When a gay man comes out, he experiences several important “rights of passage” before fully entering the gay community. There is, of course, the fabulous new wardrobe, overnight apartment redecorating and the lifetime gym membership. The last initiation right, however, is the pilgrimage to the mass celebration of life, love, friendship and sexuality known as the circuit party.

Circuit parties – mega dance events which often span the course of several days – attract thousands of men from all corners of the world. The parties are the gay version of Shangri-la, an oasis of sexy men and Babylon all in one. And they have a long history, dating back to the theme parties and tea dances once held on Fire Island and to the gay scene of the late ’70s and early ’80s, when New York clubs such as Flamingo, 12 West and Saint held massive theme parties catering mostly to the gay community.

The parties have also spawned lucrative careers for some. Jeffrey Sanker, for instance, is the originator of our own annual White Party. Sanker relocated to Los Angeles in 1987 after AIDS took its devastating toll on the New York City party scene.

“I started giving parties back in the ’70s in New York City,” Sanker recalls. “The first ones were for a monthly magazine I published called 212, a national sort of gay magazine. The parties became bigger and more fun than the magazine did, so I started promoting events full time in 1982 at a video bar called Private Eyes. The bar became so popular every Wednesday night. Everyone in New York City went – Steve Rubell, Calvin Klein, Boy George, Madonna – everyone who was ‘who’ showed up there. It lasted four years and was the beginning of my career. After that, I promoted the biggest club in N.Y.C., The Palladium. We would get between 5,000 and 6,000 people a week every Sunday night. It took me three days to recover from those nights!”

The New York circuit-party scene was short-lived, however. Owners of the renowned Studio 54, Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell, made front-page headlines barely a year after the club opened, when Rubell claimed “only the Mafia made more money” than the club. Studio 54 had made $7 million its first year, but the headlines weren’t lauding the club’s popularity. Police had raided Studio 54 in December 1978, and in June 1979, resulting in the indictment of Schrager and Rubell for tax evasion, obstruction of justice and conspiracy for skimming $2.5 million in unreported income from the club’s profits. Eight months later, they were convicted and sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison.

“Steve Rubell was my mentor and my inspiration,” Sanker, who had kept his business dealings clean, laments. But with his mentor behind bars and the N.Y.C. scene suffering from the AIDS crisis he set his sights on the West Coast. “N.Y.C. was dying literally because AIDS people were not going out as much. In six months, the clubs went from 6,000 people to 600. So I moved to L.A.,” Sanker says.

Shortly after moving west, Sanker noticed the increasing popularity of the women’s theme parties in Palm Springs in conjunction with the Dinah Shore Golf Tournament.

Caroline Clo-ne, the woman who is credited with throwing the first White Party in Palm Springs, was the catalyst for the birth of Sanker’s annual event.

“Caroline was an inspiration,” Sanker says.

“I had been to several of his parties in New York,” Clone recalls. “He had been a really big promoter in Manhattan. He knew I was throwing parties in Palm Springs and thought it might be a good idea to start an event for the boys. I remember talking to him, promoter to promoter, about different ideas. He had seen the stuff I’d been doing, and at one point we talked about doing something together; for whatever reason that didn’t happen. I then introduced him to my contacts at the Marquis Hotel. His first White Party went really well. He sold out the entire hotel and it just grew from there.”

Today, the circuit scene is enormous, with some of the larger parties drawing more than 30,000 attendees. Although many promoters decline to disclose exact numbers, the parties are also extremely profitable for both the promoters and the local economies in which the parties are held.

“[The] magnitude of what we do at White Party, which encompasses host hotels and outside venues, makes a major financial impact on the tourist revenue for the city of Palm Spr-ings,” Sanker says.

According to the City of Palm Springs Treasury Department, Whi-te Party weekend adds more than $4.5 million to Palm Springs’ revenues each year. Yet that profitability does not come without a cost.

In 2001, Palm Springs police reported 13 overdoses and two citations for sex in public during the White Party festivities.

In a study published by the American Journal of Public Health in June, 2001, researchers found that 95 percent of the men they surveyed used at least one psychoactive drug during the last circuit party they attended; 61 percent used three or more drugs. Ecstasy was the most popular (75 percent had taken it); ketamine (known as “Special K”) was the second-most popular (58 percent) and alcohol the third (56 percent). Around 7 percent of the men said they passed out, needed medical assistance or could not take care of themselves as a result of using drugs.

Further, 29 percent of respondents reported having multiple sex partners during the event. Among these men, 24 percent reported unprotected anal sex with a partner whose HIV status was different from theirs or unknown to them. Almost half of all respondents reported having a primary partner (defined as someone they live with or see a lot and to whom they feel a special emotional commitment), but 27 percent of those respondents reported multiple sex partners during the festivities. Overall, 17 percent of respondents said their most recent HIV test was positive and 83 percent said it was negative.

“As a whole, these findings suggest that a substantial drug culture permeates the circuit party environment, a drug culture that is distinct from broader communities of gay and bisexual men,” the study’s authors wrote. In addition, drug use was found to increase sexual risk behavior – so much so that the authors called the likelihood of HIV and STD transmission among party attendees “a real public health concern.”

In 2002, the documentary When Boys Fly chronicled the drug use and sex that takes place during White Party weekend. In 2004, The New York Times also reported on the drug use at the parties, saying, “The scene had transitioned from its use of Ecstasy and Special K: it’s GHB and methamphetamine [better known as crystal meth or ‘tina’]. Not only does crystal meth give revelers the stamina to stay up for three days without a nap, it can also enable marathon – and often unprotected – sex sessions.”

Sanker says today there is an effort to educate attendees about the dangers of drugs, and many of the venues also pass out condoms in an effort to promote safe sex.

“In terms of drug use, we have a zero tolerance [policy] and security strictly en-forces that policy. In the last few years there has been a dramatic shift to energy drinks and alcohol, and we are proud of the fact that there were no medical ambulance transports last year at any of the events,” he said.

But not everyone who attends circuit parties is there to indulge the flesh.

“For me, circuit parties are all about the music,” said Sal, who lives in San Diego. “[The parties are] amazing and overwhelming – the amount of people, the energy, the music – everything. [Attending] only reinforced the fact that we live to celebrate life.

This year, to complement the festivities, Sanker is throwing a charity fund-raiser to benefit The Trevor Project, a national suicide and crisis prevention helpline for gay and questioning youth. The non-profit foundation was initiated in 1998 when Trevor, an award-winning short film hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, aired on HBO. The 18-minute film short is a comedy/drama about a 13-year-old boy named Trevor who, after having been rejected by his family and peers because of his sexuality, attempts to commit suicide. The benefit will take pla-ce on Friday, April 6, at 7:30 p.m., and the $125 event ticket includes a four-course dinner, bottomless champagne, entertainment and an open bar until 10 p.m. A $60 standing-room-only tickets includes access to the post-dinner entertainment and an open bar until 10 p.m. Entertainment will begin at 9 p.m., with performances by Jake Simpson (2003-2004 Star Search Grand Champion, Oprah Favorite), Chad Kimball (Broadway: Lennon, Into the Woods, Good Vibrations), Elizabeth Brackenbury (L.A. Opera, Reprise!) and other unannounced guests. DJ Ray Rhodes will also spin from 10 p.m. until close. In addition to the wining, dining and entertainment, a silent auction will take place with 100 percent of the proceeds to benefit The Trevor Project.

The more festive events will kick-off on Friday afternoon with the “Boys Gone Wild” pool party at the Wyndham Hotel Pool. DJ Casey Alva will be spinning from noon to 6 p.m., and admission is free. That night will feature a set by DJ Tracy Young from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m., with guest appearances by porn stars Roman Heart and Omer. The after-hours will take place at Oasis Night Club with DJ Kio Kio.

Saturday starts up again with the second installment of the “Boys Gone Wild” pool party, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The party will continue that night at the Palm Springs Convention Center with the themed event “Temple of Sound,” featuring music by Brett Henrichsen and Offer Nissim – plus a live performance by Kelis. The night starts at 9 p.m. and ends at 5 a.m. Sunday morning.

Sunday’s “Boys Gone Wild” pool party will pick back up again at 9 a.m. and last through 6 p.m., with DJ Showcase, and will feature the music of DJ Corey D. and Juan Rocha. This will also include an appearance by pop diva Jody Whatley. DJ Manny Lehman will spin later that night at the Tea Dance from 3-10 p.m. The weekend will conclude with the Closing Party with a set by Rosabel. The party starts at 9 p.m. and the doors close at 4 a.m.

Whether you’re heading to Palm Springs to break it down, hook it up or simply to party your ass off, this year’s White Party has by far one of the most exciting line-ups to date. So pack your sunscreen, buy that skimpy bathing suit, load your car up with that econo-sized bottle of lube and the mega pack of condoms – and come on out!

For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit www.jeffreysanker.com.