“No se. No habla.” I smiled at the older Black gentleman who had asked me a question in Spanish. It was the second time this had happened in Miami’s Little Havana, and I scrambled to find a response instead of just staring blankly, like I had with the first guy.
People don’t often assume this born-and-raised Texan speaks Spanish, but it was oddly comforting. This city felt at ease with my Black, queer energy.
It was my first time in Miami, and I was amazed at how gay it all felt. My first stop was The Palace Bar, a restaurant on the Miami Beach oceanfront that I immediately recognized from TikTok. (palacesouthbeach.com) It was drizzling, but that didn’t stop the queens from doing backflips in heels — one even stopped under a falling stream and let it wash over her like in Flashdance.
The table next to mine was filled with four Black women who reminded me of my mother. They must have been in their 50s but were screaming for the queens even louder than the twinks the table over.