As a devout bookworm, I?ve found that almost nothing can satisfy me like reading a thick book. The longer the structures, the more complicated the characters, the better. But sometimes a girl needs to raise her head out of the classics and contemporaries in order to venture out into another pulsating activity. And what better activity is there then to sweat all night with other people in the room?

Dancing provides a release from the humdrum, practical matters most of us have to go through in order to survive. When people go out into the weekend nights, they only have one thing on their tunnel-visioned minds: to have a good time. The definition of one?s good time varies, but for this columnist, it?s simply dancing.

Dancing is a blatant invitation to express yourself, but what type of club you frequent will determine how you?ll be received. Quote, unquote gay clubs tend to be a greater investment of time when compared to mainstream clubs for the following reasons.

1. Music is often, if not always more appropriate in the gay clubs than in straight clubs. You?ll never hear the song “Tainted Love,” blaring at a gay club. What is with that song anyway? For some reason that song is a favorite among the heterosexual club scene. “Tainted Love” is a great driving and/or chill out song, but dancing? Music in clubs should be more upbeat, high energy, and pumping. Playing a slow song like “Tainted Love” is not the best option for dancers who aren?t on ecstasy. Dee-jays take note, there are doors that lead to the outside for those who want to take a breather.

2. The atmosphere is more diverse. Whether you?re tall, short, thin, overweight, sporting a peek-a-boo shirt or a muumuu, the people in the gay clubs are more accepting of individuality. Straight clubs are magnets for conformists. Like the people in the greek system, everyone in the straight clubs looks the same. In a generic way they?re all beautiful, but how boring is that?

3. You can vogue without being critiqued by a wall of drunken, leering men. In a gay club, the men will vogue with you instead of just standing on the sidelines with smirks on their faces.

4. They have toilet paper in gay clubs.

5. The cover charge is cheaper.

6. The drinks are better.

7. The air is purer?ok that?s pushing it.

The list can go on. Regardless of one?s sexual preference, fun can be found anywhere. For many of my heterosexual friends and me, it just happens to be in the gay club scene. There is no way to measure which kinds of clubs are better; that judgment lies in the hands of the patron. But for me, there?s almost nothing better than dancing to great music with a gorgeous man and not having to worry about the whole sex thing.

Georgette Todd is a journalism major. She can be reached at [email protected].