Not only were there far fewer raids than before, but local laws that made it a crime for “known homosexuals” to be served liquor or congregate in a tavern were overturned. It was also a golden age for Miami-Dade County’s lesbian and gay bar scene. As my fictional alter-ego, Joe Martinez, said in one of his adventures, “Miami was a candy store for a young gay guy just out of the closet.” With no AIDS in sight, and most venereal diseases treated with a simple shot, it was “the golden age of gay sexuality.” Miami in the 1970's was a great time to be young and gay.
