 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject.(September 2015) |
Gay Memorial Day Weekend in Pensacola is an annual beach gathering of thousands of LGBT locals and tourists during the Memorial Day holiday weekend. [1]
The summer event has roots back to the 1960s.
A local gay couple invited a group of gay friends to the beach for Independence Day. Until the mid-1970s the gathering was held during Fourth of July weekend. This group, also known as the Emma Jones Society, hosted this gather during the years, which during the late 1960s and early 1970s was held at the San Carlos Hotel (since demolished) in downtown Pensacola. Events there included impersonations, skits, drag queen performances, and a male beauty pageant, Mr. U.S. Gay. These parties ended in 1975. [2]
The idea of a summer gather rejuvenated in the early 80s being focused at the beginning of the summer during Memorial Day weekend. In the late-1980s, Atlanta's Steve Berman began to host circuit parties and the event continued to grow. In the mid-1990s, New Orleans bar-owner Johnny Chisholm took over events after purchasing the now-defunct LGBT bar Emerald City.
The weekend celebration was at a peak until Hurricane Ivan hit during 2004, followed just months later by Hurricane Dennis. Area recovery from these severe weather disasters dampened the event for a few years. The BP oil spill also affected the event's growth and offerings following that 2010 disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
Memorial Day Weekend in Pensacola consists of two types of activities.
The most promoted, for obvious commercial reasons, are the circuit parties. They are hosted and run by local and traveling companies who set up large, elaborate sound systems, light shows, and hire well-known professional DJ's. Tickets to the mainly alcohol-free events can be over $75 with discounts available for multiple party tickets. The parties often start late, some at 11:00pm and do not end until shortly before sunrise.
The second type of activity, though probably more heavily attended than the circuit parties, is simply sitting on the beach. There are literally thousands of large shade tents and dozens that are elaborately outfitted with themed decors, full wet bars, and hand-dug jacuzzis. Most of this crowd begins to arrive around 6:45am in time to see the last circuit party-goer leaving.
For the women, there's Pensacola Girl Fest “Sexacola”. Pensacola Girl Fest (PGF) and the event “Sexacola” was established in 2010, It is owned and operated by the owners of My Sister’s Room (MSR) is the longest standing lesbian bar in the South and has successfully been promoting and activating exceptional events for the LGBTQ+ community for over 25 years.
The events are high energy with activity on the stage at all times. From fire performers, gogo dancers, burlesque, drag, celebrity host and emcees. this event doesn’t have a dull moment!
This event is held at the Dock on Pensacola Beach Island
The event, especially since its popularity grew, has been denounced by local religious leaders and groups for decades including on-site protesters at several of the event venues around the area.
In 1993, City of Pensacola officials spoke out about not wanting to be associated with or known as being a "gay-friendly" destination. Yet, the positive economic impact on the area has hushed most of the disdain of local conservatives. [3]
Cherry Grove is a hamlet in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is located on Fire Island, a barrier island separated from the southern side of Long Island by the Great South Bay. The hamlet has approximately 300 houses on 41 acres (170,000 m2), a summer seasonal population of 2,000 and a year-round population of 15.
Church and Wellesley is an LGBT-oriented enclave in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is roughly bounded by Gerrard Street to the south, Yonge Street to the west, Charles Street to the north, and Jarvis Street to the east, with the core commercial strip located along Church Street from Wellesley south to Alexander. Though some LGBT-oriented establishments can be found outside this area, the general boundaries of this village have been defined by the Gay Toronto Tourism Guild.
A circuit party is a large dance event. It extends through the night and into the following day, almost always with a number of affiliated events in the days leading up to and following the main event. Proto-circuit parties in the late 1970s, the precursors of what later became circuit parties, were called disco parties. They lasted only one evening and were held in various large venues in metropolitan areas with large gay populations.
Fire Island Pines is a hamlet in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is located on Fire Island, a barrier island separated from the southern side of Long Island by the Great South Bay.
Singapore's first public LGBT pride festival, IndigNation, took place during the month of August in 2005, with a second annual IndigNation in August 2006. Previous gay celebrations, exemplified by the Nation parties held annually in Singapore since 2001, were private commercial events held for LGBT recreation, but were also socio-political statements of significance in Singapore gay history and milestones in Singapore's human rights record.
Brighton and Hove Pride is an annual LGBT pride event held in the city of Brighton and Hove, England, organised by Brighton Pride, a community interest company (CIC) who promote equality and diversity, and advance education to eliminate discrimination against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) community.
The Vancouver Pride Parade and Festival is an annual LGBT Pride event, held each year in Vancouver, British Columbia, to celebrate lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their allies. It is run by the Vancouver Pride Society (VPS), a not-for-profit, volunteer-run organization that seeks to "produce inclusive, celebratory events, and advocacy for LGBTQAI2S+". Vancouver's Pride Parade is the largest parade of any kind in Western Canada.
Atlanta Pride, also colloquially called the Atlanta Gay Pride Festival, is a week-long annual lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) pride festival held in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1971, it is one of the oldest and largest pride festivals in the United States. According to the Atlanta Pride Committee, as of 2017, attendance had continually grown to around 300,000. Originally a pride held in June, Atlanta Pride has been held in October every year since 2008, typically on a weekend closest to National Coming Out Day.
PrideFest St. Louis is an annual LGBT pride event in St. Louis, Missouri. The event is organized by Pride St. Louis, an LGBT non-profit organization in the Greater St. Louis area.
CC Slaughters is a gay bar and nightclub located in Portland, Oregon, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The Portland bar is located in the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood, and the Puerto Vallarta bar is located in Zona Romántica.
New York City has been described as the gay capital of the world and the central node of the LGBTQ+ sociopolitical ecosystem, and is home to one of the world's largest LGBTQ populations and the most prominent. Brian Silverman, the author of Frommer's New York City from $90 a Day, wrote the city has "one of the world's largest, loudest, and most powerful LGBT communities", and "Gay and lesbian culture is as much a part of New York's basic identity as yellow cabs, high-rise buildings, and Broadway theatre". LGBT travel guide Queer in the World states, "The fabulosity of Gay New York is unrivaled on Earth, and queer culture seeps into every corner of its five boroughs". LGBT advocate and entertainer Madonna stated metaphorically, "Anyways, not only is New York City the best place in the world because of the queer people here. Let me tell you something, if you can make it here, then you must be queer."
The city of Shanghai, China, a global center for finance, technology, manufacturing, and transportation, has a presence of LGBT people.
My Sister's Room (MSR) is a lesbian bar in Atlanta, Georgia. It is one of the few remaining lesbian bars in the nation. It was opened in 1996 and remains a lesbian-owned and operated bar but welcomes the entire LGBTQIA community. Pictures of My Sister's Room in the 1990s are in Emory University's permanent photo collection.
This is a timeline of notable events in the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans community in Manchester.
LGBT culture in St. Louis is strongly influenced by larger regional divisions, such as racial division and the city/county divide. Recorded history and resource flow have tended to prioritize white individuals and the city's central corridor, creating a perception of LGBT culture in St. Louis that does not always align with regional demographics. For the purposes of this article, St. Louis describes the metropolitan area, including neighboring counties in Missouri and Illinois.
Stonewall 50 – WorldPride NYC 2019 was a series of LGBTQ events and celebrations in June 2019, marking the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots. It was also the first time WorldPride was held in the United States. Held primarily in the metropolitan New York City area, the theme for the celebrations and educational events was "Millions of moments of Pride." The celebration was the largest LGBTQ event in history, with an official estimate of five million attending Pride weekend in Manhattan alone, including an estimated four million in attendance at the parade. The twelve-hour parade included 150,000 pre-registered participants among 695 groups.
Local Lounge was a gay bar in Portland, Oregon, operating from 2010 to 2021.
Headroom LGBTQ+ Lounge, also called simply Headroom, was a short-lived gay bar in Jersey City, New Jersey. It operated for six months, from November 2020 to May 2021. Though it was open only during the COVID-19 pandemic, the venue proved to be popular and offered an array of live entertainment, including drag shows, burlesque performances and RuPaul's Drag Race viewing parties. A contract dispute between the establishment's owners forced its abrupt closure days before the 2021 Memorial Day weekend. Critics praised the quality of Headroom's shows and noted its value as a safe space for the local LGBT community.
Mantamar Beach Club Bar & Sushi is an LGBT bar in Puerto Vallarta's Zona Romántica, in the Mexican state of Jalisco.
The city of Puerto Vallarta in Jalisco, Mexico, is a popular destination for LGBT+ tourists. CNN has described Puerto Vallarta as Mexico's "top LGBT destination" with "one of the best week-long Pride festivals in the world". According to The Independent, the city is "the gay capital of Mexico, with a whole district of hotels and restaurants catering to the LGBT+ community". Puerto Vallarta's LGBT culture is based in the Zona Romántica, which includes the gay-friendly Playa de los Muertos.