Meet Anna Goodman

My journey began when I came out as a lesbian during my junior year of high school, a moment that shaped where and how I wanted to live my life. After earning my bachelor’s degree from Ohio University, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in media and production. I worked in production offices, advertising firms, as a personal assistant, and as a PA on film sets, exploring different paths to find the right fit. Outside of work, I immersed myself in the lesbian and queer scene, looking for friends and a sense of community. I often went to lesbian parties but found they rarely created real opportunities to connect. They felt cliquey and often left me feeling more alone than before.

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That changed when I found my first real queer family—a group of friends we called the “Pusse Possy.” With them, I started attending more events, embraced queer culture, and began letting go of the insecurities I had carried from childhood through college. I became more confident, experimented with my style, and stopped worrying about what others thought of me. This group helped me see that I wasn’t alone. There were other young queers moving to the West Coast, searching for a place to call home and a community to belong to.

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In 2015, a friend asked me to help produce a fundraising event benefiting JQ International, an LGBTQ+ Jewish organization. As someone raised Jewish, I felt deeply connected to the cause. I worked tirelessly, and soon after, I was hired as JQ’s Program Director, where I produced events and led its Teen JQSA (Jewish Queer Student Alliance) group. During my time at JQ, I expanded my network, meeting LGBTQ+ artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, and community leaders. I was later invited to produce events for HER, a lesbian and queer dating app based in San Francisco. With HER, I organized large-scale daytime events, often hosting 500+ queer women and nonbinary folks, complete with icebreakers and interactive activities that encouraged genuine connection—something I knew was missing in the city.

 

In 2019, Open Dyke Night was born. As a lifelong musical theater fan, I stumbled upon Tramp Stamp Granny’s and thought, “This would be the perfect spot for our lesbian and queer community!” The event offered a lively night of live piano karaoke, featuring everything from pop hits to Broadway classics, and it has been a monthly success ever since.

Open Dyke Night became the catalyst that showed me I could create meaningful events on my own, without a large organization behind me. In August 2021, I launched Hidden Hearts, an event where guests use heart stickers to share whether they are “open,” “taken,” “broken,” or “just looking for friends.” With its welcoming atmosphere, rotating DJs, and opportunies for playing games or dancing with a crush, it quickly became a popular night out.

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Building on the success of Open Dyke Night and Hidden Hearts, I officially launched Damn Good Dyke Nights in January 2023. Under the legal name AG Events & Entertainment, I now work full time producing lesbian and queer events across Los Angeles, with ongoing monthly events running since May 2023. I also offer private event planning and consulting services.

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My goal is to keep creating unique events where people can connect and build real community. In a city like Los Angeles, it can be hard to meet others and feel truly seen. Through these events, I hope to help people feel confident in their authentic selves, make meaningful connections, and have fun in safe, queer spaces.