Gay and lesbian tourists are finding there is more to the area than torrid romance. Spotting a few of the septuagenarian gay men strutting about in the nude at private "clothing-optional" hotels, a friend named them (for an obvious reason) "the tea bags." Palm Springs has a large population of retired gays: with around 1,000 members, its Prime Timers chapter of men over 55 is the largest chapter in the United States. Palm Springs' upscale price tag is most affordable only by middle-aged men and those well into their retirement.Īround the piano bar at the Cactus Café, where a studly older singer, Jere Ring, plays on Fridays, the talk is not about HIV specialists, but cardiologists. Despite its reputation as a drug-and-sex bender for men in their 20s, the White Party attracts men in their 30s (the ones who can afford to go), as well as their elders, the so-called MOCAs, "men of a certain age." About 25,000 gay men attended the White Party last Easter weekend. Two back-to-back events, the White Party dance weekend for gay men and Dinah Week for women (a bacchanal focused on the LPGA Nabisco Dinah Shore Golf Tournament), are known in gay circles around the world. Gays and lesbians come partly for sex and romance. Many of the Canadians were from Alberta and British Columbia, but there are growing numbers from the East as well. Last year, thousands of gays and lesbians came to Palm Springs. But in the 1980s hotelier Bob Mellon opened the Vista Grande, on Warm Sands Road, and openly gay tourism began. The first hotel in Palm Springs to cater to homosexuals, albeit in a closeted way, was the Desert Knights, more than three decades ago. Come on! Do you want to go to the factory outlet stores, or not?" His muscular spotter encourages with the familiar growls of weight-room gladiators everywhere, but with a distinctly gay motivation speech: "Come on. Take Gold's Gym, just off Ramon Road, where a burly gay man is trying to set a personal best on the bench press.
![gay sex club palm springs gay sex club palm springs](https://gaycities-listing-images-production.s3.amazonaws.com/originals/bars-588-Hunters-Palm-Springs-SDMieke-218de.jpg)
![gay sex club palm springs gay sex club palm springs](https://visitpalmsprings.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Inndulge-1260x540.jpg)
There, they may feel welcome in a place where everything feels right.
![gay sex club palm springs gay sex club palm springs](https://www.advocate.com/sites/advocate.com/files/2018/05/30/40-white-party-2018-may-2018.jpg)
And so it is with the growing ranks of gays and lesbians who visit Palm Springs, Calif. Wine lovers have their Tuscany, theme-park addicts their Orlando, skiers their Whistler. Fondly do we look forward to the holiday that speaks to us.