![gay bar miami ocean drive gay bar miami ocean drive](https://cdn.theculturetrip.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/5386229166_fe0d13d869_b.jpg)
The years between 19 were also my gay bar years. Nor did they include the other places where gay guys cruised and socialized: the Club Miami and Regency Baths the 21st Street and Virginia Beaches Bayfront Park Florida Pharmacy Rio Theater Danny's Book Store Downtown YMCA the Greyhound Bus Station, and so on. They did not include the "down low" mixed taverns that catered to minorities. A 1975 bar rag, "Where the Action Is" - whose only claim to fame is that one of its contributors was a 21-year old newcomer named Jesse Monteagudo - listed 13 mainland bars and 6 Beach bars. In his 1972 directory, "The Gay Insider USA," author John Paul Hudson (writing as John Francis Hunter) listed 15 gay or mixed pubs and clubs in the mainland (including Coconut Grove and Coral Gables) and 8 queer watering holes on the Beach. In fact, there were more gay watering holes in Miami Beach - and certainly in the Miami mainland - than there are today. The legal drinking age was 18, which made things very convenient for a young gay man who was just coming out.Ī gay kid had many places to choose from in 1974. Not only were there far fewer raids than before, but local laws that made it a crime for "known homosexuals" to be served liquor or congregate in a tavern were overturned. As my fictional alter-ego, Joe Martinez, said in one of his adventures, "Miami was a candy store for a young gay guy just out of the closet." With no AIDS in sight, and most venereal diseases treated with a simple shot, it was "the golden age of gay sexuality." It was also a golden age for Miami-Dade County's lesbian and gay bar scene.
![gay bar miami ocean drive gay bar miami ocean drive](https://s3-media4.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/daFOmAuzQnacp1HuZk8-8g/348s.jpg)
And it demonstrates something even more important: that the queer community does have the power to fight gentrification, though it requires the diligence of staking a claim in the places we helped create.Miami in the 1970's was a great time to be young and gay. Whereas the old location was a bit run-down and didn’t mirror the fabulosity of its tagline, “Every queen needs a palace,” the new location offers brighter colors and blasts louder music. From a Friday Happy Hour packed with Winter Party attendees to its iconic drag brunch on Sunday catering to tourists in town for a good time, Palace Bar seems to be making a much bolder statement on Ocean Drive than it did before. This includes a front patio with more seating and room for drag queens to death drop and somersault.Īfter visiting Palace Bar while in town for Winter Party earlier this month, I was impressed with the updates management had made to the venue. The larger location, 1052 Ocean Drive, is two blocks down from its original haunt and features more indoor and outdoor space than before. As rising rents priced out other LGBT-owned-and-operated businesses, Palace Bar persevered and eventually became the last gay bar on Ocean Drive.Īfter closing on July 4th weekend with a blowout celebration, Palace Bar owner Thomas Donall vowed to reopen the iconic LGBT hot spot in “a bigger location and make it an LGBT center.” The nightclub owner made good on his promise, opening the new Palace Bar during Thanksgiving weekend 2017, the same weekend as Miami’s White Party. Over the years, the location changed owners, crafted a full-service food menu and became world-famous for its extravagant drag brunch, at which queens would prance right on the asphalt of Ocean Drive. The bartenders began adding booze to their fruity concoctions, and later started offering drag shows as entertainment. The bar instantly became popular with the gay community. According to the story, its original owners were inspired to put the word fruit in the name since the beach right across the street was a popular gathering for gays. Long before Palace Bar was the gay nightlife hub we’ve come to know, it was a juice bar called The Fruit Palace. The pride colored crosswalks and honorary street sign are proof of the city’s support of the LGBT community.” They, too, were disappointed at not kiki’ing at the corner of 12th and Ocean anymore, enjoying views of eye candy strolling by or stellar drag shows from the bar’s talented roster of queens, many of whom are transgender.Ī statement read, “The Palace Bar is the foundation for what has become one of South Beach’s legendary and iconic LGBT meeting places, 1200 Ocean Drive. Not only did the closure affect locals, but it also impacted gay tourists from all over the world, who flock to Miami for its beautiful beaches and even more beautiful men.
![gay bar miami ocean drive gay bar miami ocean drive](https://i0.wp.com/thebigbubblemiami.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/18090718_1702846856398147_1984705808_o.jpg)
Many in the LGBT community of South Florida were saddened by this news.