--- In gay_bombay@yahoogroups.com, "warmwithhot" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > i m very discreet guy ............ i read lot about the parties and > gay night .....i also read about the picnic....but never got courage > to attend any..... i work for a well known firm, there r fews guys who > r known to be gay and my colleagues really treat them with > indifference. > as in not abuse but people only talk to them work related > matters...they avoid mixing arround with them.......... i m also > adviced to stay far from them.... well thats apart..... > i just wanted to know wether these parties are legal or no??? > are there chances of police raids........ > i would also like to know the people experiences in the parties good > and bad both.....
Hi, I'm replying as one of the organisers of GB events. There's nothing illegal about the parties. We don't allow drugs or sex on the premises or underage people to attend - and we're not just saying that, we do our best to enforce the rules. Its all withing the rules, you land up, pay your money to the club, get your drinks, dance, and strictly at 1.30 we wind up. So there's no reason for the police to harass us. Also, please note that we've been doing these parties for several years now and so far, touch wood, we've not had police problems. And we aren't particularly secret about the parties - we don't go out of our way to publicise them and we do request journalists not to write about them. But the info is on our website and on the lists and a few stories have appeared. So rest assured that the police knows these parties exist and so far have not done anything about them. Does that mean they never will? No, it could happen at any time. Perhaps the police might be looking to make money, perhaps there's some moralistic guy who wants to get some fame for himself, perhaps they may just be bored and looking for some action, but they could come anytime. They could come and harass any party, gay or straight, and of course since homosexuality is still penalised in India, the consequences could be worse for us. They may not be able to make any charges stick, but they could make things tough for you if you're deep in the closet. So that's the scenario. No problems so far. No reason there should be problems. But no saying there will never be. Now that I've clarified that, let me ask you a question. You asked whether you could risk coming to a party. Let me ask you: can you risk not coming? No, I am not saying that everyone has to come to parties, that its an imperative part of being gay in India. Lots of gay guys comfortably lead their lives without ever coming to a party. I don't even find them that interesting myself, perhaps because as an organiser I've been to too many. There are lots of other ways to lead your life as a gay man, other ways to interact with other gay friends. But it doesn't sound from your mail that you're experiencing any of them. So let coming to parties stand for getting in touch with other gay people, and your own gay self, and now ask yourself. You think you're safe at the moment, but in fact you're not. You're at risk from loneliness, from not connecting with other gay men like you, from waking up one day and finding most of your life has passed and you have not found love in the way that means something for you. Or perhaps you'll try and find it the way closeted men do, by cruising, by trying through Internet sites, perhaps by hiring hookers. There is nothing wrong with any of these, but they are not that easy and they carry significant risks themselves. Just ask all the guys who have gone disillusioned and bitter trying to find love on the Net or the guys who have got beaten up by hookers. The events organised by GB and other queer groups are not a solution to all your problems. But they are an attempt to create relatively safe spaces for gay men to meet other gay men like them and in doing so create a community. GB has been doing this for many years now and we have a community that is certainly benefitting people. So let me ask you again: can you afford not to get in touch? Vikram
