Key West Pride

Gilbert Baker, the creator of the Rainbow Flag, is returning to Key West to help celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the “Sea to Sea Rainbow Flag”.  Gilbert will be serving as the Key West Pride 2014 Parade Grand Marshall.  Key West is celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the unfurling of the World’s Longest Gay Pride Flag.  During Key West Pride 2003, with the help of over 3,000 volunteers, Gilbert Baker’s “Sea to Sea Rainbow Flag” went the full length of Duval Street.  From the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean, just over a mile long.  Highlights of the 10th Anniversary celebration, during Key West Pride 2014, include: a meet and greet with Gilbert, a showing of the documentary based on the historic flag “Key West, City of Colors, and a few other surprises.  Make your plans now to come on down to Key West and help in the celebration.

Key West Mayor, Craig Cates, submitted this letter to Key West Pride 2014.

THANK YOU FOR AN AMAZING PRIDE 2012 CELEBRATION!  We had record attendance at a record number of events.  We had LGBTA travelers from around the world reveling under blue skies and enjoying warm breezes.  We showed our Pride to the world.  Check out these fabulous pictures EXAMINER.COM, or go to our Key West Pride Facebook page for more.

Check out Pearl’s Blog!  Just CLICK HERE.

Take a Sneak Peak at Our Pride Guide 2012 and discover the fun that is waiting for your in Gay Key West! We’ve got events, shops, restaurants, bars, water excursions, sponsors, and more.  Check us out.  Then make your reservations, today!   KW Pride 2012 Guide FINAL

PRIDE STREET FAIR VENDORS.  If you’d like to participate in the Pride Fair as a vendor, download the application for the KW Pride Street Fair 2012.  We’re looking for vendors who want to show their Pride as well as their art, jewelry, merchandise, and delicious treats!  Our Street Fair will be held in the 700 and 800 blocks of the world-famous Duval Street from 10am to 8pm on Saturday, June 9th 2012.  We’ll liven up the day with great music from DJ Nick Hatziantonio, Bradford Lane, Jay Ferguson, Edward Lucas. Special Guest DJs include DJ.Richie Rich Torrez (Ft Lauderdale’s Boom), and DJ Tom Bertorelli (NYC).  The 700 and 800 blocks of Duval are also home to some of our favorite bars, shops, and restaurants so the day promises to be filled with fun and festivities.  For more information about becoming a vendor, contact events@gaykeywestfl.com.

KWHS GAY STRAIGHT ALLIANCE SPONSORS FAG BUG. The Key West High School Gay Straight Alliance is bringing Erin Davies and her Fag Bug to Key West.  Not only will Ms. Davies be the Grand Marshall of the Key West Pride Parade on Sunday, June 10th, but she will be the keynote speaker at the Key West Business Guild Luncheon held in conjunction with the beginning of Key West Pride on Wednesday, June 6th.

Her story, which can be found at www.fagbug.com, reminds us all that it is not our circumstances but our choices that define us.

Erin Davies was victim to a hate crime. Because of sporting a rainbow sticker on her VW Beetle, Erin’s car was vandalized, left with the words “fag” and “u r gay” placed on the driver’s side window and hood of her car. Despite initial shock and embarrassment, Erin decided to embrace what happened by leaving the graffiti on her car. She took her car, now known worldwide as the “fagbug,” on a 58-day trip around the United States and Canada. Along the way, Erin discovered other, more serious hate crimes, had people attempt to remove the graffiti, and experimented with having a male drive her car. After driving the fagbug for one year, Erin decided to give her car a makeover.

Look for Ms. Davies and her Fag Bug throughout the events of Key West Pride 2012.  Tickets to the luncheon are available at www.kwbgonline.org.  See the Fag Bug documentary on Wednesday, June 6th at 8pm.  Q&A with Erin to follow. To see a short trailer, CLICK HERE.

AWARD WINNERS OF KEY WEST PRIDE PARADE 2011.  The Key West Pride Parade 2011 was an exuberant collection of service organizations, bars, political leaders, and community members.  And the Key West Pride parade winners are … MOST CREATIVE Island Gym, BEST FLOAT Bourbon St Pub, BEST PRIDE Fast Buck Freddie’s, BEST WALKING Island Gym, BEST THEME Metropolitan Community Church, and BECAUSE WE LIKED THEIR GOODIES Doubletree (Cookies). Congrats!  To see more pictures from 2011, go to Facebook.  http://www.facebook.com/keywestpride

A must see at Key West Pride are the annual Mr. Ms. and Miss Pride Pageants. These very adult competitions can leave little to the imagination as contestants heat-up the runway in an effort to earn the Pride titles. Miss Pride (men dressed as women) is held at 801 on Wednesday of Pride, Ms Pride (don’t tell the lesbians it’s a pageant) is held at Aqua on Thursday, and Mr Pride (men barely dressed) is held at Bourbon on Friday night.

Pictured above are the winners of the 2011 pageants:  DeJa Key West as Miss Key West Pride 2011, Dina DiTomasso as Ms Key West Pride 2011, and Mr. Wesley Dwyer as Mr Key West Pride 2011.

Pictured below are the winners of the 2012 pageants: Ms. Pride Kelly Dufford, Miss Pride Sassy Black (aka Bobby Bates), and Mr. Pride Michael Seth Young

To see pictures of these events and more, go to our facebook page.  http://www.facebook.com/keywestpride

Be sure to drop by the Gay Key West Visitor Center, located at 513 Truman, to pick up your Pride Scavenger Hunt questionnaire.  This ”hunt” will take you into the shops of our Pride Guide advertisers and sponsors, so you can learn more about the businesses that support Key West Pride.  Complete the questionnaire and return it to the visitor center and you will be entered into  a drawing for great prizes! Drawings daily with grand drawing on Sunday, June 12th, at the Southernmost Beach Party.  Winners will be notified by Email.  You do not have to be present to win.   The contest begins at noon on Wednesday, June 6th and ends at 3pm on Sunday June 10th.