2025 DESERT LEGENDS AWARD: Robin Gans & Sandy Sachs of GIRL BAR Los Angeles

Join us on Saturday April 5th at the Zoso Hotel Fillmore Room prior to the Divas of Rock Concert @7pm as we award the 2025 Desert Legend award to Robin and Sandy who will be in attendance.

Sandy Sachs and Dr. Robin Gans are influential figures in the Los Angeles lesbian nightlife scene, best known for co-founding Girl Bar in 1990. Originally from New York, the duo sought to revitalize the city's lesbian venues, transforming them from modest, smoky bars into vibrant spaces featuring go-go dancers and top female DJs. 

Their collaboration extended beyond Los Angeles. In 1991 they co-founded the modern Dinah Shore Weekend in Palm Springs, an event that has become a cornerstone for the lesbian community. In 2005 Sachs and Gans left the desert but continued to expand their brand. 

In 2012, Sandy Sachs acquired the Bourbon Pub and Parade in New Orleans, a prominent gay nightclub. Her history with the venue dates back to the early 1980s when she worked there under its original owners. Upon taking ownership, Sachs implemented changes to enhance cleanliness, tighten operations, and introduce innovative DJs and acts. 

Dr. Robin Gans, a psychologist specializing in gay identity issues, has been instrumental in sustaining Girl Bar's prominence. Under her guidance, Girl Bar, now known as GB2, has maintained its reputation as a premier lesbian event, attracting a diverse and vibrant crowd. 

Together, Sachs and Gans have significantly shaped lesbian nightlife, creating inclusive and dynamic spaces that celebrate the community.

We are thrilled to honor these beautiful pioneers!

Recourse/Credit:

Girls That Roam   Out Magazine  WEHOonline.com

Lesbian party promoters Robin Gans, left, and Sandy Sachs, right, receive a proclamation from Ron Oden, center, the mayor of Palm Springs, California, declaring March 28 through April 1, 2007 "Girl Bar Dinah Shore Week" during a press conference in front of Hotel Zoso in Palm Springs on March 29, 2007. ..The women's company, Girlbar, runs five days of parties during the Dinah Shore weekend, an annual lesbian gathering run simultaneously with the Kraft Nabisco Championship LPGA golf tournament. Hotel Zoso is Girlbar's "VIP" headquarters during the events.

https://angelajimenez.photoshelter.com

That sound you hear is one zillion lesbians stampeding toward Palm Springs, California where the Dinah Shore weekend kicks off in just a few days. Robin Gans and Sandy Sachs, the brains and beauty behind Girl Bar, have been instrumental in constructing the world’s largest lesbian spring break experience. They spoke to us recently about the Dinah’s 20th anniversary, about booking Samantha Ronson and about good old Dawn Denbo.

AfterEllen.com: Why do you think Dinah Shore has evolved from a small golf tournament gathering into lesbian spring break?

Robin and Sandy: The Dinah Shore weekend had been predominantly a southern California event, dominated by southern California promoters. We helped turn this weekend into a week-long series of events by expanding our marketing and the Girl Bar brand to women from all over the U.S., and over the past five years to women from Europe, Canada, Australia, and the U.K.

We feel the expansion of the weekend has to do with the quality and style of parties that we started to produce since 1990, and also due to The L Word’s first season which was filmed at our Sunday pool party. We were also influenced by the men’s White Party produced by Jeffrey Sanker, and wanted to produce events of that magnitude and style for the women’s community. Therefore, between the combination of both influences we believe that the event just exploded due to the world wide awareness of the Dinah Shore Weekend from The L Word, and the style/entertainment level that we set. We raised the bar and women now expect the best from us!

https://afterellen.com/interview-with-sandy-sachs-and-robin-gans

Desert Legends is a weekend of events and activities catering to middle-aged lesbians, and will draw hundreds of women to the desert this Spring. The iconic "Dinah Shore Golf Tournament" has been happening in April since 1972, and became a special place for lesbians to connect over Spring Break for many years. In 2023, the LPGA moved the tournament to a new location, and could have been the end of an era, but promoter and performer Corday and crew seized the opportunity to create a weekend of events and activities that catered to the middle-aged female demographic. Corday and friends are excited about the 3rd annual event which will be bigger and better than ever! Hosted at Hotel Zoso, the 2025 Legends Weekend promises an unforgettable weekend of memories for 40+ aged lesbians and friends. "I have been performing in Palm Springs for decades," says Corday, "and my friends and I have so many great memories of going out to Dinah Shore every April. But we're not in our 20's anymore and we've outgrown the younger parties and activities. We want a different experience now. I knew someone needed to bring in a new scene to cater to women like us." From the type of music to the type of events, DL has brought in a fresh new playground for active, more mature women-- they may be older, but they are still ready to party! In fact, most are retired, empty nesters with double income and nothing but time to play. From Cocktail Parties to Dance Parties and NCAA Watch Parties, you're in for a weekend of action-packed fun. New for 2025 will be the Pool Party, featuring a synchronized swim show! The Golf Tournament happens Friday April 4th at Indian Canyons South Course and the Pickleball Tournament takes place Saturday April 5th at Mission Hills pickleball courts. Fantastic musical talent and national headliners will be announced soon for the Friday and Saturday main events. There will also be a 70s and 80s night and Sunday Brunch.

DL donates a portion of the profit to charitable organizations, last year benefiting The Center and the L-Fund. They also honor an out-and-proud lesbian trend-setter every year with the annual Desert Legend Award. Kathy Miller was the first recipient of the 2023 Desert Legend Award and Caroline Haines, founder of Lina Shore Golf Tournament, was honored in 2024. The 2025 Recipient will be announced soon! 

Long long ago, singer and TV personality Dinah Shore originated the Ladies Professional Golf Association event called the Colgate-Dinah Shore Winners Circle Tournament when it debuted in 1972 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage. Shore, who died in 1994, was a golfer and a supporter of women’s professional golf. Since 1983, it has been one of the four major championships of women’s golf! The tournament became a 72-hole event in 1973. The name was changed to the Nabisco Championship in 2000, then the Kraft Nabisco Championship which it has been since 2002.

Although Shore’s name no longer graces the tournament’s marquee, the champion still receives the Dinah Shore Trophy. Alcott, King and Sorenstam have all won the tournament three times. As of 2012, the event has a purse of $2 million, with a $300,000 winner’s share. After winning the 1988 tournament, then known as the Nabisco Dinah Shore, Amy Alcott leaped into the lake near the 18th green; that lake is now called “Champion’s Lake.” Alcott won again in 1991, after which she and Shore both jumped into the lake. The leap has since become traditional, with golf legends such as Patty Sheehan, Betsy King and Annika Sorenstam taking the plunge.

-- Reference: SportsRec.com

Well, back in these olden days, lesbians flocked to the desert to watch the tournament. Because, you know, lots of lesbos golf. Plus, it was always a nice time to visit Palm Springs, the first week of April, and a nice spring break! Times were different then, and not everyone could be as out and proud as they are today, even the pro golfers. But word spread and secret parties emerged. Kathy Miller, now in her 80s, was one of the first promoters to throw a Dinah Shore party! Many promoters came to town and the parties grew every year in production and attendance. A lesbian tradition had spontaneously begun! Sadly, the golf tournament stopped happening in Palm Springs in 2023, but the parties continue. Desert Legends promoters are excited to keep the tradition alive, and promise your Desert Legends vacation will be a weekend you won't forget! 

Kathy Miller, pictured right, was the first recipient of the 2023 Desert Legends Award! We will celebrate more of these amazing trend-setters every year. 

2024 Desert Legend Recipient Caroline Haines, founder of the Lina Shore Golf Tournament!

Caroline nicknamed “Lina,” started the Lina Shore Golf Tournament as a fun safe place for women to play golf over the Dinah Shore Golf Tournament Weekend.

Her first tournament was in 1989 and was simply a BBQ and fun gathering with 35 friends. The attendance doubled and then tripled, with over 220 golfers playing in 1998! 

“I never advertised it, it was all word of mouth,” says Haines “That was when a lot of us were in the closet and didn’t want to be outed. We just wanted to feel comfortable." 

Haines raised thousands of dollars for charity and made a two-year commitment to each cause. Lina Shore gave to several organizations including  Project Newhope, Caring for Babies With Aids, Susan G Koman, HRC, The American Cancer Society and The American Heart Association. “It wasn’t a money maker,” Caroline explains, “it was about having a wonderful time with a group of women. We raised a lot of money for wonderful causes.

Our board of directors and volunteers accepts any nomination all year long, and votes on an annual recipient, based on the following criteria:

- self-identified as part of the LGBTQ+ community

​- has contributed to the gay community