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This was further propelled by the famous relocation of Gianni Versace to Casa Casuarina in 1992, and then the premiere of The Real World: Miami in 1996. The LGBT community proved absolutely instrumental in transforming Miami Beach from a town known for criminals and retirees to the glittering gem of all things fabulous it would become. This further boosted the economic development and the rise of Miami Beach throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with the latter best referred to as the Versace Era, known its extravagant parties, glamour, and celebrities. By the 1980s, Miami Beach was becoming known as a bohemian mecca for queers around the country, a place where everyone could live freely and openly.
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However, Anita Bryant led a campaign against the pioneering antidiscrimination law, and it was repealed in June of that year.īut that didn’t slow down the LGBT community. In January 1977, an ordinance passed banning discrimination against gays and lesbians. Most were located in Miami, but there were plenty of Miami Beach spots such as Club Benni on Alton Road and Club Echo and Circus Bar on Ocean Drive, as well as the Mayflower Lounge and Basin Street. In August of that year, hundreds of gays and lesbians joined thousands of protestors at the 1972 Republican National Convention in Miami Beach.”Įstablishments where queers could congregate reached an all-time high, becoming even more prevalent than they are today. Two weeks later, the law was struck down by a federal court. According to The Encyclopedia of Lesbian and Gay Histories and Cultures, “The first organized gay pride week was celebrated in Miami Beach in early 1972 with a march on Lincoln Road protesting a city law banning cross-dressing. Activism prevailed, and things began looking up in the 1970s. The backlash against the Johns committee was swift, with Dade County officials threatening legal action and the Florida Attorney General demanding that distribution of the Purple Pamphlet cease immediately.ĭespite the persecution, Miami’s LGBT community remained tenacious in their fight for equal rights. Filled with pornographic pictures, it attempted to portray queer people as degenerate disease carriers worse than child molesters. In 1964, a Florida legislative committee led by Senator Charley Johns published Homosexuality and Citizenship in Florida, also known as the Purple Pamphlet, as part of a witch hunt to seek out gays and bisexuals working in schools, universities, and government jobs, who they believed were determined to “subvert the American way of life by controlling academic institutions and by corrupting the nation’s moral fiber,” according to Carryin’ on in the Lesbian and Gay South. This mistreatment continued until the end of the 1960s, escalating to targeted murders, harassment, and public shaming via stories in local newspapers. This silent film shows a police raid on a Miami gay bar in 1957.
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Raids would shut down queer establishments on an almost nightly basis, but they kept popping right back up again. Of course, it didn’t happen right away, and the early gay nightlife scene of the 1930s was not long-lived. A place with its own chamber of commerce dedicated to the queer community since 1997, and where Art Smith hosted and officiated a mass gay wedding for more than two dozen couples this past February. From then on, it would be a rollercoaster of ups and downs, filled with progress, failure, celebrations, and heartbreak in Miami LGBT history, leading to our current status as a gay mecca that attracts more than 1 million LGBT visitors a year. to 5 a.m.Miami has had a gay nightlife scene as early as the 1930s. Hours: Open seven days a week from 1 p.m. Twist, 1057 Washington Ave., Miami Beach (next to the 11th Street Diner) People usually end their nights at Twist, but don’t get there too late or you’ll end up waiting in line. When to arrive: The later you get there, the better.
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If you are looking to play billiards or video games you can find them on the lower level in the “Game Room”. Drag shows sometimes go on in this area as well or just step back and observe the ever changing parade of human flesh. Leave the house beats behind and groove to hip-hop in the more upscale “Frolic Lounge” located on the other side of the main bar. In front of the dance floor the hot bartenders serve not so pricey drinks at the main bar. With low ceilings you get a house party vibe going as you maneuver your way through the tight crowd of onlookers and dancers. As you leave the patio bar and enter the “Main Room” the music starts to pound and thump on the tiny dance floor that is usually packed.
Twist gay bar miami beach windows#
Move out of the bungalow and walk upstairs where you’ll encounter a Key West setting as open windows with large white shutters line the “Patio Bar”.