Customers in front of lesbian bar Fungie's circa 1955


For decades, LGBT folks in the Tampa Bay area have been forming community, resisting harassment, and demanding equal treatment.  We have faced physical violence, discrimination, and political intimidation before, and it has only made us a stronger and more resilient community.  

Tampa Bay’s LGBT community has a rich and proud history, but one that has been hidden for too long. Our community’s history is full of stories of joy and resistance. Our goal is to document these stories and make them accessible to inspire a new generation of activism.

Pride 2001

Learn our stories on the pages of this website.

Telling Our Stories

It was 1993 and the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (TIGLFF) was only 4 years old. With 10,000 people expected to attend, TIGLFF planners dubbed it “the largest lesbian and gay cultural event in Florida.”  With the city in the midst of a protracted political battle over a gay rights ordinance, the KKK saw an opportunity to make a statement, but so did Bill Kanouff, owner of Tomes & Treasures, the local LGBT bookstore. In front of the Tampa Theater, he confronted the protesters with an American flag, a pink triangle, and a same-sex kiss.

Metropolitan Community Church – Tampa

Founded in 1971, MCC-Tampa was Tampa’s first formal LGBT organization, one that fostered community activism and nurtured many subsequent groups.

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Celebrating Pride

Starting out as small community picnics at USF, Pride in Tampa Bay has experienced many twists and turns to emerge as a major event drawing tens of thousands of joyful participants.

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Lesbian Life

Tampa Bay lesbians have used bars, private homes, newsletters and feminist organizations to create a sense of community.

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Beach Bars & Resorts

From Jack’s on Madeira Beach in the 1950s to the Flamingo Resort in the 2010s, we have created beach bars and entertainment complexes where we could gather and celebrate ourselves.

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Drag

The Tampa Bay area has been a center for drag performance for over a century, from the “female impersonators” of the 1930s Brass Rail to the “drag queens” of 1990s ElGoya/Tracks.

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Fighting for Our Rights

The story of how Tampa passed, lost, and then revived protections for LGBT citizens became a model for other communities to follow.

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