Mascara, Mirth, and Mayhem on Fire Island (Photos)

In 1976 a man was refused service at a restraurant in New York's Fire Island Pines because he was in drag. In protest, a group from nearby Cherry Grove dressed in drag and "invaded" the Pines on the Fourth of July. The Invasion of the Pines has now become an annual Independence Day event, with LGBT and straight folks alike celebrating freedom. Susan Kravitz has been photographing the invasion for 30 years, and she shares 88 images of the event in her book, Mascara, Mirth & Mayhem. They track the celebration from the height of the AIDS crisis to the days of marriage equality. "My photographs are as much about the times which they were taken as they are about the people who populate them," Kravitz says. "Ultimately, they are about human rights and freedom of expression seen through the lens of the Invasion." See more photos on the following pages, and find information about the book here.

All photography by Susan Kravitz