An all-night homosexual “circuit” party called Cherry Jubilee’s “Main Event” took place in Washington, D.C., on April 13, 1996. The dance party featured public nudity, illicit sexual activity, and illegal drug use. Among the sponsors of the gay festivities were a GOP congressman and a host of corporations. A federal building, the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, played host to the dance and was the backdrop for the illegal activity. The sponsors included gay Republican Representative Steve Gunderson of Wisconsin, and such titans of corporate America as American Airlines, Snapple, Lite Beer, Starbucks Coffee, and Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. The “Main Event” was followed by a “Capitol Hill Recovery Brunch” in the Rayburn House Office Building. Representative Gunderson secured the Rayburn building for the “recovery brunch,” and the net proceeds of the jubilee weekend were to be distributed between Whitman-Walker Clinic and Food & Friends.

The Mellon Auditorium is a federally owned building complete with classical ornate columns across the street from the Museum of American History on Constitution Avenue. The “Main Event” was being described by the City Paper in Washington as “New York style gay ‘circuit’ party . . . usually drug infested.” It was with this information that I proceeded on assignment for the Family Research Council into the gay world to investigate the activities that occurred in a federal building.

First, “Main Event” tickets were very hard to come by. The event sold out, which left a scramble for ticket scalpers outside the entrance. Several thousand men attended, most between the ages of 25 and 35 years old. Well over 90 percent were white, with only a few blacks and Asians present. Many of the men who attended were of obvious affluence. Limousines and even a Rolls Royce lined Constitution Avenue as the partygoers arrived.

The clothing was very trendy, with skin-tight black jeans and tank tops. The bartenders wore bright neon underwear, and nothing else. Many of the men arrived with leather and rubber pants, or wearing only neon rubber loin cloths. Most of the shirts came off as the men headed for the dance floor.

Body piercing was ubiquitous—through nipples, navels, and ears. Chains and dog collars were also prevalent. In addition, cross-dressing was a common sight, as a large number of transvestites and other “transgendered” men attended. Men with wigs and dresses in heavy makeup strolled through the auditorium. Several pairs of lesbians attended as well, parading around in very skimpy clothing.

There were no signs of aggressive behavior, as most attendees greeted each other with open-mouthed kisses. No fights or altercations occurred throughout the night. The terms “fags” and “girls” were frequently used by the men to refer to themselves.

Overall the men were very neat, with meticulous hair and clothing. There were few if any men who could be described as overweight. In fact, the overwhelming majority had bodies sculpted from weight lifting. Beer and bottled water were the beverages of choice, while apples, bananas, and oranges were in plentiful supply. The image of young, active, health-conscious men, drinking bottled water and consuming fruit is a study in contrast. The reckless lifestyle inherent in the gay experience results in a notably reduced lifespan. The life expectancy of a homosexual male is estimated to be no more than 41 years, with or without AIDS. The homosexual credo seems to be “Die young and leave a pretty corpse.”

As the constant thump, thump, thump of the techno music heated the crowd, the dancing became increasingly lewd and suggestive. As the night wore on, the dancers began simulated sexual gyrations, and the dance floor became a torrent of intense groping and stroking. Some couples danced on tables, mimicking anal sex through their clothing while others pantomimed oral sex. At one point while dancing on a table, one of the lesbians lifted her bra and exposed her breasts. Meanwhile, several inflated condoms were batted about like volleyballs. At about 4:00 A.M., two men proceeded to engage in illicit sexual behavior in the main auditorium. This act occurred just off the dance floor in full view of the crowd, yet it seemed to faze no one.

The restroom stalls at the Mellon Auditorium were constantly being occupied by two men at a time. Gropes and groans could be heard emanating from the stalls with double occupancy. Stall doors would open and two men would nonchalantly exit. A battle between security and the partygoers erupted over the restroom lights. Security was then forced to place officers in the restrooms to ensure the lights remained on. The officers on duty did not look pleased with this assignment.

Every isolated spot became a dilemma for security. Security officers had to watch diligently the outside courtyard stairwell in the smoking area. The steps led to a dark alley on the side of the building where many of the men were congregating. The progression of couples heading into the darkness of the alley eventually forced security to intervene. Orange cones were erected to close the area off, as a security officer was assigned to stand watch. Public urination was common: the men relieved themselves outside and even in front of the building facing Constitution Avenue.

Despite signs posted everywhere stating, “Use or possession of illegal substances strictly forbidden,” evidence of illegal drug use was present. Snorting could be heard throughout the evening in the bathroom stalls. At one point a straw fell onto the bathroom floor from inside a stall. There were also clandestine exchanges of money and substances in dark corners of the dance floor throughout the night.

This was not the first time that the Mellon Auditorium played host to a gay event. During the “1993 March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation,” the Mellon Auditorium was host to the officially sanctioned “National S/M Leather Fetish Conference.” The 1993 Gay March was designed to show America that gays are in the mainstream of society —just like everybody else. The S/M event featured members of the hardcore dominant and submissive homosexual community. Interviews I conducted at the time with participants revealed men who viewed pain as pleasure and total domination as an ideal. The participants paraded around the Mellon Auditorium in dog collars, chains, and had piercing in every conceivable body part. Virtually nude men who were “submissive” were being led around on leashes by their “dominant” partners or “masters.”

This 1993 conference also featured a slide show presentation, showcasing an example of some of the “mainstream” aspects of the gay lifestyle. A series of graphic photos depicting various sexual acts were prominently displayed. One photo featured a man “fisting” another man. Participants at the event pondered the series of photos as though viewing priceless artwork.

The conference also featured sexually explicit magazines and paraphernalia to help fully experience the S/M lifestyle. One tract titled “The guide to safe S/M” cautioned that consuming fecal matter was a “high risk activity” for the transmission of the HIV virus, but maintained that urinating games were “low risk activities.” Several publications on display advocated pedophilia.

In order to procure a federal building for any type of event, a maze of paperwork must be filled out and strict regulations must be met. Despite the public nudity, illicit sexual activity, illegal drug use, and pornography at both of these homosexual events, law enforcement never intervened. Contrast this with the controversy that inevitably follows when someone attempts to erect a nativity scene in or outside of a public building.

The 1996 Cherry Jubilee weekend proves that the homosexual agenda is advancing in Washington. The use of two federal buildings for the weekend party shows how successful the homosexual lobby has been in “mainstreaming” its agenda. Voters, consumers, and stockholders should hold the government and corporations accountable when they underwrite events like Cherry Jubilee. The voters need to ask which side of the “Culture War” the Republican Party is on and what real change the so-called “GOP Revolution” has wrought. The GOP leadership on Capitol Hill needs to explain how an event which featured illicit sexual activity, public nudity, and illegal drug use was allowed to occur in a federal building.