Life in 2-D.

In mid March, "Vito Desoto" opened the Fire Island Gay History Museum, but you won't find this museum on Long Island. It's only as far away as your computer, in the online virtual community Second Life.

SL has grown steadily since Linden Lab released its initial beta version, Linden World, in 2002. With over 5 million registered accounts, the site logs around 30,000 visitors at any given time. Desoto says so many gay folks feel comfortable in SL because "your average SL member is still mostly an early-adopter-of-technology type who is open-minded and adventurous."

Adventurous indeed. Residents can create myriad avatars (I tried out "cybergoth female") that can do most anything a human can--talk, swim, have sex, gamble, snort cocaine, etc.--plus stuff we can't, like fly and telepert. But what distinguishes this virtual world from many other online communities is that it has its own working economy. Residents can earn Linden dollars--traded at market rate, which at press time was L$250 to US$1--by selling goods, services, and real estate, and can convert real-world and Linden dollars at currency exchanges.

Desoto's museum is an atypical place in SL: a noncommercial meeting space. The museum is a two-story building with numerous interactive exhibits offering information on Fire Island, the AIDS Memorial Quilt, Harvey Milk, and Oscar Wilde.

Desoto tells The Advocate, "Most of the visitors said they learned something, and I've noticed many visitors stay for an hour or more looking at the exhibits."

In SL's Provincetown, with a Boystown and Halsted shopping district a la Chicago, the GLBT Holocaust Memorial inspires visitors to leave teddy bears, roses, and candies for, among others, Gianni Versace, Matthew Shepard, and "All Transwomen." A marker at the site reads "In memory of all the millions killed in the Holocaust, especially the homosexuals."

The gay communities in SL have it all: galleries, sky diving, dance clubs, nude beaches, movie houses, and shopping at complexes like the Man Hunt Mall. I picked out a pet Chihuahua at D&D Dogs and relaxed at the Rainbow Beach Cafe and Lounge.

Desoto also created an entire SL Fire Island, which beasts a beautiful beach located near Desoto's house, which he shares with his partner. Desoto met "Corey Longstaff' in SL, and the two hit it off so well they recently moved in together offline. "Second Life gave us a chance to really get to know each other," says Desoto, "and because we were beth honest and open with each other, those feelings and expectations have transitioned to real life without any problems."