Hello I'm Rich Brown and this is my personal website and blog. I'm just your simple, average, down to earth, professional, out gay man and aspiring circuit boy, living in Phoenix, Arizona with a few things to say while trying to find my place among all the scary, conservative, religious nuts in this sick and twisted world.
Friday, May 05, 2006
White Party 2006 Part 8: Final Post & Thoughts
So this is my last posting of what has turned into pretty much White Party month for my blog. I know I've probably bored all of you with the multitude of Palm Springs White Party 2006 postings, but it really was a big thing for us, and each event was so different that I didn't want to post all the pics at once and overwhelm everyone.
Final Thoughts (Please Read!) When I first started my postings about the White Party Weekend I was thinking that my final post would be some deep philosophical thoughts about my experience. I think that was mostly prompted by the sadness we all felt once it was finally over. I'll have to admit that it took almost two full weeks to finally come completely out of the depression that was cast upon us by the end of the weekend. Those of you who have ever been and participated fully in a Circuit Party of this nature will understand exactly what I'm talking about. On my first day back to work after the WP weekend, the very first question a former Circuit Party-going co-worker asked me was ... "So has the depression set in for you yet?" He couldn't have hit it more square on the head. Fully expecting the 'Blues' after a party weekend, I was not fully prepared to deal with the 'coming-down' experience that I was left with after the White Party Weekend. I think it was a combination of the separation anxiety from friends along with the end of having had the freedom to be open, comfortable, uninhibited and completely true to ourselves for the whole weekend.
As I said in a previous post it was a truly life changing and eye opening experience for my friends and I. I couldn't have felt any more comfortable or happy being around so many of my fellow gay party-goers who were also enjoying every moment of the weekend. There is just such a ritualistic, tribal, and almost communal quality to this whole thing that I've never been privy too before. You just can't begin to describe what it feels like to be enveloped by the dance music and surrounded by a sea of people who don't have a care in the world at that moment. It really opened up our senses to see that it's possible to put yourself into an environment where you can be completely happy, relaxed, emotional, and not have to deal with the normal discrimination, prejudice, and hate that coincides with being a gay man in a straight world. It's like being shown a small preview of what paradise really can be like. I can certainly understand the appeal of why people return to these events year after year.
We've already decided that we definitely want to go back again next year and we're planning on continuing with more parties year. June takes us to the Colossus Party in San Francisco, July takes us to the Circuit Daze & the Zoo Parties in San Diego and then October possibly takes us to the week long Black & Blue Party in Montreal. Hopefully it's going to be a great year, and just the beginning for us as we head down this path.
I would most certainly recommend to other gay men that you really have to try something like this at least once in your life. If not a circuit party, at least an all-gay cruise or an all-gay resort vacation. The experience will open your eyes and change your reality. I'm so glad to have been able to finally attend the White Party Weekend, and more importantly attend it with my partner and best gay-friends. Based on what I'm taking away from this experience, I'm really looking forward to what else the future will bring for us.
Thanks for putting up with all my White Party 2006 posts, I hope you've all at least enjoyed the photos I've posted. If you have any specific questions for me about any of the photos, the events or the weekend please feel free to leave me a comment or shoot me an email directly to rich@cyrek.net.
Well done Rich! No you didn't bore me, I enjoyed the way you presented the whole thing, all of it. And I particularly liked hearing your heartfelt thoughts at the end.
Being gay in a straight world... I wish it wasn't so Rich. It should be all about being human amongst humanity. Period.
|______________________________________________________________________ posted by Jude @ Friday, May 05, 2006 10:37:00 PM
Glad you enjoyed yourself at WPPS. I know the Circuit has gotten a bad rap for a while and it has its problems and excesses, at the same time, it can be an amazing experience -- to be honest, its an entirely different world that most of the straight world will never know. Like most everything, its a mixed bag and I'm glad you were able to enjoy it! I was hoping to make it to at least part of WPPS, but couldn't. I'll definitely be there in SD for Pride, though!
|______________________________________________________________________ posted by Marc @ Friday, May 12, 2006 8:44:00 PM
