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To Benefit The Clients Served by ASAP Start and Finish at
North Shore Park
Registration: 8:00 a.m. • Start Time: 10:00 a.m. For More Information and Online Registration:
www.AIDSWalkStPetersburg.org or call our info line @ 727.523.AIDS A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION (#CH3696) AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE 1-800-435-7352 WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE. AIDS SERVICE ASSOCIATION OF PINELLAS, INC. DOES NOT ENGAGE PAID SOLICITORS SO 100% OF CONTRIBUTIONS GO TO SUPPORT ASAP, INC. OMG
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Hey everyone! Before I get into this week’s topic, I just wanted to take a minute to congratulate Scott, René (and everyone else) on the amazing OMG! launch party that was held at Steam! It was a phenomenal event and show featuring my Miss Florida F.I. at Large sister, TP Lords, Wild Child and the uber-talented Crystal Waters. It was really heartwarming to see the pride everyone has in this magazine and I am honored to be a part of it! With that being said, each week OMG! is getting bigger and better and venturing into new territories! This week I am going to aim my pink spotlight at our newest area, Key West! Now I am not going to lie to you guys, I personally have not been to Key West before, but luckily I know a few friends and drag lovers that have! The first name that always seems to come up when people think about Key West and drag is club Aqua. Featuring the cast dubbed "The Aquanettes" (like the hair spray Aqua Net, cute huh?), Aqua has shows every night at 9:00 p.m. and a second show on Saturdays at 11:00 p.m. One of the surprises I found when doing my research is that on their cast is one of my favorite OMG!18 entertainers, Maya Montana of
Atlanta. She is a former Miss Gay America, and one of the most energetic dancers I have seen in years; trust me, she is worth the trip to Key West alone! Other cast members of Aqua include Show Director - Inga, Hosts - Victoria and Faith along with Jessica Deveraux, and Sassy. Another name that is often brought up is 801 Bourbon Bar and Cabaret which is a part of the Bourbon St. Complex. Starring a huge cast, 801 Bourbon Bar has two shows nightly at 9:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Their entertainers range from glamour girls to over-thetop camp and comedy queens. Each girl in the 801 cast serves as host of their own show throughout the week, guaranteeing a variety you don't find in every drag show. The venue features theater-style seating, which is perfect for the large cast productions they put on. One of the highlights of the 801 Bourbon Bar and Cabaret is Sunday Night's Drag Queen Bingo. Hosted by various “801 girls,” Drag Queen Bingo is billed as a "multidecade tradition" that is played weekly from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.,
which leaves you enough time to grab a few drinks and get ready for the full show! Hopefully I will get a chance to get down to Key West soon (hint, hint Scott and René). I am in the need for a good vacation right about now. They really seem to have a fresh take on the shows that I love so much, plus with early shows I could be in bed at a reasonable hour! Remember if you have an entertainer, event or hot spot you would like to see featured, contact me at JocelynSummers@aol.com.
QUEENS FROM THE KEYS
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Key West has occupied a special place in the hearts of many gay Americans for decades. A safe haven, friendly and inclusive, with few equals or rivals in the United States, Key West is now welcoming its fourth generation of visitors and residents with alternative lifestyles. Here, a laid-back approach to living and loving has found mass appeal and has carved a distinct social culture unlike the rest of the country. Perhaps the storied lore of the Conch Republic (proclaimed less than 30 years ago but spoken of so fondly as if it were Washington chopping down the cherry tree) has a distinct ring of truth to it; maybe, just maybe, Key West feels like its own country.
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One of the first gay Meccas in the United States, Key West's long association with the LGBT population started in the 1940s. Gay intellectuals from New York City and other places insisted on setting up shop here part-time to flee the cold winters. Tennessee Williams was believed to have written A Streetcar Named Desire here, and from 1949 on he lived here; out of all the places he ever lived in the United States, Key West was the only place where Williams bought a home. Broadway composer Jerry Herman, who wrote the scores to Hello, Dolly! and La Cage aux Folles (aka The Birdcage), first fell in love with Key West while attending the University of Miami, and is now another one of the town's high-profile residents. Starting in the 1960s, Key West transitioned from a travel destination for the gay rich and famous to "the place to be" for gays from all walks of life and from all areas of the country. As more and more people fell in love with the town, with its fabled "most beautiful sunsets in the world" and year-round tropical temperatures, the town gained a very diverse population, and its reputation as the ultimate "live and let live" Utopia was cemented.
The diversity has sustained itself to the present day; one only needs to look to the town motto, which was changed in 2000 to "One Human Family." A third of the town's population of 28,000 identifies as a member of the LGBT community, one of the highest percentages in the country. Their gay business guild, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year, is the oldest of its kind in the United States. As a result of their strength in numbers, their sizable influence in the community has stretched to every possible office, including that of mayor. Richard Heyman was elected as the town's first openly gay mayor in 1983; while many towns and cities have gay public officials today, his election sparked national headlines then. Heyman is still fondly remembered today, 15 years after his untimely death from AIDS. Even today, the community is in positions of power; the current police chief, Donie Lee, is openly gay, and has gained somewhat of a cult status outside Key West not only for his job and orientation, but for his stunning good looks. Despite trying to downplay his sexuality and instead promoting his status as a public servant, he's still asked his relationship
A GAY KEY
status in the same breath as his job description. Ian J. Whitney, president of the Key West Innkeepers Association, talked to OMG! about his experiences living in Key West, and described how he felt at home after his arrival from Michigan. "I moved to Key West 7 ½ years ago. I love the fact that it's a small town but has a lot of the amenities of a city. The population is made up of colorful locals, but also people from around the country and world, making it incredibly diverse ... each week, a new group of visitors arrive and it's possible to go out and not know 80 percent of the people in a bar ... it doesn't feel like other small towns." What kinds of things does Key West offer to the traveler and sightseer? Whitney tells OMG!, "Its atmosphere gives people several options that allow them to define their own experience. Some people want to escape the city and spend the week reading or writing next to a pool. Others spend their vacation on the water – fishing, snorkeling or diving – on our beautiful barrier reef (the third largest in the world). Most people eventually make their way to Duval Street at night. Others come for events.
There is one experience that most visitors share: in Key West, the lack of pretension or cliquishness seems to rub off on everyone, and they end up developing lifelong friendships with other people staying at their guesthouse or out at a bar ... It's hard to compare Key West to a major urban gayborhood, but among the so-called "gay resort towns" it stands out because it's tropical and walkable." Now that gay travel is more lucrative and homosexuality is becoming less of a taboo across the country, Key West looks like it may be in danger of being dethroned of its special status as the preeminent gay vacation destination. Whitney insists that it's not true. "Travel destinations have realized that gay tourism is good for their economies so there is a lot more competition to get, and marketing to, gay visitors," he said. "Thankfully and hands-down, Key West's gay marketing program is the strongest of any gay destination, and is cutting edge. So even though we're seeing a lot more assimilation in society overall, we're also seeing an interesting revival and interest in parts of gay travel and culture that have existed in Key West for years."
Part of that revival is the Tropical Heat weekend, which has been a major circuit-party event in town for the last few years. For the second year in a row, the events will be held in August instead of the original month of April. This year's theme is "all things Roman," including toga parties, Roman steam baths, and hedonism in levels not seen since Mark Antony and Cleopatra. OMG! has your in-depth Tropical Heat weekend guide so you can be sure not to miss a single event.
Y WEST HISTORY
by Mike Halterman
KEY WEST
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Damn you’re a sexy bitch! Whatever you got going on, well keep on working it ‘cause your shit definitely doesn’t smell this week. You need to get laid already! Don’t even try to deny it ‘cause your rude ass needs a freakin’ crane to pull out whatever has been up there lately. Screw that ho! You don’t need a man to be happy. Shit, just pull an Oprah and keep a man around for fun and pleasure lol. You’re too good for marriage. Don’t make me bust out with a hair flip! I see you’ve been talking a lot of shit lately. Bitch, I’ll give you some shit, and ill smear it all over your face too. Damn, you Geminis are some freaks! Pickles, dildos and bukkake … What’s next? Let me guess: DP? Love yourself. Feed yourself. And most importantly, screw yourself! Don’t be so “Co-Dependent.” You know it’s true. Girl, just do him but don’t let him sleep over! We all know how those tricks be getting comfortable. When you sleep in my bed, your ass better be gone by the time I wake up! Ha, you honestly think you’re gonna get some good, long sex out of some 20 year old? Girl, it’s called “Limpity Quickity!” Twinks these days just come and go, literally. Stop lying about your damn age. What, you think just ‘cause you say you’re young you actually get some young booty? NO MA’AM! Where’s your fruit basket, you big queen? Take off the heels and put on the boots ‘cause obviously the men aren’t coming to you for a reason. You love to pull hair, huh? Well, the next time you decide to pull on some tranny’s hair, you better warn them to put that Elmer’s glue on or there’s going to be a heated queen in your bed! Girl, get with the times and throw those Abercrombie shirts away! Hahaha, please don’t tell me you’re 35 years old and still wearing them.
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