Washington Blade - September 17, 2004
Brian Moylan

At least not for the rides.

"We don't have any lines, which was very popular with the crowd who came last year," says Larry Stansbury, executive director of Brother, Help Thyself, the gay group that sponsors the event in Doswell, Va., about 85 miles south of D.C., and just north of Richmond, Va.

The reason there aren't any lines is that G&L Night at this amusement park in Old Dominion takes place as a private event, from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., after the park closes. The crowd of 2,000 people who Stansbury says flocked there last year didn't have to compete for a chance to ride the roller coaster and other attractions.

Brother, Help Thyself, a fund-raising coalition that represents local leather/Levi social groups and allocates money to gay and AIDS-related charities, has sponsored the gay gathering at King's Dominion for the last 10 years. The first eight years took place in the day, during the park's normal operating hours.

Stansbury says the group has always had the support of the park, though it is not an official Kings Dominion event. Similar events at other theme parks, including Gay Days at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., are unofficial gatherings. Usually, gay families and their friends decide on a date to visit and descend on the park en masse.

Founded in 1991 and traditionally held in early June, Gay Days at Disney has evolved into a weeklong slate of parties and social events at various area amusement parks and other venues and attracts as many as 130,000 visitors.

Official or not, such events have been targeted by anti-gay conservative groups.

In May, a half-dozen Ku Klux Klan members demonstrated outside gay icon Dolly Parton's amusement park, Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., during a "gay day" organized by a Knoxville-based gay group with no involvement from Dollywood officials.

For G&L Night at Kings Dominion, Brother, Help Thyself rents out the park and is selling $25 tickets independently. Tickets can be purchased in advance at Lambda Rising bookstores in D.C., Baltimore, Rehoboth Beach, Del., and Norfolk, Va., as well as at Phoenix Rising bookstores in Norfolk and Richmond.

Brother, Help Thyself makes a small profit off each ticket sold, but Stansbury says most of the money from ticket sales is used to cover overhead expenses. Though not a fund-raiser, the event has made a small profit each year and he says the proceeds are donated to gay causes.

Because G&L Night is a private event, it is not listed on Kings Dominion's official schedule or Web site, www.kingsdominion.com, and those calling the park asking questions about G&L Night are referred to Brother, Help Thyself.

Michael Sanfilippo, a spokesperson for Kings Dominion, said this is the case for all private events held at the amusement park. He declined to answer questions about specific complaints the park has received regarding holding a gay social event in a state with one of the most stringent laws in the nation opposing gay civil rights. It took effect in July and is designed to prohibit the legal recognition of unions and other legal contracts involving same-sex couples.

"The park receives various complaints all the time, all of which we take very seriously and we try to correct," he says.

Stansbury says he's never had trouble working with Kings Dominion officials in the past.

"They don't treat us any differently than any other major event," he says. "I've been working with them for 10 years. ... We have a good working relationship with them."

Stansbury says the decision to move the event to the evening was done so organizers could have more control over how it unfolds, and so gay customers could have the park to themselves.

"We're finding that we can do more at night," Stansbury says. "We can bring in our own entertainment, something that we would enjoy more. I couldn't do that during the daytime."

At last year's event, the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington and the D.C. Different Drummers performed. This year, D.C. DJ Blaine Soileau is scheduled to be spinning at an outside venue in the park. (The rides are open from 8-11 p.m., but the music and the party will continue until 1 a.m.)

"This year, we're trying the dance party," Stansbury says. "Each year I'll try something different to gear it toward our community. The intent is just to have a good time."

040917
WB040914

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2004. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2004. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .