Recently, at a pool party (one of those), I overheard some men discuss the recently held Stonewall Pride celebration in Wilton Manors. One man said he attended the event and asked his friend if he did so as well. The second man said he did not, because “in Wilton Drive every week is Pride Week.” Though I do not agree with his statement, I can see where it is coming from.
To most LGBTQ people, visiting on vacation or even on a brief visit, Wilton Manors might seem to be a veritable gay paradise. An oasis within one of the most homophobic and transphobic states in the Union, WilMa is a wonder to behold.
Though I do not live in Wilton Manors, the Island City is only a half hour’s drive, a fact that I take advantage of as often as I can. On the Drive, you enjoy sights and sounds and experiences most Red State Americans can only dream of: same-sex couples holding hands; rainbow flags (traditional or progressive) waving in the breeze outside most businesses; posters advertising the next big queer event. Stonewall Pride is not the only time a year that Wilton Drive is closed to motorists, to the dismay of some of the locals and the delight of out-of-towners (allies included) who flock to enjoy Florida’s prime Pride event. (Though Key West, Miami Beach, Lake Worth, Orlando and St. Petersburg Prides are all loud and proud, they can’t compete with the Island City’s.)
There’s also Wicked Manors, a Halloween street party that attracts people of all genders, ages and races in all types of costumes, from fully dressed to almost naked. Though Wicked Manors is not a “gay event,” we all agree that it really is.
Alas, Wilton Manors is a bubble, though a fabulous and magnificent one. There is nothing that could stop Gov. Ron DeSantis, Attorney General James Uthmeier or the Florida legislators from passing or enforcing laws that could bust our bubble. Like Fire Island or Provincetown in pre-Stonewall days, Wilton Manors is at its best an escape from harsh reality; a place where we can take a break from life in Red State Florida for a day, a week, or even longer (if we can afford it). Wilton Manors is indeed “Pride all the time” while we are there but eventually, we must return home. Still, it is good to know that Wilton Manors, and places like it, exist. We must fight to preserve this great oasis, and to spread it as far and as wide as we can.
