Themes
Founded in 1971, MCC-Tampa was Tampa’s first formal LGBT organization, one that fostered community activism and nurtured many subsequent groups.
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.
Tampa Bay lesbians have used bars, private homes, newsletters and feminist organizations to create a sense of community.
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.
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.
The story of how Tampa passed, lost, and then revived protections for LGBT citizens became a model for other communities to follow.