Jungle Lust Parties IX and XI (2000 and 2003)

Jungle Party, one of the larger events photographed by Dalton, began in 1992 with a group of four men who threw a joint 30th birthday party in a tropical plant warehouse to raise money for a local food pantry and clinical research organization. This hugely successful event spawned the Bayou City Boys Club, a nonprofit dedicated to aiding GLBT causes. BCBC continued to hold Jungle Party until its dissolution, as well as a number of other popular charity events each year. Between its founding in 1992 and its disbanding in 2005, BCBC raised over $650,000 for organizations that provide HIV/AIDS related services. 

Aside from the great charity work it has generated, Jungle Party has also served as one of the Houston GLBT community's largest and most exciting gatherings. 

Jungle Lust and the Community

Jungle Lust was started with the community in mind. The first Jungle Lust, which was still a joint birthday party, had the guests donate to AIDS charities and research instead of giving gifts to those who were throwing the party. Jungle Lust continues to raise money, and has raised more as the party has grown. 

This Week in Texas writes: "That first Jungle Lust was, more than anything, a labor of love and a celebration to help heal a community that was wearied and shocked by the loss to AIDS of so many of it members and friends. Jungle was and is a "happy" party with upbeat dance music, friendly Texas men, and a sense of community that prevails to this day."

“Rich's is still around, it's always been a private place. It's not just an open bar all the time, it's open for parties, and you can book big parties there. And they do huge parties [...] It's a private bar, and a privately owned bar that can be rented, and it's very popular for the parties that they do. It's very interesting space, because it's multi-faceted and multi-level and they have this big balcony around it so you can look down on the dance floor. It's an intricate place. I used to enjoy doing Louis and Garden Party there, just because it was so huge, and you couldn't get shoulder to shoulder.” - Judy Reeves

“Because it's privately owned, you get away with more, okay? You have a private party there, and the alcohol can flow a little differently, and the age groups are a little different. You still have to keep it legal with the drinking, but it's a little more lax, a little more lenient, and you get away with a lot more.” - Judy Reeves

“We have the younger... business type[s] in their suits five days a week and they'll don their glitter to go to Rich's. And they'll fit in with the older crowd, because it's a party. Whereas they probably wouldn't speak to each other on the street, but it does bring in a multi-generational group, and that's great! I just wish they'd speak to each other on the street afterwards, you know? [...] A lot of them are probably my age, and the ones who aren't, skip a generation--they’re generally on the arms of somebody my age. So they're brought into it, they don't usually have the money or the prestige or anything, but they're eye candy, you know? So that's how it perpetuates itself.” - Judy Reeves