Twenty years ago, a documentary about Key West’s famous reputation for acceptance was called, “Key West: City of Colors.”
The full spectrum of those colors returned in rare form for this year’s Pride celebration from June 7-11 in Key West.
From the June 7 kickoff party at Hard Rock Cafe, to the rainbow of lasers that stretched over Duval Street for three nights, culminating in the annual Pride Parade, Key West refused to represent the rest of Florida, where drag shows and Pride events were canceled or diluted given recent state legislative action that has prompted LGBTQ+ advocacy groups to discourage gay travelers from visiting Florida — that is, the rest of Florida.
Key West demonstrated yet again last week that it is not the rest of Florida. And Pride went off colorfully, creatively and was a helluva good time for ALL.
Parade photos by LARRY BLACKBURN/Keys Weekly and MARK HEDDEN/Keys Weekly. Laser light photos by LARRY BLACKBURN/Keys Weekly.
