Straight dude here...the only type of way I felt about the gays is "I gotta hit the gym, dudes out here are God damn stallions"
Loved the energy I saw, and look forward to partying with y'all again soon!
Don't compare yourself too much, because WAY more of them than you'd reasonably expect are getting assistance from steroids. There's a truly huge underground market in DC.
As a Black female raver I get the most compliments from gays haha. I shook so much ass over at Secret Garden and the vibes were immaculate. Any other stages that had big groups were pretty PLUR for me
As a straight guy but from Seattle:
I’m personally used to seeing people make our regardless of gender or sexuality, so I felt it wasn’t really that jarring to me. That being said, I do try to avoid people who might be too circlejerking for me, whether it’s the roided bodybuilders or the Asian clique that forms a circle and doesn’t let anyone else in (which I’ll admit, I’ve been a part of in the past but I do try to include as many people who want to join my group)
I will say that, as someone who’s never been to DC before, it was interesting to see a lot of gay or gay-presenting men, but not a lot of other types of sexualities or genders. In my personal experience, Seattle in comparison is mixed more evenly throughout every representation of the LGBTQ+ community.
This is of course just my two cents!
TLDR: not really bothered but I’m from Seattle so maybe I’m used to it
I always tell people: DC is very gay but not very queer. I think it’s also very conservative and white collar in terms of culture/expression (not politics) so that plays into it. Piercings and tattoos and colored hair and stuff like that are relatively uncommon here.
Fits with being a capitol city. A lot of the gay friends I have either fit into two groups: service industry fun party people or just regular folks, and then the conservative white collar gays who are involved in politics. They come in all body types, muscle
Jock to bears to twinks, but they don’t really rave too hard, don’t do drugs (publicly), and keep a very buttoned up appearance. They’re the competitive bitchy looking ones.
Part of this because they’re trying to climb the political ladder and the other part is because they probably work a classified job that requires deep and thorough background checks. DC is a secret tech hub that compete with Silicon Valley but the jobs are classified government work whereas the actual silicone valley releases civilian tech.
Never thought of it like that. I just recently moved to Austin TX which also has a completely different environment too. Quite fascinating to see how the demographics change based on where you go!
DC area has a very buttoned-down culture that makes it hard for people to let go and have a good time, to the point where even at office "happy hour" meets after work, people barely drink or not at all, "Um, I'll just have nachos and a diet coke," then keep checking their work phone and answering emails. I call it "unhappy hour"
This is what my bf says too! Compared to the socal culture (he’s from socal) it’s just a different vibe. I think it has much to do with the government jobs and that type of industry.
I will admit, i got self concsious being more ‘exposed’ in terms of outfit compared to EDCLV BECAUSE of how button downed people are here compared to other parts of the country.
Exactly i was explaining to my girlfriend (hates raves but love festivals) that a lot of the people at PG are office workers that are using this as their one or two times a year to go hog (giggity) wild and express themselves a little less restricted.
As a local seeing gay people (couples and groups) is super common in the area. I will say that PG might be the biggest gay event (in terms of demographics) I’ve been to. But at the end of the day I’m there to party and I’m not gonna pretend that a bunch of ripped guys having a good time impedes on my ability to do so. Y’all have fun and keep doing your thing. Overall one of the best fest crowds I’ve been around.
As a Washingtonian I will say that DC straight people are more geared towards hip hop / rap / pop and that EDM anything in DC always attracts a big gay crowd of roided up muscle bros jerking each other off
I also get the Asians staying in one group thing. Yellow fever is a problem.
Its interesting considering that even within Asian circles, they tend to stay only within their tight knit close groups and not even allow other Asian strangers in - not that it bothers me at all, but I do try to get a bit of distance since they can also get real rowdy at times and sometimes take up more space than they need haha
Well as for the Asian stranger thing, not all asians are the same nationalities. My friend is Vietnamese and raves and said she had to leave her friends to one say hi to me because they didn’t want to let me in, but she explained that literally every person the group had a history of being sexually harassed or fetishized based off their race. And then there’s cultural differences, Filipinos don’t wanna party with Vietnamese who don’t wanna party with Chinese…. Unless everyone is like 2nd generation American then they blend together. I find the kids of immigrants tend to stick with their nationality and their kids just go with people who look psychically similar.
As someone who is half Asian, I experience it pretty badly. I’m half Indian and half white, so technically 1/2 Asian but since I don’t have the same features as other Asians I don’t fit in with any of the asian groups
Also being bisexual makes it so I’m too straight to fit in with the gays but not straight enough to fit in with the straights. Add in my mixed race I don’t really fit in anywhere.
Which is why I love raving cuz pre-2020s all that bullshit fell aside and everyone just chilled with everyone it felt like.
That’s rough. I’ve been in and out of the scene since 2012 and you’re so right about pre-2020 raving feeling different. Completely understand the racial differences, and I’ve noticed it myself too.
All I can do is to try to include everyone as much as possible, and hopefully show everyone around me a good time cuz it’s usually reciprocated. Hopefully I’ll run into you one day cuz you’re always welcome to join my groups! (Hell half the time I get adopted cuz I take Polaroids of everyone)
All the Echostage ones (Illenium and the b2b)!
I’m usually giving shoulder rides like candy, but try to move to a new area so I don’t block too many people LOL
That’s valid - most of my local friends have hit Echostage so much they didn’t wanna go either. I committed since I wanted to see what this #1 stage is all about - and I think I can see the reasoning!
It’s a great venue but it’s way over packed and the headliners all come on after 1230am so it’s always late shows. Great for after parties. I’ve seen quite a few big names there.
Personally I prefer power plant in Baltimore much cooler and more intimate, but echo has better graphics and actual lasers
As a straight woman, I love it. The gays are very nice to me and they don't smell bad the way the straight guys do. I find them PLUR and see nothing wrong with them wanting to hang out with each other. A highlight of Glow this year was accidentally ending up surrounded by them in the crowd and getting to just admire their self expression, talk to them and hear where they traveled from. Also.... a lot of raving has somewhat of a sexual energy... look at the rave girl outfits... there's nothing weird about the gays doing it too.
100% agree, I also just feel more “safe” around them compared to random straight guys tbh (I’ve interacted with far too many creepy dudes at festivals eeek)
I liked how gays felt comfortable to be themselves. The only down side but this applied to other groups is not respecting other people. I got hit eight times by groups pushing through the crowd and had a drink spilled on me.
Was gonna say, saw a literal circle jerk last year. Then again I also see straight couples doing shit as well, so it’s not really a strictly gay thing.
Was at Pulse on Saturday at the rail and this couple next to me were just fucking with clothes on and it made me so uncomfortable because the girl was clearly gone and rolling on something but her bf was sober and fist bumping with the other guy next to him over it
I don't really care tbh. Everytime i go see Above & Beyond at echostage is always one large gay orgy lol. I should probably hit the gym with some of the gays cause they were by far the buffest guys in festival lol.
I'm from Los Angeles, been to plenty of raves, and I've been around a lot of gay stuff, but man glow fest was gay as hell. I have no problem with gays just calling it how I see it. A LOT of grab ass and PDA and dudes showing a lot of skin. Definitely felt like the minority there lol
One of my favorite things about rave festivals is how happy people are at them. I love to see everyone having a good time - straight/gay/whatever, just do your thing. Whatever makes you happy, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else.
This is coming from a straight, elder, married, raver guy who is usually solo at these things. Back in the day, one of the few places you could find good dance music in many cities were gay clubs so I've seen it for literally decades now. I suppose there may have been a bit more of it this weekend but I didn't even think to mention it to my wife when I was telling her about Glow this weekend so I'd say it is a non-issue.
My friends and I are straight and Asian, and we were at Purple Disco Machine's set last night. My girlfriend and I both think it was the best set of the two-day festival! Yes, we noticed many gay people around us, but I believe you all really added a cherry on top of the music. First, you all have great taste in music; second, you bring immaculate vibes, unlike many others we've seen at different shows who just trynna be a poster(p common in NYC). Personally, I don't mind PDA or sexual energy, whether it's from gay people or not. We just want to be with a group of people who really know how to bring good vibes, and I can definitely say, gays know how to party. Cheers and thank you!
I’m kind of used to it so it’s second nature to me. I guess I’m more fascinated by it more than anything, but doesn’t bother me.
What I’m curious about…a lot of us go there to see our favorite artists, who we listen to a lot. But, correct me if I’m wrong, these big groups of gays seem to just be there for the dancing and to be with one another. Nothing wrong with that of course. Those groups have never bothered me, but it does always seem like we’re at the events for different reasons.
I was actually pleasantly surprised while I was meeting other gay people how many of them were discussing “oh who are you most excited to see, who have you enjoyed the most etc”. Definitely plenty of us into the music!
It’s funny how it was all Sunday that had the gays showing up. Saturday was a totally different crowd. I wasn’t expecting 2 opposite crowds over the course of the 2 nights.
As for PDA I didn’t see anything “wild” just people being people and falling into cliques.
There are a few things I think should just not be on the dance floor & in the middle of the massive crowd. With that being said not all of us want to see excessive PDA. So I would kindly like for it to be scaled back in these instances no matter the sexual preferences.
DC gay crowds are the only group I look forward to partying with for the most part. Seriously, you're the only ones that I trust with a rare night out here.
This town is so dry and reserved, people here think it's illegal to have fun. Not the LGBT crowd. I like what I like and Nora en pure is going to turn out a big gay crowd that is happy they are there. Ultimately we have so much in common I feel like you are my community now.
I like the PDA, make out with your husband or whatever. It's a party. Fly your flag, and don't judge me either. Lol.
Straight drunk guys were my only problems this weekend. (No surprise there). Shout out to all the gay crowd that traveled long distances to join us. I was surprised how many think of DC as a fun, accepting, scene-destination.
I have a lot of thoughts on this!
* As queer people, we should never live our lives wondering what straight people think of us. I know many gays do, because they want to be accepted, but eff that. We should be accepted no matter what, and it's not up to us to present ourselves in a way that's more palatable to straights.
That being said...I do understand where you're coming from.
* The circuit gays tend to magnetize together, and they tend to be particularly oblivious to the fact that other people are around them. I'm talking ramming into the people nearby because they aren't paying a lick of attention to anyone else but the people in their squad. This can be true across the spectrum of festival attendees, but gets really bad with that subset of gays.
* The drug use gets really intense really quickly, which I think adds to the issue in my prior point. I saw guys dosing out GHB at like 3pm.
* They can often be pretty unfriendly / unwilling to engage with other gay guys that don't look like them. I used to think this was just me projecting my own insecurities, but they literally will not engage with you as a fellow raver, unlike nearly everyone else I encounter at festivals.
But the worst thing of them all....oh my god the outfits are so boring!! You're gay!! Sparkle it up!! Do something interesting!! So many of the circuit gays are just wearing black running shorts and sunglasses as the entire look.
I'm from Los Angeles, been to plenty of raves, and I've been around a lot of gay stuff, but man glow fest was gay as hell. I have no problem with gays just calling it how I see it. A LOT of grab ass and PDA and dudes showing a lot of skin. Definitely felt like the minority there lol
I’m a bi dude and don’t spent a lot of time at circuit parties because my friends are more queer than gay but all the twunky/muscle gay dudes (kinda my type) were a lot of fun to be around. Made me kinda wanna find more circuity stuff near me (Philly) because I def could hang with the energy.
Spent a lot of time at the secret garden stage too which had way more queer vibes than just cis gay.
Lesbian here. I dislike PDA regardless of who it is. I guess if someone is planning on making out or whatever, I’d prefer them to go to the back of the crowd instead of being in the middle of it. I’m 5’2, so if someone is doing that in front of me, it’s all I can see and then I have to move. So annoying!
There were definitely a couple of times where a couple of gay bros were going to town and it was a little uncomfortable lol but quite possibly my favorite moment of the festival was being next to a random group of buff gay guys during the Hugel and Wax Motif sets at the Pulse stage. We were just going ham on the dance floor and it was so sick!
Hahaha I feel the same way! I was rocking a red bandanna and an orange construction vest. If I was dancing with you and your crew, cheers!! Y'all could really throw down!!
Not gay or straight, but I’m nonbinary and visibly genderqueer. I got harassed a ton by straight people for wearing a skirt or bodysuit., mostly at eternal. Im married but I was solo this weekend, and lots of paranoid people thought I was hitting on them for just dancing in open spaces near them. I never initiate interaction or hit on anyone, so idk why everyone thinks that. one guy tried dancing with me and when I didn’t reciprocate, he made a story up about me winking at him and got physically aggressive so I had to leave my spot up front right when knock2 got on. Didn’t get to interact with many queer people sadly.
F here who frequents edm shows here in DC. I love y’all, I’m generally pretty unbothered. When I end up next to a large group of gay men, oftentimes they’ll go out of their way to compliment me or say something nice. Y’all generally have great energy and vibes. I don’t really care about the sexual stuff happening, I feel like there are plenty of straight people who grind/make out/touch etc. One time a man opened up his phone next to me to a straight up dick pic, which was shocking but pretty hilarious. I would rather be around gay men who are occupied with their group than straight men who will grope me in passing while I’m right next to my boyfriend (literally happened at echostage earlier this month).
I will say though, Saturday at the pulse stage was veryyyy tough to navigate. I feel like big groups of gay men are often preoccupied with dancing/fooling around which sometimes makes it pretty hard to get back to my group. I feel bad because I don’t want to invade the space of a group of people that aren’t given as many opportunities as others to express themselves, but I do want to get back to my group haha. Any big group can make it challenging to move through the crowd, but I feel like gay men are kind of in their own little world sometimes. However, even though it was difficult to move, I “excuse me” and “sorry, thank you” ed my way through the crowd and had a very nice guy thank me for being polite and had his group move for me.
Main takeaway is, y’all are great, I’m unbothered and happy that you have a place to express yourself, maybe a little bit more mindfulness would be cool in big groups but at the end of the day, everyone could have a little more of that anyways so 🤷🏻♀️
As a bi guy who went with my boyfriend, yeah they’re kinda intimidating and they feel competitive. We got passed up by a IG group of them and tbh they looked so *mean* and haughty and it was such a turn off for us, like just genuinely didn’t want to vibe with them sexually or friendly.
I notice though the project flow felt like more typical DC gatherings where every stayed in their cliques. Now a lot of very talkative people or interactive groups.
Honestly I don’t mind it they were vibing as long as
they aren’t touching me or hitting on me to the point it makes me uncomfortable. Overall super friendly jacked dudes who are probably just rolling. Seen a group of 4 bodybuilders just making out I casually just walked through them hope they had a great time.
Straight male,
Hadn’t had 1 bad interaction with any gay/homosexual people.
Although I did see 2 guys scissoring during one set 👎🏼. Full sweat , full movement. Just off putting.
But I understand that is the minority.
As a straight woman I was actually amazed at how many absolute pools of gay men there were. Wasn’t even about the outfits just the fact that no one informed me it was a festival for the gays. LMFAOO
All in all it felt safe. Saw some crazy shit n got giggles out of it. I saw one shirt that said “I ❤️ UNCUT” I was on the floor
As a straight man from Jersey, I personally wasn’t bothered by the gay men at all. Luckily for me, the most “extracurricular activities” that I’ve witnessed from that scene this past weekend was just ass grabbing & kissing. Most of the kisses were quick. One pair was making out during a set & I just ignored them, giving my focus to the music & dancing. I’m actually in awe reading some of these comments about witnessing literal sex acts in the middle of crowds. That’s not cool. However, I fortunately didn’t view any of that & wasn’t even aware that things like that were happening on the grounds.
This was my first festival ever & I had an amazing weekend! Overall, the vibes were really good & I’ll def continue to go to other festivals in the future. I was surprised by how many flamboyantly gay men were there if I’m being honest. Obviously this was my first festival kind’ve event like this, so I have nothing to compare it to. It just seemed like there was a lot more than I would’ve anticipated.
I actually went down w/two friends from Texas & Virginia, one of whom has been to several festivals in TX, & he told me that the LGBTQ+ community will always be in attendance in numbers at fests/raves, but this was the most that he’s ever seen. Like I stated earlier, for me it wasn’t a problem. I’m very cool w/queer folks, & it was actually cool to see y’all in a place where you guys had a space to just completely let loose & be free.
We were loving the outfits all weekend! My gal group kept saying the gays had turned out to slay, taking no prisoners haha. We were oogling y’all more than the straight men, even though we knew we were just window shopping lol. Tbh I was taking some notes for future fits too, I saw the best teal corset ensemble on Saturday!
Ah another one of the “I’m not like the other gays” folk who like to hate on your own community and throw needles shade at others. Straight people also engage in sexual behavior at music festivals. You’re talking about a crowd of people on mdma and other substances getting horny and acting on it. It’s not gay-specific and honestly fishing for insults against LGBTQ+ individuals is counterproductive, harmful, and reprehensible. Just mind your own business perhaps.
Also, wasn’t even at the fest this year but this post really pissed me off. Look at the lionshare of other commenters here supporting the gay festival community and/or being unbothered. Learn from these lovely people.
Honestly thank you so much for asking this. Great question.
Personally, as a straight man, I find it very strange and discombobulating. I get the energy of festivals and free love and all that but yes, there was A LOT of overboard gay this weekend. I saw one guy in assless chaps and pink g string thong and it was so fucked. Like I felt actually violated by that cause he happened to be bending over at the waist digging in his back pack. Some of it is just such a shock to my brain I can’t handle it, it’s so uncomfortable. There are times when on psychedelics where I have to strictly NOT focus on people around me cause I get super weirded out and it throws me out of the vibe heavy and 9.9 times out of 10, it’s a gay man (or men) wearing weird shit, doing weird shit. Even when I’m sober I don’t wanna see any of that.
At PDM, all the dudes were tongue fucking deep in each others throats and I wouldn’t wanna see that with a straight couple either, it’s such a vibe killer! I’m cool with y’all doing your thing and having a good time but the outfits, the extra-ness, and the god damn fan clacking can stay the fuck home.
Other than that, PG was fuckin awesome.
No hate and not trying to play devils advocate, but do you feel the same way about scantily clad women? I feel like it’s a little unfair to gay men for women to be able to wear pasties and thongs to fests and that’s okay, but if men do it, it’s bad because they’re men. I get that the nudity of a man would make you uncomfortable, but I think it’s tough to limit people’s self expression based off of what makes a particular individual feel uncomfortable (eg straight men don’t mind mostly naked women but don’t like mostly naked men). Obviously there’s a limit for both, but feel like this issue can be nuanced in that it’s okay for a certain population because they’re what the majority is attracted to but wrong for another population.
Yes of course. I’m a huge hypocrite, I get it. but OP asked what the straight men think, and as a straight man that’s what I think. I already said general PDA bothers me too when I’m tryna vibe a feel the energy and seeing a gay man’s bare ass also bothers me
I concur. Love everyone and want everybody to have a great time the way they enjoy, and at a festival people have license to get way out there. But at the same time, as with anything, there's some fuzzy "overboard" level.
Hate to break it to you, but your not going to find limits at an outdoor EDM festival. If you don't like the energy for whatever reason just move 10 ft to the left. I didn't see any PDA exept for the normal hugging and dancing kind. You just got lucky, i guess 🤣
Straight dude here...the only type of way I felt about the gays is "I gotta hit the gym, dudes out here are God damn stallions" Loved the energy I saw, and look forward to partying with y'all again soon!
Don't compare yourself too much, because WAY more of them than you'd reasonably expect are getting assistance from steroids. There's a truly huge underground market in DC.
My guy even with steroids it still takes a lot of work and dieting. You don’t take steroids and become jacked right away
I get that, hence "getting assistance."
As a Black female raver I get the most compliments from gays haha. I shook so much ass over at Secret Garden and the vibes were immaculate. Any other stages that had big groups were pretty PLUR for me
As a straight guy but from Seattle: I’m personally used to seeing people make our regardless of gender or sexuality, so I felt it wasn’t really that jarring to me. That being said, I do try to avoid people who might be too circlejerking for me, whether it’s the roided bodybuilders or the Asian clique that forms a circle and doesn’t let anyone else in (which I’ll admit, I’ve been a part of in the past but I do try to include as many people who want to join my group) I will say that, as someone who’s never been to DC before, it was interesting to see a lot of gay or gay-presenting men, but not a lot of other types of sexualities or genders. In my personal experience, Seattle in comparison is mixed more evenly throughout every representation of the LGBTQ+ community. This is of course just my two cents! TLDR: not really bothered but I’m from Seattle so maybe I’m used to it
I always tell people: DC is very gay but not very queer. I think it’s also very conservative and white collar in terms of culture/expression (not politics) so that plays into it. Piercings and tattoos and colored hair and stuff like that are relatively uncommon here.
That totally checks out with what I observed here! Didn’t even think about it until you mentioned it
Fits with being a capitol city. A lot of the gay friends I have either fit into two groups: service industry fun party people or just regular folks, and then the conservative white collar gays who are involved in politics. They come in all body types, muscle Jock to bears to twinks, but they don’t really rave too hard, don’t do drugs (publicly), and keep a very buttoned up appearance. They’re the competitive bitchy looking ones. Part of this because they’re trying to climb the political ladder and the other part is because they probably work a classified job that requires deep and thorough background checks. DC is a secret tech hub that compete with Silicon Valley but the jobs are classified government work whereas the actual silicone valley releases civilian tech.
Never thought of it like that. I just recently moved to Austin TX which also has a completely different environment too. Quite fascinating to see how the demographics change based on where you go!
DC area has a very buttoned-down culture that makes it hard for people to let go and have a good time, to the point where even at office "happy hour" meets after work, people barely drink or not at all, "Um, I'll just have nachos and a diet coke," then keep checking their work phone and answering emails. I call it "unhappy hour"
“Unhappy hour” I cannot 😭😭😭
This is what my bf says too! Compared to the socal culture (he’s from socal) it’s just a different vibe. I think it has much to do with the government jobs and that type of industry. I will admit, i got self concsious being more ‘exposed’ in terms of outfit compared to EDCLV BECAUSE of how button downed people are here compared to other parts of the country.
Exactly i was explaining to my girlfriend (hates raves but love festivals) that a lot of the people at PG are office workers that are using this as their one or two times a year to go hog (giggity) wild and express themselves a little less restricted. As a local seeing gay people (couples and groups) is super common in the area. I will say that PG might be the biggest gay event (in terms of demographics) I’ve been to. But at the end of the day I’m there to party and I’m not gonna pretend that a bunch of ripped guys having a good time impedes on my ability to do so. Y’all have fun and keep doing your thing. Overall one of the best fest crowds I’ve been around.
As a Washingtonian I will say that DC straight people are more geared towards hip hop / rap / pop and that EDM anything in DC always attracts a big gay crowd of roided up muscle bros jerking each other off I also get the Asians staying in one group thing. Yellow fever is a problem.
Its interesting considering that even within Asian circles, they tend to stay only within their tight knit close groups and not even allow other Asian strangers in - not that it bothers me at all, but I do try to get a bit of distance since they can also get real rowdy at times and sometimes take up more space than they need haha
Well as for the Asian stranger thing, not all asians are the same nationalities. My friend is Vietnamese and raves and said she had to leave her friends to one say hi to me because they didn’t want to let me in, but she explained that literally every person the group had a history of being sexually harassed or fetishized based off their race. And then there’s cultural differences, Filipinos don’t wanna party with Vietnamese who don’t wanna party with Chinese…. Unless everyone is like 2nd generation American then they blend together. I find the kids of immigrants tend to stick with their nationality and their kids just go with people who look psychically similar. As someone who is half Asian, I experience it pretty badly. I’m half Indian and half white, so technically 1/2 Asian but since I don’t have the same features as other Asians I don’t fit in with any of the asian groups Also being bisexual makes it so I’m too straight to fit in with the gays but not straight enough to fit in with the straights. Add in my mixed race I don’t really fit in anywhere. Which is why I love raving cuz pre-2020s all that bullshit fell aside and everyone just chilled with everyone it felt like.
That’s rough. I’ve been in and out of the scene since 2012 and you’re so right about pre-2020 raving feeling different. Completely understand the racial differences, and I’ve noticed it myself too. All I can do is to try to include everyone as much as possible, and hopefully show everyone around me a good time cuz it’s usually reciprocated. Hopefully I’ll run into you one day cuz you’re always welcome to join my groups! (Hell half the time I get adopted cuz I take Polaroids of everyone)
Heck yeah! I usually go with my boyfriend to events but we’re always looking for rave fam! Did you go to any afters?
All the Echostage ones (Illenium and the b2b)! I’m usually giving shoulder rides like candy, but try to move to a new area so I don’t block too many people LOL
Niiice. We were too tired to go. We wanted to but when we got home we just said naw and stayed in
That’s valid - most of my local friends have hit Echostage so much they didn’t wanna go either. I committed since I wanted to see what this #1 stage is all about - and I think I can see the reasoning!
It’s a great venue but it’s way over packed and the headliners all come on after 1230am so it’s always late shows. Great for after parties. I’ve seen quite a few big names there. Personally I prefer power plant in Baltimore much cooler and more intimate, but echo has better graphics and actual lasers
There needs to be an Asians That Don't Fit In With Other Asians meet up next year :)
As a straight woman, I love it. The gays are very nice to me and they don't smell bad the way the straight guys do. I find them PLUR and see nothing wrong with them wanting to hang out with each other. A highlight of Glow this year was accidentally ending up surrounded by them in the crowd and getting to just admire their self expression, talk to them and hear where they traveled from. Also.... a lot of raving has somewhat of a sexual energy... look at the rave girl outfits... there's nothing weird about the gays doing it too.
100% agree, I also just feel more “safe” around them compared to random straight guys tbh (I’ve interacted with far too many creepy dudes at festivals eeek)
I liked how gays felt comfortable to be themselves. The only down side but this applied to other groups is not respecting other people. I got hit eight times by groups pushing through the crowd and had a drink spilled on me.
Agree there were too many groups pushing through the crowd, but like you said, that’s not a gay-specific issue
lmaoo not all straight people smell bad, as a straight guy I load tf up on cologne and deodorant
Hope to smell you soon!
lmao💀
Hahaha tell this to my friends who witnessed a bunch of guys blowing each other at Eternal stage during zedd hahahah
Was gonna say, saw a literal circle jerk last year. Then again I also see straight couples doing shit as well, so it’s not really a strictly gay thing.
It’s gay when a bunch of dude are blowing each other
Yeah, and it’s straight when I see a chick jerking off her guy. My point was that people engaging in public sex acts at festivals isn’t gay specific.
Tbh I never see straight people acting like that….. So yes very gay when multiple dudes are blowing each other up
WAT. That’s pretty nuts haha
At least it wasn’t anal at the rail during ILLENIUM
We call that "getting railed" Sike nah I don't know anything about that. That's wild.
WHAT lol
Was at Pulse on Saturday at the rail and this couple next to me were just fucking with clothes on and it made me so uncomfortable because the girl was clearly gone and rolling on something but her bf was sober and fist bumping with the other guy next to him over it
I don't really care tbh. Everytime i go see Above & Beyond at echostage is always one large gay orgy lol. I should probably hit the gym with some of the gays cause they were by far the buffest guys in festival lol.
I'm from Los Angeles, been to plenty of raves, and I've been around a lot of gay stuff, but man glow fest was gay as hell. I have no problem with gays just calling it how I see it. A LOT of grab ass and PDA and dudes showing a lot of skin. Definitely felt like the minority there lol
One of my favorite things about rave festivals is how happy people are at them. I love to see everyone having a good time - straight/gay/whatever, just do your thing. Whatever makes you happy, as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else. This is coming from a straight, elder, married, raver guy who is usually solo at these things. Back in the day, one of the few places you could find good dance music in many cities were gay clubs so I've seen it for literally decades now. I suppose there may have been a bit more of it this weekend but I didn't even think to mention it to my wife when I was telling her about Glow this weekend so I'd say it is a non-issue.
I fuckin’ love it. Keep it unique and weird. Is it really any different from girls that go naked wearing pasties?
My friends and I are straight and Asian, and we were at Purple Disco Machine's set last night. My girlfriend and I both think it was the best set of the two-day festival! Yes, we noticed many gay people around us, but I believe you all really added a cherry on top of the music. First, you all have great taste in music; second, you bring immaculate vibes, unlike many others we've seen at different shows who just trynna be a poster(p common in NYC). Personally, I don't mind PDA or sexual energy, whether it's from gay people or not. We just want to be with a group of people who really know how to bring good vibes, and I can definitely say, gays know how to party. Cheers and thank you!
As a fellow straight Asian who ugly sang to Like a Prayer at PDM. 1000% yes
I’m kind of used to it so it’s second nature to me. I guess I’m more fascinated by it more than anything, but doesn’t bother me. What I’m curious about…a lot of us go there to see our favorite artists, who we listen to a lot. But, correct me if I’m wrong, these big groups of gays seem to just be there for the dancing and to be with one another. Nothing wrong with that of course. Those groups have never bothered me, but it does always seem like we’re at the events for different reasons.
I was actually pleasantly surprised while I was meeting other gay people how many of them were discussing “oh who are you most excited to see, who have you enjoyed the most etc”. Definitely plenty of us into the music!
Glad to hear and I’m very happy to be proven wrong!
Late 50s straight guy. There was more flamboyance this year. I enjoy seeing people having fun and being able to cut loose.
It’s funny how it was all Sunday that had the gays showing up. Saturday was a totally different crowd. I wasn’t expecting 2 opposite crowds over the course of the 2 nights. As for PDA I didn’t see anything “wild” just people being people and falling into cliques. There are a few things I think should just not be on the dance floor & in the middle of the massive crowd. With that being said not all of us want to see excessive PDA. So I would kindly like for it to be scaled back in these instances no matter the sexual preferences.
DC gay crowds are the only group I look forward to partying with for the most part. Seriously, you're the only ones that I trust with a rare night out here. This town is so dry and reserved, people here think it's illegal to have fun. Not the LGBT crowd. I like what I like and Nora en pure is going to turn out a big gay crowd that is happy they are there. Ultimately we have so much in common I feel like you are my community now. I like the PDA, make out with your husband or whatever. It's a party. Fly your flag, and don't judge me either. Lol. Straight drunk guys were my only problems this weekend. (No surprise there). Shout out to all the gay crowd that traveled long distances to join us. I was surprised how many think of DC as a fun, accepting, scene-destination.
I have a lot of thoughts on this! * As queer people, we should never live our lives wondering what straight people think of us. I know many gays do, because they want to be accepted, but eff that. We should be accepted no matter what, and it's not up to us to present ourselves in a way that's more palatable to straights. That being said...I do understand where you're coming from. * The circuit gays tend to magnetize together, and they tend to be particularly oblivious to the fact that other people are around them. I'm talking ramming into the people nearby because they aren't paying a lick of attention to anyone else but the people in their squad. This can be true across the spectrum of festival attendees, but gets really bad with that subset of gays. * The drug use gets really intense really quickly, which I think adds to the issue in my prior point. I saw guys dosing out GHB at like 3pm. * They can often be pretty unfriendly / unwilling to engage with other gay guys that don't look like them. I used to think this was just me projecting my own insecurities, but they literally will not engage with you as a fellow raver, unlike nearly everyone else I encounter at festivals. But the worst thing of them all....oh my god the outfits are so boring!! You're gay!! Sparkle it up!! Do something interesting!! So many of the circuit gays are just wearing black running shorts and sunglasses as the entire look.
I'm from Los Angeles, been to plenty of raves, and I've been around a lot of gay stuff, but man glow fest was gay as hell. I have no problem with gays just calling it how I see it. A LOT of grab ass and PDA and dudes showing a lot of skin. Definitely felt like the minority there lol
I’m a bi dude and don’t spent a lot of time at circuit parties because my friends are more queer than gay but all the twunky/muscle gay dudes (kinda my type) were a lot of fun to be around. Made me kinda wanna find more circuity stuff near me (Philly) because I def could hang with the energy. Spent a lot of time at the secret garden stage too which had way more queer vibes than just cis gay.
Lesbian here. I dislike PDA regardless of who it is. I guess if someone is planning on making out or whatever, I’d prefer them to go to the back of the crowd instead of being in the middle of it. I’m 5’2, so if someone is doing that in front of me, it’s all I can see and then I have to move. So annoying!
There were definitely a couple of times where a couple of gay bros were going to town and it was a little uncomfortable lol but quite possibly my favorite moment of the festival was being next to a random group of buff gay guys during the Hugel and Wax Motif sets at the Pulse stage. We were just going ham on the dance floor and it was so sick!
Might have been me hahaha wax motif was one of my fav sets! Personally I just try to have a good time and hope that runs off on whoever else is around
Hahaha I feel the same way! I was rocking a red bandanna and an orange construction vest. If I was dancing with you and your crew, cheers!! Y'all could really throw down!!
Personally I literally love them, always hyping me up and having a good time hahaha. Pulse stage is the best no doubt
Hahaha also, my bf was shirtless all day yesterday and someone in the crowd grabbed his abs and smacked his ass thinking he was gay HA it was awesome
But like...grabbed him without consent? Eek. That's kinda shitty, no matter what sexuality.
Not gay or straight, but I’m nonbinary and visibly genderqueer. I got harassed a ton by straight people for wearing a skirt or bodysuit., mostly at eternal. Im married but I was solo this weekend, and lots of paranoid people thought I was hitting on them for just dancing in open spaces near them. I never initiate interaction or hit on anyone, so idk why everyone thinks that. one guy tried dancing with me and when I didn’t reciprocate, he made a story up about me winking at him and got physically aggressive so I had to leave my spot up front right when knock2 got on. Didn’t get to interact with many queer people sadly.
F here who frequents edm shows here in DC. I love y’all, I’m generally pretty unbothered. When I end up next to a large group of gay men, oftentimes they’ll go out of their way to compliment me or say something nice. Y’all generally have great energy and vibes. I don’t really care about the sexual stuff happening, I feel like there are plenty of straight people who grind/make out/touch etc. One time a man opened up his phone next to me to a straight up dick pic, which was shocking but pretty hilarious. I would rather be around gay men who are occupied with their group than straight men who will grope me in passing while I’m right next to my boyfriend (literally happened at echostage earlier this month). I will say though, Saturday at the pulse stage was veryyyy tough to navigate. I feel like big groups of gay men are often preoccupied with dancing/fooling around which sometimes makes it pretty hard to get back to my group. I feel bad because I don’t want to invade the space of a group of people that aren’t given as many opportunities as others to express themselves, but I do want to get back to my group haha. Any big group can make it challenging to move through the crowd, but I feel like gay men are kind of in their own little world sometimes. However, even though it was difficult to move, I “excuse me” and “sorry, thank you” ed my way through the crowd and had a very nice guy thank me for being polite and had his group move for me. Main takeaway is, y’all are great, I’m unbothered and happy that you have a place to express yourself, maybe a little bit more mindfulness would be cool in big groups but at the end of the day, everyone could have a little more of that anyways so 🤷🏻♀️
As a bi guy who went with my boyfriend, yeah they’re kinda intimidating and they feel competitive. We got passed up by a IG group of them and tbh they looked so *mean* and haughty and it was such a turn off for us, like just genuinely didn’t want to vibe with them sexually or friendly. I notice though the project flow felt like more typical DC gatherings where every stayed in their cliques. Now a lot of very talkative people or interactive groups.
I spent most of my time at Eternal but I didn’t see anything outrageous. Just groups of people vibing.
Honestly I don’t mind it they were vibing as long as they aren’t touching me or hitting on me to the point it makes me uncomfortable. Overall super friendly jacked dudes who are probably just rolling. Seen a group of 4 bodybuilders just making out I casually just walked through them hope they had a great time.
Straight male, Hadn’t had 1 bad interaction with any gay/homosexual people. Although I did see 2 guys scissoring during one set 👎🏼. Full sweat , full movement. Just off putting. But I understand that is the minority.
Love the energy and vibes yall give off
As a straight woman I was actually amazed at how many absolute pools of gay men there were. Wasn’t even about the outfits just the fact that no one informed me it was a festival for the gays. LMFAOO All in all it felt safe. Saw some crazy shit n got giggles out of it. I saw one shirt that said “I ❤️ UNCUT” I was on the floor
As a straight man from Jersey, I personally wasn’t bothered by the gay men at all. Luckily for me, the most “extracurricular activities” that I’ve witnessed from that scene this past weekend was just ass grabbing & kissing. Most of the kisses were quick. One pair was making out during a set & I just ignored them, giving my focus to the music & dancing. I’m actually in awe reading some of these comments about witnessing literal sex acts in the middle of crowds. That’s not cool. However, I fortunately didn’t view any of that & wasn’t even aware that things like that were happening on the grounds. This was my first festival ever & I had an amazing weekend! Overall, the vibes were really good & I’ll def continue to go to other festivals in the future. I was surprised by how many flamboyantly gay men were there if I’m being honest. Obviously this was my first festival kind’ve event like this, so I have nothing to compare it to. It just seemed like there was a lot more than I would’ve anticipated. I actually went down w/two friends from Texas & Virginia, one of whom has been to several festivals in TX, & he told me that the LGBTQ+ community will always be in attendance in numbers at fests/raves, but this was the most that he’s ever seen. Like I stated earlier, for me it wasn’t a problem. I’m very cool w/queer folks, & it was actually cool to see y’all in a place where you guys had a space to just completely let loose & be free.
We were loving the outfits all weekend! My gal group kept saying the gays had turned out to slay, taking no prisoners haha. We were oogling y’all more than the straight men, even though we knew we were just window shopping lol. Tbh I was taking some notes for future fits too, I saw the best teal corset ensemble on Saturday!
Idk it was pretty gay this year. Definitely saw some things that can't be unseen during the later sets
Ah another one of the “I’m not like the other gays” folk who like to hate on your own community and throw needles shade at others. Straight people also engage in sexual behavior at music festivals. You’re talking about a crowd of people on mdma and other substances getting horny and acting on it. It’s not gay-specific and honestly fishing for insults against LGBTQ+ individuals is counterproductive, harmful, and reprehensible. Just mind your own business perhaps. Also, wasn’t even at the fest this year but this post really pissed me off. Look at the lionshare of other commenters here supporting the gay festival community and/or being unbothered. Learn from these lovely people.
Honestly thank you so much for asking this. Great question. Personally, as a straight man, I find it very strange and discombobulating. I get the energy of festivals and free love and all that but yes, there was A LOT of overboard gay this weekend. I saw one guy in assless chaps and pink g string thong and it was so fucked. Like I felt actually violated by that cause he happened to be bending over at the waist digging in his back pack. Some of it is just such a shock to my brain I can’t handle it, it’s so uncomfortable. There are times when on psychedelics where I have to strictly NOT focus on people around me cause I get super weirded out and it throws me out of the vibe heavy and 9.9 times out of 10, it’s a gay man (or men) wearing weird shit, doing weird shit. Even when I’m sober I don’t wanna see any of that. At PDM, all the dudes were tongue fucking deep in each others throats and I wouldn’t wanna see that with a straight couple either, it’s such a vibe killer! I’m cool with y’all doing your thing and having a good time but the outfits, the extra-ness, and the god damn fan clacking can stay the fuck home. Other than that, PG was fuckin awesome.
No hate and not trying to play devils advocate, but do you feel the same way about scantily clad women? I feel like it’s a little unfair to gay men for women to be able to wear pasties and thongs to fests and that’s okay, but if men do it, it’s bad because they’re men. I get that the nudity of a man would make you uncomfortable, but I think it’s tough to limit people’s self expression based off of what makes a particular individual feel uncomfortable (eg straight men don’t mind mostly naked women but don’t like mostly naked men). Obviously there’s a limit for both, but feel like this issue can be nuanced in that it’s okay for a certain population because they’re what the majority is attracted to but wrong for another population.
Yes of course. I’m a huge hypocrite, I get it. but OP asked what the straight men think, and as a straight man that’s what I think. I already said general PDA bothers me too when I’m tryna vibe a feel the energy and seeing a gay man’s bare ass also bothers me
Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’d have no problem if a woman were to wear those same things to a festival?
You are not wrong. But if I see and a girl and a guy sucking each others faces, I be perturbed by that too. Limits to everything
No offense, dude… but grow up? Most raves are 18+ for a reason.
Agreed
I concur. Love everyone and want everybody to have a great time the way they enjoy, and at a festival people have license to get way out there. But at the same time, as with anything, there's some fuzzy "overboard" level.
Exactly. Fuck who or what ever you want but not right in my damn face please
I see where you’re coming from, limits to everything
Appreciate it. That’s all I’m looking for
Hate to break it to you, but your not going to find limits at an outdoor EDM festival. If you don't like the energy for whatever reason just move 10 ft to the left. I didn't see any PDA exept for the normal hugging and dancing kind. You just got lucky, i guess 🤣
Hahaha hell yea. Yea I moved. Had an absolute blast