A newly formed LGBT association is aiming to bring in gay businesses, residents and tourists to an area of New Jersey that was once a thriving LGBT hot spot.
The Greater Atlantic City GLBT Alliance was created this summer to provide a support system to the LGBT community already living and working in the Atlantic City area, and to enhance the city’s LGBT offerings to make the area more attractive to gay travelers — and their highly coveted gay dollars.
Rich Helfant, president of the GACGA and a lifelong Atlantic City resident, said the area was once home to a booming LGBT nightlife.
“Atlantic City had a very prominent gay presence back in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. New York Avenue was the focal point of gay life in the city, and there were at least a dozen [LGBT] bars and restaurants and rooming houses there — and this was all before Stonewall,” he said. “Atlantic City was at the forefront of gay life at a time when that was really taboo. But then after a while, it all just died.”
The slew of LGBT locales closed down one by one over the past several decades until only one was left — the Brass Rail bar and Studio Six nightclub — which folded two years ago.
Helfant speculated the introduction of casinos to Atlantic City in 1978 could have played a role in the deterioration of the once-flourishing LGBT community but said that, no matter the cause, the lack of an LGBT social scene in the area spurred him and other residents to act.
“It’s very frustrating that a town as cosmopolitan as Atlantic City doesn’t have a gay presence,” he said. “And we got so tired of talking about trying to do something to change it that we just said, ‘OK, let’s do something now.’”
The mission of the GACGA is to “support the political, social and economic advocacy of the GLBT and GLBT-supportive community,” but rather than sponsoring legislative rallies or Pride parades, Helfant said the group is initially focusing on enhancing the LGBT nightlife and entertainment options to help the city compete with some of the top LGBT tourist spots in the region.
“Places like Rehoboth or Asbury Park or New Hope are all great communities and great destinations, but they can’t hold a candle to all that Atlantic City has to offer,” he said. “There’s world-class shopping and dining, casinos and the best beach and boardwalk. We have all of that, but the only component that’s missing is that nightlife.”
Aside from providing tourists and residents a safe and accepting environment for a night on the town, the push to expand LGBT opportunities in the area could also have a significant impact on the city itself. Helfant noted that about 33-million people visit Atlantic City every year and, going by the common statistic that 10 percent of the population is gay, “that means that up to 3.3-million gay travelers are coming to Atlantic City each year. Where are they spending their money? They need outlets, places to go, things to do to keep them coming back.”
In recent months, the LGBT community and GACGA have been working to provide just that.
The Ram’s Head Inn, located in nearby Galloway, N.J., recently launched a weekly LGBT night with themed socials and drag shows, the most recent of which drew more than 300 people. And the restaurant will host a Halloween costume ball next month to benefit the South Jersey AIDS Alliance.
Helfant said a GACGA board member who also works at the Trump Taj Mahal spearheaded an effort this month to hold an LGBT meet-and-greet at the casino’s Il Molino restaurant; since information about that event was posted on GACGA’s Web site, Helfant said eight other venues have volunteered to host similar events.
Harrah’s is also cashing in on the LGBT dollar with its Weekend Out in AC Sept. 25-27, which will feature a variety of LGBT-themed parties with appearances by Lance Bass, Jai Rodriguez, Amanda Lepore, rapper Cazwell and cast members of “The L Word.”
“The timing is right for this,” Helfant said. “It’s necessary and needed right now; competition has never been fiercer right now for Atlantic City to be going after this market. We’re very pumped and optimistic.”
The GACGA will host its first gala and membership drive in January.
For more information about GACGA, visit www.aclgbt.org or www.facebook.com/pages/Greater-Atlantic-City-GLBT-Alliance/113068861432.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].