San Francisco Forum to Focus on Drugs in the Gay Party Scene

For over 30 years dance parties and clubs have played a central role in the gay, bisexual, lesbian and transgender communities. In recent years gay ‘circuit parties’, huge weekend-long events that attract thousands of dancers, have evolved into thriving community gatherings. These parties have become big business, raising tens of thousands of dollars for their producers or for gay charities.

Recently circuit parties and dance clubs have come under increased scrutiny by public officials due to associated drug use, including ecstasy. Like the youth-oriented rave community, the gay party subculture is becoming more aware of the need to ensure health and safety in an atmosphere where drug use is common. Meanwhile, the government’s expansion of “crack house” laws, which now apply to some clubs, and other hard line policies to curb drug use, present new roadblocks to providing safe environments and common-sense interventions.

The Lindesmith Center and the Electric Dreams Foundation will present Never Stop Dancing: Harm Reduction in Gay Clubs and Parties on Friday, September 28, 2001, 5-7 PM at The First Unitarian Universalist Church (1187 Franklin Street and Geary). The forum will address the cultural significance of the gay club/party subculture, the changing landscape of drug use, emerging health challenges associated with the party scene, and an overview of new interventions to increase safety.

Speakers at the forum include Francis P Kohrs, M.D., MSPH, of Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and a medical expert on illicit club drugs, Alan Brown, President of the Electric Dreams Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to promoting health and safety in the gay party subculture, and Richard Elovich, Former director of HIV prevention at Gay Men’s Health Crisis in New York City and a doctoral candidate in sociology and public health at Columbia University.

Open to the Public Refreshments provided
Please email [email protected] or phone (415) 921-4987 to reserve space

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The Electric Dreams Foundation seeks to improve health and well being within the social arenas of gay culture, and to promote an expanded sense of community. See www.electricdreams.org.