Gay and Lesbian in Florida, USA
Rating (10/10)
South Florida, home to three major U.S. destinations for gays in Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beach and Key West, also finds more rivals chasing the lucrative gay market. Key West is the gay Mecca of planet earth. Ever since the "gay revolution" in the 60's, Key West has provided a home for gays & lesbians, transgenders, drag queens, and an unlimited variety of other characters. Gay authors, artists, designers, lawyers, architects, doctors, hairdressers, bartenders, waiters, actors, and just plain folks flock to this tiny island paradise.
Today, Key West boasts one of the most diverse populations anywhere in the world, a special place where closets have no doors. Gay travel is conservatively estimated at 5 percent of U.S. travel spending, or about $70 billion last year, according to San Francisco-based Community Marketing, which specializes in gay travel research. Broward County restaurant inspection reports estimates that gays account for 10 percent of visitor spending, or roughly $1 billion last year. Gays say they enjoy the area's easy access, warm weather and the active resident gay community that operates more than 150 businesses geared toward gay men and lesbians.
