- Words by Toby Tannas Photography by Darren Hull
Bringing people together is Rudy Tomazic鈥檚 speciality. The Kelowna-based realtor and business owner does big, impactful things for his community but he does them in what鈥檚 become his signature way: quietly, behind the scenes.
鈥淭he thing I enjoy most is making people happy,鈥� Rudy says with a smile. 鈥淚 get a real charge out of that. I don鈥檛 need accolades; I just want to do it.鈥�
As the owner of Friends of Dorothy, the Okanagan鈥檚 first LGBT2Q+ cocktail lounge (now with a second location in Victoria), Rudy has created a fun and inclusive environment that embraces the very best of queer culture.
鈥淲e live in a world with too much judgment,鈥� Rudy says. 鈥淲e are judged on our clothing, our face, our hair and body size. Everything is judged. But when you walk into a queer-focused place, everyone is welcome and we鈥檙e not judging at all. We want you to come in and just have fun.鈥�
Friends of Dorothy or simply Dorothy鈥檚, as Rudy affectionately refers to it, is a place to grab a snack and a drink and take in a drag show. At least it was until COVID-19 restrictions put the kibosh on performances. But in true star fashion, Kelowna鈥檚 resident queens continue to show up for Rudy.
鈥淭he queens in Kelowna aren鈥檛 being paid to come in right now, but they do! They鈥檙e dressed in drag, they鈥檒l just sit on stage with the microphone and talk and heckle people,鈥� he chuckles. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e doing it not only to keep what we鈥檝e created alive but to make people laugh and feel good through these challenging times.鈥�
They鈥檙e also doing it as a show of respect and gratitude for the man who gave them a permanent stage.
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The appreciation for Rudy extends far beyond the LGBT2Q+ community. Together with business partner Nate Flavel, Rudy has turned an annual pop-up drag queen party into a significant fundraiser for the Kelowna General Hospital Foundation. Noir has sold out in each of its three years, allowing Rudy and Nate to donate upwards of $40,000 to the KGH Foundation.
鈥淓veryone needs a hospital, not just the LGBT2Q+ community. Everybody. There鈥檚 not a single person on the planet who isn鈥檛 going to need medical attention at some point in their lives,鈥� Rudy notes.
The proceeds from Noir have gone to support some of the region鈥檚 greatest needs for advancing health care. This includes JoeAnna鈥檚 House, as well as a campaign to offer complete cardiac services at KGH by bringing in electrophysiology. Proceeds from Noir also supported the We See You campaign, a fundraising effort in support of KGH staff and the areas of greatest need during the pandemic response.
鈥淩udy is very humble about his contributions to our community, but he is so generous,鈥� says Allison Ramchuk, Chief Development Officer for the KGH Foundation. 鈥淲e are so grateful for his gifts to support local health care, and his endless energy and creativity when it comes to fundraising. He鈥檚 a very special partner.鈥�
A second event called Diva will also be a fundraiser for the KGH Foundation once COVID-19 regulations are relaxed. Rudy is eying 2022 for the return of both drag shows.
鈥淚鈥檓 just so humbled by the support. I鈥檓 the type of person who charges full steam ahead into a project or a business. I don鈥檛 really stop to think about a Plan B if it should fail. I only ever have a Plan A,鈥� he says, laughing.
Rudy鈥檚 drive and penchant for taking risks (he went ahead with plans to open a second restaurant in the midst of the pandemic) were instilled in childhood. It鈥檚 a self-taught survival mechanism that came from growing up in a family that he says never really supported his dreams.
鈥淪omeone was always telling me that I would never be able to do what I wanted. I was told this is the way it鈥檚 going to be and this is the way you鈥檙e going to do it. He wanted me to be a doctor or a lawyer, but all I ever really wanted to do was make a difference.鈥�
Rudy can check the box on that dream. His philanthropy has helped and will continue to benefit an entire region. Through his real estate/development company and his two restaurants, Rudy is keeping dozens of people in Kelowna and Victoria employed, all while celebrating the LGBT2Q+ community and putting drag queens in the spotlight.
鈥淚 really couldn鈥檛 do any of this without the support of my three sons, close friends and, of course, the Friends of Dorothy teams in both Kelowna and Victoria. They鈥檝e all been right there with me on this journey. When you look at queer culture, we鈥檝e come a long way but we still have a long way to go.鈥�
Rudy is determined to keep pushing forward on that. His next dream is to take Dorothy鈥檚 nationwide.
鈥淚 want to build a staple for the LGBT2Q+ community. If you鈥檙e in Calgary, or Vancouver or Toronto and you鈥檙e looking for an LGBT2Q+ establishment, you鈥檒l see Dorothy鈥檚, and you鈥檒l know what you鈥檙e going to get! A place that welcomes everybody.鈥�
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Rudy admits he has struggled through this pandemic because it鈥檚 kept him from the thing he loves most in life鈥攂eing shoulder to shoulder with people.
鈥淎s humans, our nature is to be together. When I鈥檓 in the restaurant, I鈥檓 not just managing. I鈥檓 bussing tables, I鈥檓 doing dishes, helping prep, doing whatever is needed. I like to mingle, and I can鈥檛 do that right now, which is difficult for me because I just love to hear people鈥檚 stories.鈥�
Rudy is now focused on the future and the day he can invite the queens and all the entertainers back on stage to let the good times and the giving roll. Until then, he says, it鈥檚 on all of us to keep that diva magic alive.
鈥淢ore than ever we need to be kind and aligned. Together we will get through this.鈥�
Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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