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Memoir claims ‘American Bandstand’ dancers were closeted

the book says most dancers weren’t straight

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(Screenshot via YouTube.)

“American Bandstand” was the first reality show craze for high schoolers in the ’50s and ’60s who would rush home to watch their favorite couples dance on screen. Although all the pairings were heterosexual the truth was that when the cameras switched off the dancers, both male and female, were living gay double lives.

Arlene Sullivan, one-half of the popular Arlene and Kenny dance couple, and Ray Smith have written a tell-all memoir “Bandstand Diaries” about their days as the coveted “Bandstand” dancers. Sullivan and Smith say that most of the dancers were gay.

ā€œI knew I was different early on, but being with all these [ā€˜Bandstandā€™] friends, I came to terms with my feelings. I kissed a girl, and I liked it!ā€ Sullivan, 74, told the New York Post.Ā 

Smith, who knew he was gay when he joined the show, found himself in a similar situation and said he was “shocked” to find his fellow dancers were also gay.

“The one thing that really shocked me,ā€ Smith told the New York Post, ā€œwas that those boys who were 14 and 15 and 16 were sleeping with each other.ā€

Sullivan says the dancers would hang out atĀ Rittenhouse Square, the “Gayborhood” in Philadelphia. However, host Dick Clark never wanted anyone to know about his dancer’s secret lives possibly for fear of the show getting canceled. Sullivan and Smith even believe Clark sent members of the production team to spy on the teens and come back with a list of who was suspected to be gay.

ā€œParents across America would never, NEVER have allowed their kids to put ā€˜Bandstandā€™ on,ā€ Sullivan writes.

“Bandstand Diaries” can be purchased here.Ā 

 

 

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Music & Concerts

Kylie brings ā€˜Tensionā€™ tour to D.C.

Performance on Tuesday at Capital One Arena

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Kylie Minogue visits D.C. on Tuesday.

Aussie pop icon Kylie Minogue brings her acclaimed ā€œTensionā€ world tour to D.C. next Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Capital One Arena. Tickets are still available at Ticketmaster.

The show features songs spanning her long career, from 1987 debut single, “The Loco-Motion,” to ā€œPadam, Padamā€ from her album, ā€œTension.”

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Calendar

Calendar: April 4-10

LGBTQ events in the days to come

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Friday, April 4

ā€œCenter Aging Friday Tea Timeā€ will be at 2 p.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].Ā 

Go Gay DC will host ā€œLGBTQ+ Community Social in the Cityā€ at 7 p.m. at P.F. Changā€™s. This event is ideal for making new friends, professional networking, idea-sharing, and community building. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.Ā 

Saturday, April 5

Go Gay DC will host ā€œLGBTQ+ Community Brunchā€ at 11 a.m. at Freddieā€™s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including Allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.

LGBTQ People of Color Support Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This peer support group is an outlet for LGBTQ People of Color to come together and talk about anything affecting them in a space the strives to be safe and judgement free. There are all sorts of activities like watching movies, poetry events, storytelling, and just hanging out with others. For more information and events for LGBTQ People of Color, visit thedccenter.org/poc or facebook.com/centerpoc.Ā 

ā€œSpark Sapphic Socialā€ will be at 8 p.m. at Spark Social House. This weekly sapphic social is an opportunity to mix and mingle with other sapphics in DC’s newest LGBTQ+ bar. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.Ā 

Sunday, April 6

Go Gay DC will host ā€œLGBTQ+ Community Sunday Funday Social and Gamesā€ at 4 p.m. at Moxy. About 20 LGBTQ folk are expected. It’s free to attend. More details are available on Eventbrite.

ā€œThe Chateau Drag Brunchā€ will be at 12 p.m. at Chicatana. This event will be hosted by Charlemagne Chateau. There will also be fabulous Mexican food and cocktails andĀ  entertainment from a rotating cast of the DMV’s best drag performers. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.Ā 

Monday, April 7 

ā€œCenter Aging Monday Coffee & Conversationā€ will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more details, email [email protected].Ā 

Tuesday, April 8

Trans Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group is intended to provide an emotionally and physically safe space for trans* people and those who may be questioning their gender identity/expression to join together in community and learn from one another. It also welcomes all who identify under the trans* umbrella or are unsure, and seek to continually reinforce our principles of respect, acceptance, and protection through ongoing input from our attendees. For more information, email [email protected].Ā 

Coming Out Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a peer-facilitated discussion group and a safe space to share experiences about coming out and discuss topics as it relates to doing so. For more details, visit the groupā€™s Facebook.Ā 

ā€œGay Sip and Paintā€ will be at 7 p.m. at Green Lantern. To celebrate three years of these events, event organizers encourage guests to get in their sexiest fit and paint together! Thereā€™ll be a live model, drinks, and all the supplies ready for a risque, creative time. Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.Ā 

Wednesday, April 9

Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking ā€” allowing participants to move away from being merely ā€œapplicantsā€ toward being ā€œcandidates.ā€ For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.

Thursday, April 10

The DC Centerā€™s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5:00 pm if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.Ā 

Virtual Yoga with Charles M. will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a free weekly class focusing on yoga, breathwork, and meditation. For more details, visit the DC Center for the LGBT Communityā€™s website.

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Books

New book helps vulnerable people to stay safe

Tips for overcoming crippling effects of fear

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(Book cover image courtesy of Beacon Press)

ā€˜The Cost of Fearā€™
By Meg Stone
c.2025, Beacon Press
$26.95/232 pages

The footsteps fell behind you, keeping pace.

TheyĀ wereĀ loud as an airplane, a few decibelsĀ belowĀ the beat of your heart. Yes, someone was following you,Ā and you shouldnā€™tĀ have letĀ itĀ happen.Ā Youā€™re no dummy. Youā€™re no wimp.Ā Read the new book,Ā ā€œThe Cost of Fearā€ by Meg Stone,Ā and youā€™re no statistic. Ask around.

Query young women, older women, grandmothers, and teenagers. Ask gay men, lesbians, and trans individuals, and chances are that every one of them has a story of being scared of another person in a public place. Scared ā€“ or worse.

Says author Meg Stone, nearly half of the women in a recent survey reported having ā€œexperienced… unwanted sexual contactā€ of some sort. Almost a quarter of the men surveyed said the same. Nearly 30 percent of men in another survey admitted to having ā€œperpetrated some form of sexual assault.ā€

We focus on these statistics, says Stone, but we advise ineffectual safety measures.

ā€œVictim blame is rampant,ā€ she says, and women and LGBTQ individuals are taught avoidance methods that may not work. If someoneā€™s in the ā€œearly stages of their careers,ā€ perpetrators may still hold all the cards through threats and career blackmail. Stone cites cases in which someone who was assaulted reported the crime, but police dropped the ball. Old tropes still exist and repeating or relying on them may be downright dangerous.

As a result of such ineffectiveness, fear keeps frightened individuals from normal activities, leaving the house, shopping, going out with friends for an evening.

So how can you stay safe?

Says Stone, learn how to fight back by using your whole body, not just your hands. Be willing to record whatā€™s happening. Donā€™t abandon your activism, she says; in fact, join a group that helps give people tools to protect themselves. Learn the right way to stand up for someone whoā€™s uncomfortable or endangered. Remember that you canā€™t be blamed for another personā€™s bad behavior, and it shouldnā€™t mean you canā€™t react.

If you pick up ā€œThe Cost of Fear,ā€ hoping to learn ways to protect yourself, there are two things to keep in mind.

First, though most of this book is written for women, it doesnā€™t take much of a leap to see how its advice could translate to any other world. Author Stone, in fact, includes people of all ages, genders, and all races in her case studies and lessons, and she clearly explains a bit of what she teaches in her classes. That width is helpful, and welcome.

Secondly, she asks readers to do something potentially controversial: she requests changes in sentencing laws for certain former and rehabilitated abusers, particularly for offenders who were teens when sentenced. Stone lays out her reasoning and begs for understanding; still, some readers may be resistant and some may be triggered.

Keep that in mind, and ā€œThe Cost of Fearā€ is a great book for a young adult or anyone who needs to increase alertness, adopt careful practices, and stay safe. Take steps to have it soon.

The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.

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