Island House Key West’s Jeffrey Smead Dishes on Clothing-Optional Pride, Sexual Liberation, & Gilbert Baker’s Sea to Sea Flag

June 22, 2023
AJ SLOAN

Pride month is here I can smell the corporate sponsorships. It is that special time of year when you can skip the line at Starbucks while saying "Move, I'm gay," with no questions asked. Iced coffee: achieved. All sass aside, it is that magical month where we get to celebrate each other for who we are as we are with no apologies and no f*cks given. It's a chance to observe and honor the achievements of our queer family and the strides we have made as a whole. Of course, many of us practice this year-round, but it's nice to get together with our chosen family in the beautiful month of June sporting every color of our Pride Flag. And there's no better place to celebrate pride (and get naked around some horny men) than Island House Key West, winner of our Gay Resort of the Year, where you never know if you'll catch a porn star or a hot pool boy. I'm going to pass the mic over to the Island House Key West's General Manager Jeffrey Smead now to give us the tea on the community's Pride celebrations in our country's southernmost city, as well as Gilbert Baker's lesser-known Sea to Sea Flag...

Pride Month is here! What types of festivities does the Island House Key West have planned to celebrate the love?

Pride is always like gay Christmas here in Key West! This year, we have a sold-out house of eager attendees once again, ready to party during three clothing-optional parties here at the pool at Island House. Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday are big pool party days here, not to mention our grand parade float in Sunday’s Pride Parade.

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For those readers who have yet to make the trip, can you share with us a little bit about Key West's Queer community?

Key West was the original gay & lesbian travel destination ever since the late 1970s. Since then it has morphed many times, yet still holds its charm and appeal to an LGBT traveler because the allure is simply timeless. We elected the first openly gay mayor in the country and have the oldest LGBTQ+ chamber of commerce in the country as well. Our colors run deep here, and we are integrated into the community in every facet.

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This year also marks the 20th anniversary of Gilbert Baker's Sea to Sea Flag. Can you drop some knowledge on our readers about what this flag is and what it symbolizes?

I was on Duval St in June of 2003 when this city unfurled the most amazing 8-color rainbow flag from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. It didn’t matter if you were LGBTQ+, everyone who was in town just grabbed a corner of the flag and helped make history. It wasn’t just a PR stunt, it was a grand statement. One that you could literally see from an airplane. The late Gilbert Baker was the creator of the rainbow flag, and he and his team of volunteers helped Key West make history that day.

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Many members of our community attest that sex indeed is a form of protest while others take a more conservative stance on the dance. What's your opinion on this "naughty" notion, past, present, and future?

Sex is freedom, and for years we as a community had to feel ashamed of our desires emotionally speaking, as well as fear for our safety and health. I’m grateful that members of our community can feel less afraid in that category today because sex is a natural occurrence, and we shouldn’t be so intimidated by something in which almost everyone participates, just in the way they choose.

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How do you see Pride evolving in years (and decades) to come?

That’s an interesting question. Politics are creeping into our Pride celebrations with such a fever pitch right now; it’s a little scary to think of what direction our community is going to turn. We must continue to elect leaders who understand us, and who ensure we have the same rights as everyone else. Without that presence, we lose our ability to celebrate fully, not to mention we make it harder to achieve our main goal as gay people: to give other gay people HOPE.