[ISL] "Why Aren't Young Guys Going to the Gay Paradise of Key West?"

[rfmcdonald]

Matthew Leifheit had an interesting photo essay at Vice exploring reasons why young gays may not be vacationing in famously gay-friendly Key West. Economic issues may be key, perhaps also a lack of knowledge?

Beyond breathtaking sunsets and sour, gelatinous pie, Key West, Florida, has historically been famous for its gay culture. Queer icons from Divine to Leonard Bernstein used to slut it up at the many gay bars and men-only guesthouses the island was known for in the 1970s and 80s. Tennessee Williams, the ultimate daddy, lived for years in a small house on Duncan Street with his "secretary" Frank Merlo .

"Now please don't hurry down here: the island has finally run out of coral rock extensions into the sea," Williams once wrote of Key West. "Almost no one plays bridge, and there is almost nothing to do but drink or swim or —."

But many are claiming this historical gay paradise is no longer the hot hangout for homos it used to be. In 2005 the New York Times accused Key West of "going straight," and in 2012 The Advocate dropped Key West from its list of America's top 25 gayest cities. So I went down to the island's Tropical Heat festival, a weekend of nude pool parties and fetish balls engineered to draw a big gay crowd, to see for myself just how hetero Key West has gotten.

That question was easy to answer—Key West is so fucking gay. The sky there literally shits out a rainbow every time it drizzles. As soon as I arrived at the airport, which was decorated like the set of Golden Girls, I turned on Grindr and started asking questions. Immediately, a VGL local bear told me I needed to talk to Gary "Sushi" Marion, the grand dame of Key West's thriving drag scene who descends from the sky in a giant red shoe each New Year's Eve. Her authority was confirmed by many others throughout my time in Key West, where Sushi is revered for her sharp wit and fishy realness.