It’s Not Just Cocktails

In case you had the impression that Winter Party was just another circuit-based excuse for superhot gay men (and the women who love them) to fraternize and make romance under the blazing Miami sun, we’d like to inform you that you’re badly mistaken. Yes, there will be lots of sexy shirtless men, lots of white Speedos, lots of sweat and muscles and pool parties and playful inebriation and ... Where were we? Ah yes. Besides the hedonism, Winter Party also has a backbone of social responsibility and education. Some of this week’s events are more than worth simply checking out; they also happen to be important and interesting.

From today through Saturday, March 1, you can see a preview of “Gay American Heroes: A National Memorial to Celebrate Their Lives,” a traveling exhibit that honors the memories of those who have lost their lives over prejudice and hostility toward their sexual orientation. The Stonewall Library & Archives’ exhibit “Days Without Sunshine: Anita Bryant’s Anti-Gay Crusade” shines a light on one of America’s most vehement and loathsome homophobic activists, and reveals just how far we’ve come in the Magic City. Before you head off to the Sephora Shopping Spree (eeee!), you can check out both exhibits tonight from 6 to 8 at Miami Beach Botanical Gardens. Visit www.winterparty.com for a full schedule of this week’s events.
Feb. 28-March 1, 2008