The International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs (or IAGSDC) is an international

umbrella organization An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and ofte ...

for

gay square dance Gay square dance is square dance as it is generally danced in the Gay and Lesbian community. The first gay and lesbian square dance clubs formed in the mid-to-late 1970s in the USA. There are currently about eighty gay square dance clubs worl ...

. The association includes over eighty clubs. Most clubs are in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, with one club in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. There are no longer any active clubs in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, or

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Annual conventions

An annual convention is held usually in early July drawing

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

and

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

dancers, their partners and other friendly square dancers from around the world. In addition to 4 days of dancing to top callers, other highlights of the conventions include "The Honky Tonk Queen Contest"— a ribald country-western

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part o ...

contest and show, the "Fun Badge Tour""— a bus tour of the hosting town with stops to square dance at the most unexpected places, and the convention banquet. Peter Lawlor from Neasden and his Kingsbury lover Nick Gaul are known to be founding members. At the 2010 IAGSDC Convention held in Chicago over 4 July weekend, an IAGSDC History Wiki was unveiled.

External links

International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs

Guide to IAGSDC Conventions

Wiki-fied version of the Guide to IAGSDC Conventions document

Listing of active chapters

IAGSDC History Wiki
{{Authority control Dance organizations International LGBT sports organizations Square dance LGBT dance