:00 p.m. This event is co-sponsored by the WRC, so contact WRC Coordinator Claudia Lucero at (619) 692.2077 ext. 206 for more information.

Got your weekend lined up? Better stop off at Bourbon Street Friday night between 6:00 and 9:00 p.m. for Ladies Night, and check out local songstress Ashley Matte, who performs at 7:00 p.m. Then head over to Bad Kitties at Numbers, where all the hotties are on the prowl.

The buzz from my pals down at Six Degrees is that Tommy Salami will present the Butch Boy Social Club starting on Thursday, April 21… not to be missed. Call the Six for details: (619) 296-6789.

And if you’re itching to escape bad Saturday night TV, DJ Tova is spinning at Candy at The Flame. The dance floors and light shows are amazing, so duck in for some tush-shaking.

Now that the weather’s great, don’t forget to catch some sun on the patio at Six Degrees on Sundays, when they have $1 Bloody Marys and mimosas from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., and 50-cent Bud Light drafts from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. And that’s not even counting the barbecue, which is always yummy. Support your local women’s bar, dammit!

So that’s it from my neck of the woods this month. Remember, if you’ve got an event that you’d like to see mentioned in Queer Abby, just email me the info at queerabby@hotmail.com. I’m always open to new events, and always interested in meeting other activists!

’Til next month… have fun!