The Sexual Politics of Dancing
Be gone, girls gone wild!
Last week, Allanah Starr, a transsexual who hosts the “Trannylicious” soirée at Opaline on Avenue A, complained to “Page Six” about being barred from an all-male party at Chelsea’s Splash. But it turns out that Opaline has its own gender issues. The club is home to the gay party “Area 10009” on Fridays, and the new door policy is to charge women $20—twice the price for guys. “In the past six months, it’s been 50 percent straight girls,” says Michael “Formika” Jones, who co-hosts with D.J. Adam Schlauch. “And not just any straight girls, but the nightmares of a bachelorette party. They’re bumping and grinding with the go-go boys and pulling them down to the floor. Even the gay boys don’t do that. They don’t integrate the evening; they destroy it.” “We had to do something,” adds Schlauch. “It’s helped eliminate the overabundance of girls gone wild,” says Formika. “We’re down to about 10 percent girls, and they’re mostly punk-rock chicks and lesbians.” “We’re not against women,” insists Schlauch, “just obnoxious women. I mean, we don’t shut out the cool girls. Besides, they’re on the list.”
—Jada Yuan