In 2001, Palm Springs police reported 13 overdoses and two citations for sex in public during the White Party weekend. Consequently, the City Council considered banning the annual party. However, after local merchants detailed the amount of tourist money the White Party brought into the desert resort area, the City Council reversed itself. In response to the controversy, at the 2002 White Party organizers emphasized the dangers of drugs and distributed condoms.

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Circuit Events

Circuit parties come together in several ways depending on the scale and intent of the event. For example, the Black Party in New York is coordinated by a mysterious foursome known as the Saint at Large. Other events, such as Chicago's Fireball, use a steering committee to book DJs and performers, design and distribute promotional materials, and arrange sponsorships and hosting agreements with airlines, local hotels, and media outlets. Finally, in some cases a well known promoter--such as Jeffrey Sanker--orchestrates the entire event, as in the case of the White Party in Palm Springs. Charity fundraising parties often rely heavily on community volunteers to organize and coordinate the events.

There are usually two or three circuit party weekends a month. The circuit begins in January in Philadelphia with the Blue Ball. It continues with New York's Black Party in March, Sanker's White Party in April, the Cherry Party in Washington, D. C. in May, and Montreal's Black and Blue Ball in October. Other events include Fireball in Chicago (February), the Purple Party in Dallas (May), and Halloween in New Orleans (October).

Also, many gay-centered events such as Gay Days at Disneyland, Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, Southern Decadence in New Orleans, Mardi Gras in Sydney, and many gay pride festivals have circuit parties associated with them. In fact, circuit parties include events as varied as ski weekends in Canada, Carnivale in Rio de Janeiro, island parties in Spain, celebrations in Israel, and beach parties in South Beach.

Circuit parties have been the source of a great deal of money for gay charities. But perhaps the greatest attraction of circuit parties, particularly for young gay men who live in rural areas or small cities, is the opportunity they provide to become, at least temporarily, part of a larger community. The gathering of thousands of circuit boys instantly transforms resorts and other venues into spaces.

In the United States, glbtq people have played an integral and often leading role in AIDS activism, greatly influencing AIDS treatment and advocacy.

In response to the AIDS epidemic, a number of activist groups, including Gran Fury and the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, have used art as a means to raise awareness about the epidemic.

Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transsexual people have contributed significantly to the field of architecture and to the creation of queer space.

Artistic dance has proven to be a haven for glbtq people, who have made significant contributions in almost every area, including as choreographers, performers, and teachers.

No popular art form is more closely identified with gay culture than disco and dance music.

The centrality of gay and lesbian bars to glbtq culture has been reduced in recent years, but they continue to fulfill important functions; and, in many areas, they remain the most visible manifestation of glbtq presence.

Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons have had tremendous influence on popular music, though some musical genres have been more receptive to a homosexual presence than others.

Michelangelo Signorile is a prolific, and often provocative, writer and activist whose books and articles, radio show, newspaper columns, and website champion the cause of glbtq rights.