The villages florida gay life
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RAINBOW FAMILY & FRIENDS CLUB OF THE VILLAGES, FL
Mission Statement
We are a social and philanthropic group providing and promoting activities/causes for the LGBTQ+ collective and allies while striving to develop an inclusive and diverse environment in and around The Villages, FL.
Target Audience
LGBTQ+ and allies.
Vision Statement
We strive to build an inclusive and diverse people by providing and promoting social, philanthropic, educational, entertainment and recreational activities for LGBTQ+ people and allies in and around The Villages, FL.
Content: We sponsor weekly gatherings plus operate a website, Facebook page, & weekly email publications to keep interested individuals informed on social, sports, amusement opportunities specifically constructed to bring the LGBTQ+ community & our supporters together.
Starting a family
THE VILLAGES — Peggy Garvin, 73, and Wendy O’Donnell, 68, moved to The Villages in 2002 after growing weary of the large crowds and nightmarish traffic of Southern California.
“Twenty miles per hour and a golf cart was perfect for me,” O’Donnell said of the couple's adopted community, The Villages.
What they missed, however, was the strong bond between members of San Diego's LGBTQ community. O’Donnell said there was a gaping void of LGBTQ organizations, activities and social opportunities in The Villages.
“We knew there had to be a gay community here, but it was nowhere to be found,” she said.
O’Donnell and Garvin, together since 1991, decided to get to work, both for themselves and for the gay seniors they knew were out there and who could profit from a more reveal lifestyle.
“We really had to work hard, but one by one, we initiate a lot of Midwestern transplants, retired military personnel, teachers, nurses — all gay, but most scared of getting identified,” O’Donnell said. “Many of them had spent their whole lives looking over their shoulders and now, at this time in their lives, they were anxious of being publicly humiliated and in some cases, afraid of b
RAINBOW FAMILY & FRIENDS
Just as members of the LGBTQ community, at any age, must give more thought than non-LGBTQ people about where to survive abroad, the same applies to retiring domestically. Though most legal protections, such as marriage equality and laws forbidding job and housing discrimination, have been federalized, some states led the way early on.
Note that the LGBTQ population of all the recommended states below exceeds 5%, though not all articulate surveys are as up-to-date as the 2024 Gallup poll, which showed LGBTQ identification in the U.S. at 9.3%. According to the same Gallup survey, the LGBTQ cohort in Gen X — born from 1965 to 1980, that’s the group nearing retirement — clocks in at 5.1%.
Of course, some cities, towns, and neighborhoods have a proud history of gay liberation, acceptance, and safety. Still, LGBTQ people are increasingly observable and accepted in suburban pockets and small villages to an extent that would have been unthinkable a generation ago.
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LGBTQ-Friendly Places to Exist in Florida
There’s no denying that Florida is one of the most pretty places to dwell. For many, Florida is the retirement dream. And for those who already call this declare home, it’s the perfect place to reside. Aside from mosquitoes and those pesky hurricanes, who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by water and heat the majority of the year. There are several LGBTQ-friendly places to inhabit in Florida.
Florida’s population includes an estimated one million LGBTQ community members (This estimate doesn’t account for tourists and may not fully account for snowbirds). Whether you’re in search of a beachside bungalow, an LGBTQ-rich community or a skyrise with water views in the city, Florida provides options for all who select to live here.
South Florida – Ft Lauderdale, Wilton Manors, West Palm Beach, Miami
Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors
If it is your long for to live in the “gayest metropolis in Florida”, build Wilton Manors your next home. With 14% LGBT population, this walkable suburb with a small-town atmosphere is dubbed the country’s “Second Gayest City” (second only to Provincetown). The main avenue is