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In the new issue of Gay News, 2010

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Scene (64)

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Thirty Percent Of Professions Appreciates Gay Family Less Than Straight Family

Can you have kids when you’re gay or lesbian? Most certainly, there are at least 25,000 children being raised in gay families in Holland. Although their upbringing is not very different from kids in a straight family, Movisie, an organization aimed at knowledge and advice for social developments, published on the 4th of June in Dutch the “Handreiking homo-emancipatie: roze ouderschap” (Assistant Gay Emancipation: Gay Parenting), compiled by Hanneke Felten and Josee Rothuizen.

First gay rights activist' Antony Grey dies aged 82

Mr Grey, born Anthony Edgar Gartside Wright, had been ill for several years with leukaemia and died at King Edward VII Hospital in London on Friday April 30th. He is regarded as Britain's first gay rights activist and was instrumental in forcing the government to push through the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, which paved the way for modern law reform. He began campaigning for gay equality in 1958, when he joined the Homosexual Law Reform Society, which campaigned to change laws which criminalised gay men.

Kooistra loses court-cases, April and Exit need to close

Tycoon Kooistra is also forced to close cafés Dante, Three Sisters and Luxembourg in Amsterdam. On top of that Kooistra and a few associated businesses, like the Gouden Kooi BV, Kropa Exploitatie BV and umbrella company Plassania are ordered to pay back logged rent to Heineken by Amsterdam court order. Per café he owes Heineken up to hundreds of thousands of euros in rent. If he doesn’t cough up Heineken can close and claim the businesses one by one. Company Gouden Kooi BV was also sentenced to pay for all court costs.

Judge Rules Bareback Porn Should Be Allowed

In the February 2007 issue of “Gay News” the then editor-in-chief concluded an editorial about whether some subjects are not fit to print in gay publications, with some thoughts about the question whether we “should pretend bareback porn doesn’t exist, just as in the American gay porn industry actors who’re involved in bareback productions get a ‘Berufsverbot’ from the mayor studios [...]

Free condoms and lube in gay sauna and gay bars.

From the first of December 2009 the Aids Fonds is distributing free condoms and lube for all visitors of gay saunas, bars and parties. So from now on it’s even easier to keep the sex safe in these venues. They’re starting in five venues in Amsterdam to begin with, but from 2010 the rest of Holland will follow. The idea is to provide all gay nightlife spots in Holland with free condoms. The venue managers are responsible for the transport costs and they have to keep track of when stock is getting low.

Gay Business claims damages from city

The Gay Business Amsterdam foundation (GBA), which organized the Gay Pride in Amsterdam for years, is claiming 140.000 euro in damages of the city council.

Treasurer Peter Kramer of the GBA confirmed the report in the Volkskrant. This came after a ruling of the Raad van State (High Judicial Council) that mayor Job Cohen was predisposed in his choice for licensing the events for Gay Pride in 2007.

COC building in Amsterdam sold

The COC building on the Rozenstraat in Amsterdam has been sold to housing corporation Ymere. The Albrecht foundation (owner of the COC buildings) and the corporation have reached an agreement this week. The monumental building fetches 3.5 million euros. Halfway through 2008 COC Nederland announced its plans to sell their building on the Rozenstraat. For many years the large building, partly from 1892, partly from 1912, had an important function for the Amsterdam gay community, but it had been mostly vacant in recent years.

Letter from Brussels - Fake Gay Marriages

Dear Northern Neighbors,

I mentioned it in previous columns already: the gay passport marriages. About gay Belgians - some truly desperate - who are getting married with some exotic person.

I don’t want to repeat myself but statistics and figures speak louder than words and the department of statistics of our Ministry of Economic Affairs is very good in keeping track of things, also marriages and stuff.

Observations Worth Listening To In Gerrit Komrij’s Mosse Lecture

On September 17 Gerrit Komrij delivered the Mosse Lecture in the main branch of Amsterdam’s Public Library. A week later the text was published in the leftish weekly “De Groene Amsterdammer.” Because not all readers of “Gay News” will have attended the lecture or read the text, it seems worthwhile to highlight some of Komrij’s observations. He might have unfolded a self-willed, and some people will even say archaic, point of view, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t say things which are worthy of consideration.

Letter from Brussels - Who’s Going To Be Joseph? A Faggot Of Course!

Dear Northern Neighbors,

With the first crisp Autumn evenings I always get this cozy nest feeling. The desire to climb into a comfortable chair with a warm blanket overrides the one to go out into the Brussels’ nightlife looking for some passing pleasures, and as my arm gets a bit tired holding up a book, I keep the remote control close at hand.

Letter from Brussels - Faggot With A Bow Tie

Dear Northern Neighbors,

Have you followed the political situation, or should I should deadlock, in our tiny little country over the past months? Maybe you have, unless you were under a rock somewhere because even the NOS and the Dutch newspapers have dedicated many an item to the ruction in Brussels’ Wetstraat.

Club Church Opens In Amsterdam

New Gay Club Redefines Cruise Scene Amsterdam has a new Church. End of July the new gay cruise club Church opens its doors, just in time for Gay Pride. Situated on the Kerkstraat, almost next door to Thermos night sauna and across from the Bronx, Church is a completely new concept in gay Amsterdam. There are two floors of dance and play space catering to the cruise crowd, with changing theme nights four times a week. And in the basement is a shower block as well as douche area.

Gay & the City - Online

Queen’s Day in Amsterdam! The drunken euphoria on a sun-kissed afternoon at the Reguliersdwarsstraat, the sweaty overindulgent hunting at a laser-bathed circuit party, the Spanish, the Germans, the Italians, the men, the boys, the Queens... This year’s Queen’s Day celebration lasted almost a week as it was conveniently followed by Ascension day, leaving the bulk of the population in a state of traumatic exhaustion and some of us in a state of post-orgasmic bliss.

Letter from Brussels - Image Problem

Dear Northern Neighbors,

I admit, the title is straight from the marketing manuals. And who or what has an image problem I hear you wonder? The answer might not please you, if you didn’t guess it by now: Amsterdam, what once was the gay capital of Europe (and according to some, of the world).

Brief uit Brussel _ Imagoprobleem

Lieve Noorderburen,

Toegegeven, de titel komt regelrecht uit de marketinghandboeken. En wie of wat heeft een imagoprobleem hoor ik jullie denken? Het antwoord zal jullie misschien niet zo plezieren (voor zover jullie het zelf nog niet doorhadden): Amsterdam, toch lange tijd de homohoofdstad van Europa (en volgens sommigen zelfs van de wereld) geweest.

Letter from Brussels - Shame On You, Mr. Kouchner

Dear Northern Neighbors,

It took four months. Four months for the French Council of State, the constitutional court in France to declare a ministerial briefing of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Bernard Kouchner “illegal.” Only then did minister Kouchner withdraw this infamous briefing, which was an affront to gay human rights.

Brief uit Brussel - Foei, foei, meneer Kouchner

Lieve Noorderburen, Vier maanden duurde het. Vier maanden vooraleer de Franse Raad van State, het grondwettelijke hof in Frankrijk, een ministeriële omzendbrief van de minister van Buitenlandse Zaken Bernard Kouchner als “onwettelijk” bestempelde. Pas toen schrapte minister Kouchner zijn beruchte omzendbrief die een regelrechte aanfluiting van de mensenrechten voor homo’s was.

Fifteen Years GALA

GALA (Gay and Lesbian Amsterdam), one of Amsterdam’s most unique gay groups, celebrates its fifteenth anniversary this year. This non-profit volunteer group has been working hard in front of and behind the scenes for many years and has played a crucial role in developing the local gay scene.

GALA was founded in the early 1990s to strengthen bonds between different gay and lesbian organizations and groups and thus to anchor the visibility and emancipation of gay life in Amsterdam.

Letter from Brussels - Abolish Pride!

Dear Northern Neighbors,

Were you planning to all come to the Brussels Gay Pride this year? I wish you luck because there might not be a Pride Parade through the center of town at all. The organizers are going backwards upside down. Some websites even broadcasted the message that the organizing committee is financially bankrupt.

Letter from Brussels - HIV Testing - The New Norm?

Dear Northern Neighbors, This week I saw some fragments from the well-known Dutch television show “Boer zoekt vrouw” (Farmer Looking For A Wife), which is probably not unfamiliar to you, unless you’re living on a completely different celestial body. We in Flanders also know this program, in which anchor woman Dina Tersago as a real hoyden with unbelievable enthusiasm tries to get a farmer off the streets, not an easy task to be sure.

Bye Bye 2007

With 2007 safely behind us, Gay News columnist Chris Andreas takes a good hard look at the new and the old, the best and the worst of Gay Amsterdam this past year. 2007 started off promisingly with the opening of two new gay bars; De Engel van Amsterdam on the Zeedijk, which has helped to transform this part of the red light district into a brand new mini-gay zone, with punters pouring out onto the street on sunny afternoons; and the ’t Leeuwtje, a tiny new bar on the Reguliersdwarsstraat that nobody seems to have heard about (ever heard of publicity boys?).

In Memoriam - Riek Stienstra (1942-2007), Pioneer Of The Gay And Lesbian Movemen

Riek Stienstra, who passed away on the 20th of November 2007, had been director of the Schorer Foundation for over twenty-five years. Under her direction the organization developed into what it is today. She started in 1974 as coordinator of the so-called “Consultation Bureau for Homophiles” and became director of the “Jonkheer mr. J.A. Schorerstichting” a few years later.

Letter from Brussels - Statistics Lessons

Dear Northern Neighbors,

Did your Ministry of Health also pour out the annual alarming HIV statistics on World AIDS Day? In Belgium Sensoa, some sort of STD expert center, always has the honor. It must be said, in the past years it was always Sensoa that took prevention initiatives. Must be such an ungrateful job: repeat time after time the same messages of prevention; there are nicer things in life. The power of repetition is based on a good dose of naivety.

5 Minutes

In “5 minutes” we take a closer look at a random visitor of the gay scene in five minutes, asking all sorts of questions.

Name: Danny Ekkel
Age: 27
City: Purmerend

*Party Animal or Couch Potato?
A bit of both, really. I like to party hysterically but a weekend on the couch is also great.

Letter from Brussels - Exodus

Dear Northern Neighbors,

Things have been different in the Steenstraat, the street in the center of Brussels and what some exaggeratingly call “the gay district.” This so-called district consists, or should I say consisted, of the Steenstraat and the Kolenmarkt (which is a street, and not a market square as the name suggests). All together we’re talking ten bars max... It depends on what you think is a “district” I guess.

5 Minutes

In “5 minutes” we take a closer look at a random visitor of the gay scene in five minutes, asking all sorts of questions.

Name: Pieter
Age: 29
City: Amsterdam

*Party Animal or Couch Potato?
Party Animal but an evening on the couch with a good movie is also great

Letter from Brussels - HIV Blackmail

Dear Northern neighbors,

Since we can sort of speak of an Indian summer I happened to find myself at the terrace of cafe Plattesteen in the heart of the gay district of Brussels. I had a date with one of my mates for a drink or two before dinner. Just for a little chat, it had been a while.

5 Minutes

In “5 minutes” we take a closer look at a random visitor of the gay scene in five minutes, asking all sorts of questions.

Name: Robin D ;-)
Age: 36 years
City: The Hague

Five minutes

In “5 minutes” we take a closer look at a random visitor of the gay scene in five minutes, asking all sorts of questions. Our second victim is: Jeroen Groeneveld (21) from Amsterdam. We found Jeroen behind the Soho bar on a Monday night at around 10pm.

Letter from Brussels - The Final Taboo

Dear Northern Neighbors,

Did you ever ask yourself what’s the biggest taboo in regard to homosexuality in contemporary society, where tolerance has increased during the last decade but where there’s still a lot of work to be done? Yours truly was asked this question during an informal chat with some friends. “Gays in sports,” I replied immediately. And everyone seemed to concur with me.

Scene Spotlight - NL Hotel

NL Hotel Amsterdam is a brand new design hotel in Amsterdam. Dutch award winning designer Edward van Vliet, personally took care of the design and together with the owners of the selection of materials, colours and decorations. This in combination with the hospitality of the proprietors will make your stay at NL Hotel an unforgettable one. NL hotel is located in the heart of Amsterdam, on the Singel Gracht. It’s surrounded by museums, shops, café’s, restaurants, galleries and all the unique things Amsterdam has to offer.

Homophobe violence on the rise in Amsterdam

Another gay man in Amsterdam fell prey to homophobe violence. We only recently heard that two Canadian soldiers beat up a 28-year old man, just because he’s gay. Since the Canadians have been in custody and have been charged with criminal assault. Saturday morning COC-Amsterdam called a special press conference attended by several victims of hate crimes. The COC-Amsterdam wants mayor Cohen to condemn violence against gays more clearly. Tackling homophobe violence ought to also be included in the Security and Safety policy 2007-2010.

Letter from Brussels

A Miscellaneous News Item

Dear Northern Neighbors,

What the hell happened in Groningen? “Gay men injected with HIV at sex parties,” was in bold print on all Belgian (as well as the Dutch no doubt) newspapers. Here and there the horrible news was also picked up elsewhere in Europe and even in America. CNN and BBC websites also had the news up.

Is barebacking standard in Amsterdam gay scene?

Unsafe sex frustrates Amsterdam gay scene

At the congress on World Aids Day I gave a lecture that was rather provoking. It was about the decreasing sense of responsibility in the gay scene. The listeners were shocked. I painted an explicit picture of a gay scene that seems to have thrown in the towel when it comes to safe sex. I made a connection between the dramatically improved surviving chances of those living with HIV and the decrease in sense of urgency to keep having safe sex.

Letter from Brussels - In A Minor Key

Dear Northern Neighbors,

For a while it seemed that the weather gods were going to punish us yesterday. A gay parade, the Belgian one especially, could do with a bit of sunshine after all. Still, it wasn’t the weather that proved to be the disappointment, rather the very small audience and the very few participants were.

Until 2pm we had a few showers more than rays of sunshine. The sun returned with the start of the parade and bathed the pedestrian area of St. Jacob in the center of Brussels.

Darkrooms no longer endangered

The Building & Construction Department of the local government for the centre of Amsterdam has unanimously decided yesterday to recognize darkrooms as meeting places in a bar or sauna for voluntary non-commercial sexual acts. Darkrooms as such are not included anymore in the much more restricted category of sex businesses. The definition of these sex businesses has been reformulated so that darkrooms will not be in danger of association with sex businesses and so that these businesses can’t abuse the exception made for darkrooms.

Letter from Brussels - Abnormal?

Dear Monseigneur André-Mutien Léonard,

You have again made a monumental fool of yourself last week when you called gays “abnormal” and “people that have encountered a blockage during their psychological development” in the French weekly magazine “Télémoustique.”

Letter from Brussels - Queen Of The Coastal Towns

Dear Northern Neighbors A couple of weeks ago I found myself in the gay scene of our Queen of the Coastal Towns, the city of Ostend. Call it a trick of fate, or a stroke of luck, as you wish. Over the past few years I’d heard the wildest stories about gay life in Ostend so I decided it was time to check out what exactly is on offer there. One doesn’t just happen to spend every weekend in Ostend (at least I hope not).

Letter from Brussels - QT Partycrasher

Dear Northern Neighbors,

And, ever put a webcast on the world wide internet? Or have you youtubed as they say nowadays? Apparently everyone of us has a real film maker hidden inside. But that isn’t including myself, let alone that I would make an absolute fool of myself. But don’t worry, there are enough others who do this instead of me.

Siep de Haan Wants ‘His’ Gay Pride Back, Even If He Has To Sacrifice A Fourteen-

The Amsterdam gay universe shook once again on its foundations. The cause: the Canal Parade taking to our canals in August. In its early years the floating spectacle even created a little stir but nowadays many a local simply shrugs his shoulders. Only our local television station AT5 thinks it’s great stuff and sends out all their students on work practice.

Letter from Brussels - Still Chubby Buddies?

Dear Herman Stoker,

I hope you don’t mind addressing you with “dear”. I have the letter you sent to the editor Hans Hafkamp this Christmas in front of me. He forwarded it to me as a sort of Xmas present and it’s also published in this issue [see at the end of this page, Ed.]. You think I went too far with my column about the chubby invasion in Brussels; I would even malignantly discriminate chubbies. I hope you don’t mind me trying to explain once more what I tried to say in that column, because you obviously didn’t get it (yet). I forgive you. There are lots of people who send in letters who haven’t even bothered reading the article they protest against to the end, let alone that they are willing to face an obvious reality. Be assured, I will try to help you one final time.

Adios Amsterdam 2006

Gay News columnist Christos Andreas takes a look at the winners and losers in the Amsterdam gay scene this past year.

2006 got off to a rocky start with the closing in spring of the COC Amsterdam building on the Rozenstraat. In what looks like yet another sure step towards achieving its apparent goal to completely destroy itself, COC Amsterdam is now wrangled in the process of trying to buy this ghost house from COC Nederland, and transform it into some vague homo supa-center.

Letter from Brussels - Gay Marriage In Figures

Dear Northern Neighbors,

Did you all run to city hall to get married when they changed the law in Holland? Here in Belgium they passed the law on gay marriages in 2003, so now, three years later we have the first figures and statistics on the table. Figures that make you think about the original intention of marriage. I accidentally ran into it on the website of our National Institute for Statistics, as I was looking up some other stuff.

The Gossip Bin

Things still suck here in Holland when it comes to these so-called celebrities. When I look at the last couple of weeks there’s nothing to report, other than that I read on the net that the name of Jantje Smit is going around in many a gay bar lately. The thing is that Jantje decided to model some underwear for C&A and apparently the posters are going like hot cakes. Strange species these queens. Most of the time they’re dieting to fit into the most expensive underwear they can find and now a simple C&A piece of cotton makes them go nuts.

Letter from Brussels - Chubby Invasion

Dear Northern Neighbors,

Is fat and chubby in fashion with you as well? From yesterday until next Tuesday our tiny capital will shake on its foundations by the footsteps of some hefty people. Literally. Brussels will experience the EBMC event with European, American and Canadian chubbies taking part. Central theme: the fatter the better (apparently).

The program of this six-day event isn’t anything like a sports event. Quite the contrary!

Gay & City - Neighbors

My straight neighbor was hot. A big and muscley blond piece of meat made in Holland. He lived right across the street from me and every time he saw me from his window he waved at me, greeted me elaborately or enquired about the gym I favored. On many an early morning while I was preparing to go to work, I would see him coming back from clubbing, brushing his teeth, devilish fire flickering in his eyes, shoulders lifted as if to say: Innocent! Marco was his name. So straight, hot and unattainable.

Gay & City - Sauna, Sweet Sauna

We love the sauna... Ah, the nocturnal hunting sprees in the dimly lit alleys, mechanically walking round and round to the point of utter dizziness, the tiny square cubicles and the deploring look in the eyes of their residents, the way you register somebody’s private parts while sitting at the bar through the film of alcohol before your eyes, the overpowering eucalyptus aroma in the steam room and the way the white cloud enshrouds your eyes upon entering, unraveling little by little intertwined legs, erected genitalia or rhythmically snoring old men.

Gay & City - Padding

Ibiza 2006! Still fabulous, tempting and inspiring. Still drawing fresh energy from this season’s sounds, designs, drugs and flavors. Still palpitating like one big heart, hiding unimaginable gems in its core, compelling its lucky admirers to indulge in sleepless treasure-hunting, night after night. We were among those lucky admirers, and this is how we felt, not simply holiday-makers, but privileged admirers of Ibiza’s Beauty. My friends Archibald, Sasha and I had booked a week in Ibiza at the end of August.

Letter from Brussels - Le Homo Erectus

Dear Northern Neighbors,

Is their also in your neighborhood a gay bar that you walk past very often, without ever going in? Probably there is and everyone will bring forward some reason as a dream excuse why you shouldn’t dash into the said establishment. Unless of course, booze prevails after a night out and you end up in the notorious bar. Yours truly ended up in the Homo Erectus, without any alcohol being consumed and without company. A wrong decision, if you ask me.

April Celebrates Twenty-fifth Anniversary!

Café April opened its doors in 1981 for the first time, and they’ve been open every day since, except during the extensive renovation in 1996. The novelty at the time was that April not only opened its doors but also its windows, because it wasn’t all that easy for gays to be open and “out” in the late seventies and early eighties. Everything was hidden behind closed doors, until April changed all that. They hung out flags like mega decorations whenever they had something on, which was often: Easter, Christmas and New Year’s Eve were celebrated enthusiastically.

Letter from Brussels - Ghent's Loetjes

Dear Northern Neighbors,

You are genuine party animals indeed! At most festivities the Dutch streets just turn orange and all the people dress up in the same color. There’s no limit to the orange craze, in contrary, the more the better seems to be the motto. But the competition is fierce, very fierce. The Belgians are good at it too, with or without the help of some beer. Our streets may not change into an orange ocean but we go for it alright. Like at the Gentse Feesten in July: a ten day drinking and partying fest in the historical center of Ghent.

Gay & the City - Rank

Rank is British slang for ugly, low and disgusting. Or according to the dictionary “very offensive in smell or taste” and “conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible.” Rank is how I felt in one of the cubicles of that forsaken darkroom in Antwerp where I somehow happened to be, facing a somewhat rough-looking guy whom I could hardly see and who’d just come prematurely. It was my turn to culminate so while I was working labouriously, he was producing pathetic panting and groaning sounds.

Letter from Brussels - Place m’as-tu vu

Dear Northern Neighbors,

Weren’t you also happy when the first rays of sunshine finally broke through the grey clouds? I was elated. And not just me! Tens of other Brussels’ queens ran enthusiastically towards the terrace of the Plattesteen tavern: the one and only large gay friendly terrace of Brussels, in the heart of our lovely, small capital.

Gay & City - Visited By Vice At The Roxy

In the summer of 1997 I arrived in Amsterdam. A fresh Eastern-block boy, uninhibited, aware of his gaiety yet completely unaware of the exquisite monster called gay life.

I remember the first time I trained at the Splash gym. My ex-partner had introduced me to it, telling me it was a “gay gym.” The fact that such a concept existed impressed me tremendously. What on Earth did a “gay gym” mean? I used to observe the pumped-up boys sweating over sophisticated machines and imagine what their faces would look like when they were coming.

Gay & the City - Slap me, I love you

The Annual Internet Awards at the Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam. My friend Sammy had given me an invitation and I attended to see just how cool it was going to be. And cool it was! Handsome young men in suits and chicks in cocktail dresses drinking cosmopolitans. Futuristic screenings on the walls and subdued funky beats. Refined laughter and smooth confident moves. The whole thing looked like a scene from a James Bond movie.

Letter from Brussels - Gay Parade 2006

Dear Northern Neighbors, Are you also really looking forward to your annual gay parade? Yesterday we had ours here in Brussels. It was time for all gays and lesbians from the remotest (well remote...) corners of our tiny country to get together. Along the route I discovered a view foreign gay tourists as well, who probably were very badly informed on the scale of the event. Before they knew it had started, it was over and done with already.

Gay & City - I Love a Date

“It felt nice to play with your hair, while you were sleeping on my chest,” is not exactly something you say to a one-night stand on the morning after. But I did. And so we started seeing each other. I played with his hair on another night, and another. Yet he was still just a date.

But what’s the definition of dating in the gay world anyway? Usually we’ve fucked our brains out after a night out before we actually get the chance to have a proper dinner together and hear each other speak. So when I invited this one to dinner for the first time, I was quite nervous. Would we be able to communicate?

The Scene - Queen’s Day Weekend In Review

Well, I hope all you Queens enjoyed YOUR weekend! Another Queen’s Day has come and gone and while the city seemed less busy then years gone by, many gay party people found their way to Amsterdam for another FULL on party weekend! And a FULL on party weekend it was! Or rather, too many parties for one weekend! I have never seen so many parties offered in one weekend for gay people and it was not even Gay Pride! While many of you found your way to “the” hot places to be, some tourists found themselves confused, frustrated and disappointed, finding themselves ultimately in the wrong parties!

The Scene - GHB* Chic? Or NOT! (*Also known as: “G,” Gamma-hydroxybutyrate)

GHB - also known as liquid ecstasy, G, Georgia Home Boy, and perhaps most tellingly, “Grievous Bodily Harm” - belongs to a class of drugs typically found these days at dance clubs and “circuit parties” and seems to be the drug of choice for many gay party goers. GHB is a powerful and fast-acting central nervous system depressant. In a club environment, GHB in liquid form is most commonly mixed with water and sipped throughout the evening producing its euphoric high. GHB frequently provokes spontaneous hard-ons, only adding to its desirability in gay party-going circles.

The Scene - The Holiday Scene In Review And A 2006 Preview

Well, this was the season this past December for you party people. When most people are usually saving up to buy friends and loved ones Christmas gifts, we gays seem to be out in force, ready to party a little harder than an average office Christmas party. December was packed full of parties from beginning to end, although unfortunately another year goes by without any fabulous New Years Eve bash for the fags! Here is a quick review of December, see if you can keep up...

Sayonara 2005

As the lights go out on 2005, Gay News columnist Christos Andreas takes a look at the winners and losers in the Amsterdam gay scene this past year. Well, the year’s just over and I’m here sipping my champagne and tallying the books for 2005. The past year saw its share of ups and downs in gay Amsterdam, with the arrival of some bold new initiatives and the demise of just as many others.

The Scene - “What Is Your Recipe For A Perfect Party?”

These days choosing where to go out in Amsterdam or neighbouring cities can be a daunting decision. While the choice of special events has doubled in numbers in the last year, the guarantee of a good time is questionable at the very best. Whatever your “scene” is, whether you prefer a leather party, a circuit party, an alternative party or a sex party, we all have a certain level of expectations as we are getting ready on that evening to go out. The pressure is on the organisations to deliver.

The Scene - What Happened?

Starting this issue the Scene Queen will regularly speak his mind about his experiences in and ideas about the queer scene in Amsterdam, Holland, and abroad. (Eds.)

I was sitting under the arches in Star Bucks in London sipping my grande cappachino, waiting for my friend to arrive and head off to Heaven for some fun on a Saturday night. I hadn’t been out in London in a couple of years, so I was very curious to see what was going on compared to what was definitely NOT going on in Amsterdam.

It’s Party Time Again!

After five years as one of Amsterdams longest running parties, Tea Dance, by promoter Casey, has a new home with a new name. The first Sunday of the month means Sunday Rain! Next Sunday Rain: December 4, 2005. Club Rain, Rembrandtplein 44, in Amsterdam. Sunday Rain Tea Dance is a seasonal Tea Dance from November till April from 20.00-02.00 with DJs Dekky & Deneuve.

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