“The circuit is about the feeling of being completely overwhelmed. My first party was like ‘wow.’ It was the first time a big beefy guy paid attention to me – there are great men at these things. There are gay men who are being sexy en mass. There are men with HIV, on steroids, the first time they’ve had a great body and they’re going to show it off. This is our second go around. This, to me, is my sexual revolution – to see all those guys doing those dirty things – that’s exciting. So at circuit parties, it’s about flaunting the body” (Brian, quoted in Westhaver, 2006, p. 630).

“Proponents understand the circuit as a site of empowerment; critics see the circuit as a site of danger” (Westhaver, 2006, p. 611).

Ever wondered what it would be like to experience thousands of hot shirtless buff men, sweating and gyrating to rave music in close contact with each other? Like a fantasy transformed into reality, the circuit party unfolds as the night melts into day. I have only attended three circuit parties so far, so I cannot say too much from my own experience. As usual, however, I rely on the psychological literature regarding what has been written about them for this month’s Queer Quest.

During the 1980s, urban gay communities were hit hard by the devastation caused by AIDS, and celebration seemed inappropriate as friends and acquaintances succumbed to a disease that had terminal consequences and seemed uncontrollable in its spread. The 1990s saw a gradual return to the sexual liberation, extensive drug use, and the all-night dance parties that characterized much of 1970s gay culture. The increasing popularity of techno music and circuit parties became associated with designer drugs (also referred to as club drugs) that permeated gay culture, beginning with MDMA (also known as ecstasy) before newer drugs emerged, such as ketamine (Special K), gammahydroxbuybutyrate (GHB), and crystal methamphetamine (crystal or “tina”). [1] Next month I will write about these drugs and their effects.

Paradoxically, circuit parties were originally organized mostly to raise funds for AIDS service organizations, yet now, they may be a significant venue for the spread of HIV infection and other STDs. [2] In a study including 185 surveys completed by men on the final day of a four-day circuit party event, unprotected oral sex and unprotected anal sex was reported by 34% and 15% of the sample, respectively.[3] It is a well-known finding that the use of club drugs is associated with higher levels of sexual risk-taking behaviour. [4] Furthermore, the majority of circuit party attendees are under the influence of at least one mind-altering drug – 86% in one survey of 173 men, for example. [5]

Some of the well-known circuit parties happen in Montreal (the Black and Blue Main Event and the Military Ball), Palm Springs (the White Party), Miami (the White Party), Orlando (Gay Days), and New York (the Black Party). For those of you unfamiliar with circuit parties, they generally involve a weekend-long series of social events, culminating in an all-night dance attended by thousands of gay and bisexual men. [6] In one study, for example, the researchers estimated that the three parties they attended had 25,000, 15,000, and 10,000 attendees, respectively. [7] Circuit parties are annual events held in the same resort locations or large cities in North America each year. The term circuit refers to the fact that many men travel on a regular basis to attend these parties in different cities.

All circuit parties revolve around music, drug use, and sexual pursuits. Today they are hosted by both for-profit and non-profit organizations and entrance fees vary from $50 to over $175. Circuit parties are rave-like events, but unlike raves, the attendees are mostly gay men. Thus, primarily, the circuit party is a gay celebration where participants have the opportunity of being in a gay space. Most of the physical space is devoted to the dance floor, attendees spend most of their time dancing, and most of the interaction that occurs between attendees occurs on the dance floor. Within a few hours, nearly every guy has stripped off his shirt, and one writer has described the circuit party experience as a flaunting of the body that creates a sense of empowerment. [8] It would be a mistake to suggest that everyone in attendance has a buff body, however. Nonetheless, the percentage of those approximating the ideal male physique is much higher than you’ll notice at virtually any other social event. Just as there are those who workout hard before taking a tropical holiday, there are those who physically prepare before they attend a circuit party.

Similar to a rave, you do not ask a person to dance at a circuit party. Instead, you just begin dancing with friends, partners, or by yourself. If you are interested in someone, you might initiate contact by dancing close to that person and seeing if you can establish mutual eye contact. Once that occurs, you might begin talking or you might intensify the mutuality of the dance experience by getting in close and grinding. In turn, that may lead to some touching, petting, or groping. Although I have not seen it myself, sometimes mutual masturbation, oral sex, and more rarely sexual intercourse occurs on the dance floor. [9] One patron described the circuit event as “like a standing-up-not-quite-naked orgy.” [10]

Why do gay men attend circuit parties? The best study that answers this question comes from 1,169 surveys completed at three different circuit parties. The reasons that will be mentioned below fall into two main categories: “primarily for social and celebratory reasons” (pertains to most attendees) followed by “primarily for sensation-seeking reasons” (about one in eight attendees). The most common reason for attending a circuit party is “to celebrate and have fun” (44.6% of respondents), followed closely by “to dance and enjoy the music” (41.8%). Also common is “to be with friends” (36.6%), “to escape from usual day-to-day routines” (26.7%), “to look and feel good” (24.8%), “to have an intense gay experience” (19.8%), and “to be wild and uninhibited” (16.1%). Less commonly reported reasons include “wanting to party and use drugs” (10.9%), “to have sex” (6.2%), and “to forget about HIV/AIDS” (3.2%). [11]

Although attendees may view the circuit party as a social dance experience that centres on friendship, community, and bonding, it is not the place where most will find friendship, community, or love. More likely, it will be a place where these valued ideals are lost as one experiences the influence of drugs and resulting riskier sex practices. [12] It is easy to get lost in a sea of shirtless men, but eventually, everything returns to normal. The circuit party can temporarily hide the isolation that many gay men feel. The use of drugs can provide an artificial sense of bonding, while true connectedness and intimacy remain elusive. [13]

All is not bleak, however, because any event is what you want to make it. I have experienced the circuit party as the ultimate gay fantasy dance event, and although I cannot stay up all night dancing without plenty of coffee (and they don’t serve coffee), I relive the time I am there over and over again when I am back to the reality of my daily life. It is electrifying to participate in such an enormous celebration of gay life, and it is all that you want it to be.

One PhD student wrote an interesting observation in that despite the large number of intoxicated, sexually-charged men that attend circuit parties, there is little to no violence that occurs. [14] That observation, by the way, seems universal within the queer community. We are a peaceful group, and that in itself is worth celebrating!

Dr. Alderson is an associate professor of counselling psychology at the University of Calgary who specializes in gay and lesbian studies. He also maintains a private practice. He can be contacted by confidential email at alderson@ucalgary.ca, or by confidential voice mail at 605-5234.

References:

1) Kurtz, S. P. (2005). Post-circuit blues: Motivations and consequences of crystal meth use among gay men in Miami. AIDS and Behavior, 9(1), 63-72.

2) Patel, P., Taylor, M. M., Montoya, J. A., Hamburger, M. E., Kerndt, P. R., & Holmberg, S. D. (2006). Circuit parties: Sexual behaviors and HIV disclosure practices among men who have sex with men at the White Party, Palm Springs, California, 2003. AIDS Care, 18(8), 1046-1049.

3) Ibid.

4) Lee, S. J., Galanter, M., Dermatis, H., & McDowell, D. (2003). Circuit parties and patterns of drug use in a subset of gay men. Journal of Addictive Diseases, 22(4), 47-60.

5) Ibid.

6) Patel et al. (2006).

7) Ross, M. W., Mattison, A. M., & Franklin, D. R. Jr. (2003). Club drugs and sex on drugs are associated with different motivations for gay circuit party attendance in men. Substance Use & Misuse, 38(8), 1173-1183.

8) Westhaver, R. (2006). Flaunting and empowerment: Thinking about circuit parties, the body, and power. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 35(6), 611-644.

9) Ibid.

10) (Marc, quoted in Westhaver, 2006, p. 619).

11) Ross et al. (2003).

12) Westhaver (2006).

13) Kurtz (2005).

14) Weems, M. R. (2007). The fierce tribe: Body fascists, crack whores, and circuit queens in the spiritual performance of masculine nonviolence. Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences, 68(4-A), pp. 1600.