Why do Gays and Lesbians love Halloween? We just do. It’s the one time of year that cross-dressing is enjoyed by all. Lesbian poet and scholar Judy Grahn, calls Halloween “the great gay holiday.”

I love dressing up, jack-o-lanterns, skeletons and the whole spooky deal. I hope I never grow out of the thrill of a good haunted house. This year we drove an hour on a school night and got so scared we clutched each other and screamed and laughed ’til we peed our pants. How is that fun? All I know is that its a long standing tradition with my kids and it delights the hell out of me.

As a child on Halloween I was allowed to run free dressed as a monster or in some sort of boy-themed costume. Candy was like money for us, a commodity that involved trading and counting. The joy lasted for weeks as we ate ourselves sick everyday until it was gone.

My parents enjoyed costume parties too, and there was a lot of drinking and carrying on among the adults. They had no concern about my safety as I roamed the streets trick-or-treating in our little suburb with my grade school friends. And there was no reason to be concerned in those days…no one had ever heard of anything bad ever happening.

Even though my 15 yr old son is a little too old to trick-or-treat, this year we’ll have fun with a bunch of friends at our house celebrating the holiday with pumpkin carving, a fire pit and my home made spicy chili.

Jesse Monteagudo is a freelance writer and gay activist who lives in South Florida. Jessie writes “Halloween’s appeal to the LGBT community goes beyond that holiday’s historical or spiritual connotations. I believe that it has a lot to do with our role as outsiders in society; our propensity for cross-dressing and gender-bending; our love for the unusual and the fantastic; our ability to find humor in the absurdities and misfortunes of life; our fascination with festive costumes and the world of make-believe; and our special capacity to have fun. While others might treat Halloween as trick or treat for children, we observe and cherish it as a day and night in which we can do away with dull, ordinary, dumb reality and be our fun, exotic, erotic selves.”

Personally, I enjoy being as silly as possible. Last year my friend and I dressed up as Julia Childs and Edie Beale (from Grey Gardens). After dropping into several parties and never once breaking character, we ended the evening by walking into a local restaurant and holding an impromptu pretend cooking demonstration. People dropped their forks–riveted by our mock presentation. Then they laughed and clapped as we marched out the door after our 2 minute show.

Now that’s the true spirit of Halloween.