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Key West Culture
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A few years ago, local artist
J. T. Thompson started printing bumper stickers that read: “All
people are equal members of our ONE HUMAN FAMILY.” When
he began giving them away, they were snapped up by friends,
visitors and total strangers. The city soon adopted “One
Human Family” as Key West’s official philosophy.
And perhaps no city in the US is more tolerant and accepting
of any kind of imaginable lifestyle. Speculation is that this
live-and-let-live |
culture stems from the city’s beginnings; it was first settled
in the early 1800s by renegade pirates. The stickers today remain
available everywhere, free to anyone. Nearly a quarter of the city’s
28,000 year-round residents are gay or lesbian. Another reminder
of Key West’s tolerance: the rainbow flag is flown everywhere.
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