A sweaty crowd of about 35 people linked arms, grabbed one another's butts and sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" in the Civic Media Center on Sunday night as part of a traveling "gay vaudeville" group's performance.
The CMC hosted FINGERS Queer Cabaret, which includes skits performed by a group of five people, including Edie Fake, Dewayne Slightweight, Silky Shoemaker, Owen Brightman and Scott Tankersley.
"The idea of fingers is a separate entity," Shoemaker said, "but the thing with fingers is that they have to come together and work together to form a hand."
Shoemaker added that the group's appearance in Gainesville marked their ninth performance.
"We are ending our tour at a queer musical festival in about two weeks," Shoemaker said.
FINGERS preformed four skits over two hours, each written and performed by a single member, Shoemaker said.
Performances included props such as a giant fabric sphincter that an actor interacted with to demonstrate ideas of equality.
"The shit ain't gonna stop," the actor said.
An electric guitarist sang a 45-minute song on the same issue, and the following acts incorporated a stilt walker, tap dancing and onion chopping punctuated by a speech on philosophy.
The CMC requested a $5 donation from attendees at the door.
All donations went to FINGERS to help pay for miscellaneous things such as food and mechanical problems that may arise with their vegetable-oil-fueled 1974 bus, Shoemaker said.
Taylor and Lee Savage, who have lived in Gainesville for 24 years, put all of the cash they had with them into the donation box, they said.
The Savages were unable to recall how much the donation was, but said they were searching for the box to put in an additional $20 that they realized they had.
Gainesville community's non-judgmental views are to credit for performances like this being held in the city, they said.
"A lot of people here support gay, lesbian, transgender causes," Lee Savage said. "We try to be part of it and support everyone who does it."
