When not teaching sociology at UCLA or putting the finishing touches on her new
scholarly book (Invisible Families: Gay Identities, Relationships and Motherhood Among Black Women), Mignon Moore (left) hosts elegant get-togethers for women as the owner of Chocolate and Wine, an upscale social group based in L.A. With her fiancé, Elaine “DJ One” Harley (right). Moore organizes dance parties, wine tastings, happy hours, singles’ events and more, all to “provide spaces where women can affirm themselves, go on a date, network for business, express their creativity and connect with other women for friendship and more.” The social scene dovetails perfectly with her professional work. “I conducted some of the research for my book when I used to host Persuasion, a Monday-night lounge party for Women in New York from 2004 to 2006,” she says. “The activities I organize in my work life, as well as in the women’s community, are meant to uplift the LGBT community, to reduce the stigma associated with being gay, and to bring people together.”
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