Sun, Sand, and Sk: Fire Island’s Gay Haven the Neteen-Seventi | The New Yorker

Contents:

• WATCH: ALL THE TEA ON THE HISTORY OF GAY MEC FIRE ISLAND, AS TOLD BY THE QUEER INS WHO’VE LIVED
• SUN, SAND, AND SK: FIRE ISLAND’S GAY HAVEN THE NETEEN-SEVENTI
• “SOMETHG SPECIAL AND UNIQUE AND GAY”: YOUR FIRST LOOK AT FIRE ISLAND
• EVERYTHG WE KNOW ABOUT FIRE ISLAND, A NEW GAY PRI AND PREJUDICE ADAPTATN

WATCH: ALL THE TEA ON THE HISTORY OF GAY MEC FIRE ISLAND, AS TOLD BY THE QUEER INS WHO’VE LIVED

Rothschild, the creator and host of the podst Hot Tak & Deep Div, channeled that obssn to an amb project lvg to this one-of-a-kd gay haven: a new podst doceri, Fdg Fire Island.

The seri, which featur terviews wh Margaret Cho, Joel Kim Booster, Matt Rodgers, and many others, premiered earlier this month, and will ntue wh episos verg the island’s secret history, s ntemporary hedonistic atmosphere, and the thorny issu around who do and do not feel wele what Rothschild scrib as Fire Island’s “gay fantasia. LGBTQ NATION: You ver gay culture and New York culture on your podst Hot Tak & Deep Div.

But I didn’t know that he was a closeted gay guy, and he was very nservative. Wh all the Don’t Say Gay laws and drag beg banned Florida, has never been more relevant. People thk that is a playground for men—and mostly whe gay dus.

SUN, SAND, AND SK: FIRE ISLAND’S GAY HAVEN THE NETEEN-SEVENTI

All of the problems the world—racism, sexism, polics—all of that plays out the two ty remote gay villag.

“SOMETHG SPECIAL AND UNIQUE AND GAY”: YOUR FIRST LOOK AT FIRE ISLAND

I was also stck listeng to the first two episos by how ank so many people—particularly the younger gay boys—were about how much stayg on Fire Island n take out of you. Like so many gay havens, Fire Island is exclive.

EVERYTHG WE KNOW ABOUT FIRE ISLAND, A NEW GAY PRI AND PREJUDICE ADAPTATN

What do you thk those barriers to entry say about Fire Island and siar gay statns more broadly? When you thk about gay muni—Fire Island, Provcetown, Palm Sprgs, Key Wt, but particularly Fire Island and Provcetown—look at the map, where the two plac are.

I gus the real qutn is: Why are all the gay plac so remote? Beg gay was crimalized the Uned Stat, so people found the unveloped havens that were close to big ci. Jt off the ast of New York state li a magil, gay getaway known as Fire Island.

How did go om sleepy beach town to an epicenter of gay arts, theater, and culture? For starters, the st of last year’s lightful gay rom- Fire Island is well reprented. From Osr Wil’s vis to the island 1882, to the steady velopment of Cherry Grove as “Ameri's First Gay and Lbian Town, ” Fire Island has long been a home and haven to LGBTQ visors and rints alike.