The ferry docks in Provincetown. It’s Ptown’s annual Bear Week. The busiest week of this gay tourist town’s brief summer season. Hundreds of gay men disembark from the boat. Hurrying to enjoy the festive anything-goes ambiance with the thousands of men already there. Cape Cod is coming completely alive once again.
This magical moment — repeated at gay venues across the country — is liberating. Everyone is here for fun: Good food. Reconnecting with friends. Making new ones. Dancing and drinks. And cruising. If ever there’s a time when basic human instinct overrides cool-headed, rational thought — this is it. Even guys like me, who have lived in gay ghettos, can be overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of gay men, and the atmosphere we create.