• Log in
    Out.comFashionEntertainmentDesignLifestyleTravel & NightlifeOut ExclusivesNewsPrintWeddingsVideo
    ADVOCATEPrideOut TravelerPLUSADVOCATE CHANNEL
    Email NewsletterSubscribeSubscriber Services
    CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
    © 2023 Pride Publishing Inc.
    All Rights reserved
    Out MagazineOut Magazine
    Scroll To Top

    By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.

    Accept

    These Vintage Cherry Grove Photos Will Make You Miss Queer Beaches

    Bill Henning
    | 05/06/20

    These Vintage Cherry Grove Photos Will Make You Miss Queer Beaches

    bisexual netflix characters

    Ever feel like you need a vacation from being queer? I have. Spend 25 years living in New York City's Chelsea gayborhood, followed by another three in Fort Lauderdale, and it can sometimes seem as if your entire adult life has been but 30 seasons of Queer as Folk (The L Word? Pose? Will & Grace? Noah's Arc? Sense8? Please select the era, demographic, and pronouns of your choice, hunty.)--and all you want to do for a holiday is escape every cliche of "the lifestyle."

    Well, if that's your worst problem, consider yourself blessed. Seventy years ago, our LGBTQ+ forebears could only fleetingly enjoy a carefree, 24-hour-a-day queer life by running off to a handful of destinations comfortably removed from a homophobic America: most notably, Provincetown, Massachusetts, Cherry Grove, New York, and Key West, Florida.

    Of these, perhaps the most secluded was Cherry Grove on Fire Island. While it's just 60 miles from Manhattan, Cherry Grove is inaccessible by car and reachable only via ferry, boat, or seaplane (fancy!). That extra separation made the Grove a place where queers from greater NYC felt they could really let their hair down, and by the late 1940s the town was attracting gays and lesbians from all over. There, during the deeply closeted era of Sen. Joseph McCarthy's Lavender Scare, they socialized openly, often with their straight neighbors, and found the emotional and social support to open up and thrive.

    You can get a taste of that life by shuttling off to a latterday LGBTQ+ mecca, Wilton Manors, Florida, to see "Safe/ Haven: Gay Life in 1950s Cherry Grove" at Stonewall National Museum & Archives, a fantastic exhibition drawn from the holdings of the Cherry Grove Archive Collection.

    The show boasts several display cases chock-full of memorabilia: ferry tickets, revue posters, house name plaques, and, yes, even a few reminders that the liberated life was not entirely carefree, such as a fingerwagging public notice addressing "a serious situation in Cherry Grove...the matter of drag" and a newspaper clipping naming five men charged with "outraging public decency" after being picked up during a 4:30 a.m. police raid on the Meat Rack, a cruisy strip of scrub just east of town.

    But the heart of the show is the 60-plus photos displayed on the walls--scenes at once achingly familiar and startlingly fresh. Many Cherry Grove regulars worked in the arts or entertainment, and the combination of artistic talent and queer sensibilities made the modest town-- where ramshackle cottages often slept six or more--an unlikely beacon of cheeky glamour and fabulousness. Some of the show's most striking images (often by photographer Bill Ronin) capture locals enjoying themselves at elaborate costumed house parties or performing in bawdy, outrageous theatrical productions.

    But what sticks with me, are the touching, intimate photos of everyday life in the town and on the beach-- because in the 1950s holding hands was just as revolutionary an act as throwing on a dress.

    It still is.

    "Safe/Haven" is an exhibit at Stonewall National Museum & Archives (Stonewall-Museum.org) in Wilton Manors, Florida. (closed in light of the pandemic). For more on the history of Cherry Grove, visit CherryGroveArchivesCollection.com.

    Photos from Cherry Grove Spread
    Photos from Cherry Grove Spread
    Photos from Cherry Grove Spread
    Photos from Cherry Grove Spread
    Photos from Cherry Grove Spread
    Photos from Cherry Grove Spread

    Latest Stories

    25+ Thirsty Pics of Out Travelers Michael and Matt Going Deep in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
    Travel & Nightlife
    Badge
    gallery

    25+ Pics of Out Travelers Michael & Matt Going Deep in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

    June 02 2023 6:06 PM
    Patrick McDonald
    Celebs
    Badge
    gallery

    Meet the Hot, Gay 'Vanderpump Rules' Producer Fans Are Thirsting For

    June 02 2023 1:26 PM
    Willam
    Drag
    Badge
    gallery

    No, Willam Is Not Going Back to Compete on 'Drag Race All Stars'

    June 02 2023 10:45 AM
    pride anthems
    Music
    Badge
    gallery

    20 Essential Gay Anthems Perfect for Pride Month

    June 02 2023 10:16 AM
    Kim Cattrall; Sarah Jessica Parker
    Television
    Badge
    gallery

    Kim Cattrall Confirms 'And Just Like That' Cameo, Says 'Happy Pride'

    June 01 2023 4:22 PM
    These 35+ Steamy Pool Pics From This Year’s White Party Will Get You Soaked!
    Events
    Badge
    gallery

    These 35+ Steamy Pool Pics From This Year’s White Party Will Get You Soaked!

    June 01 2023 3:16 PM
    Mistress Isabelle Brooks; Heidi N Closet; Trixie Mattel
    Drag
    Badge
    gallery

    Here's How Much Money 'Drag Race' Queens Spent to Compete on the Show

    June 01 2023 12:49 PM
    Fredy Alanis
    News
    Badge
    gallery

    Remember the Gay Guy Who Went to the ER After Sucking a 10-Inch Penis?

    June 01 2023 11:30 AM
    Pride Gear Roundup: The Essentials For Every Parade & March
    Lifestyle
    Badge
    gallery

    Pride Gear Roundup: The Essentials For Every Parade & March

    June 01 2023 11:00 AM
    All the Celebrities Who Came Out As LGBTQ+ in 2023 (So Far)
    Celebs
    Badge
    gallery

    All the Celebrities Who Came Out As LGBTQ+ in 2023 (So Far)

    June 01 2023 9:37 AM
    These LGBTQ+ Celebs Got Engaged in 2023 (So Far)
    Celebs
    Badge
    gallery

    These LGBTQ+ Celebs Got Engaged in 2023 (So Far)

    May 31 2023 5:53 PM
    ted cruz
    News
    Badge
    gallery

    Ted Cruz Condemned Ugandan Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws & the Internet Was Shook

    May 31 2023 4:28 PM
    Out Magazine May/June 2023 Party
    Can't Cancel Pride
    Badge
    gallery

    equalpride Celebrates 'Can't Cancel Pride' at Out's Latest Cover Party

    May 31 2023 1:35 PM
    Matt Pappadia
    Celebs
    Badge
    gallery

    Yes, Gay 'The Circle' Hunk Matt Pappadia Has an OnlyFans

    May 31 2023 12:37 PM
    Shaun T; Scott Blokker
    Fashion
    Badge
    gallery

    'Insanity's Shaun T Launches Sexy New Underwear Line For the Gays

    May 31 2023 11:33 AM
    16 LGBTQ+ Reality Dating Shows & Where to Watch Them
    Television
    Badge
    gallery

    16 LGBTQ+ Reality Dating Shows & Where to Watch Them

    May 31 2023 11:13 AM
    Yvie Oddly Drags 'Drag Race' Producers, Speaks Out on Insider Details
    Drag
    Badge
    gallery

    Yvie Oddly Drags 'Drag Race' Producers, Speaks Out on Insider Details

    May 30 2023 4:41 PM
    Gus Kenworthy; Joel Kim Booster; Luke Macfarlane
    Celebs
    Badge
    gallery

    10 Celebs Who Have Talked About Being on Grindr

    May 30 2023 3:50 PM
    18 LGBTQ+ Shows That Got Canceled in 2023 (So Far)
    Television
    Badge
    gallery

    18 LGBTQ+ Shows That Got Canceled in 2023 (So Far)

    May 30 2023 11:33 AM
    Anthony Bowens
    Fashion
    Badge
    gallery

    Anthony Bowens Stars in Savage X Fenty's Sexy New Pride Collection

    May 26 2023 11:38 AM