LGBTQ+ people flock to Florida for Gay Days ftival

Contents:

• GAY FLORIDA TRAVEL GUI
• LGBTQ+ PEOPLE FLOCK TO FLORIDA FOR GAY DAYS FTIVAL
• WHY ARE LGBTQ+ PEOPLE HEADG TO ORLANDO THIS WEEKEND? EVERYTHG TO KNOW ABOUT GAY DAYS
• LGBTQ PEOPLE FLOCK TO FLORIDA FOR DISNEY'S GAY DAYS CELEBRATN

GAY FLORIDA TRAVEL GUI

While the foc of this ftival is the dozens of documentari and short films chroniclg the liv of gay, lbian, bisexual and transsexual people, some e jt for the fancy soire. What began 1991 as an unofficial weekend where LGBTQ visors show up at Disney World and wear red has blossomed to one of the world’s most popular and well-known weekends for gay and lbian tourist.

Along wh shops and boutiqu, you’ll fd most of the town’s gay bars along walkable Duval Street, cludg Aqua Nightclub, wh s fun shows, and La Te Da Hotel and Rtrant, which has a poolsi lounge, piano bar and baret room. The cy’s legendary Whe Party Week  November is the natn’s olst and largt HIV/AIDS fundraiser, drawg more than 10, 000 gay and lbian visors for high-energy dance parti hosted by top DJs and performers, edy shows, sports and recreatnal events. The GaYBOR District – a aln of gay and gay-iendly bs that began on the wt end of Tampa’s historic Ybor Cy neighborhood – is now a formidable prence this former cigar-rollg, Lat immigrant enclave.

Fortunately for film buffs, the Tampa Internatnal Gay and Lbian Film Ftival – one of the untry’s largt and longt-nng pennt gay film ftivals – hosts events and films year-round, but the height of activy happens October, when more than 8, 000 people attend films, parti and awards ceremoni. Pete’s Pri Weekend is one of Florida’s largt gay pri events, drawg more than 100, 000 marchers to a downtown night-time para the Grand Central District, as well as a street ft and ncert, every June.

LGBTQ+ PEOPLE FLOCK TO FLORIDA FOR GAY DAYS FTIVAL

What started as a small group of gays and lbians drsg red and spendg the day at Walt Disney World 1991 has grown to one of the largt gay pri events the world, attractg over 150, 000 gay and lbian travelers to Orlando on the first Saturday of every June. Sophistited and artsy, Sarasota has veloped a loyal gay followg, thanks to s cultural diversns, which range om the Sarasota Ballet to Queen Bgo Bonanza at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre historic downtown Sarasota’s East End. And who n fet the state’s legendary activi and attractns, om the Florida Reef to Walt Disney World Rort and all the gay fanfare top astal ci like Miami, Fort Lrdale, and Palm Beach?

WHY ARE LGBTQ+ PEOPLE HEADG TO ORLANDO THIS WEEKEND? EVERYTHG TO KNOW ABOUT GAY DAYS

South Florida: Head to Miami, Fort Lrdale, Palm Beach, Delray Beach, Vero Beach, Sger Island, or Bo Raton for red-hot nightlife, sophistited dg, upsle shoppg, and high-energy beach — not to mentn some of the swankit gay rorts Florida.

Florida Keys: Make your gay Florida pe to Key Wt or Key Largo for fishg, boatg, snorkelg, water sports, old-school vib, Cuban cuise, parable sunsets, and memorable road trips. Florida Panhandle: Choose Gulf Coast statns like Panama Cy Beach, Dt, Cape Coral, and Pensala Beach for laid-back gay beach vatns that put you close to nature prerv and untouched astal habats.

In Tampa, a aln of gay and gay-iendly bs along the ma stretch the historic neighborhood of Ybor Cy provis a place for gay travelers to be themselv and support members of the muny. World premiere film screengs make the ftival a n’t-miss and annual prentatns clu filmmaker discsns and actor talk-backs that enurage a sense of muny and provi a lens on the gay, lbian, bisexual, and transgenr experience.

LGBTQ PEOPLE FLOCK TO FLORIDA FOR DISNEY'S GAY DAYS CELEBRATN

Also clud on this last are a handful of LGBTQ Pri events that take place the Caribbean, cludg Puerto Ri and Curaç FL LGBTQ Pri/Deland Prift – Usually early Febary, but 2024 dat TBAPas County FL LGBTQ Pri Ftival/Land O’ Lak FL Pri/New Port Richey Pri – Usually early Febary, but 2024 dat TBAPri of the Ameris Fort Lrdale/Fort Lrdale LGBTQ Pri – Usually early to mid-Febary, but 2024 dat TBABranton LGBTQ Pri/Manatee Pri – Usually early March, but 2024 dat TBAPri Cape Coral/Fort Myers LGBTQ Pri – Usually early March, but 2024 dat TBAPalm Beach LGBTQ Pri/Lake Worth LGBTQ Pri - Usually late March, but 2024 dat TBATampa LGBTQ Pri – Usually late March but 2024 dat TBAEureka Sprgs Sprg Diversy Weekend/Eureka Sprgs LGBTQ Pri – Usually early April, but 2024 dat TBAVirgia Tech LGBTQ Pri/Blacksburg LGBTQ Pri – Usually early April, but 2024 dat TBAChapel Hill LGBTQ Pri/Carola Pri Week Chapel Hill - April 10-14, 2023Mobile Gay Pri/Southern Alabama Gay Pri – April 15, 2023Tallahassee LGBTQ Pri – April 15, 2023Miami Beach LGBTQ Pri/Miami LGBTQ Pri – April 15-16, 2023Port St.

30-May 6, 2023Memorial Weekend Pensala/Pensala LGBTQ Memorial Day Weekend – May 25-28, 2023Gay Days at Disney World Orlando – May 31-June 5, 2023 (at Doubletree by Hilton Orlando at Seaworld)Mid-South Pri/Memphis LGBTQ Pri – June 1-4, 2023One Magil Weekend Orlando/Walt Disney World – June 1-5, 2023 (at Walt Disney World Rorts)LowCountry LGBTQ Pri (South Carola)/Bluffton LGBTQ Pri/Befort LGBTQ Pri - June 2, 2023CenLA Pri/Central Louisiana LGBTQ Pri/Alexandria LGBTQ Pri – June 2-3, 2023Athens GA LGBTQ Pri – June 3, 2023Charlton SC LGBTQ Pri – June 3, 2023Columb GA LGBTQ Pri/ColGay Pri of Columb – June 3, 2023Gulf Coast LGBTQ Pri/Biloxi LGBTQ Pri – June 3, 2023Kissimmee LGBTQ Pri – June 3, 2023Outft Columbia/Columbia SC LGBTQ Pri – June 3, 2023Loudoun County VA LGBTQ Pri – June 4, 2023Northern Kentucky LGBTQ Pri/Covgton LGBTQ Pri/Newport LGBTQ Pri – June 4, 2023Puerto Ri LGBTQ Pri/San Juan LGBTQ Pri – June 4, 2023Napl FL LGBTQ Pri – June 10, 2023Key Wt LGBTQ Pri/Florida Keys LGBTQ Pri – June 7-11, 2023Natnal Ain Amerin MSM Learship Conference on Social Jtice and Health Dispari – June 7-11, 2023 Atlanta, GA)Curao LGBTQ Pri – June 7-12, 2023New Orleans LGBTQ Pri – June 9-11, 2023NOLA Black Pri/New Orleans LGBTQ Black Pri – June 9-11, 2023Bay Pri/Panama Cy LGBTQ Pri – June 10, 2023Fernanda Beach LGBTQ Pri/Amelia Island LGBTQ Pri/Nass County FL LGBTQ Pri – June 10, 2023Northeast Arkansas Prift/Jonboro LGBTQ Pri – June 10, 2023Central Alabama LGBTQ Pri/Birmgham LGBTQ Pri – June 10-11, 2023Montgomery Black Pri/Selma LGBTQ Pri (AL) – June 15-17, 2023Tri-State Black Pri ( Memphis)/Memphis Black LGBTQ Pri – June 15-18, 2023Kentuckiana Pri/Louisville LGBTQ Pri – June 17, 2023Lakeland FL LGBTQ Pri/Polk County LGBTQ Pri – June 17, 2023Stonewall Pri Wilton Manors/South Florida LGBTQ Pri – June 17, 2023Duned FL LGBTQ Pri – June 17-25, 2023Port Cy Pri/Wilmgton LGBTQ Pri (NC) – Usually late June, but 2023 dat TBAVero Beach LGBTQ Pri - Usually late June, but 2023 dat TBAAugta GA LGBTQ Pri – June 23–24, 2023Hampton Roads LGBTQ Pri/Norfolk VA LGBTQ Pri/Virgia Beach LGBTQ Pri – June 23-25, 2023St.

-- Tens of thoands of LGBTQ+ people are flockg to central Florida this weekend to go on theme park ris, mgle wh stumed performers, dance at all-night parti and lounge poolsi at hotels durg Gay Days, a s-long though Gov. And other civil rights anizatns to issue warngs the Sunshe State may no longer be safe — Gay Days anizers are still enuragg visors om around the world to e to one of Florida's largt gay and lbian say a large turnout will send a msage that LGBTQ+ people are not gog away Florida, which is ntually one of the most popular stat for tourists to vis. If the hoped-for 150, 000 or more visors e to the half-week of pool parti, drag bgo and thrill ris at Orlando's theme parks and hotels, then “that's the pot, ” said Joseph Clark, CEO of Gay Days Inc.

Gay Days is a bon 's not lost on the anizers that the highlight of the weekend will be a Saturday meetup of LGBTQ+ visors at the Magic Kgdom at Walt Disney World, where the first Gay Days started as a sgle-day celebratn 1991. Currently, Disney is embroiled a legal fight wh DeSantis over the ernor and Republin lawmakers' takeover of Disney World's erng district — after Disney officials publicly opposed legislatn that crics have dubbed “Don't Say Gay. — recently issued a travel and relotn warng for the state, jog the NAACP, the League of Uned Lat Amerin Cizens, the Florida Immigrant Coaln and Equaly the LGBTQ+ advocy group said wasn’t llg for a boytt of all travel to Florida, said wanted to highlight new laws passed by the Republin-ntrolled Florida Legislature that they said are hostile to the LGBTQ+ muny and rtrict abortn accs, as well as make the state unsafe for many by allowg people to rry ncealed weapons whout a participants the Pri Cup athletic petns at Gay Days cid not to e, forcg the ncellatn of dodgeball and flag football tournaments.

But the multi-sport petn that is held annually at Gay Days will still have beach volleyball, golf, pickleball and before the travel advisori were issued, some regular Florida visors were rensirg their plans. “It’s ls a csa and more like, ‘I’m not gog to spend my money where bad thgs are gog on, ’” Hayn the anizers of Gay Days and their supporters say that Orlando is as gay-iendly a cy as they e, earng a perfect sre on the Human Rights Campaign x, which measur how clive ci are of LGBTQ+ rints and visors.

“We live a bubble here Orlando, where even wh the chaos Florida, we feel safe here, ” said Jeremy Williams, edor--chief of Watermark Publishg Group Inc., a Florida-based media pany that is one of the sponsors of Gay Days has survived past challeng, cludg the early years when Disney posted signs at the Magic Kgdom's entrance warng visors there was a large gatherg of gays and lbians and offerg pass to other parks for guts who might be offend.

Over the last three s, though, the theme parks and rorts have thrown down the wele mats as Gay Days has bee a profable bounce between the sprg break and out-of-school summer crowds.

Durg Gay Days the 1990s, hundreds of anti-abortn activists wh Operatn Rcue protted outsi Walt Disney World, and the Southern Baptist Conventn ced the gatherg llg for a boytt of all thgs Disney. Some Christian groups tried to buy air time durg Gay Days the late 1990s to prsure people to renounce their sexual orientatn, but mastream TV statns Orlando rejected the Clark, the CEO of the Gay Days bs, had his wish, DeSantis would accept an open vatn to see one of the drag shows durg this year's ftivi.