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 Women's Night was the brainchild of activist Jean O'Leary, who, among other achievements, helped organize International Women's Year in 1977 and, with Rob Eichberg, co-founded National Coming Out Day in 1989.
In the mid-80s, when she started Women's Night as executive director of National Gay Rights Advocates, O'Leary says most gay events were organized and primarily attended by men. Women's Night met a need for a woman-centered event that would offer women the opportunity to "have fun, socialize and contribute to a cause."
"I figured that we needed something a little more elevated, connected to a cause, to be able to bring women more into the gay and lesbian civil rights movement," O'Leary says.
The first Women's Night was the result of grassroots organizing, with 15 women in O'Leary's living room writing personal notes and stuffing envelopes. Three hundred women attended that first year. Veteran political activist Midge Costanza says O'Leary never considered that the event might fail. "She just said, 'This is what needs to be done, and it will work,' and it did," Costanza recalls.
Costanza, the first woman to serve as a presidential assistant, under then-President Jimmy Carter, was the first Women's Night honoree. The second year, Congressmember Bella Abzug was honored, followed by Jane Fonda and Gloria Steinem. In the event's fifth year, there were three honorees—Congressmember Maxine Waters, author Lillian Faderman, and Donna Dietch, who directed and wrote the screenplay for the lesbian film classic Desert Hearts. The film's co-stars made a surprise appearance. In the sixth year, the honorees were comedienne Sandra Bernhardt and Cheryl Crane, daughter of actress Lana Turner.
 For the first several years, Women's Night was held each year on the top floor of the Sheraton Universal Hotel. Anniversaries of lesbian couples were recognized at the event. Local dance band Jane Patterson and "Maiden Voyage" provided the entertainment, and the event always opened with the tune "Dancin' in the Streets." Melissa Etheridge entertained one year, long before her rock-star days, when she was still playing a small Long Beach club, the Que Sera. Years later, Etheridge herself would be honored.
"People loved it, but it was controversial," O'Leary says of the early years. "I remember some of my best friends not being able to come... It was a big step. It was a coming-out kind of process for them to attend."
 In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center was looking for ways to get more women involved with the organization. In 1992, then-Executive Director Torie Osborn asked O'Leary to produce Women's Night for the Gay & Lesbian Center. Honorees that year were actress Valerie Harper and publisher Christie Hefner. "We saw Women's Night as sort of the 'crown jewel' in our efforts to reach out to women in the community," recalls Gwenn Baba, former Gay & Lesbian Center board member.
 In 1994, the awards were formalized with the names Creative Integrity and Community Role Model awards, which went that year to singer Janis Ian and actor Amanda Bearse. In 1995, with Martina Navratilova and Melissa Etheridge as honorees, attendance skyrocketed. The event, held at the Biltmore Hotel that year, was sold out, with more than 1,100 women attending. It was also the year that the L.A.C.E. (Lesbian, bisexual and transgender women Active in Community Empowerment) awards were presented for the first time.
 In 1996, Women's Night moved to the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where it was held annually until this year. The 1996 honorees were the Indigo Girls and Linda Villarosa. k.d. lang and Dr. Susan Love were honored the following year, with Ellen DeGeneres and Linda Ellerbee presenting. In 1997, DeGeneres and then-Assemblymember Sheila James Kuehl were honored, with Kathy Najimy and Christine Kehoe presenting. Then-Senator Carol Moseley-Braun also received a special Board of Director's Award that year. In 1999, Anne Heche and Billie Jean King were honored. In 2000, Christine Vachon and Kathy Levinson were honored, with Judy Shepard receiving a special Board of Director's Award.
 In 2001, honorees were Megan Mullally and Assemblymember Jackie Goldberg, with Ellen DeGeneres and LuAnn Boylan presenting. A special Board of Director's Award went to the daytime drama All My Children, with Eden Riegel accepting on behalf of the show. The Corporate Leadership Award was presented for the first time in 2001, to John Hancock Financial Services.
In 2002, actor-director Jane Anderson received the Creative Integrity Award, presented by actor Laurie Metcalf. Entertainment industry leader Nina Jacobson received the Community Role Model Award, presented by actor and writer Carrie Fisher. The 2002 Corporate Leadership Award went to Subaru of America, with tennis champion Martina Navratilova accepting on behalf of the company.
In 2003, Women's Night honorees were actor and singer Jenifer Lewis, chef and restaurateur Susan Feniger, and actor-comedienne Kathy Griffin, who received a Special Comedic Award. The Corporate Leadership Award was presented to Gay & Lesbian Center supporter Wells Fargo, with Regional President Shelley Freeman accepting on behalf of the financial institution.
In 2004 the Creative Integrity Award was presented to director, producer and writer Lee Rose. The Community Role Model Award went to Showtime's highly acclaimed new drama, The L Word,and its executive producer and co-creator Ilene Chaiken. Women's Night founder Jean O'Leary received a special tribute. (Click here for more information about our 2004 honorees.)
From its trail-blazing feminist beginnings to the gala celebration we enjoy today, Women's Night has been widely known as one of the premier events for women in California and the nation. It continues to fulfill the purpose of its founder, Jean O'Leary, by inspiring women to participate in civil rights and social service causes, by showcasing the accomplishments of women leaders, and, last but not least, by offering women a joyous occasion to simply have fun.
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