In 1980, The Mariel boatlift brought thousands of LGBTQ+ Cubans seeking asylum to the shores of Miami. She swayed public opinion to vote against LGBTQ+ anti-discrimination laws. Five years after the city’s first LGBTQ+ Pride-related activities in 1972, local anti-gay activist Anita Bryant’s national “Save Our Children” campaign smeared homosexuals as a danger to children. Queer communities in the 1950s and 1960s found solace at bars and on beaches, but were subject to frequent police raids and arrests.
The fight for LGBTQ+ equality in Miami has often mirrored the wild waves of hurricane season.
