Love wins in Key West.
That’s what was going through so many minds on New Year’s Eve, as we witnessed local drag sensation Gary “Sushi” Marion and longtime partner Jeff Kucin marry before a crowd of thousands outside Bourbon St. Pub just before the stroke of midnight.
Notary Kyle “Deja” Stewart (left) presides over the marriage of Jeff Kucin (middle) and Gary Marion, better known as “Sushi,” sitting in the giant red shoe on New Year’s Eve. (Photo by Rob O’Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)
Sushi made a gorgeous winter bride, wearing an exquisite handmade gown and matching wedding coat designed with silver print on white organza with white ostrich feather trim. The hair was high, the makeup was flawless and the jewels were glistening.
Jeff crooned for the crowd before the nuptials, looking handsome as he glided across the stage in a silver tuxedo and tossed sliver rose petals into the air.
At 10:30 p.m., drag sister Kyle “Deja” Stewart, an officiant and notary public recognized in the state of Florida, married Sushi and Jeff before a bank of photographers, videographers and thousands of well-wishers who cheered the couple’s vows and the big kiss that followed.
Minutes later, Sushi stepped into a giant red high heel and was lifted slowly to the balcony above Bourbon St. Pub — where she sat for more than an hour before being lowered back down to the street in what has become the legendary “drag queen drop” to ring in the new year.
Although I’ve known Gary as Sushi for years, I never really knew Gary as Gary — nor his inspiring rags-to-riches story.
Sushi hangs in a giant replica of a woman’s high heel shoe before the New Year’s Eve “drag queen drop.” (Photo by Rob O’Neal, Florida Keys News Bureau)
Gary arrived in Key West in 1990 with virtually nothing. He cleaned homes and businesses during the day and appeared in drag as Sushi at The Copa nightclub in the evenings.
Joey Schroeder, owner of Bourbon St. Pub, one of Gary’s biggest cleaning accounts, was impressed with Sushi and the kimonos, ornamental wigs and hand fans featured in the art of “geisha drag.” Joey liked Sushi so much, in fact, that he cast her as the featured attraction in front of the pub on New Year’s Eve.
“I remember the first shoe was made out of chicken wire, papier-mâché and oil-based paint,” Gary said, recalling the first time Sushi made the “drag queen drop” in the giant red heel. “When I sat in it, it went squish. They even had a rope tied around me for safety’s sake.”
When Joey purchased the 801 Bourbon Bar several years later, he took Gary to the open space upstairs and pretty much handed him the reins.
Revelers jam Duval Street to watch Sushi descend in a large replica of a woman’s high heel shoe to mark the beginning of the new year. (Photo by Mike Freas, Florida Keys News Bureau)
Since the 801 Cabaret opened almost 20 years ago, Sushi and the legendary 801 Girls have run two shows every night. Gary said he recently figured that Sushi and the girls have staged about 18,000 shows in that time.
(I took a friend visiting from out of town to an 801 Cabaret show the other night. It had been a long time since I had seen the queens, but they were as fierce as ever!)
In 2005, Gary met Jeff, who had recently dropped out of the rat race in Chicago to live a quieter existence in Key West. Today, he runs karaoke gigs around town, tinkers with computers and serves as Sushi’s business manager.
“We’re comfortable here,” Jeff told me. “I’ve felt more at ease here than any other place in the world. It’s a wonderful place to be yourself.”
Soon after they met, Gary and Jeff purchased wedding rings. Sushi’s screen idol, Audrey Hepburn, and the film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” inspired them to purchase the rings from Tiffany’s.
“We knew we were going to be together,” Gary said.
Both Gary and Jeff agreed at the time, however, that they wouldn’t get married until same-sex marriage was legally recognized in all 50 states.
Of course, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for them in June with the landmark ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. Gary popped the question to Jeff several months later.
“I said: You ready?” Gary told me.
As a gay man myself, I could identify with Gary as he sorted through his thoughts and feelings as to how this all came about for him and Jeff. It even made me, well, a little verklempt.
“It feels different being married,” Gary mused. “Now, we’re recognized legally by the county we live in. In high school, I could never have imagined that. Now, I’m first-tier family to him and he’s first-tier family to me. It brings a sort of calmness.”
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