MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the Diabolique Ball is to support charities that provide vital services to Philadelphia’s diverse communities through the production a charity fundraising event, the Diabolique Ball.
STATEMENT OF INCLUSION
The Diabolique Ball has aimed to support the entirety of Philadelphia’s LGBTQIA+ community more than 20 years by attempting to ensure that all volunteers, patrons and attendees of the Diabolique Charity Fetish Ball feel welcomed and included at our events.
In light of the continued movement against racism and ableism in the Philadelphia community, the board of the Diabolique Ball wishes to state our enduring commitment towards inclusion at all of our events, and condemn any racism, misogyny, transphobia, xenophobia, and other prejudices that will affect the communities we serve.
We hope that you will support us this November 12 at our original location at Delaware Avenue and Spring Garden Street. Come out to Be Bad For A Good Cause!
HISTORY
The Diabolique Ball was created in 1997 by Kali Morgan of Fetishes Boutique (now PASSIONAL Boutique & Sexploratorium) along with Psydde Delicious of Delicious Corsets now found within Delicious Boutique along with a volunteer team of dedicated friends.
Local performers have donated their services, and we have flown visiting celebrities to Philadelphia to perform. The Diabolique Foundation was created to make official the efforts of the people who organize the Ball each year. The Ball has contributed its monies to several local HIV/AIDS gender oppressed and community organizations. Past recipients have included: Action AIDS, MANNA, Washington West Project, AIDS Law Project, Youth Health Empowerment Project, PCHA, Wisdom, Safeguards, BABASHI, Calcutta House, ASIAC. The AIDS Library, William Way Community Center, Trans Lifeline, Morris Homes and other gropus
The Diabolique Foundation was a Pennsylvania non-profit charitable organization with non-profit status, which lapsed in 2021 due to a lapse in events during the pandemic.
We encourage key donations with free event tickets and advertising exposure for our supporters. Please click on their banners and support their businesses. You can support Diabolique year-round by telling businesses that you took your patronage to them because they sponsored our events.
PAST EVENTS
Not only has the Diabolique Ball provided a wicked good time to party-goers for more than two decades, but each year’s Ball raises thousands of dollars for charities that provide vital services to Philadelphia’s diverse communities. Thank you for helping us support organizations fighting for equal rights, freedom of sexual expression, and other causes near and dear to the Diabolique Foundation and its volunteers and guests.
1997 – $8,700
The inaugural Diabolique Fetish Masquerade Ball, produced by Fetishes Boutique (now known as PASSIONAL Boutique) and Delicious Corsets, was held on a Thursday night at Club Egypt. The Ball raised nearly $8,000 for Action AIDS through ticket sales and another $700 for the NCSF (National Coalition for Sexual Freedom) through a raffle and silent auction.
1998 – $11,000
The second Diabolique Ball, in 1998 at Club Egypt, was again produced by Fetishes Boutique (now known as PASSIONAL Boutique) and Memento Mori Photography. Through ticket sales, the Ball raised over $10,000 for the (now defunct) National Foundation for Children with AIDS to raise funds for a planned Philadelphia clinic. Internal fundraising stations raised nearly $1,000 for the NCSF (National Coalition for Sexual Freedom).
1999 – $15,000+
In 1999, the Diabolique Ball was produced by Fetishes Boutique (now known as PASSIONAL Boutique) and Kinkhouse.com. The Ball brought in about $15,000 that was split among multiple organizations. About $5,000 went to each of the following: PCHA (Philadelphia Community Health Alternatives, now known as The Mazzoni Center), Washington West Project, and WISDOM (Women with Immune System Disorders Organizing and Meeting) and additional fundraising stations benefited the NCSF (National Coalition for Sexual Freedom).
2000 – $20,000+
In 2000, the Diabolique Ball was produced by Fetishes Boutique (now known as PASSIONAL Boutique) and the Philadelphians MC. Nearly $20,000 in fundraising was divided among the following organizations: Manna, Safeguards, and BEBASHI (Blacks Educating Blacks about Sexual Health Issues) with internal fundraising stations benefitting the NCSF (National Coalition for Sexual Freedom).
2001 – $10,000+
In 2001, the Diabolique Ball was produced by Fetishes Boutique (now known as PASSIONAL Boutique), Memento Mori Photography, and Delicious Corsets. $10,000 in proceeds were split between Calcutta House, The William Way Community Center and the Germantown Women’s Y with internal fundraising stations benefitting the NCSF (National Coalition for Sexual Freedom).
2002 – $15,000+
In 2002, the Diabolique Foundation was created thanks to pro bono legal counsel from David DiSabatino) to produce the Ball, with a volunteer Board of Directors consisting of members from several local non-profits as well as representatives from Fetishes Boutique (now known as PASSIONAL Boutique), Delicious Corsets and Memento Mori Photography. The 2002 Ball at Transit Nightclub raised over $15,000 in funds for ASIAC (AIDS Services in Asian Communities) and the AIDS Law Project, with internal fundraising stations benefitting the NCSF (National Coalition for Sexual Freedom). The first ever Diabolique Community Service Award was presented to Lolita Wolf.
2003 – $16,684
The Wild West-themed 2003 Diabolique Ball at Shampoo Nightclub raised more than $16,000 in funds that were split between Women in Transition and the Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force. An additional $684 in fundraising from a “Kinky Sherriff’s Lockdown” hosts byrhe local yahoo groups munch PhillyBlackSubsnDoms which benefited the NCSF (National Coalition for Sexual Freedom). For the first time ever, the Ball was supported by the Philadelphia Department of Health, who provided free and confidential HIV testing from a trailer outside the club.
2004
The 2004 Diabolique Ball transformed Shampoo into Grimm Fantasia, a world of Dark Fairy Tales that raised funds for YHEP (Youth Health Empowerment Project) and the AIDS Library with internal fundraising stations benefitting the Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance. Once again, the Philadelphia Department of Health provided free and confidential HIV testing.
2005
Emerald City Nightclub hosted Cirque Diabolique in 2005. Ticket proceeds benefited The Attic Youth Center and The Mazzoni Center. Additional internal fundraising at the ball featured a Dominatrix Dunk Tank which benefitted the Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance.
2006 – $12,200+
The 10th Anniversary Diabolique Xtreme Ball at Shampoo in 2006 raised $6,000 each for Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania and Women Against Abuse. The Dominatrix Auction and other internal fundraisers raised over $2,000 for the Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance.
2007 – $11,000
2007 brought the Diabolique Ball back again to Shampoo for Viva Diabolique, a Vegas-themed event replete with a live arts stage. $5,000 in ticket monies went to both Philadelphia FIGHT and an anonymous local children’s charity. Almost $1,000 of internal fundraising money went to the Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance.
2008 – $10,500
Each receiving $5,000 in donations from ticket sales, the Bread and Roses Community Fund and The Women’s Therapy Center were the beneficiaries of the 2008 Diabolique Ball. Internal fundraising efforts raised an additional $500 for the Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance.
2009 – $15,000
The 2009 Diabolique Ball raised $14,000 for the Leather Heart Foundation, and internal fundraising by local exotic entertainers raised $100 in funds for the Coalition to Oppose the Pennsylvania Pole Tax.
2010 – $9,300
True to the medical-inspired theme, Diabolique Ball 2010 raised $9,000 that was split between three health organizations: Linda Creed Breast Cancer Foundation, Project SAFE and the Mazzoni Youth Drop-in Center. Additional fundraising stations at the ball raised $300 for The Leather Heart Foundation.
2011 – $7,000
Guest tickets at the military-themed 2011 Diabolique Ball resulted in a $3,000 contribution to each of this year’s two primary charitable causes: the formation of a Philadelphia Chapter of AVER (American Veterans for Equal Rights) and the GALAEI (Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative) Teen Food Cupboard. An additional $1,000 was raised through tips, donations, and charity booths inside the Ball for Project SAFE and The Leather Heart Foundation.