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The
rainbow
flag
is
proudly
flying
for
the
first
time
at
Miami
Beach
City
Hall.
It
sways
in
the
wind
in
front
of
gay
clubs
on
Washington
Avenue
and
Lincoln
Road
and
at
the
city’s
main
police
station.
Soon
it
will
be
displayed
in
windows
and
displays
at
willing
shops
and
bars
throughout
the
community.
On
Monday,
a
group
of
gay
leaders
and
Miami
Beach
residents
watched
as
the
gay
colors
rose
up
the
flagpole
at
city
hall
and
ceremonial
gatherings
took
place
throughout
South
Beach.
The
flag
raising
and
accompanying
procession
through
South
Beach
took
place
less
than
a
week
after
a
historic
election
that
left
many
in
the
gay
community
at
once
inspired
by
the
election
of
Barack
Obama
and
angry
at
the
passage
of
anti-gay
Amendment
2.
Miami
Beach
Mayor
Matti
Bower
presided
over
the
commemorative
event,
and
officially
proclaimed
Nov.
10
as
Gay
Pride
Flag
Raising
Day,
in
the
international
party
resort
town
that
was
a
worldwide
Mecca
for
gay
culture
in
the
mid
1990s.
“Discrimination
is
a
cancer
we
should
not
have
in
our
community,”
Bower
said,
in
an
informal
speech.
“This
is
a
symbol
that
Miami
Beach
loves
everyone
and
the
gay
and
lesbian
community
has
wonderful
heart.”
The
flag
raising
was
the
end
result
of
a
city
ordinance
passed
in
September
reversing
a
law
that
had
made
flying
the
rainbow
flag—or
any
other
non-sovereign
flag—illegal.
Bower
said
she
was
surprised
to
learn
that
the
city
fined
displays
of
the
gay
colors,
considering
that
the
gay
community
and
gay
clubs
like
Warsaw
were
instrumental
in
turning
the
town
from
a
downtrodden
retirement
resort
to
a
hip
and
happening
international
destination.
To
emphasize
the
impact
of
the
gay
rights
symbol,
the
group
formed
a
loose
procession
that
snaked
its
way
from
City
Hall
to
Lincoln
Road
and
Washington
Avenue
making
stops
at
Score,
the
Lincoln
Theatre,
the
Wolfsonian
Museum
and
Miami
Beach
Police
headquarters
before
winding
down
for
an
6
pm
happy
hour
at
Twist,
South
Beach’s
longest
running
gay
bar.
The
gay
community
played
a
central
role
in
getting
Bower
elected
last
year.
Her
opponent
Commissioner
Simon
Cruz
had
raised
nearly
twice
as
much
money
and
connected
with
major
developers
on
the
beach.
“The
gay
community
was
receptive
to
me,”
Bower
said.
“They
love
me
and
they
came
out
for
me.”
Committed
to
her
gay
constituents,
Bower
formed
a
gay
and
lesbian
business
development
committee
to
enhance
the
gay
community’s
presence
on
the
beach
and
promote
GLBT
tourism.
The
committee,
led
by
chairman
Babak
Movahedi,
owner
of
Halo,
is
in
charge
of
producing
the
city’s
first
Gay
Pride,
scheduled
to
take
place
in
April.
“Raising
the
[rainbow]
flag
says
that
in
Miami
Beach
we’re
still
progressive,”
Bower
said.
“We
welcome
with
open
arms
all
different
types
of
people
from
around
the
world.”
“This
is
a
historic
day,”
said
Movahedi.
“Raising
the
gay
flag
represents
equality.
It
goes
beyond
a
symbolic
gesture.
It’s
reflective
of
Miami
Beach’s
diversity.”
The
passage
of
Amendment
2,
he
noted,
served
as
a
bittersweet
backdrop.
GLBT
business
committee
members
asked
city
attorneys
to
review
the
city’s
domestic
partner
laws
to
protect
the
existing
benefits
from
a
possible
attack
from
the
anti-gay
marriage
factions.
“We
aren’t
sitting
idly
by
because
Amendment
2
passed,”
Movahedi
said.
“I
think
we
can
eventually
win
the
battles
and
win
equality
rights
the
same
as
everybody
else.”
Restaurateur
Flavio
Nisti,
clad
in
a
black
leather
button
up
shirt
and
biker
cap,
was
diligent
about
representing
the
leater
community.
At
Twist
and
the
Wolfsonian
drag
performers
Elaine
Lancaster
and
Pussila
welcomed
the
crowd
with
a
dose
of
fabulousness
as
twin
gay
flags
rose
up
poles
above
the
entrance
of
the
bar.
Long
time
Miami
Beach
denizens
can
remember
the
days
when
numerous
after-hours
clubs
fostered
a
conspicuously
gay
atmosphere.
Many
of
those
GLBT
businesses
have
closed
since
the
90’s.
“There
are
fewer
gay
bars
around
today,”
said
Joel
Stedman,
co-owner
of
Twist.
“But
as
a
group
we’re
all
working
together
and
the
future
is
positive.”
Crispy
Soloperto,
a
decades-long
gay
South
Beach
resident,
remembers
the
days
when
city
didn’t
need
rainbow
flags
to
let
people
know
there
was
a
substantial
gay
presence.
“Is
this
a
step
forward,
I
would
say
yes,”
Soloperto
said.
“But
if
you
cared
about
same
sex
marriage
I
can’t
help
to
think
with
Amendment
2
it’s
a
step
back.”
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