Cherry Grove Stories

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Cherry Grove Stories A film by Michael Fisher The film aims to document the safe harbor it provided gays and lesbians in its nascency, its evolution as a vacation destination and the community's promising future.

This documentary film by Michael Fisher recounts the unique character of Cherry Grove, a community on Fire Island, New York. Cherry Grove became a safe haven for gays during a time when two men holding hands in public was illegal. Fisher’s interviews with residents expose hidden stories and unknown facts that need to be told.

Quotes

“Coming out here with a boyfriend was like going to a whore house with your wife."

George Cabell

“Cherry Grove was the best kept secret in the gay world for decades and decades."

Thom Hansen

“We arrived at the dock and I looked down and I saw all these beautiful men in speedos and high heels and I thought I had died and gone to heaven."

Charles DelOrfano

"I always dreamed about cherry grove as a gay Shangri-La."

Paul Jablonski

"I went to see Cherry Grove Stories at BFI Flare London… I had the sense I was being taken back to somewhere I know, yet I have never visited Fire Island or Cherry Grove... I wanted to wrap up the cellophane film and bring it home at Christmas. To invite my parents into my world, to show them where I’ve come from, where my families sayings and oddities were created. I wanted my families to meet. To show them what has happened to us, both party and plague. To say this is where I’m from and yet I’ve never been."

Rich

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