An Insight to our Past: Let's Keep the Gay Fan Tradition Alive!

We've all come to recognize fans as a staple of gay culture, but there is so much more to the story!

Today it's nearly impossible to go to a club or circuit party and not see someone proudly showing off and dancing with a gay fan to the beat of the music, and we love it! But do you know how gay fans became a symbol for our culture?

The history on the matter is slightly lost to time and scattered across many cultures, but it's an undeniable part of our past that the gay fan represents hope, unity, love, spiritualism, meditation, and free expression. Some of the history dates back to Dolores Park in San Francisco and gays standing strong together during the AIDS crisis and using fans and flags as a dance form to represent solidarity and resilience; there is a lot more to it than JUST staying cool!

Although everything evolves with time, here at The Gay Fan Club we celebrate our history and wouldn't be here without it! As sizes of clubs have gotten smaller and as LED screen technology made it's way into our scene, there is honestly just less space for the dance expression with these props and fear of damaging expensive tech. We believe this is why the gay fan movement evolved into clacking to meet the times and honors our persistent nature to be ourselves in an ever changing world. There are some artists out there working to keep gay fan dance and flagging alive, but the symbolism rings on in clubs as our fierce armor and unifying force. Below is a video showing a glimpse into the past of the world renowned fan dancer Bret Lacquement.

Always remember where you came from and that we stand strongest together! Keep the movement alive and join in on the resounding CLACKS that herald back to those who paved the road for all of us and stand proud with The Gay Fan Club!

With over 80 styles to choose from it's easy to find the perfect fan to represent your tribe! Take a look at some of our most popular styles below and clack on!