Melbourne’s Essential Gay Bars & Parti | URBAN LIST MELBOURNE

Contents:

• THE BT GAY BARS MELBOURNE
• WHAT ARE THE GAY BARS IN MELBOURNE?
• MELBOURNE’S ESSENTIAL GAY BARS & PARTI
• MELBOURNE GAY DANCE CLUBS
• THE BEST MELBOURNE GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MELBOURNE
• THE BEST MELBOURNE GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MELBOURNE
• WHAT I LEARNED WORKG A NAKED GAY BAR
• THE UNSUNG HISTORY OF CIRCU PARTI, WHERE GAY MEN SEEK SEX AND FREEDOM
• THE BEST MELBOURNE GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MELBOURNE
• MAN ED FAKE ACCENT, THREATENED TO 'BLOW UP' GAY BAR, POLICE SAY
• MAN ACCED OF G FAKE ACCENT THREAT TO 'BLOW UP' MELBOURNE GAY BAR

THE BT GAY BARS MELBOURNE

The circu—a loose global work of often weekend-long danceathons, where partygoers (almost all gay men) nvene om around the world to bond spirually, socially, sexually and milly—is one of the most unique phenomena to emerge om queer muni over the past few s.Circu parti n be d, like at At's Splash Days, held at lol waterg hole Hippie Hollow, or at ski weeks held at rorts the Wt and Swzerland, where actn on the slop rivals that of the dance floor.Or, they n be wild, like at New York's Black Party, wh "strange live acts" that have clud erotic e of a boa nstrictor; or at San Francis's Magnu, held the night before the Folsom Street Fair fetish ftival.But they always give atten a space to shed social expectatns, where they n be nobody but themselv.Sce their birth the 70s, the circu has grown to an ternatnal phenomenon, wh parti blossomg throughout Europe, Lat Ameri, and, more recently, the Asian Pacific Rim. Undoubtedly, many younger gay men prefer smaller venu that "bask the bety and openns of queer culture." Plenty of olr gay men, too, fd the whole ethos of circu parti — glow sticks, remixed diva anthems, lor them, "body fascism"—to be tired anachronisms.To figure out the state of the circu 2017, THUMP spoke wh Mickey Weems, a lecturer at the Universy of Hawai'i Manoa who has extensively studied circu parti (alongsi relig, anthropologil and folklore terts). Weems spoke to their past, prent and potential future, explag what role the circu has played shapg queer and gay culture, and what s evolutn says about the same today.A gay circu party (Photo via noiZe.buzz)THUMP: Can you give me a psule history of the circu?Mickey Weems: It all started after the Stonewall Rts 1969.

WHAT ARE THE GAY BARS IN MELBOURNE?

When the Gay Activist Alliance was formed—the first gay rights group, born only six months after Stonewall—they had danc an old firehoe SoHo. And New York, thoands of men began gatherg at Downtown loft spac that began croppg up.Money started pourg , wh plac like Flamgo and Twelve Wt, two of the most proment gay male dance spac, full of sweaty men dancg all night.At the same time, Fire Island beme the place for people who uld afford .

MELBOURNE’S ESSENTIAL GAY BARS & PARTI

The term "circu" me om beg the "need to know circu"—not only diss, but "--the-know" plac the gay muny that even clud barbershops.Then, 1980, the Sat opened the East Village. One thg the 2002 documentary When Boys Fly [which followed a group of young gay men attendg the Miami Whe Party] got right was showg someone fallg out [passg out om dg e].It was sndalo. Then you started seeg the rise of the ter, which pecially affected the gay datg scene.

MELBOURNE GAY DANCE CLUBS

A handful of proment gay punds saw the parti as a waste of our energy and rourc. People like Michelangelo Signorile, who wrote about his experience at the Palm Sprgs Whe Party Life Outsi , a book about gay culture at the time, were posg that the parti were elist.Among crics like Signorile, Larry Kramer and Gabriel Rotello, parti were seen as havens for irrponsible behavr, sex and dgs.

Most of the kds of studi look at the areas of gay culture—like the bathhoe scene, club scene, the app scene—bee they're supposed hot spots for HIV fectn and rampant dg e.But the qutn is: do the people dog the studi unrstand our muny at all?

THE BEST MELBOURNE GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MELBOURNE

Bee what they're "studyg" is jt what go on regular gay life.Except that "regular gay life" has e to mean somethg very different 2017.

There's no qutn that for gay men, thgs have gotten better.

This generatnal divi between gay Boomers and lennials has to fluence how they perceive circu parti—or even if there's still a need for them.If, as you said, the circu reached a nadir earlier this century, has that cle been nstant, or have they ma a eback? And if so, what's the motivatn for younger gay men to attend a circu party?

THE BEST MELBOURNE GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MELBOURNE

H ave the parti themselv evolved to meet the challenge of a changed landspe for gay/queer culture a post-liberatn world?Circu parti still have a functn. And young people are tablishg "circu loni." We create a gay space on the dance floor of mastream parti.

EDC enurag .One ongog cricism is that the parti reprent only one small segment of gay men.

WHAT I LEARNED WORKG A NAKED GAY BAR

Although there's a looseng up about attus toward gay people, the societi are still very tradnal. However, many gay bars and clubs have openly weled the LGBTQIA+ muny om the start of their tablishments. We have ma this prehensive list of gay bars and clubs Melbourne to show our appreciatn for all that they do for the cy's vibrant LGBT muny and for the wir world.

However, if you intify as homosexual, visg bars that do so specifilly will improve your qualy of life.

In a gay club, you n socialise wh like-md dividuals and dulge sexual activi wh those you meet. For those lookg for gay-only waterg hol Melbourne, the optns below should do the trick. List Of Melbourne's Dedited Gay Bars.

THE UNSUNG HISTORY OF CIRCU PARTI, WHERE GAY MEN SEEK SEX AND FREEDOM

Perhaps the most well-known gay space town, the Poof Doof also has a sister venue that domat Sydney. As of recently, "A gay club for all" has bee the bs's new tchphrase.

The longt-nng bs Melbourne that has been owned and operated by the gay muny.

Sce the 1980s, the Laird has been a mastay of the gay male muny, and 1998, received legal regnn as a men-only bs. The Smh Street gay baret hosts nightly shows that are sure to imprs, wh a foc on drag performanc.

THE BEST MELBOURNE GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MELBOURNE

Dpe the club's lack of a "gay sectn, " serv as a safe haven for the wonrful muny of queer youth who are to the techno. DT's Hotel Richmond is a no-fs gay bar, pub, and baret spot.

DT's is a gay and lbian hangout where you n enjoy tradnal pub fare, lovely regulars, and possibly even karaoke or trivia.

Gui To You Fdg The Bt Gay Club.

MAN ED FAKE ACCENT, THREATENED TO 'BLOW UP' GAY BAR, POLICE SAY

If you want to have a good time a gay club the way you've always imaged , you need to have a clear ia of what that is. Visg the gay club's webse will make your cisn to jo much ls plited.

MAN ACCED OF G FAKE ACCENT THREAT TO 'BLOW UP' MELBOURNE GAY BAR

If you want to brg your date wh you to the gay club, you need to tell them about your plans.

There is not one ma gay area or gayborhood here, but we have a map g up that n help you unrstand the lay of the land better.

Big Gay Trivia at DT's Hotel on Thursdays.