Easygoing Equality Characterizes Irresistible Key West
There’s a subtropical island in the continental United States with a free-spirited, live-and-let-live atmosphere of inclusivity that’s also warmly exotic, eccentric and enticing.
Where rainbow flags fly proudly at public buildings, businesses and homes. Where approximately 250,000 annual LGBTQ+ visitors are free to be themselves wherever they go.
That 2-by-4-mile paradise is Key West — lying at the southernmost tip of the 125-mile-long Florida Keys island chain — whose respect for diversity has helped make it a world-renowned LGBTQ+ vacation destination.
Key West’s diverse atmosphere reflects an easygoing, relaxed sense of equality.
“Key West has long embraced the significance of the LGBTQ+ community in shaping the history of the island,” said Rob Dougherty, executive director of the Key West Business Guild that operates the Gay Key West Visitor Center at 808 Duval St.
“The presence of well-known individuals such as Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote and Elizabeth Bishop helped promote the acceptance of Key West as a destination that can be celebrated by anyone,” Dougherty said.
Gay playwright Tennessee Williams first visited Key West in 1941 and returned several times, completing “Summer and Smoke” on the island in 1946, before purchasing the unpretentious house at 1431 Duncan St. that became his home for the rest of his life.
United States Poet Laureate Elizabeth Bishop lived and wrote in Key West during the 1930s and 1940s. Her home at 624 White St. is a registered Literary Landmark.
In 1983, Key West became the United States’ first city to elect an openly gay mayor. In 2018, Teri Johnston became the first openly gay woman to be elected mayor of a major Florida city, subsequently governing the community for six years.
The prevailing atmosphere of equality for all is embodied in the motto One Human Family, officially adopted by both the city of Key West and Monroe County, encompassing the entire Florida Keys.
“We are all part of each other as equals in One Human Family,” said J.T. Thompson, who created the movement and has distributed more than 4.5 million One Human Family bumper stickers and 400,000 wrist bands across the globe.
Key West’s main thoroughfare is Duval Street, which has four colorful permanent rainbow crosswalks and stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. Its “Pink Triangle” district, centered around the 700 and 800 blocks at the heart of Duval, is home to an entertainment cluster of LGBTQ+ bars, clubs and shops.
Rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker’s famed 1.25-mile-long Key West flag made history on Duval Street in 2003. More than 2,000 people joined Baker to unfurl the flag when it debuted at that year’s Pride celebration, stretching it the entire length of Duval in a sea-to-sea showing of pride.
Welcoming beaches include the locals’ favorite “Fort Liz Taylor Beach,” so dubbed by gay fans of the actress who frequented Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park’s beach with her husband, actor Richard Burton.
City-operated Higgs Beach, adjacent to historic West Martello Tower, has been recognized as a top gay beach by gaycities.com, which describes Key West as “the first American city to actively and openly recruit gay tourists.”
Just 7 miles offshore lies the continental United States’ only coral barrier reef, offering diving and snorkeling in clear aquamarine waters.
Whether enjoying themselves on land or water, LGBTQ+ visitors to Key West can authentically and openly be themselves — make new lifelong friends, experience local residents’ independent way of life, party from dusk to dawn, or simply relax and savor the island’s free-spirited lifestyle.
Key West visitor information: fla-keys.com/gay, fla-keys.com/keywest or 1-800-LAST-KEY
Gay Key West Visitor Center: gaykeywestfl.com, 305-294-4603 or 1-800-535-7797
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