Drag Queens Toss Effigies Of Ian Reisner And Mati Weiderpass Overboard At Fire Island Invasion
Every July 4th, a flotilla of professional and amateur drag queens docks in the Pines in Fire Island, commemorating the day in 1976 when a queen from Cherry Grove was denied service at a Pines bar.
Though the event is usually jubilant, and a celebration of how the two communities have come together, this year's Pines Invasion went back to its political roots: Inflatable effigies of Ian Reisner and Mati Weiderpass—the gay businessmen who hosted a cocktail party for GOP candidate Ted Cruz in April—were thrown overboard.
"The drag MC stomped all over the mannequins and snarled, 'No balls! No balls at all!'" reported veteran nightlife chronicler Michael Musto.
Activists have been waging a boycott against Reisner, who co-owns much of the Pines commercial area, and Weiderpass, his partner in Manhattan's Out NYC hotel.
Last month, Weiderpass was asked to leave Sip 'N' Twirl, a Pines nightclub not owned by Reisner.
With the protest finished, the event went back to being a celebration, as dozens of queens walked the gangplank.
Photos: Alex Jablonski, John Hadity
