The Normal Heart House Hosted and Lambda Legal’s Annual Tea Dance Delivered!
Lambda Legal in the Pines, the longest-running LGBTQ+ fundraiser in Fire Island Pines and one of the oldest in the nation, raised over $500K on Saturday, July 25 — a new fundraising record!
All the fun in the name of a very good cause went down at the oceanfront home of James Dale and David Lam, the Normal Heart house featured in Ryan Murphy’s 2014 HBO film.
Photos by Santiago Felipe
Hosted by former Lambda Legal board members Todd Sears, founder of Out Leadership, community advocate Andrew Mitchell-Namdar, and current Lambda Legal board member James Dale, this year’s event expanded in response to overwhelming demand, drawing hundreds of attendees who enjoyed the music of legendary DJ Morabito.
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Surpassing last year’s total, this year’s fundraising was driven by the efforts of the event’s hosts in support of Lambda Legal’s national litigation and advocacy work.
Now in its 48th year, the annual Pines fundraiser reflects the longstanding relationship between Fire Island Pines and Lambda Legal. For decades, support from the Pines community has helped Lambda Legal grow into a national force in the fight for LGBTQ+ equality and HIV-related legal protections.
This year’s event comes at a moment of renewed political and legal pressure facing LGBTQ+ people across the country, particularly transgender youth and families.
“The targets may have changed, but the urgency remains,” said host and Lambda Legal board member James Dale, who was represented by Lambda Legal in his landmark U.S. Supreme Court case against the Boy Scouts of America, now Scouting America.
Lambda Legal is a national organization working to achieve full recognition of the civil rights of LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education, and public policy work.
Reminder: Finding Fire island, Season 2 Has Launched
Finding Fire Island, the GLAAD-nominated documentary series and the first to document the history of Cherry Grove and The Fire Island Pines, has returned with a brand-new season.
Finding Fire Island is created, executive produced, and narrated by Jess Rothschild. She takes us behind the curtain of the mystique and lore of Fire Island and talks to folks who experienced the gay mecca’s evolution from the 1950s to today. The series, which features rare archival footage, is co-produced with The Pines Historical Society.
“As my obsession with the history and culture of Fire Island intensified over the years, I began collecting interviews with notable Fire Island figures, past and present. This new season has allowed me to delve into stories that have yet to be told,” says Rothschild.
Season Two focuses exclusively on The Pines, which is famous for its parties and exclusivity, but the series looks beyond the surface to the community that keeps the fantasy alive. The Pines has become a canvas for queer imagination: in its architecture, its music, and the ways its residents come together to create something out of nothing.
Alongside longtime community members, Finding Fire Island also features Billy Porter, John Waters, Julio Torres (Saturday Night Live, HBO’s Fantasmas), DJ Lina Bradford, Tony Award-winning Broadway producer/choreographer Jerry Mitchell, Peloton’s Cody Rigsby, comedian Jay Jurden, and Fire Island DJ legends Susan Morabito and Robbie Leslie.
Season One of Finding Fire Island featured Margaret Cho, Joel Kim Booster and Matt Rogers.
The series is distributed via the Broadway Podcast Network and is available on SiriusXM, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music.
