Ladies 2000, Philadelphia's Longest LGBT Roving Party, Gears Up for the Spring and Summer

Traditionally, the night before Easter is one of the biggest bar nights in Philadelphia. Nothing makes a day with the family special like an incredible hangover. With a plethora of people home for the holidays, and many locals staying put, no dive or club in the city isn't packed. Philadelphia's largest gay club, PURE, will be at maximum with both grrrls and bois, when the Ladies 2000 party takes annual control of the night. I chatted with Diane Lusk, co-founder of Ladies 2000, about 25 years of events, parties, and Quaaludes....

MR : So you started hosting parties over 25 years ago.
Diane: Yeah, my partner Betty and I started an event called "Ladies 4 the 80s" in May of 1980. We didn't think it would be so long lived when we named it.

What was the genesis of the event?
We were owners of a sharp nightclub called Rainbows, at 1215 Walnut in Philadelphia. This was before the Rainbow would become the international symbol for gay people. We started doing a party for women. It was a hit, tremendously packed. When we got out of the bar business, we made it a roving party. We have done events at the Philadelphia Zoo, Woody's, Circa, Egypt, over 57 different locations in seven different states.

You live in Atlantic City now, not really the biggest gay town...
There is nothing going on in AC for gay people. Nothing...I don't know where the gays go here. You would think with 48 thousand employees in the hospitality industry, AC should have tons of gays. But the gay scene isn't as big here as it used to be.

How have your events changed over the years?
We still draw our original crowd, as well as a new generations. The younger girls like a different atmosphere, so we developed PURE PARTY GIRL. It is the first Saturday of every month at PURE Nightclub. We also started a 40 and up division. We have gotten over 500 women at that event. We host it on a seasonal basis; the next one is Top Dog in Cherry Hill.

And you're taking over PURE for the night before Easter...
This is our 26th annual event. It's our fall homecoming for over 700 to 1000 people.

That's a lot of vaginas. But its not exclusively women...
No, plenty of boys come out. The guys like our music! We use Steve Singer, Michael Dicerio, Steven Durkin and Reenie Kane. The boys always show up to party with us on Thanksgiving eve. Usually the crowd tends to be heavy on women early, then drift more mixed as the night goes by.

Where else have you had events?
We do a lot at Paradise in Asbury because it is fabulous and always wonderful. The first time out we did a party, 880 women appeared. Memorial Day, we did parties at the Winery in Rehoboth with 1200 women; and at the same time 800 women in Asbury Park. The Winery is a great event. It's on a 110-acre facility in Lewis with a gigantic banquet hall. We bring in everything; lights, bars, sound systems. Tremendous amount of work, but the women turn out in droves.

How has the scene changed over the years?
I have seen a complete change in the look of gay women. They are much more hip and conscious of their appearance. Not to say the entire scene is lipstick lesbians, but more women are focused on style and trends. It is a totally different kind of look. They feel better about themselves now, its much more hip to be gay. Years ago we were hiding; we don't feel the need to hide so much more.

You've been so successful with parties; why not open up a club?
People tell us that all the time. We did open up a bar! It's a miracle we lived! It was chaos, way too demanding. It is so much more sensible for us to have these roving events. Going on the road means that nothing is out of the question. We've even discussed doing a cruise. But the fact is that we can open up anywhere. Places call us. We don't have to solicit places for events.

No Ladies 2000 club coming to Philadelphia soon?
I don't think people support the clubs they have. I don't know why, but some of the local clubs aren't successful. In order to have a hot club, you have to do three solid nights a week. That's tough in this area.

Is the future all about roving parties?
No, you still need a neighborhood joint. You still need a constant dance club. That is one thing that is hurting New Hope. No place to dance!

But you're doing a big bash in New Hope in a few weeks, right?
The Sunday after Thanksgiving we have a huge event at the Raven. Snowbabes our holiday party. It is the Sunday after New Hope's Santa Saturday. It should be a good event. We love working with the Raven boys.

Boys versus Girls, when it comes to parties what are the differences and similarities?
Women and men have such different sexual morays. Women want a more monogamous relationship. Indiscriminate sex is not really part of their lifestyle. They love house and dance, but they like some slow stuff thrown in. The drinking patterns and drug scene has changed over the years but I think it is the same for both sexes. When we first started out it was Quaaludes out there, now it is other stuff.

Quaaludes! Do they still even exist?
[Laughs] Somebody probably has some, I'm sure. I guess ecstasy and ketamin have replaced Quaaludes. Meth is sadly still as popular now as it was then. I can see a fair amount of the younger women still imbibing, still dabbling. That doesn't change.

For information on all Ladies 2000 events, go to www.ladies2000.com.