Two weekends ago, we had an afterparty. We have one every month -- and have had one every month since June. We started them in order to bring electronic music into the lesbian community. We decided on an afterparty because it was a niche in the community that wasn’t being filled.
Every month I hear people say when they leave ‘You have great friends’. And they tell their friends. And then they tell their friends.
We have a few mottos about the party. It has to be Sexy. It has to be Diverse. Excellent music. Quality people. Style. Art. We want a place where everyone will be and feel comfortable. A place where everyone will fit in. We averaged 15-20 people at the party for the first 6 months. Our home can hold at least 200 comfortably, and we knew we had a good thing to share. So to us it seemed rather empty. We started making flyers and hand-picking people to come by. Told friends to tell their extended friends. Wrote about it online. We created hype. Slowly, very slowly, our numbers started increasing.
Every month I hear people say when they leave ‘Everyone here is so warm and nice’. And they tell their friends. And then they tell their friends.
About 3 months ago, it caught on. Big time. Last weekend, there were over 100 people in my home. Over 50 that I didn’t know. We’ve had camera’s stolen. Jackets borrowed. Jewelry lost. Each month we scramble to clean, put up the walkways, light the candles. Each month we shush people who wake our forgiving neighbors at 5am, walking to and fro.
Every month I hear people say when they leave ‘I had the best time’. And they tell their friends. And then they tell their friends.
It’s now known in the lesbian community as ‘The Afterparty’. We hear acclimation about it upon meeting new people. We’ve been asked by the unknowing if we are attending. And its hype has expanded outside of the comfort of the community to two other overlapping offshoots-- the Burning Man Community and the Underground Music Community.
Every month I hear people say when they leave ‘I met so many great people’. And they tell their friends. And then they tell their friends.
Beauty has grown to be one of The Afterparty’s most powerful traits. It’s not only that the house itself is beautiful, but the people are beautiful. The vibe is beautiful. The diversity is beautiful. And the music is beautiful.
Music is a key and electronic is a gateway. It’s abstract, so it speaks exclusively to everyone. And the Rhythm allows the Syncopation of the Souls. It’s the river that binds us together -- that connects conversations to realizations. People barely even dance. But they listen. They learn. They are open to others. They feel.
It’s scary to bring people into your home. It’s scary to leave your front porch without knowing if you will return. It’s scary to trust your neighbor. People who have done so have lost their lives. But it’s imperative. A fence does more damage to a community than a shotgun. Keeping people out may keep you safe, but it will cut you off from society. And you may die inside.
Fear is the opposite of Love, and a Party is the opposite of War -- a protest against fear and hate. I’ve lived lifetimes amidst battles, and I’m tired of fighting. Let’s choose to be brave and play.
