Snapshot’s Proud As F*ck At 20: The Queer Nightlife Movement That Was Always More Than A Party

For decades, Tuesday nights were reserved on every queer New Yorker’s calendar for Snapshot. It wasn’t just a party—it was one of the first safe spaces in Manhattan to be fully inclusive of everyone under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella. While so many other parties of the time could feel defined by gender, sexuality, and even ethnicity, Snapshot provided something new in the early 2000s—a place to come together, hold space, dance, and celebrate uniqueness in downtown NYC. 

The upcoming 20th anniversary of Snapshot’s Proud As F*ck is a reminder that although our community is once again under attack, as it has been many times before, we are still here. In these moments of dire need, Snapshot is back as a space that fosters joy, protest, and safety, bringing us together.

Founders Shana Fried, Nicco Beretta, Elli Conant, and Sabrina Haley launched Snapshot in March 2004, cementing the party as a unique and diverse queer nightlife experience. They were inspired by legendary venues and parties that were already fostering queer visibility and creativity—Stonewall, Meow Mix, Cubby Hole, Henrietta Hudson, Clit Club parties, Motherf*cker, and Rated X Parties, led by nightlife legends Muther Michael T, Peppermint, and the Lunachick’s Theo Kogan. There were distinct spaces for different groups: Riot Grrrl dykes, Chelsea gay boys, trans women who had very few safe places, and trans men who mostly hung out with lesbians. While other places held their own experiences and unique styles, Snapshot was created to provide a fresh and inclusive space for the modern queer community. This party emphasized the importance of representation and creativity for all LGBTQIA+ identities under one roof. 

In the early aughts, hate crimes in NYC were all too common, same-sex marriage was still illegal, trans Women of Color routinely faced the threat of violence, and residue from the height of the AIDS and HIV crisis still lingered throughout our community. Out in the world, many of us were unprotected, scared, and disregarded. We needed this haven to release and rejoice. 

The story of Snapshot began with a Craigslist ad. Shana Fried, aka DJ Nasty (now a wife, mother, and distinguished lawyer), responded to an ad seeking a lesbian DJ. She was quickly connected with another community member who knew of a bar looking to bring in a queer presence. The original goal was simple: fill a few seats during a slow shift with some cool downtown gays. The mission quickly transformed into something more. 

The idea for a weekly gathering place quickly became a platform for self-expression, fostering a sense of belonging while celebrating the richness of queer culture, activism, community building, and above all, a safe space to be ourselves. Snapshot was an outlet that encouraged community engagement and solidarity.

Snapshot humbly began in the back room of Beauty Bar— the former beauty salon transformed into a notable East Village nightlife venue serving up cheap beer and an edgy, vintage, rock ‘n’ roll vibe. 

Queers showed up from all over New York City. The atmosphere was electric and welcoming, pulsating with excitement and curiosity. Juicy beats and cool kids filled the air; the place was fully packed right from the start. You could barely move and were happily pushed against sweaty strangers that would soon become your one-night stand, future roommate, bestie, or eventually, your ex-girlfriend’s ex. Undoubtedly, you would have a few new top MySpace friends.

Inevitably, after two months, Snapshot’s growing following began to overwhelm the space. While organizing the first of many larger fundraiser events—“Bye Bye Boobies,” a top surgery benefit event for Nicco Beretta that brought in 400 people on a Tuesday night—it became apparent that the space at Beauty Bar was no longer large enough. 

After a couple of tries at other iconic downtown spots like Second Nature, Snapshot found a new home in the sweaty basement of Boysroom, another East Village staple where the bartenders barely wore underwear and everyone looked like they just came off the set of Itty Bitty Titty Committee—I’ve got the little black book of phone numbers to prove it! Snapshot began to evolve and produce more live music events, fashion shows, and movie and TV premieres, including the launch of The L Word. Celesbians, models, punks, doctors, and lawyers all danced freely and celebrated the beauty of the queer community. It was sweaty, wild, sexy, fun, safe, and all on a Tuesday night.

Like so many other supreme downtown spots that were forced to shut down due to unjust rent hikes, Boysroom came to an end, and the party needed to move on once again. This time, to the iconic Bar 13, a three-level mega space centrally located off 14th Street. Here, Snapshot founders began one of their most legendary parties: the Rooftop Pride After Party.

But the spirit of Snapshot was never confined to any one space. I’ll paint you a picture. New York City, 2005. You’ve barely slept in days, too busy celebrating Pride all month. At this point, you are truly just running off tequila and adrenaline. You pick up a “float”—a flatbed truck from a sweet, but questionable old man in front of his Italian Pork Store in Williamsburg. You invite all of your friends to meet under the BQE to decorate this float with streamers, flags, and an ungodly amount of glitter to roll down 5th Avenue in the New York City Pride parade with hundreds of thousands of attendees.

Once on the float, it’s pure magic. An unbelievable experience of togetherness, resilience, celebration, and dancing your asses off to rotating DJs. Actual printed-out flyers (a relic) are making their way around, inviting parade goers to the Snapshot’s Proud As F*ck party starting a few hours after the end of the parade. An abundance of grassroots organizing, guerrilla marketing, and hard work went on behind the scenes to ensure that Snapshot could make a fantasy of a night exist. 

This wasn’t just a fun event; it was about love and commitment. Everyone wanted this event to be a success because everyone needed it. We needed to come out on a Tuesday night and be with our family and friends, to experience this Pride party. Snapshot was infectious. A playground for all queers. Activists, artists, indie sleaze kids, posh fems, celebrities, and corporate babes.

Whether you were coming in on the 7 train, or from Flatbush, from working the piers or your office day job, you found the warmth of a community cradling you to the dance floor, bringing you home.

Snapshot is bringing that energy right back to NYC Pride this year. In honor of Snapshot’s Proud As F*ck 20 Year Anniversary, the event is raising awareness and funds for the Callen-Lorde initiative Care Without Compromise. Come to Deluxx Fluxx on Sunday, June 29 from 5 pm to 3 am to celebrate and give back while dancing to DJs Lauren Flax, Rimarkable, MikeQ, and Roze Royze. 

For more details and to grab your tickets, visit proudasfuck.com. 

Camille DeGrocco is a Creative Director, Photographer, and activist based in the East Village. A proud native New Yorker, community leader, and dog rescuer, she brings bold vision and unapologetic authenticity to her work at the forefront of mainstream media and LGBTQ+ activism. 

Photography by Rachel Legakes, Levi Stolove, Sabrina Haley, Grace Chu, Maro Hagopian, Suzanne Abramson

All photos courtesy of Snapshot NYC Productions, LLC

In loving memory of Ellie “The Gaysha” Conant, whose life and love *Snapshot* will celebrate this Sunday.