Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Art
I wanted to write about something completely different for this blog. I spent spring break in Key West with my mom, my boyfriend, my boyfriends best friend, one of my best friends, my brother, my brothers girlfriend and my moms best friend. Yes we partied and enjoyed the incredible night life of spring break in Key West but we also had our eyes opened to the other side of life in their culture. Key West has an incredible gay population and is very proud of it. They have at least four bars on Duval street for the gay and lesbian population. Two of the bars involved naked or mostly naked men dancing on the bar and the other two included men in drag. One of our first nights we went to a drag show and it was the first time I have ever had to pay $15 to get in to a bar while the guys got in for free. For the next 45 minutes we couldn't decide whether to call the performers hes or shes. I was excited to be in an environment where these people could be themselves and be who they want to be without any prejudice or judgement. They are proud people who know that there are those who don't approve or understand and they could care less. One of the performers made a joke about the straight men in the bar not being able to figure out how they hid "it." The drag queens stand outside of the bars at night talking to those who pass and proudly advertise their shows. I would guess that in one night with two shows, each queen makes around, if not more, $200 in tips alone. However, not everyone feels the same sort of acceptance. Another aspect of the gay culture is the community of street kids. On any given night 15 or so kids between the ages of 17 to 25 are seen begging for money and food. They are there because they are gay and were rejected from their families. A lot of people escape to Key West for a safe haven for being gay. It hurt my feelings to see these people who couldn't rely on their families. It made me thankful for my parents and for them loving me regardless of what happened or who I turned out to be.
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Wow! I never really knew that about Key West. I had 4 friends go to Key West in the past two weeks (2 being gay) and they loved it! Though i hear it is a beautiful place, i never knew it was paradise for the gay population. I think that society puts a lot of focus and pressure on those who are gay especially in social situations. Whether they are being criticized, teased, laughed at etc...its all hurtful. It is nice to know they have a place where their is acceptance. As far as the younger gays go, i find that so heartbreaking as well. How could you just let your child who you once loved so much, just roam the streets because of their sexual orientation preference?!
ReplyDeleteI agree completely with Caitlin's post. I had no idea that Key West was like this. The part that you wrote about the families disowning their own children for being gay is ridiculous. I can't believe people would actually do that to their own flesh and blood. It makes me very sad, but if the queens can make that much money in one night then more power to them. That's some serious cash. Sounds like you had a good time!
ReplyDeleteIt saddens me each day when we live in a country where a specific group of people is denied many of the unalienable rights that we take for granted every day. Our Founding Fathers built our country on the premise of being free of speech, expression, and overall human rights. This is why we can deem our country the best place in the world to live. Lately, it's becoming harder and harder to believe this because of the injustice and overall unethical treatment of the Gay and Lesbian community. The fact that some families disown their children simply because of who they are is unbelievably disgusting. These people do not have a choice as to who they are, and I don't see how this could not be considered prejudice in it's rawest form. I'm glad that you were able to experience such a culture during your break and realize how important your family is to you.
ReplyDeleteHa what an interesting experience, Key West gets crazy sometimes. It sucks that there has to be safe havens for people with "alternative life styles", people should just try and be less judgmental. It really makes me mad when people are ignorant or bigoted, everyone is different, get over it.
ReplyDeleteThat must have been a really interesting experience for you and also learned a lot about the specific community. It is sad to hear that people can't accept their own children because of something as insignificant as sexual preference.
wow that is so amazing. I wish people around here would be more open about who they really were. It sounds like you had a life changing experience and a fun one! My eyes literally got bigger when I read the part about you having to pay 15 dollars but not the boys, ha that would never happen here. That is awesome to see that!
ReplyDeleteHate we missed each other in Key West even though you saw kevin and chris on scooters. Key West was such a good time. Duval st, scooters, sloppy joes, fat tuesdays, and everything else key west had to offer us was so much fun. But yes there was a section of duval that was for the gay community, chris and kevin went dancing in there but I was not interested. Kidding. But seriously the art they did have out on the streets during the day was awesome. Duval St in general was an interesting place to eat, drink, and people watch mostly. But i too found it interesting they had lots of gay pride and community areas on such a tourist street of duval.
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