The Queer Underground Raves. The true sanctuary of sin.

There’s a place downtown where the freaks all come around. It’s a hole in the wall, it’s a dirty free for all. Where they take it off. Other than being lyrics from arguably Keshas’s best song, these words truly do capture the essence of the queer rave scene. My boyfriend and I just started exploring the scene, and our lives have completely changed. Techno. Shirtless men. Dark rooms. Sex. What more can you ask for? There is truly no better place than these raves. When I talk to my straight friends about these raves we go to, they probably only hear the superficial—partying, drugs, sex—but miss the true meaning of these spaces, and why they’re so important, not just to my boyfriend and I, but to queers everywhere. These raves offer safety, release, chosen family, and a kind of collective freedom many of us don’t get to feel anywhere else. Because when you look around the dance floor. You see that these ravers who are shirtless, completely naked, or just in a thong or jockstrap are your doctors, your therapist, your dentists. It’s a form of escapism that so many queer people need and they always have been. 

The queer underground rave scene was born after the stonewall riots. Gay bars were continuously being raided, shut down, and surveyed by the police, because of the homophobic feelings that infected society during the 70’s and beyond. So what did the queers do? We moved underground. No longer could we feel safe in our designated spaces, so we had to build our own, outside of mainstream society, where we could express ourselves, and ultimately be ourselves. Dancing became political, and pleasure became defiant. The over policing of queer spaces was also occurring at the time of the AIDS crisis, where government neglect, scapegoating, and homophobia forced our community to go underground. If we couldn’t be ourselves in society, then we had to build spaces outside of society (or should I say under society) where freedom of expression was encouraged. The rave scene has only continued to grow, and it took me a long time to find those parties. But my boyfriend and I did. And the liberation I felt when I went to my first one was immeasurable. There’s something so freeing about being around only queer people. No judgement, no shame, no guilt for enjoying pleasure. These spaces provide the safety us queers need to unapologetically be ourselves. To express our sexuality through movement. Through grinding. Through kissing. They aren’t just some hyper sexual party tweaked out men go to get off. They’re tangible freedom- felt in the body, in sweat, in proximity, and in the absence of shame. The connections you make during these raves are real. We’ve developed genuine friendships simply by going out to these parties. I have found a group of guys who I love being around and who reflect the same values and beliefs I have. And for all these reasons, it’s why Sinfull Heart will throw its own.