Nov. 15, 2007

Writer says local gay community growing

By Cameron Asgarian

The size and scope of Las Vegas' gay community is growing and gaining prominence according to local journalist and author Steve Friess.

Speaking to a crowd Nov. 8 at the Lied Library, Friess discussed the city's changing social landscape and his new book that examines it.

A self-described "collection of works of travel journalism, queered up," "Gay Vegas: A Guide to the Other Side of Sin City" offers a comprehensive guide to Vegas' gay bars, clubs and shows. It's a sort of travel guide that explores the local explosion of gay culture.

"Even though the gay scene had grown largely, the field of gay guidebooks was still virgin territory," Friess said. "I wanted this book to be a resource for locals and tourists."

Friess is certainly qualified for the job. Being gay, and having written for titans of journalism such as The New York Times and USA Today, Friess is one of Las Vegas' top journalists.

Having moved to Las Vegas from Chicago in 1996, Friess was initially disappointed with the lack of gay venues the city had to offer. But after a stint in China, he came back to Las Vegas to see the gay scene had emerged. It had changed so much that casinos are now competing for who will be seen as more gay-friendly.

The book has advice aimed toward the gay community. For instance, Friess advised gay couples against holding hands at the NASCAR Cafe. Likewise, Friess said, gay men should not go to male revues like Chippendales because the presence of men at such events usually makes both the audience and performers uncomfortable.

Other shows like "Zumanity," the Cirque du Soleil extravaganza at the New York, New York Hotel and Casino was highly rated by Friess. Other Broadway-esque toe-tappers like "Mamma Mia" and

"The Producers" also received high marks for their minor gay sub-plots.

Member of SPECTRUM, UNLV's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender club, were among the students in attendance. They took part in the event's advertising and were pleased with the turnout.

The book is interesting because it sheds light on a side of Vegas which doesn't get much publicity," said SPECTRUM member Angelina Fernandez. "The GLBT community at UNLV faces a similar situation, we're not getting negative attention, just very little attention period."

Friess also responded to complaints that this book may be too biased, seeing how it is only addressing gays. But he insists straight people can get good advice from it too.

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