Pedagogies of the Party: Gay People at Columbia

“Who are you? Are you Gay Black, Gay White, man, woman, 18 or 50? Who cares! What is important is that you come out, have gay pride and leave the dance with a sense of Gay Power. Where else can you attain nirvana than through association with the beautiful people found at the GPC Gay dances?” This was the invitation to one of a series of parties organized by Gay People at Columbia (GPC) in the 1970s. The First Friday Dances challenged the construction of student identities within the university while simultaneously exploring the academic training that could be picked up through festive experiences and the idea of the built environment that was proposed or implied by them. The First Friday Dances enacted the pedagogies of the party.