Queering the Redneck Riviera : sexuality and the rise of Florida tourism /

Watkins, Jerry T. III,

Queering the Redneck Riviera : sexuality and the rise of Florida tourism / Jerry T. Watkins III. - Gainesville, FL : University Press of Florida, (c)2018. - 1 online resource (xii, 188 pages)

Includes bibliographies and index.

Selling "The Sunshine State" -- Queer circulation and the economics of a moral panic -- Cruising and boundary crossing -- Drinkin' and carryin' on in search of community -- Emma Jones: Queering the Fourth of July -- From Redneck to Gay Riviera.

Using oral histories, newspapers, and a variety of other sources this work recovers stories of campy LGBT beach parties, forgotten gay bars, and friendship networks that spanned the South. Gay men, lesbians, and the otherwise queer were an essential part of "The Sunshine State." Placing them at the center of this story exposes the unique interactions of capitalism, tourism, sexuality, and space. More than just a story of repression, this work also seeks to illuminate the fun that could be had on what came to be known as "The USA's Gay Riviera" by the early 1990s.



9780813052311


Gays--Travel--History.--Florida
Tourism--History.--Florida
Gay travelers--History.--Florida


Electronic Books.

HQ75 / .Q447 2018