The Meat Rack is the name given to a small forest that exists between the two gay towns of Cherry Grove and
The Pines, which are part of
Fire Island (a strip of resort towns off
Long Island kissing the
atlantic ocean).
Also known as the Judy Garland Memorial Park to men of generations gone by, this labyrinth of trees and surrounding sand dunes plays host to hundreds of anonymous sexual encounters each year. It is a place for homosexual men (perhaps even bisexual and closeted men) to meet discreetly and engage in oral and/or anal sex without so much as even an exchange of names.
The Meat Rack is one of three ways to travel between the two towns. You can also walk on the beach or take a water taxi. Most who visit Fire Island gather up enough courage to venture into the dark of...the Meat Rack.