Miami’s Gay History

Miami is mostly known for its beaches and beautiful scenarios, also for the art deco that still remains on the streets and the buildings in South Beach.

What people sometimes don’t know is that Miami is the place where different LGBT movements took place.

The gay people choose Miami as the place to be at least from 1930. The gay scene at the time included different types of show as drag show. One of the famous shows was the interracial company “Jewel Box Reveu” that started in 1939 in Miami and went on tour in 1940.

During the Second World War, Miami had the largest base and after the war men and women returned as visitors or residents.

The major closed gay bars in 1954 saying that bars where a threat to children, trying to improve the city’s image as family-friendly and people from Miami suffered from violations of civil liberties.

During that days, Miami had a large gay population but disorganized. Cruising and occasional encounters where part of the stories in the news media and officers use to go to school to warn children.

When the stonewall movement in New York exploded, Miamians started to organize and the alliance started to arrive in town.

A lot of activists made some effort to guarantee a law antidiscrimination based on sexual orientation but they had several problems with the leaders of the Christian churches and right-wing organizations.

In 1998, the County of Miami amended human rights based on discrimination and after several boycotts it was successfully approved.

Now, Miami is a place with a lot of gay and lesbian attractions and events as the Miami Gay and lesbian Film Festival, the White Party and the Winter Party.