Safe/Haven: Gay Life in 1950s Cherry Grove

Longwood Public Library

9:30am-9:00pm

(631) 924-6400

Longwood Public Library
800 Middle Country Road
Middle Island, NY 11953
United States

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Sun: 1:00pm-5:00pm

Mon: 9:30am-9:00pm

Tue: 9:30am-9:00pm

Wed: 9:30am-9:00pm

Thu: 9:30am-9:00pm

Fri: 9:30am-9:00pm

Sat: 9:30am-5:00pm

Program Type:

History & Genealogy, Lecture, Online

Age Group:

Adult

Please note you are looking at an event that has already happened.

Registration for this event is no longer open.

Event Description

During weekends and summers in the pre-Stonewall era, gay men and women, including many New Yorkers, traveled to the secluded beach town of Cherry Grove on Fire Island where they found opportunities for sexual exploration and self-expression—behavior that was both stigmatized and criminalized in the straight world. Together with creative figures like Truman Capote, W.H. Auden, Carson McCullers, and Patricia Highsmith, these visitors to the Grove took pleasure in the costumed parties, theatrical events, and liberated atmosphere that this gay sanctuary provided. This docent-led virtual presentation explores the gay and lesbian community that flourished during the 1950s in Cherry Grove through photographs and additional ephemera from the unique holdings of the Cherry Grove Archives Collection.

This program will be presented as a Zoom meeting. You can attend this program online or via telephone. The URL and phone number for the "meeting" will be emailed to all registrants before the program.

Not sure how to use Zoom? Take a tutorial with our Tech Librarian Alison.

Borrowing Guidelines

Valid Adult Longwood Public Library Card in good standing.
A maximum of three items from this collection may be borrowed at a time.
Equipment & Gadgets are available at the Adult Reference Desk and must be returned to the Circulation Desk. Gadgets placed on hold may be checked out at the at the Circulation Desk when ready for pickup. Equipment & Gadgets may not be returned to the book drop.
If any item is lost or damaged, the full value of the item will be charged to the patron account.
The library has a limited number of items in the collection; if the item comes back late or is lost, the library may not be able to honor reservations.
The use of some items may require precertification or training; if there are any precertification requirements, there will be a link in the item description to the required training.