Gay Miami Beach, Gay & Lesbian News of Miami... » Fort Lauderdale

Broward’s First Gay-Themed Library – Stonewall Library

admin — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:57:18 +0000

Broward County’s first gay-themed library officially opened in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, just one day before the GLBT literary Festival. The library, called Stonewall Library and Archives, will host the Gay and Lesbian Literary Arts Festival on Friday and Saturday. Stonewall derived its name from the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York that paved the way for the modern gay rights movement. Stonewall Library shares a building with a county library and sits on the edge of a park where children play and seniors gather. With about 20,000 books and movies, Stonewall is the largest independent gay-themed library. The library evolved from a group of college students who exchanged books to an incorporated non-profit functioning out of a small closet in a church to where it is now, a 4,200 square-foot space. Visitors must be 18 to access the materials. The library has T-shirts showing different gay rights causes and a wall depicting a timeline of the gay rights movement. This new gay-themed library is located at 1300 Sunrise Blvd.

Gay Friendly Miami vacation condos & Miami vacation homes – Find a wide selection of gay-friendly accommodations in Miami and Miami Beach.

Florida vacation rentals, Florida gay-friendly vacations

admin — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:42:38 +0000

Florida is a liberal state and a Florida gay-friendly vacations destination. The main gay destinations in South Florida are Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Key West. The gay community has been instrumental in building those cities as top US tourist destinations. Gays and lesbians like to spend Florida gay-friendly vacation s in areas where they will not be discriminated and where they will find active local gay communities offering gay and lesbian attractions and activities.

The gay community likes to stay in gay friendly Florida vacation rentals, shop in dedicated shops and party in gay clubs. Florida embraces and welcomes gays and lesbians from all over the world. Not all the businesses listed are gay owned or run but they are definitely gay-friendly. Gay-friendly South Florida offers unique experiences and Florida gay-friendly vacations for gay travelers with plenty of exciting things to do. Travelers staying in Miami or Fort Lauderdale can enjoy both cities during their Florida gay-friendly vacations since they are only 30 minutes apart.

Gay and Lesbian Travelers in Miami Beach

admin — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:09:07 +0000

Gay Miami Beach Travelers, gay-friendly Miami Beach

Miami Beach is undoubtedly one of the nation’s most popular gay vacation destinations. The Miami Beach gay community’s involvement was instrumental in the revival of Miami. Gays and Lesbian feel at home in gay-friendly Miami Beach and are welcomed with open arms. Gay Miami Beach travelers will discover a truly gay-friendly Miami Beach with a large selection of gay-friendly Miami Beach restaurants, Miami Beach vacation rentals, bars, gyms and Gay Miami Beach nightclubs. The city of Fort Lauderdale, just 35 minutes North of Miami Beach, is also very gay-friendly and offers plenty of things to do for gay Miami Beach travelers. There are several online resources to help connect gay Miami Beach travelers to the local happenings:

• Miami Dade Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce

www.gogaymiami.com
305-534-3336

• Miami-info.com – Miami Guide

www.Miami-info.com or more specifically, Their Gay Miami Section.

• Gay Miami Beach Travel

www.gaymiamiBeachtravel.com

For gay Miami Beach travelers who prefer printed newspapers rather than the internet, The Express is the leading Gay and Lesbian community newspaper.

Miami Winter Party Festival, Gay Miami Events

admin — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:54:24 +0000

Although most industries, events and luxuries are deeply feeling the burn of our current economic crisis, the 2009 Winter Party Festival’s advance ticket sales are not much different than last year’s. The Miami Winter Party Festival, which will take place February 25th to March 2nd, is thrown in honor of gay men and women. This year’s Miami festival expects to welcome about 10,000 visitors from around the world. The Miami festival will be held in several different venues from Miami to Fort Lauderdale but the dance party will be on March 1st, in Miami Beach on 12th street and Ocean Drive.

The Winter Party Festival will feature the talents of celebrity DJs such as Chus and Ceballos, Maximus 3000, Miss Flava, Tracy Young, Oren Nizri, Tony Moran and Dezrock. Two thirds of the profits of the Winter Party Festival benefit the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Aqua Foundation for Women and Pridelines Youth Services. Make sure to reserve Miami vacation rentals as soon as possible if you are considering making your way out here.

Gays in South Florida, Gay-friendly Florida

admin — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 21:29:41 +0000

Gay vacationers love to visit gay-friendly Florida and more specifically, South Florida. Gays in South Florida were instrumental in the establishment of Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Key West as top tourist destinations.

South Florida offers a large variety of gay-friendly attractions, accommodations and activities. Gays in South Florida are truly at home and actively involved in South Florida. South Floridians respect and welcome members of the gay community. The gay-friendly Florida attracts gay travelers from all over the world thanks to an intense and torrid nightlife and the organization of gay events such as Fantasy Fest in Key West and The South Beach Gay and Lesbian Festival. Key West and Miami Beach have many well-known nightclubs while Fort Lauderdale has some very popular bars.

Fort Lauderdale Sebastian Street Gay Beach

There are many gay destinations in South Florida. For instance, South Beach Art Deco District is pretty popular and Wilton Manors District in Fort Lauderdale, as well. In South Florida, you can find many gay accommodations, clubs, and a gay friendly service. Amongst gay accommodations, you can choose between exclusively gay tropical resorts and hotels or gay-friendly Florida holiday rentals.

Miami Gay Bars in the 70’s

admin — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 17:16:10 +0000

It was great to be young and gay in Miami in the 1970’s. Laws prohibiting “known” gays to be served liquor or hang out in a tavern were overturned and AIDS and other serious diseases were not an issue at the time which allowed gays to feel free and sexually expressive. Plus, at the time, the legal drinking age was 18, which was perfect for the young gays who just came out. Naturally, Miami’s lesbian and gay bar scene was booming.

There were more gay bars in Miami Beach and Miami in 1974 than there are today. A 1975 bar rag, “Where the Action Is” listed 13 Miami bars and 6 Beach bars. This did not include some gay bars in Miami or other spots where gays socialized such as the 21st Street and Virginia Beaches, Danny’s Book Store, Florida Pharmacy, Rio Theater, Bayfront Park, the Club Miami and Regency Baths, Downtown YMCA and the Greyhound Bus Station.

The Cactus Lounge: Up until a couple of years ago, the Cactus Lounge on Biscayne Boulevard was the only South Florida 1974 gay bar still around.

The Nook: Coral Gables’ only gay bar. Here, gentlemen dressed in dark suits and sipped martinis while the sounds of Judy Garland or Barbra Streisand records played from the jukebox.

The Warehouse VIII: Where 1974’s real gay action happened. It was located on S.W. 8th Street and 36th Avenue. The joint had an enormous dance floor, a Levi-leather bar in the back, a cruise bar upstairs and a rooftop area. “The Gay Insider USA” described the Warehouse as a “Huge place; [with a] suspended horse-drawn cart; [and] pool tables. Upstairs is a swinging bar, but not too friendly to outsiders.” The bar closed at 5AM.

El Carol: A “mixed” bar on LeJeune Road, a block South of Calle Ocho.

The Second Landing: A gay bar on the second floor of a building on the S.W. corner of 8th Street and LeJeune. The Second Landing was previously known as Step Mother’s and Bachelor’s West. This late bar was also open till 5AM. It was the spot for young Latinos looking for older men (and vice versa).

Bachelors II: A piano restaurant and a cruise bar on Coral Way between S.W. 28th and 29th Avenues.

The Hamlet: A daytime or early evening gay hangout on Main Highway in Coconut Grove.

The Tony Candlelight Club: A members’ only restaurant and lounge in Coconut Grove. Wealth was a requirement for membership but others can attend as a guest. Later, in 1976, it became the place of the early meetings of the Dade County Coalition for the Humanistic Rights of Gays.

The Rack and Ramrod: (later known as the Double R) were Downtown Miami’s Levi-leather bars.

Mayflower Lounge and Basin Street were two small gay bars on Alton Road.

Keith’s Cruise Room in Hallandale, Tee Jay’s in Hollywood, and Tacky’s and Venture Inn in Fort Lauderdale were a few of Broward’s small gay bars.

Wishing to visit Miami? If yes, you can find affordable accommodations with a click of your mouse, including gay Miami Beach hotels and gay-friendly Miami Beach vacation rentals.