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SoBe
as Gay Mecca [excerpted from
Wikipedia] South Beach is also
known internationally as a gay mecca and vacation spot. Nationally it is
third behind New York and San Francisco respectively. The boom of
homosexuals began when they moved to the area in the early 1990s. The
area went from being known as “Heaven’s Waiting Room” because of its
large population of elderly and retired persons to “Heaven’s Gay Waiting
Room” because among the new residents were many HIV positive people who
thought [due to its fair climate] Miami Beach would be a beautiful place
to die. A highly visible subset of the HIV Positive community was
wealthy by career or family and they established many businesses and
revitalized neighborhoods that still thrive to this day. Presently
homosexuals are as common as Hispanics or Germans on South Beach. The
open air shopping and business section known as Lincoln Road currently
holds the largest concentration of gay businesses. Many artists and
designers flocked to the area to utilize the skills of gays which is
evident in its many modeling, production and architecture companies. The
annual Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and many White Party events
are based in South Beach. With time and new drug cocktails some of the
local gay community moved on spiritually or to other cities. Most the
beaches of South Beach are known as “topless” and tourists feel most
secure in the gay beach located off of 12th and 13th Streets. Among the
most famous gay residents was Italian clothing designer Gianni Versace
who was gunned down in front of his Ocean Drive mansion in 1997.
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