In the 1970s, Fire Island wasn’t just a summer destination — it was a sanctuary. A narrow strip of sand off Long Island became one of the most important queer refuges in America, where gay men and lesbians could step off the ferry and into a world shaped by freedom, desire, and chosen family. Cherry Grove and the Pines thrived as places where identities loosened, clothes disappeared, and community formed under the sun.
Souvenir tees from that era captured the mood perfectly: simple graphics, breezy optimism, and the unspoken understanding that Fire Island meant more than beaches and cocktails. It meant escape. It meant visibility without permission. It meant a few precious weeks each year where life could be lived out loud.
