Paragon, South Beach’s legendary gay nightclub, was the stuff of Miami nightlife mythos. In its heyday during the early ’90s, Paragon pushed every boundary—hosting scandalous live sex shows in its VIP rooms, staying open past legal hours, and turning its Art Deco venue into a swim‑on‑stage playground where dancers dove into mirrored pools—like something out of an Esther Williams fever dream sfgate.com. Yet it lived on the edge: massive drug raids in 1995–96 exposed a police crackdown that many saw as targeting the gay community . One patron recalled the backlash in true drag‑scene style:
“the gang of five from the Paragon incident … firing off a communique to defend the glamour of the drag life and to ‘dispel the ugly rumors’ … cheap gossip is pretty much our market” .
Paragon wasn’t just a club—it was unapologetic Miami decadence, raw queer glamour, and fierce survival all rolled into one unforgettable era.
