Exuberant photos document a Fire Island on the verge of change

“Doll Invasion, Juneteenth programming and Papi Juice parties make history in real time”

CREATIVE DIRECTOR, PRODUCER AND CASTING DIRECTOR MISSLEIDY RODRIGUEZ/ JIMI URQUIAGA 
 
PHOTOGRAPHERS CARMEN DECRISTO AND NABIL MERABET
 
FULL CAST AND TEAM CREDITS CONTINUED BELOW

Fire Island Pines, America’s most famous gay town, is synonymous with the kind of affluent, white, outspoken cis male community that seems far removed from many people’s experiences with queerness. In their latest project, Jimi Urquiaga – a costume designer, producer, creative director and drag queen – aims to deconstruct this one-dimensional vision of the queer holiday destination.

During the summer months, Urquiaga works on Fire Island—both at the plant shop Camp and as a gardener for the island’s homeowners. From this vantage point, the creative has been able to experience life in the Pines from a perspective different from the predominantly white, middle-class depictions we often see in the media. Socializing with other people who work during the holidays has given them a more diverse, insider perspective of the island—and they wanted to do something to celebrate their experiences.

So in 2023, Urquiaga was moved to create an ongoing photo series documenting the Pines’ predominantly POC staff. Urquiaga collaborated with photographer Carmen De Cristo to create editorial photography starring their drag alter ego Mrs Leidy Rodriguez and staff from all over the Pines for the businesses they worked for. The result? Cheerful photos of this vibrant community posing on the boardwalk or beach, in front of bars and eateries, all in full, fabulous glamour.

Now Urquiaga and DeCristo have teamed up for The Pines Summer of ’24 – a second iteration of the project, which also features photography by Nabil Marebeta bartender on the island. With a stranger, Scar face theme, the editorial imagery allows for a satire of the power dynamics at play, while lo-fi, candid photos captured on Polaroids and disposable cameras put the IRL bond between staff on full display. The latest photo series is broader and more expansive than the earlier iteration, giving employees an outlet to explore the working conditions on the island.

But as Urquiaga reflects below, the island is embarking on a process of much-needed change. Activities such as Doll Invasion (co-founded by former GAY TIMES Editor Fran Tirado) and Papi Juice are pushing for greater inclusion of trans and POC members of the community, while the Fire Island Pines commercial district just got a new owner, opening up the possibility for a brighter, more inclusive future.

How did this project come about and what was the inspiration?

During the summer months I work in Fire Island Pines at the Camp plant store and also do landscaping for the homeowners on the island. Last year I started “Pines Summer of 23″ as a way to celebrate the workforce that works in the Pines. All of the iconic Fire Island photography up until that point had been predominantly focused on white men, so I wanted to artistically capture the predominantly POC workforce that isn’t celebrated.

I knew I wanted to do a second installment this year, and I wanted to document our entire summer, from start to finish, with Polaroids and disposable cameras; documenting us at work and after work, at parties, and at big summer events like the 4th of July or the Pines party. I also wanted to do an editorial story to juxtapose the candid photos from our summer in real life. In the first installment, shot by Carmen DeCristo, the backdrops for those photos were all the businesses we worked at. For this installment, I wanted to focus more on the architecture and interior design of the iconic homes in the Pines.

Carmen came on board to once again be part of this series and – with the sponsorship of Exposure Therapy Photo Lab that’s a queer-owned photo lab in Brooklyn. She was able to shoot our series that featured all the iconic homes on the island. I also asked my colleague Nabil Marebet, a bartender here on the island, if he would be interested in shooting our second editorial that featured Kenneth Haynes and I at the Belvedere men’s bathhouse in Cherry Grove.

How did you arrange the casting for this project?

The casting for this project was all of my coworkers. From our new manager—who was truly a godsend, taking care of us, listening to us when we felt wronged, and creating a safe space for us—to the bartenders, the restaurant staff, the gym guy, the store clerks, the maintenance, the baristas, and the cooks. The casting was easy; it was our tight-knit Fire Island work family.

There’s a ‘Scarface’ theme running through the editorial section. What was the thinking behind that?

I wanted this editorial series to showcase the Pines staff as a metaphorical “mafia” of individuals who are connected, who look out for each other, and who run this island – all while looking good doing it. Ultimately, the real triumph of our summer was the bond we created and the memories we shared – ones that will last a lifetime.

As the second iteration of the project, how The Pines Summer of ’24 is different the 2023 version?

I wanted to take this project to the next level and really flesh it out! I wanted this next installment to have more visuals and capture more of the unseen moments from the workers’ point of view and to enhance the editorial aspects and make a film to match. I wanted to add to the history of Fire Island photography and do it in a way that has never been done before.

How does this project address the more problematic aspects of Fire Island culture?

The majority of the staff is POC and we rarely felt celebrated. This project highlights and celebrates the individuals who create the Fire Island experience that everyone who visits falls in love with. It’s about showcasing these individuals, highlighting our importance in the Fire Island community, and emphasizing how special and unique our experience is.

You’ve stated that you want to change the photography tradition on Fire Island, but how do you think on-location activities like Doll Invasion benefit Fire Island?

Doll Invasion, Juneteenth programming, and Papi Juice parties are making history in real time. These are all historic events that are transforming Fire Island into a place that is more inclusive of the entire queer community, not just the select white, male demographic that has been the majority on the island for far too long.

We need more of these types of activities and the way to keep them going is to be there and support them financially and be there physically! Numbers and dollars are what keep these things afloat and allow these organizers to make space for us on the island. Come out and support these events!

What would the third part of the project look like?

To be honest, I’m not sure if there will be one. The future is a bit unknown and there are big positive changes coming. The previous owner sold the entire commercial district this year to the owner of The Abbey and MISTR, Tristan Schukraft.

I’m incredibly excited about this change – I met him last season and heard his ideas for the island. More importantly, his team has already shown how much they care about the employees and their living and working conditions on the island. That’s already a win for the cast of employees they’ll be hiring for 2025. I hope to go back next year and I think a possible theme for the next episode could be inspired by the dawn of a new era – something that’s a celebration of what’s new and what’s to come!

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

CREDITS CONTINUED

FASHION STYLISTS ENRIQUE ALEJANDRO, KENNETH HAYNES, GAETANO PUGLIESE AND LOGAN INKANISH

PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT PARIS L’HOMMIE

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT ALEX NAAGY

BOOK DESIGN KELLY GARRETT

ART WADE SHAME

PHOTOGRAPHY LAB PHOTO LAB EXPOSURE THERAPY

LOCATIONS BELVEDERE, 333 OZONE WALK, 490 BAY WALK, 18 WIDGEON WALK, 443 SAIL WALK, 501 BASS WALK, 236 BEACH HILL WALK

SPECIAL THANKS TO KYLE VAN LOO, ALEX SWETERLITSCH, ROY SANFILIPO, MIKE CHRISTATOS, KYLE MEYER, KHALED HABAYEB, GEOFFREY HOEFER, OMOMUKI FOUNDATION FOR LGBTQ+ HEALTH, WONDER AND CRAIG ADAM, GLENN RICE, MANOJ NAIR, DAN SPINELLO, MATT VERGE, KAREN BOSS, RICH HEATON, NICK DITROIA

FORM MISSLEIDY RODRIGUEZ /JIMI URQUIAGA, ALEX NAGY, ALEX SWETERLITSCH, ALISON BUCK, ANDREW MANZO, ANGÉLICA NIÑO, ANTONIO ESTRADA, BENJAMIN LABADIA, BERNARD H BACH, CITRINE CASH COLLINS, COREY BUCKLEY, COLIN O’LEARY, DANIEL K OFORI, DARWIN CHIR INOS , DAVID GACHARNA, DAVINSON PERENA, DJ 2FACE, DENIS CARDOSO DE ALMEIDA, ELIJAH ROSADO, ENRIQUE ALEJANDRO, FELIPE TORO, FERLEY ARGUELLO, GAETANO PUGLIESE, GUSTAVO POLICARIO, HERNÁN MARÍN, JACK SALKOWSKY, JEFF PICA, JAVIER PEDROZA AKA NANA, JESUS ​​​​ESTRADA, JOJI OTANI-HANSEN, JULIAN SHANE, JUSTIN BARTON, KENNETH HAYNES, KEVIN AGUIRRE QUIRÓZ, KIKI FITZPATRICK, LOGAN INKANISH, MARC CHRISTENSEN, MATEUS FRANCO, MOLLY DALY, MOSES LEONARDO, NABIL MERABET, NICK AMMATURO, NICK DITROIA, NICOLAS MUÑOZ, NOAH DEARING, PARIS L’HOMMIE, RAFAEL MUÑOZ, RICH HEATON, RICH MARGOLIUS, ROB TRUGLIA, SANDRO SAINTS, THADDEUS, TRAVLES WILLIAMS, TYLER GRIFFITH, ULADZISLAU VIISAU AND WADE SCHAMING

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