Key West, FL — JT Thompson, the visionary behind the "One Human Family" movement, has been selected to serve as the Grand Marshal for the Key West Pride 2025 parade. Known for his powerful message of unity, love, and inclusion, Thompson's work has had a profound impact on both the local community and the broader LGBTQ+ movement.

"One Human Family," which began as a simple but deeply resonant philosophy, has grown into a global symbol of equality, welcoming individuals of all backgrounds, orientations, and identities. The phrase has become synonymous with Key West itself, where it embodies the island’s commitment to diversity and acceptance."

Thompson will lead the parade on Sunday, June 29th, 2025, in a vibrant celebration of love, individuality, and acceptance that kicks off at 7:00 PM. The event promises to be a powerful demonstration of the spirit of Pride, marking another milestone in the ongoing fight for LGBTQ+ rights and recognition.

Key West Pride organizers have expressed their excitement about Thompson's role in the upcoming festivities. “JT’s impact has been nothing short of transformative—not only here in Key West, but around the world,” said Rob Dougherty, Executive Director of the Key West Business Guild. “JT embraces the spirit of Pride: unity, authenticity, and a joyful celebration of our individuality and community."
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With the 2025 parade just around the corner, anticipation is building for an unforgettable event, and Thompson’s leadership will surely make it a day to remember.

KEY WEST, Florida Keys — Visitors are invited to celebrate the history and diversity of the LGBTQ+ community in Key West and beyond during Key West Pride, scheduled for Wednesday through Sunday, June 22-29, 2025. This year's event is proudly sponsored, in part, by Smirnoff, Hear 4 U Audiology, and DG Interiors, among many other supporters.

Presented by the Key West Business Guild, this year’s theme, “STILL RISING,” honors the rich history of the LGBTQ+ community within the welcoming “One Human Family” ethos of this subtropical island, renowned as a premier LGBTQ vacation destination.

Attractions will include late-night dance parties, daytime and sunset sailing excursions, film screenings, and drag performances, as well as a STILL RISING bar crawl for costumed participants and Pride’s traditional street fair, which promises a vibrant new twist.

The festivities will commence on Wednesday, June 22, with a kick-off party hosted by AquaPlex Key West, located at 711 Duval Street. This two-hour event will set the tone for an exciting week ahead.

Highlights for Wednesday, June 25, include a Gay Key West History Trolley Tour, followed by a pool party at the newly remodeled La Concha Hotel. Attendees can anticipate an unforgettable evening featuring “An Evening of Queer Crooning and Comedy,” showcasing former American Idol contestant Beane and the dynamic queer comedian Quin Lamar, and hosted by local favorites, Puddin Tain” and Gwen Filosa. Thursday, June 26, will feature a “Tea on the Sea” sunset sail and a floating tea dance aboard the Fury Catamaran. Later that evening, guests can support their favorite mixologists during the “Key West Local Bartender Competition,” commencing at 9 p.m. at the Bourbon St. Pub, 724 Duval St.

Other enticing activities will include a lavish brunch sail on the luxurious Argo Navis, the “We Love Our Allies Pride Party” at 22&Co, 504 Angela St., and a “Slay Under the Sea” dance party hosted by Tike House (203 Duval St). Our LGBTQ+ partners, including Aqua, 801 Bar, Bobby’s Monkey Bar, Island House, and Bourbon St. Pub, will offer a full slate of events throughout the week.

Among Saturday's many attractions is the Pride Street Fair and party, scheduled from 4-8 p.m. along the 700 to 900 blocks of Key West's famous Duval Street. This event will feature live entertainment, a diverse array of vendors, and music by DJ Mr. Enjoy.
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The final day's schedule on Sunday, June 29, will culminate in an inclusive Pride Parade, showcasing a 100-foot segment of Key West’s iconic 1.25-mile-long rainbow flag, originally created in 2003 by the late Gilbert Baker. Slated to begin at 7 p.m., the parade will traverse a route that includes most of Duval Street, allowing participants and spectators alike to conclude their Pride celebrations at La Te Da’s traditional Tea Dance.​

KEY WEST, Florida Keys — Visitors are invited to celebrate seven decades of Pride by honoring the past, embracing the present, and looking towards the future during Key West Pride, scheduled from Sunday, June 22nd through June 29th, 2025.

Presented by the Key West Business Guild, this year's event carries the overarching theme of “Still Rising.” The celebration will prominently honor the history of the LGBTQ+ community, highlighting the resilience of the LGBTQ+ movement while promoting the island's inclusive ethos of “One Human Family.” Key West is internationally recognized as a premier LGBTQ vacation destination.

This year, in collaboration with the Key West Art & Historical Society and the Stonewall National Museum, Key West Pride will showcase a compelling installation titled "50 Years: The Stonewall Uprising." This exhibit will delve into the individuals, events, and locations of those pivotal June nights in Greenwich Village, NYC, exploring why the Stonewall riots became a catalyst for the movement advocating for equal rights for LGBTQIA+ Americans.

Key West Pride will feature a variety of attractions, including late-night dance parties, historical tours of Gay Key West, daytime and sunset sailing excursions, a private beach party, pool parties, film screenings, drag performances, an LGBTQ comedy night, a trolley-ridden bar crawl, and much more.
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If you are interested in learning how to participate in the largest LGBTQ+ celebration of the year through volunteering, sponsorship, or contributing to the event's organization, please contact Rob at the Key West Business Guild at [email protected]

The Key West Business Guild proudly awarded a grant of $5,000 to the GSA at Key West High School. This vital organization serves as an essential resource for youth, fostering a safe environment where students can gather, support one another, discuss matters related to sexual orientation and gender identity, and actively challenge homophobia and transphobia. The grant is presented in collaboration with the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys.
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Pictured from left to right are Alan Beaubien, President Emeritus of the Key West Business Guild; Dave Perkins, Assistant Principal, Key West High School; Gabby Davila., GSA Historian; Kaitlin LeBlanc, ESE Access Teacher, and GSA faculty advisor at Key West High School; Rob Dougherty, Executive Director of KWBG; and Fritzie Estimond, Associate Director of KWBG

April 30, 2024 – (KEY WEST, FL).  The Key West Business Guild is pleased to announce the 41st annual Headdress Ball, an outrageous showcase of talent for mask-makers and costumers, will take place Thursday, Oct. 24, at Key West’s Coffee Butler Amphitheater in Truman Waterfront Park, hosting this year will be internationally celebrated female impersonator, Randy Roberts. Showtime at 8:00 PM.
 
The Headdress Ball celebrates the creative and free spirt of Fantasy Fest, Key West’s 10-day costuming and masking festival set for Oct. 18th – 27th., the Headdress Ball is Fantasy Fests premier LGBTQ+ event, hosted by the Key West Business Guild. Plans call for it to feature more than 15 contestants, all in awe-inspiring, unique headdresses, each hoping to walk away with the top prize.  
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Although most participants are costumed from head to toe, entrants will be judged only from the shoulders up as they vie for the first-place prize of $3,000. 

Joining Randy Roberts and along with the headdress presentations, music will be overseen by DJ Rude Girl. Both Randy Roberts and DJ Rude Girl will welcome an array of entertainment throughout the competition.
Attendees will also enjoy libations and food service, courtesy of End of Summer Grill, all available to order online when you place your order.

The Headdress Ball has been produced for the past 41 years by the Key West Business Guild, one of the oldest LGBTQ business organizations in the United States. Proceeds from the event help the guild support Key West’s gay and gay-friendly enterprises, community, and the island’s position as a leading LGBTQ vacation destination location. 

Tickets are $320 for a premium table for four people, $270 for a VIP table for four, $35 per person for chair seating and $30 per person for general admission with lawn seating. To purchase tickets and preorder food, visit keystix.com.

Event information: gaykeywestfl.com/headdress-ball, fantasyfest.com 

April 30, 2024 – (KEY WEST, FL).  The Key West Business Guild is pleased to announce registration is now open for the highly anticipated Key West Pride 2024 Parade, this year celebrating the Golden Era of 1970s Disco.  The parade will be held on Sunday, June 9th at 5:00 p.m., originating from the quayside at Truman Waterfront Park.  Participants will then proceed up Whitehead Street toward the waterfront then working its way down Duval Street.  Floats of all types will be accepted – cars, trailers, walking groups – with all participants encouraged to embrace the disco theme.

Each year Key West Pride, a five-day event, celebrates the amazing contribution the LGBTQ community makes to our island’s diverse “One Human Family”.  Disco was a defining era for the LGBTQ community, and the culture exploded with amazing style and pageantry.  It wasn’t long until Disco became a worldwide sensation influencing every aspect of society.

“Put on your Boogie Shoes, get the glitter balls ready, and dust off your bellbottoms for this year’s annual parade,” says Rob Dougherty, Executive Director of the Key West Business Guild.  “Our goal for this year’s Pride Parade is to create a ‘Love Train’ as the parade floats travel down Duval Street and to see our community dancing in the street.  Once the parade finishes on the 1300 block, we want everyone to head to LaTeDa for a Disco Tea Dance.”
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Entry for the Pride Parade is free, although the Business Guild requests a small donation of $20 to offset the cost of logistics.  The registration application is easy – visit gaykeywestfl.com/pride or call the Key West Business Guild office on 305-294-4630.

​At the first meeting of the year for the Key West Business Guild, Mayor Teri Johnston presented the Guild’s Executive Director Kevin Theriault the first-ever Rainbow Key to the City in honor of his amazing dedication to the city and the LGBTQ+ community.

The Key West Police Department is honored to be awarded the Key West Business Guild's President's Award. The award was presented in recognition of the department's dedication to the protection and support of the LGBTQIA+ community.
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“We are humbled by this honor,” said Chief Sean Brandenburg. “The men and women of the Key West Police Department are dedicated to serving our One Human Family.”
 

Mayor Teri Johnston and the City Commission helped kick off a week of celebration by proclaiming June 1st through the 5th as Key West Pride Week.

Since the late 1970s, the Key West Business Guild has been promoting Key West as a LGBTQ travel destination.
“Key West made history by electing the first openly gay Mayor,” reads the proclamation, “and the first openly lesbian mayor of the State of Florida. Key West presented the world with the Sea to Sea Rainbow Flag and has always been a leader of LGBTQ rights and protections for our nation.”

Key West Business Guild President Chuck Licis-Masson thanked the City for the newly replaced rainbow crosswalks on Duval Street. He also thanked the Key West Police Department for the Pride-wrapped police car, which was sponsored by the Business Guild.

“What’s important to focus on,” he said, “is that differences mean strength. We are empowered by our differences, not weakened.”

The city’s motto “One Human Family” reflects the community’s commitment that no matter what a person’s race, sexual orientation, or gender identity, we all can stand together as one.

“Key West Pride 2022 will serve as a reminder to all of the ongoing struggle for social, political and personal equality for the LGBTQ community across our nation and throughout the world,” continues the proclamation.
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Festivities through the week include a street fair, numerous parties as well as several church services. The celebration culminates in the Key West Pride Parade down Duval Street from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic on Sunday, June 5th beginning at 5 p.m.