DECADES OF DIVERSITY CHARACTERIZE KEY WEST
KEY WEST, Florida Keys - Since the early 1800s this tiny subtropical island, dangling 125 miles beneath mainland Florida at the southwest tip of the Florida Keys, has welcomed a diverse and colorful group of people: southern merchants, New England ships' captains, Bahamian wreckers or shipwreck salvagers, Cuban cigarmakers and aristocrats, pirates, poets, a vacationing president or two and a vibrant gay and lesbian community.
Perhaps because of the island's small geographic area and isolated location, even in the early years cultural differences were rarely emphasized. Instead, the population accepted each new group into its sun-drenched society - and still does so today.
Key West was founded in the early 1800s in great part by Bahamian salvagers who made their living rescuing passengers and salvaging cargoes from vessels that wrecked on the nearby reefs. In the 1820s, the United States Congress ruled it illegal to take cargo from ships wrecked in U.S. jurisdictional waters to a foreign port, causing scores of Caribbean seafarers to choose Key West as their American base.
The Cuban influence colored the young Key West as well. In particular, the cigar-making industry brought thousands of skilled Cubans across the water during the mid-1800s, the time of the Ten Years' War between Cuba and Spain. Located only 90 miles from Cuba, Key West was known as the cigar capital of the world in the mid- to late1800s for its production of hand-rolled clear Havana cigars. Cuban-Americans operated nearly 150 cigar factories in the island city, rolling millions of cigars each year.
In subsequent decades, military personnel stationed at the flourishing Key West Naval station, renegades fleeing the constraints of the mainland, shrimpers seeking the sweet Key West "pink gold" and many other groups added their individuality and imprint to the diverse community.
Gay men and lesbians "discovered" Key West in the 1970s, attracted by the year-round subtropical climate, live-and-let-live atmosphere, artistic and literary community that included such luminaries as Tennessee Williams and scores of dilapidated Victorian houses awaiting restoration.
In fact, by the late 1970s, Key West's preservation movement was well under way. It has since been estimated that more than 70 percent of the restoration and renovation effort was undertaken by gays.
Gay and lesbian residents played a significant role in the island's commercial revitalization as well as its architectural renaissance. When the U.S. Navy dramatically reduced its presence in the mid-1970s, tourism began to bolster a sagging economy. Key West's gay community evaluated the island's commercial potential and opened stores, restaurants, bars and guesthouses.
Today, the gay presence is a vital component of the island's welcoming melting-pot atmosphere. Key West was the first city in the United States to elect an openly gay mayor, and a variety of other high-profile elected and appointed civic positions have been and are held by gays.
Gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses abound, and rainbow flags fly proudly from shops, guesthouses and enterprises of all sorts. Travel surveys consistently rank Key West among the world's top gay and lesbian resort destinations.
In October 2000, the Key West City Commission adopted One Human Family as the city's official motto, proclaiming equality and acceptance for all people. Given the island city's rich history of diversity, and long-standing embrace of alternative lifestyles and cultures, the motto's adoption simply recognized an attitude that has characterized the community since its beginnings.
For more information about Key West, contact the Key West Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-LAST-KEY or explore this Web site.