NEW YORK (AP) — A plush octopus by Jellycat. A neck pillow by XpresSpa. Graphic sleeping masks by Geyoga.
The accessories weren't designer. But these cozy, low-budget pieces stood out Sunday at the second Debt Gala, where some 200 pajama-clad revelers dressed for its “Sleeping Baddies” theme raised over $15,000 for medical bill relief. Hosted in Brooklyn one night before the Met Gala, the populist benefit's thrifty getups and raunchy comedy routines marked a far cry from its glitzy, star-studded inspiration that collects millions of dollars annually for the renowned art museum's costume department.
It's one of several alternative galas that have recently emerged around the city with hopes to democratize the exclusive springtime fundraiser's spectacle and leverage its fanfare to highlight other causes. Brooklyn Public Library revived its People's Ball in 2022 as an inclusive declaration of fashion's existence among “the everyday New Yorker.”
"Why should this wonderful, fun display of creativity and showmanship just be reserved for these wealthy elite when there’s so many amazing, creative New Yorkers who deserve to get the red-carpet treatment?” said Debt Gala co-founder Molly Gaebe.
This year’s beneficiaries are the Debt Collective, a debtors’ union born from the Occupy Wall Street movement, and Dollar For, a non-profit that reports having eliminated almost $50 million in medical debt by ensuring lower-income patients get discounted health services.
The prevalence of health care debt has prompted billions of dollars in relief from governments and private donors. A 2022 Kaiser Family Foundation survey found that four in 10 adults have some form of medical- and dental-related debts — with even greater numbers among Black and Hispanic adults, the uninsured and women.
Debt Gala tickets ranged from $35-$1,000. Attendees were encouraged to wear red squares — a nod to debtors' status “in the red” and a symbol of solidarity. Handbags by Steve Madden composed almost all the items up for grabs at a silent auction.
Jared Walker, the founder of Dollar For, said the fundraiser aligned better with his nonprofit’s mission than more elaborate, black-tie events.
The Washington-based organization connects financially strapped families facing overwhelming medical expenses with legal teams who help them obtain charity care. Walker said every dollar raised will eliminate over $25 of medical debt.
“I don’t want to do the old-school, golf tournament-type charity event,” Walker said.
Organizers had pitched the event as a night for those “that may never be able to buy a house” and a “red carpet for the people.” Dinosaur slippers and pink curlers contrasted with the Louboutins and bedazzled tiaras of past Met Galas. One attendee dressed in moccasins and a plaid, wearable blanket exclaimed that they'd been “wearing this all yesterday!”
The accessory of the evening might have been the sleeping eye mask. Winston Koone and Anuraag Baxi wore black ones that read “Shut Up” and “Sleeping Beauty.” Koone paired that with a $30 ring bought at a corner store. Baxi finally got the chance to break out a robe set purchased for a long flight.
“We’re here with things we found in our closets, dressing up not to mock — because I will definitely be watching tomorrow — but to show that... there is a different side to the world that maybe tomorrow doesn’t focus on,” Koone said.
The anti-capitalist sentiment and attention to New York's greater cultural scene continued through a series of sometimes crude standup comedy sets and lively drag queen performances. Comedian Tina Friml joked that she wore a plain outfit because she sleeps in street clothes — before later confessing that she actually falls asleep naked.
Many artists lack good health insurance, comedian Chanel Ali told The Associated Press, making the cause especially relevant to the creative community. Ali said she has peers who “will not let you call an ambulance no matter what” because “they don't want to get stuck with the bill.”
The concept came to the organizers several years ago at a wine bar in Manhattan's Theater District after watching Met Gala coverage. The pun came first: Debt Gala. But they soon decided that the vastness of medical debt and opportunity to exponentially increase the impact of the money collected made it an equally good cause to support, according to director and Debt Gala co-founder Tom Costello.
Debtors at Sunday evening's gala emphasized the need to fight health care inequalities baked into the system of medical debt. Philip Bjerknes, a longtime Brooklyn resident, said he incurred around $50,000 in hospital bills during a one-month institutionalization against his will after a suicide attempt.
Wearing a Brooks Brothers night gown from eBay, Bjerknes said medical debt can be very embarrassing and that he was “completely destabilized” by his experience.
“At the end of the day, the material support is what we need,” Bjerknes said. "To get to that with fun and fashion is awesome."
Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and non-profits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.
New York City Housing Director Leila Bozorg wears a plush octopus at the Debt Gala in the Brooklyn borough of New York on Sunday, May 5, 2024. Some 200 attendees sought to help alleviate medical debt at the second annual benefit, one of several alternative fundraisers that have popped up around the star-studded Met Gala. (AP Photo/James Pollard)
Show producer Adam Gold, left, and comedian Chanel Ali appear at the Debt Gala in the Brooklyn borough of New York on Sunday, May 5, 2024. Some 200 attendees sought to help alleviate medical debt at the second annual benefit, one of several alternative fundraisers that have popped up around the star-studded Met Gala. (AP Photo/James Pollard)
Debt Gala co-founder Amanda Corday wears hair curlers and pajamas as she appears at the Debt Gala in the Brooklyn borough of New York on Sunday, May 5, 2024. Some 200 attendees sought to help alleviate medical debt at the second annual benefit, one of several alternative fundraisers that have popped up around the star-studded Met Gala. (AP Photo/James Pollard)
Debt Gala co-founders, from left, Molly Gaebe, Tom Costello and Amanda Corday, appear at the Debt Gala in the Brooklyn borough of New York on Sunday, May 5, 2024. Some 200 attendees sought to help alleviate medical debt at the second annual benefit, one of several alternative fundraisers that have popped up around the star-studded Met Gala. (AP Photo/James Pollard)
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — In a campaign ad for Taiwan’s President-elect Lai Ching-te, incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen was shown driving with Lai in the passenger seat, exchanging reflections on their years governing together. Tsai later turned over the driving to Lai, who was joined by running mate Bi-khim Hsiao.
The message was clear: Lai would steer the island in the direction set by Tsai, who after eight years in power was barred from running again.
Lai, 64, will take office Monday. Continuing Tsai’s legacy means aiming to strike a balance between cultivating Taiwan’s unofficial alliance with the United States and maintaining peace with China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be retaken by force if necessary.
Lai is also expected to build on some of Tsai’s domestic reforms, despite political gridlock. Lai and Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party has lost the majority in the legislature, making it hard for Lai to push through legislation, including the approval of crucial national defense budgets.
Tsai, 67, has been Taiwan’s first female president and one of Asia’s few female leaders who didn’t hail from a political dynasty. Her legacy will be tied to defending the island’s sovereignty from China while refashioning it as a credible partner for the U.S. and other democracies. She will also be remembered for overseeing the legalization of same sex-marriage, steering Taiwan through the COVID years and kickstarting the island’s military modernization.
She leaves office with high approval ratings. A recent poll by broadcaster TVBS showed 42% of respondents were satisfied with her eight-year performance. Her predecessor, Ma Ying-jeou, left office with approval ratings of around 23%.
Tsai’s popularity partly reflects a shift in Taiwan’s identity. A vast majority of residents now identify as Taiwanese as opposed to Chinese and want to be governed separately from Beijing. Taiwan and China have had different governments since a civil war in 1949 saw the Nationalists flee to the island while China’s Communist Party took control of the mainland.
Tsai veered from the more China-friendly policies of the previous ruling party, the Kuomintang. By the end of Ma’s tenure, the frequent exchanges with Beijing were making many Taiwanese nervous, said Shelley Rigger, a Taiwan expert at Davidson College.
Beijing called Tsai a separatist after she refused to acknowledge the 1992 Consensus, an agreement which says Taiwan is part of “One China.” While pulling away from Beijing, however, Tsai left a door open for communication.
“President Tsai has always said that Taiwan, under her leadership, is happy, willing and eager to have dialogue with Beijing, just not on terms unilaterally imposed by Beijing,” said Wen-Ti Sung, a fellow with Washington-based think tank Atlantic Council.
China has not only declined to speak to Tsai but also ramped up military and economic pressure on the island, sending warships and military jets near it daily.
Beijing prevents countries it has diplomatic relations with from having formal ties with Taipei. During Tsai’s tenure, it intensified a campaign to lure away the island’s few diplomatic partners. During Tsai’s years in office, China poached almost half of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, bringing the remaining number to 12.
Tsai pushed back by diversifying trade relationships and increasing military spending including submarine development. She also elevated Taiwan’s standing on the international stage, said outgoing Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.
“Her leadership style is very moderate, but at the same time very firm in dealing with any kind of international pressure,” he said.
“She strengthened awareness of Taiwan around the world and its ties with the international community,” said Bonnie Glaser, the director of the Indo-Pacific program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
Lai, who served as vice president during Tsai's second term, came across as more of a firebrand earlier in his career. In 2017, he described himself as a “pragmatic worker for Taiwan’s independence,” drawing Beijing’s rebuke. He has since softened his stance and now supports maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and the possibility of talks with Beijing.
“Lai has spent the last two-plus years trying to convince the world that he is Tsai Ing-wen 2.0,” said Lev Nachman, an assistant professor at National Chengchi University.
Lai will build on Tsai’s efforts to strengthen ties with the U.S., which doesn’t formally recognize Taiwan as a country but is bound by its own laws to provide the island with the means to defend itself.
By some measures, Lai’s greatest uncertainty on the foreign policy front might come from Washington. A new Donald Trump administration could throw off whatever balance Tsai has achieved in Taipei’s relations with Washington and Beijing, Nachman said.
During Tsai's tenure, Taiwan became the first society in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, though critics say she skirted political responsibility by leaving the decision up to the Supreme Court and a series of referendums.
She oversaw a controversial pension and labor reform and extended the military conscription length to one year. She also kickstarted a military modernization drive, including a program for building indigenous submarines at more than $16 billion each.
Tsai’s leadership during the COVID pandemic split public opinion, with most admiring Taiwan’s initial ability to keep the virus largely outside its borders but criticizing the lack of investment in rapid testing as the pandemic progressed.
Tsai’s mixed success on the domestic policy front contributed to historically poor results for the DPP in local elections, said Sung with the Atlantic Council. The party’s poor performance in the 2022 elections led to Tsai resigning as party chairwoman. And while Lai won the presidential election, DPP lost its majority in the legislature.
“Much of President Tsai’s government’s success comes from the foreign policy and related international outreach fronts, and in terms of making inroads on the much more grassroots party machinery level, for example, those still have room for improvement,” Sung said.
A supporter of opposition Taiwan People's Party (TPP) holds a guava, symbolizing dishonored ballot during a march to protest against Lai Ching-te's ruling Democratic Progressive party a day before his presidential inauguration in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, May 19, 2024. TPP demands that Lai''s government must implement parliamentary, judicial and constitutional reforms. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
Supporters of opposition Taiwan People's Party (TPP) stage a rally to protest against Lai Ching-te’s ruling Democratic Progressive party, a day before his presidential inauguration in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, May 19, 2024. TPP demands that Lai's government must implement parliamentary, judicial and constitutional reforms. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
Supporters of opposition Taiwan People's Party (TPP) gather to protest against Lai Ching-te’s ruling Democratic Progressive party, a day before his presidential inauguration in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, May 19, 2024. TPP demands that Lai's government must implement parliamentary, judicial and constitutional reforms. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
Supporters of opposition Taiwan People's Party (TPP) march to protest against Lai Ching-te’s ruling Democratic Progressive party, a day before his presidential inauguration in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, May 19, 2024. TPP demands that Lai's government must implement parliamentary, judicial and constitutional reforms. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
FILE - Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen delivers a speech during the naming and launching ceremony of domestically-made submarines at CSBC Corp's shipyards in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, Sept. 28, 2023. Taiwan's president-elect Lai Ching-te is set to take office on May 20. Building on the legacy of incumbent president Tsai, Ing-wen means aiming to strike a balance between cultivating Taiwan's unofficial alliance with the United States, and maintaining peace with China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be retaken by force if necessary. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File)
FILE - In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen, speaks at a luncheon during a visit by a Congressional delegation to Taiwan in Taipei, Taiwan, April 8, 2023. Taiwan's president-elect Lai Ching-te is set to take office on May 20. Building on the legacy of incumbent president Tsai, Ing-wen means aiming to strike a balance between cultivating Taiwan's unofficial alliance with the United States, and maintaining peace with China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be retaken by force if necessary. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP, File)
Supporters watch an ad showing then Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Lai Ching-te in a car driven by incumbent president Tsai Ing-wen during a rally held in New Taipei, Taiwan, on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024. In the campaign ad, Taiwan's president-elect Lai Ching-te and incumbent president Tsai Ing-wen was shown driving steadily on the island's roads with Lai in the passenger seat, exchanging barbs and reflections on their years governing together. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
FILE - Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Lai Ching-te, who also goes by William, is greeted by supporters during an election canvass of a neighborhood in Taoyuan, Taiwan, Jan. 11, 2024, ahead of the presidential election. Lai Ching-te is set to take office as Taiwan's new president on May 20. Building on the legacy of incumbent president Tsai, Ing-wen means aiming to strike a balance between cultivating Taiwan's unofficial alliance with the United States, and maintaining peace with China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be retaken by force if necessary. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte, File)
FILE - Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te, also known as William Lai celebrates his victory after Taiwan's presidential election, in Taipei, Taiwan, Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024. Lai Ching-te is set to take office as Taiwan's new president on May 20. Building on the legacy of incumbent president Tsai, Ing-wen means aiming to strike a balance between cultivating Taiwan's unofficial alliance with the United States, and maintaining peace with China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be retaken by force if necessary. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File)
