➤ REFUGE FROM REPRESSION, from p.38
with an element of risk.”
Another compelling element to
the exhibit is the audio recordings,
accessed through visitors’
cell phones, of stories from folks
who were there during that period.
Clark spoke with an elderly woman,
a waitress at Pat’s restaurant in
the Grove, who recalled that police
would try to arrest as many of the
gay men having sex in the dunes
or woods (which came to be known
as The Meat Rack) as they could,
haul them into town, and handcuff
them to a pole down at the harbor
for all to see. She would come their
rescue, bailing them out for $20.
Another welcome discovery for
Clark while sifting through the
material was evidence of a warm
spirit of collaboration between
straight and gay residents.
“It was important to show that
this was a place where openly gay
people and their straight friends
and neighbors worked together in
the theater, the fi re department,
the property owners’ association,
and the dune fund,” Clark noted.
“That was certainly not the norm
The outdoor Safe/Haven: Gay Life in 1950s Cherry Grove” exhibit on display.
in America at that time. People got
to know each other and, as silly as
this sounds, straight people discovered
that, well, homosexuals
are people too.”
I asked Clark if he feels that a
strong sense of community still exists
PHOTO DAVID KENNERLEY
today.
“Absolutely,” Clark responded. “We
had no idea when we bought a house
there in 2006 that there was such
an amazing community. There are
have so many wonderful people who
are passionate about their town. It
still has a majority of gays, but we
love our straight allies. It’s like small
town USA, but it’s gay.”
One of the additions since the
original run was addressing lessons
learned from the Black Lives
Matter movement. As a committee,
they felt deeply passionate about
the cause.
“We looked at the images and
wanted to acknowledge that in
the 1950s America was still segregated
and people of color were
discriminated against,” Clark said.
“We can’t change history, but we’d
like to note it. While it was a safe
haven for white people, we are not
sure people of color felt comfortable
there. We tried to touch on that
topic to show that things have improved
and there are more people
of color now. We felt it was important
to include that.”
SAFE/HAVEN: GAY LIFE IN
1950s CHERRY GROVE | New-
York Historical Society rear courtyard
| 170 Central Park West (entrance
on 76th St) | Friday 11 a.m.
to 8 p.m.; Sat. & Sun. 11 a.m. to 5
p.m. through October 11, 2021 |
Free timed entry tickets booked in
advance at NYHistory.org.
DO IT FOR EACH OTHER.
GET VACCINATED!
They’ve taken care
of you, now take
care of them by
getting vaccinated
together!
The COVID-19 vaccines are
safe, effective and free.
TO FIND WHERE YOU CAN GET
YOUR COVID-19 VACCINE:
· Call 877-VAX-4NYC (877-829-4692)
· Visit nyc.gov/vaccinefinder
· Visit nyc.gov/vcc for a list of sites
offering vaccines without an appointment
· Fill out the form at nyc.gov/homebound
if you are a fully homebound and want to
get a COVID-19 vaccine at your home
Free transportation is available.
GayCityNews.com | JUNE 3 - JUNE 16, 2021 39
/vcc
/vaccinefinder
/NYHistory.org
/homebound
/GayCityNews.com
