Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas Nevada: after rolling the dice with a lavish makeover, Sin City is making room for the glamour amid the glitz. No wonder queer thrill seekers are showing up in spades!

TAKE A CHANCE You're on a roll, your heart is racing, and despite an impending Cirque du Soleil curtain call, time is the last thing on your mind. Roll 2, 3, or 12 and your friends buy you another cosmo. Roll a combined 7 or 11 and the entire entourage is upgraded to the Skyloft supersuites. A hushed crowd gathers around the craps table. Even the slot machines seem to quiet their manic bleeping long enough for you to catch your breath ... and roll again.

You know the cliches. Everybody does. And they're not entirely false. Standing at night on the pedestrian bridge that crosses the Strip at Tropicana Avenue, Las Vegas's gleaming, incessant energy overwhelms: the Space Needle ripoff the Stratosphere, the flags atop the $95 million Colosseum that Celine Dion calls home, the taxis sporting ads of Frank Marino in Joan Rivers drag, and an ersatz Statue of Liberty, which countless travelers took as virtually legit when they left thousands of mementos at her feet in the months after 9/11.

But there's more to Vegas than meets the overstimulated eye. Look closer and you'll find same-sex partners at the MGM Grand enjoying a "couples massage." Amid the schlock of Crazy Girls and Jubilee! you'll find Tony-winning musicals like Avenue Q and Hairspray, starring out actors direct from the Great White Way. Indeed, Sin City's gay-welcoming wave extends all the way to the rowdy casino floor--on a recent visit to the Venetian I saw a craps dealer chase a pair of drunken frat boys out of the casino for mercilessly mocking a flamboyant queer patron. You may start to wonder: When did Vegas become such a gay travelers' paradise?

There comes a point in the life of any city aspiring to greatness when it consciously decides to move beyond its traditional comfort Zone to court people of all types. For decades Las Vegas was an old boys' club of topless revues, reckless gambling, and cheap surf and turf. What passed for being of queer interest was largely unintentionally so--showgirls in feather headdresses, garish neon glitter, Siegfried and Roy.

That stigma persisted until hotel visionary Steve Wynn unveiled Bellagio in 1998, ushering in the new standard for a Vegas resort. Bellagio offered tasteful rooms, an art gallery with real Monets, a fleet of award-winning restaurants, and dancing fountains that have become as iconic as Elvis impersonators. Threatened by the spread of legalized gambling, Vegas figured the way to stay vibrant was to expand the market and compete not with Orlando, Fla., and Branson, Mo., but with Paris and New York Cia. On a tour of the new Wynn Las Vegas in August, the most expensive casino-hotel ever built, Wynn exclaimed: "We don't worry about the gambling anymore. We just want people to come here. The gambling takes care of itself."

Seven years post-Bellagio, Vegas is a changed city--as my partner, Miles, and I discovered when we checked into the retooled MGM Grand. In 2005 MGM unveiled 51 bi-level suites called Skylofts located on the top two floors of the hotel. Adorned like urban apartments, each Skyloft includes at least five flat-screen TVs, a convertible shower-steam room, and so much Bang and Olufsen technowizardry that an attendant has to explain how it all works. We returned from dinner to find the "champagne bubbles" massage tub already filled and a menu left by the "dream butler" asking which of nine pillow styles of we desired. (Miles picked the "NASA memory foam"; I went with "natural buckwheat hull.")

In food and shopping, too, this former waste-land of cheap buffets and tacky T-shirt stands now rivals the great cities. Such renowned chefs as Jod Robuchon, Alain Ducasse, and Charlie Palmer have invested millions in visually stunning restaurants, while Saks, Tiffany, Manolo Blahnik, and Carolina Herrera have all opened outposts.

What's more, Vegas's sex appeal is now more evenhanded. Hot male models dance on a platform above the casino floor at the Rio as well as at the Centrifuge bar in the middle of the MGM casino. Meanwhile at the Silverton, an off-Strip hunting-themed casino, hot "mermen" swim around in a 120,000-gallon performance tank during free midday shows. (Fair warning: While gay men are welcome at the various male stripper revues, the shows are primarily for women, with virtually no interplay between dancers and male patrons. Same goes for lesbians at female revues.)

The full-blown production shows also now have more to offer us. In the 1990s the Strip's best pseudogay moment was when a pair of shirtless muscle-bound Russian brothers lifted and twirled each other in Cirque du Soleil's still-running Mystere at Treasure Island. Cirque took homoeroticism even further in 2003 with the $50 million Zumanity, a risque over-18 production emceed by Greenwich Village drag legend Joey Arias and featuring a same-sex ballet that culminates in an intense, lingering French kiss. We also get it where we least expect it: A number in Celine Dion's show features a dozen bare-chested hunks writhing about the songstress--but they seem far more curious about one another.

"Gay people have always come to Las Vegas, but we didn't try to entertain them; didn't know how to make them welcome," says Felix Rappaport, who as hotel president brought Zumanity to New York--New York. He moved in 2005 to helm the pyramid-shaped Luxor.

Just as Rappaport's earlier property was on the cutting edge with Zumanity, Luxor is embracing the next big trend: Broadway imports. In February Luxor opens a production of Hairspray starring Tony-winner Harvey Fierstein. Including that show, four Best Musical Tony winners will play here simultaneously by 2007, with Avenue Q and Spamalot at Wynn, and The Phantom of the Opera at the Venetian.

All this would be of little note if not for the city's extreme attitude adjustment, including overt gestures like same-sex commitment ceremonies offered at most wedding chapels, and subtle considerations: A friend at Mandalay Bay confides that desk clerks are instructed never to assume two men checking in together want separate beds. In fact, the biggest casino operators, MGM Mirage and Harrahs Entertainment, now spar for bragging rights over who scores better ratings on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index. Hard to imagine Bugsy Siegel caring much about that.

If the city's moving forward, though, the gay-specific scene is stuck in neutral. The limited gay nightlife world--a dozen or so bars for a population of just under 2 million residents in the metropolitan area, the hub of which greets around 40 million tourists a year--has hardly changed since I arrived in 1996. The trendy "Fruit Loop" cluster (so nicknamed because of the areas strange traffic pattern) offers largely the same collection of businesses it did a decade ago. There's now an off-Strip gay hotel, a spruced-up ex-Travelodge called the Blue Moon Resort, which draws weekend party crowds and is also a mecca for cruisy locals, who can buy day passes to the clothing-optional pool for $15.

In 2004 a gay club opened on the Strip itself Krave, which bills itself as "omnisexual," aggressively markets itself to gay men and, with its Saturday-night Girl Bar events, to lesbians. The interior is nice and welcoming with cozy private booths scattered amid a modern industrial atmosphere.

Private spaces aside, the beauty of the new Vegas scene is how well gays and lesbians mix with the mainstream crowd. A parade of sleek, New York City--worthy hot spots have cropped up on the Strip, advertising in queer publicatioris and offering gay-friendly vibes. Among these is Caesars Palace's white-everywhere Pure, which has a 14,000-square-foot open-air dance deck, and Wynn's ultralounge Lure, which runs ads showing women in seductive embraces with the tag: "Attraction knows no rules."

Wynn's vibe beyond Lure is pretty queer-friendly too. Directed by designer Roger Thomas, the hotel-casino's interior boasts sunbursts of flowers, mosaic-Ned walkways, and dangling parasols. Then there was the surreal spectacle of out Tony nominee John Tartaglia using gay puppet Rod from Avenue Q to flirt salaciously with the real--and Republican!--Steve Wynn at a press event marking the show's debut last summer.

As that bit of theatrics reflects, camp is far from dead in Vegas; it's just become a bit more clever. The Liberace Museum, for example, is a serious collection that actually explains how those sequined robes and rhinestone-covered pianos created the never-out musician's gaudy legacy. Former bathhouse pianist Barry Manilow appears nightly in a Celine-like show at the Las Vegas Hilton. And even as Sir Elton shuns his wild costumes for a simple black and red suit, he's allowed director David LaChapelle to climax his show The Red Piano with a suggestive arrangement of a mammoth inflated banana and cherries.

Yes, the silly stuff remains, and how could it not in a city with faux Venetian canals and a scaled-down version of the Eiffel Tower? As Wynn told me: "It is important that this city never take itself too seriously. We do that, and we end up becoming a parody of ourselves."

LUCK BE A "LADY"

The Mistress of Seduction, a.k.a. New York City drug superstar Joey Arias, strikes a pose before dominating the stage of Cirque du Soleil's homoerotic Zumaty at the New York-New York. Opposite page, top: The show's assorted fauna get fluffed up for the night. Bottom: The original cirque, Circus Circus, built in 1968, is a bit more family friendly, hence the dayligh.

ALL ROADS LEAD TO VEGAS

From the lakes of Northern Italy (Bellagio, above) to ancient Rome (Caesar's Palace), you don't have to leave the Strip to enjoy an around-the-world honeymoon. Opposite page: Though same-sex marriage is still not legal in Nevada, Vegas's casinos aren't living in the Dark Ages. Even family-marketed establishments, like Excalibur, offer lavish wedding packages to gay couples.

THE AFTER-PARTY

Salud! Fortune smiles upon your growing coterie of comrades. Fueled by Zumanity's sensual display--not to mention a freshly shaken batch of martinis-who knows where the night will lead? The sky's the limit in your new Skyloft, a three-bedroom bilevel suite located on the top two floors of the MGM Grand. Before dawn you'll discover a steam room, an infinity-edge spa tub, and a 32-inch flat-screen television--and those are just the bathroom amenities. Any other requests can be handled by your 24-hour butler, and when you're ready to leave, a private elevator will whisk you back to the casino floor.

VA-VA-VOOM

Ra's rays rejuvenate on your last day in Vegas, poolside at the Luxor. Relax while you can--there's still one more night of neon temptation in a city that never stops kicking up its heels. The Red Barn Tavern and Glitter Gulch are part of downtown's Fremont Street Experience.

ACCOMODATIONS >> Room rates in LasVegas vary wildly based on the time of year, day of the week and events in town, with December, july, and August offering great deals at even the most expensive properties. This guide is based on room prices for january February 2006. Inexpensive; On the Strip, an excellent value is the Luxor (3900 Las Vegas Bird. South. 888-777-0188, $79 and up), where the elevators run diagonally. One block up, New York-New York (3790 L.as Vegas Blvd. South, 888-696-9887, $80 and up) is known for courting gay' visitors thanks to Zumanity and an overall Manhattan vibe. The rooms have, urn, character, with odd wall angles and strangely placed windows, but you can't beat the location. Away from the Strip, the Golden Nugget (129 E. Fremont St., 800-846-5336, $79 and up) is the class act of the downtown properties, with the Fremont Street esplanade and light show right outside. Within walking distance of the "Fruit Loop" bar area is the Palm Springs-like Alexis Park Resort (375 E. Harmon, 800-582-2228, $109 and up), a nongaming all-suite hotel dotted with palm trees and small hot tubs and pools. The only gay hotel, the Blue Moon Resort (2651 Westwood Dr:, 866-798-9194, $119 and up) has a clothing-optional tropical pool area. For the best stargazing, Palms (4321 W. Flamingo Rd., 866-942-7770, $99 and up) has parlayed its Real Word appearance into a mecca for Britney, Paris, Jessica, and the lot. Moderate-Expensive: The MGM Grand (3799 LasVegas Blvd. South, 800-929-1111, $80 and up) has a range of room styles, from the cute West Wing rooms, which eschew floral-print bedspreads for clean whites and bather furniture, to the unbelievable hi-level Skylofts, fully loaded with gadgets and personal services. Bellagio (3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 888-987-6667, $179 and up) is the standard-bearer of Vegas elegance. The marble-floored bathrooms are always spacious and beautiful, even in the most basic rooms. Mandalay Bay (3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 877-632-7800, $199 and up) is nicknamed "Mandalay Gay" because of its consistent queer clientele.Their new tower. THEhotel, offers suites decked in calming grays and blacks, plus a separate spa and access to the Mandalay pool spread--the best on the Strip. The newest kid on the block. Wynn Las Vegas (3131 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 888-320-9966, $199 and up) has infused a bit d new luxury into even the basic rooms, with floor-to-ceiling windows and fiat-screen HDTV-capable sets mounted on swivel arms so they can be viewed from, the bed or the couch. Caesars Palace (3570 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 800-634-6661, $140 and up), probably the city's most venerable brand,remains au courant with its new luxury Augustus Tower and the expanded Forum Shops, complete with the continent's only tri-level curved escalators. Finally, the business traveler-friendly Venetian (3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South. 877-857-1861, $249 and up) is home to the sole LasVegas branch of the renowned Canyon Ranch SpaClub and is a perfect location for enjoying both the north and south parts of the Strip.

RESTAURANT >> Inexpensive. Moderate: Firefly (3900 Paradise Rd., 702-369-3971, $4-$10 per dish) is a rocking Spanish tapes hot spot just off the Strip, with dishes like bacon-wrapped dates and marinated lamb chops. At MGM Grand, 'Wichcraft (800-929-1111) is an excellent offshoot of New York City's Craft, offering creative sandwiches for under $10. Red 8 (at Wynn, 877-321-9966, $5-$30 per dish) serves up Vegas's most authentic Chinese noodles and dim sum. For the new rage in buffets, head to the elegant Cravings (at the Mirage, 3400 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 800-374-9000, $12.50-$22.50), offering 11 food stations and addictive macaroons. For some real Vegas lore, head to the Bootlegger Bistro (7700 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 702-736-4949, $10-$30 per dish), a 24-hour Italian classic co-owned by a former lounge singer who's now lieutenant governor of Nevada. Expensive: On the top floor of THEhotel at Mandalay Bay is Mix (877-632-7800, $25-$50 per entree), an Alan Ducasse joint where you can sit outside and gaze down the Strip or sit inside and be mesmerized by a 15,000-piece blown-glass chandelier. The food is amazing too, particularly the salmon with the spicy shallot marmalade. At Charlie Palmers Aureole (at Mandalay Bay, 702-632-7401, $95 tasting menu), a four-story wine tower rises from the sunken dining room. Nob Hill (at MGM Grand, 702-891-7337, $115 tasting menu) is a stunning version of the Bay Area classic, offering its signature lobster pot pie.At the same hotel is Craft.steak (702-891-7318, $26 and up per entree), another impressive descendant of Manhattan's Craft, with a similarly inventive menu. Wynn too has made it tough to choose where to eat--whether in the Hello, Dolly!--inspired recessed dining room of Alex (888-352-3463, $35 and up per entree), where the short ribs are a specialty, or along the Lake of Dreams at the SW Steakhouse ($30 and up per entree).

NIGHTLIFE >> Off the Strip, the "Fruit Loop" area offers a gay dance club, Gipsy (4605 S. Paradise Rd., 702-731-1919), which is across the street from an all-purpose watering hole called FreeZone (610 E. Naples Dr., 702-794-2300). There's also a strip mall with both a bear bar called the Buffalo (4640 Paradise Rd. #11, 702-733-8355) and the restaurant--cum-drag club called Suede (4640 Paradise Rd. #4, 702-791-3463), where in an earlier incarnation the band the Killers got their start. On the Strip, check out the "omnisexual" factory-style club Krave (at the Aladdin, 3663 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 702-836-0830), the white-on-white Pure (at Caesars Palace, 702-212-8806), which attracts the world's top DJs, or the ultralounge Lure (at Wynn, 702-770-7000) for a drink under calming blue light and seductive leather furnishings.

ENTERTAINMENT >> Vegas shows ain't what they used to be. Avenue Q (at Wynn, 888-320-9966, $88 and up), Mamma Mia! (at Mandalay Bay, 702-632-7580, $82.50 and up), and Hairspray (at Luxor, 800-557-7428, $71.50 and up) are real Broadway imports, and the glorious Mystere (at Treasure Island, 3300 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 800-963-9634, $60 and up) and erotic Zumanity (at New York-New York 866-606-7111, $65 and up) explore two distinct sides of Cirque du Soleil. Cirque's two other Vegas shows rely heavily on astonishing technology, with O (at Bellagio, 800-963-9634, $93.50 and up) performed over a 1.5-million-gallon pool with a retractable stage, and Ka (at MGM Grand, 877-264-1844, $99 and up), in which the stage literally flies around and turns into a ship, a mountain, and a battlefield. Celine Dion, Elton John (both at Caesars Palace: Dion, 877-423-5463, $87.50 and up;John, 888-435-8665, $100 and up), and Barry Manilow (at the LasVegas Hilton, 3000 Paradise Rd., 800-222-5361, $95 and up) represent the modern resurgence of the resident headliner. But some shows do hark back to the old days, with Clint Holmes (at Harrahs, 3475 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 800-392-9002, $60), who calls Sammy Davis Jr. his biggest influence, doing a vintage song-and-dance act, Jubilee! (at Bally's, 3645 LasVegas Bird. South, 800-237-7469, $65 and up) offering topless dancers in outlandish headdresses, and An Evening at La Cage (at the Riviera, 2901 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 702-794-9433, $60.50 and up) still serving up some of the country's best drag.

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THE OUT TRAVELER
RATINGS: LAS VEGAS

Gay-Friendly                 ***
Legal Domestic Partnerships    *
Adoption Laws                 **
Antidiscrimination Laws       **
HIV Information              ***
Gay Scene                     **

*** Excellent **  Fair  * Poor