In Key West, LGBTQ Pride Lasts All Year Long!

In Key West, LGBTQ Pride Lasts All Year Long

Happy Pride Month! With a rich history of being an inclusive and welcoming city, we’re fortunate in Key West to feel like it’s Pride Month all year long! So, on that note, here are a few interesting facts on Key West’s proud LGBTQ history:

First, it was back in 1978 that the Key West Business Guild was established to help the City of Key West become a leading global destination for the LGBTQ community.

Next, in 1983, Richard Heyman was elected to be the Mayor of Key West, making him the first openly gay mayor in the entire United States!

The year 2000 wasn’t just the start of the new millennium. It was also the year that the City of Key West designated its official philosophy as “One Human Family.” It was a local designer, J.T. Thompson, who created this slogan through his bumper stickers that read “All people are created equal members of one human family.”

2015: In 2015, the City of Key West installed four permanent rainbow crosswalks at the intersection of Duval Street and Petronia Street. Just last year (in 2020) the City redid the rainbow design during a repaving project, which made the rainbow colors stand out even more vividly!

Finally, in 2018, Key West residents elected Teri Johnston, a former city commissioner, to become the City’s Mayor. This election made Mayor Johnston the first openly gay woman elected mayor of a major Florida city.

In sum, there’s so much more to learn about the City of Key West’s rich history on LGBTQ inclusion and so much more. Take a look at what else there is to explore (hint: it’s A LOT!) by visiting www.keywesthistoricseaport.com.


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