Fire Island 2011: Discount shopping and yet more drag queens

Started writing by the pool at the Grove Hotel in Cherry Grove at 1:38 p.m. on Sunday, June 19.

This weekend’s ambitious agenda included deeply discounted shopping in Fire Island Pines and purchasing the perfect third-hand Invasion frock at the Ice Palace in the Grove, attending Miracle House’s annual Pines fundraiser and Women’s Pride in the Pines at Sip n’ Twirl, covering Porsche’s 10th anniversary show at the Ice Palace and watching a spectacular sunset from the Grove’s dock. Summer has certainly arrived in all its splendid glory!

The last two days have also once again reminded me that there are some truly incredible and amazing people who live, work and certainly play on Fire Island. I remain honored to have the opportunity to share their stories.

Here are three votes and observations from the previous weekend.
1) Grove definitely has a unique way of dealing with idiots and those who become idiots while under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.
2) Avión may love it hard, but aerial advertisements above the beach certainly do not arouse those who loathe them.
3) The Grove is arguably the only place on earth where one can buy a dress for $10. Accessories and even shoes are sometimes included!



You know it's summer when the Fire Island Ferries parking lot is full by 10 a.m.!



Shopping on Saturdays at Whyte Hall in the Pines.



A bulletin board along Bay View Walk in the Grove.



From atop the roof deck at 548 Beachcomber Walk in the Pines.



The sunset from the Grove dock on Saturday, June 18.



This shopper was busy perusing the racks at the Drag Tag Sale at the Ice Palace in the Grove on Sunday, June 19.



A dress and accessories in a bag!

Fire Island 2011, part 7

Started writing at 8:48 p.m. on Saturday, June 11, while waiting for a Babylon-bound train at the Bay Shore train station.

A fine mist has once again begun to fall. And while the weather on Fire Island was certainly less than ideal today, it was still good to be on the beach after a particularly tumultuous week.

Today's agenda included attending a memorial service in Fire Island Pines and interviewing two long-time Cherry Grove residents about the 30th anniversary of the first reported cases of what became known as AIDS. I went inside the Woodhull School in Corneille Estates for the first time. And I even became an Ocean Beach scofflaw by eating a handful of pistachios on a public walk outside the village's commercial district.

Here are three notes and observations from the previous day.
1) I had never interviewed anyone while wearing only my underwear until I sat down with two lesbians in the Grove earlier this afternoon. My jeans became wet after I walked to their house during a downpour, and they were in the dryer during our interview.
2) Perhaps Congressman Anthony Weiner will seek refuge on Fire Island during his leave of absence from the House.
3) Inside voices should apply to any place where other people are not interested in hearing about someone else's cocktail ring or quirky parents. The loud woman on the 8:05 p.m. ferry to Bay Shore should take particular note.





The Land of No means business!



A Fire Island school bus parked outside the Woodhull School.



Roses outside Cielo E Mar in Cherry Grove.

Fire Island 2011, part 1

Started writing at 5:09 p.m. on Sunday, April 10, while on the dock in Cherry Grove.

The first time back on Fire Island after a long, cold and snowy winter is always a homecoming of sorts. April weather on the beach can be downright bone-chilling, but Fire Island slowly comes back to life as the month progresses. Residents prepare their homes for the season. Restaurants, markets and other local businesses begin to open on the weekends--and eventually on weekdays. And the ferry companies gradually add more boats to their schedules. Hope certainly springs eternal before the hordes of renters, shareholders and eventually daytrippers arrive.

Becoming an uncle on March 26, the increasing amount of time I spend in Washington, D.C. with my boyfriend and our trip to Chile in January are three of the many reasons why this off-season was particularly eventful. Fire Island, however, is one of the handful of places where I truly feel at home. And it is truly wonderful to return to the beach for another season.

Happy New Year!





A sign of things to come in Cherry Grove.



The ferry docked in Cherry Grove.



Forsythia bushes in bloom on Bayview Walk in Cherry Grove.



Looking through the reeds in Cherry Grove.



Looking towards the Pines from the end of Bayview Walk in Cherry Grove.



A bulkhead replacement project is well underway in front of Hotel Ciel and the Blue Whale in the Pines.



Overlooking the Pines harbor from Hotel Ciel.



Snow fencing around the Ocean Walk beach access in Cherry Grove.

Serial killer on Long Island?

Suffolk County officials announced earlier today they have identified three women whose remains were found on Gilgo Beach last month.

Authorities identified the women as Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, of Norwich, Conn.; Melissa Barthelemy, 24, of Buffalo, N.Y.; and Amber Lynn Costello, 27, of North Babylon, N.Y. Investigators identified Megan Waterman, 22, of Scarborough, Maine, as the fourth woman whose remains were found in the same area on Dec. 13.

Some media outlets and blogs have incorrectly reported the women's remains were found on Fire Island, but Suffolk officials are offering a $5,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest in this case.

Jury convicts Long Island teenager in death of Ecuadorian immigrant

A Suffolk County jury convicted a Long Island teenager of first-degree manslaughter as a hate crime in the death of an Ecuadorian immigrant.

Prosecutors contend Jeffrey Conroy stabbed Marcelo Lucero to death near the Patchogue train station on Nov. 8, 2008, after he and six other teenagers attacked him. Authorities maintain the group targeted "Mexicans" and other Latino men in the area for nearly a year prior to Lucero's death.

The murder, which took place roughly a month before Keith Phoenix and Hakim Scott allegedly beat Ecuadorian immigrant José Sucuzhañay to death on a Bushwick, Brooklyn, street corner, shined a harsh spotlight on anti-immigrant violence in the county. The Southern Poverty Law Center documented these incidents in a report it issued last September. And it particularly singled out Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy's anti-immigrant rhetoric as a contributing factor.

“While we can continue to disagree about policies related to the economic and social impacts of illegal immigration, we can all agree that any violence against a fellow human being cannot and will not be tolerated," Levy told the New York Times in response to the SPLC report.

Conroy faces up to 25 years in prison.

New York human rights commissioner to visit vandalized Long Island LGBT center

As the investigation into who vandalized the Long Island Gay & Lesbian Youth Center in Bay Shore continues, State Division of Human Rights Commissioner Galen D. Kirkland plans to visit LIGALY tomorrow.

Governor David Paterson announced Kirkland's visit less than three days after a vandal (or vandals) caused more than $5,000 in damage to LIGALY's offices and a van parked outside.

"In the diverse world in which we live, where we find ourselves increasingly
dependent on each other to advance the qualities of our own lives, we must learn to celebrate our differences and embrace our common condition," Paterson said. "We must understand that an attack on any of us is an attack on all of us. Hate is unacceptable.”

Openly lesbian New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and arguably most notably Suffolk County executive Steve Levy, who was widely criticized for his initial response to Ecuadorian immigrant Marcelo Lucero's murder in Patchogue last November, have also spoken out against the vandalism.

"This type of attack against the gay community will not be tolerated in Suffolk County," Levy said in a statement. "Our police department will seek to apprehend any wrongdoer and help ensure that there is swift justice to deter any such activity in the future."

Detective Sgt. Robert Reecks, commanding officer of the Suffolk County Police Hate Crimes Unit, told me earlier this week his offices will continue to investigate the vandalism as a hate crime until proven otherwise. The bigger question remains, however, as to whether hate and bias-related crimes of all kinds remains a serious problem on Long Island. This incident, Lucero's murder and others in recent years appear to affirm this unfortunate reality.

Long Island Murder Highlights Impact of Hate Speech

As LGBT activists and their supporters continue to protest against the passage of Proposition 8 in California last week, a particularly gruesome murder of an Ecuadorian man on Long Island over the weekend serves as a particularly heinous reminder of the impact hate speech can have.

Suffolk County police say seven teenagers allegedly beat and stabbed Marcello Lucero, 37, to death near the Long Island Railroad station in Patchogue late on Saturday night. Officials indicate the teens came into the village from out of town to beat-up Mexicans" and other Latinos.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy was quick to condemn the killing, but an editorial in today's New York Times editorial page correctly points out his long-standing opposition to undocumented immigrants in the county. His anti-immigration rhetoric has strained the county's relationship with its growing Latino population, but Levy is far from alone in his arguably misguided attempt to scapegoat others from their own bureaucratic and municipal failings.

Lucero's murder is an all too obvious tragedy that highlights the much broader societal problems that still exist in this country around race, class, immigration status and other identities. Barack Obama's election last week has given many hope the steady stream of rhetoric against those on the margins of this country will abate, but Lucero's death is a stark reminder there is much work left to be done--and this task includes those in California who continue to use the N word and other racially inflammatory language and rhetoric to scapegoat black voters for Prop 8's passage.

Candidates square off on Long Island

With less than three weeks until American voters head to the polls, Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama squared off at Hofstra University on Long Island last night for the last of three presidential debates. McCain immediately came out swinging, but he arguably did not do himself any favors.

His body language, apparent anger and even audible sighs during the 90 minute debate did not serve him well. It also became apparent McCain wanted to use Obama's alleged connection to so-called domestic terrorist Bill Ayers and the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) to deflect attention away from his own potential short-comings on the economic crisis. Obama, who remained cool and collected throughout the exchange, was right to bring attention back to the economy, health care and other "core issues."

McCain's direct assertion he is not President Bush helped his own cause, but his reference to Georgia Congressman John Lewis' controversial comments about his ticket--and his claim Obama refused to repudiate him--came across as little more than partisan whining from a candidate who arguably fails to accept responsibility for his own struggling campaign. It was yet another distraction from the core issues about which my mother who recently lost her job and millions of other Americans care. McCain may have scored points with his Republican base, but he once again failed to score that all important knock-out punch or game changer he desperately needs. And as a result, the election remains Obama's to win.