Give Love Burn a Chance

[Editor’s Note: Continuing our reporting from Love Burn in Miami, we have this report from Ski Rodge addressing some of the skeptics in the Burner community.]

I come from a community of hardcore burners. To them, surviving in a challenging physical environment is a critical part of a burn. This view of burning makes it easy to decide which regional burn to attend in February. Frostburn – which is held on a cold mountain top in West Virginia – offers much harsher conditions than Love Burn, which is held on a beach in Florida. A number of my friends thus tried to convince me to attend Frostburn instead of Love Burn. However, I ended up deciding to go to Love Burn, and I was very glad that I did! I was able to connect with some great people, and there was a large collection of spectacular art. 

The biggest warning I was given about attending Love Burn was about the types of people I would encounter there. The nice weather combined with the proximity to a major city supposedly attract people who are more interested in partying than abiding by the 10 principles. Some of my friends refer to Love Burn as “Miami Rave Burn.” I was prepared to see trash thrown in porta potties and people vomiting from drinking too much. But I didn’t end up seeing either. Almost everyone I came across at Love Burn was respectful and in control. People were responsible with their MOOP, and I didn’t come across any trash thrown in toilets or porta potties. An event with good weather, flushing toilets, and showers might seem cushy by burner standards. But people looking for a rave are probably focused on events with lineups that include their favorite DJs. At least for now, the people who attend Love Burn are great! 

The rest of this post contains my thoughts on a few aspects of Love Burn. I hope to convince Love Burn skeptics that there is a lot to love about this event, and provide some information about what to expect.

Love Burn Art is Amazing

The art at Love Burn is spectacular, and there is a lot of it! There were also a number of art cars. Most of the art cars were built on golf cart chassis, but XUZA and El Pulpo Magnifico (two large art cars that are brought to Burning Man) were also at Love Burn. There were no multi-story art pieces to climb, like at Burning Man. However, there was a lot more art at Love Burn than I have seen at any other regional burns. Love Burn offers art grants to make this happen. Perhaps the best part of Love Burn’s art setup is that artists are often camped next to their art. In my experience, the artists are very willing to talk about their art and how they created it. 

El Pulpo Magnifico, the Love Burn Effigy, and Tesla Coils created this scene at Love Burn 2024. Photo courtesy of TK Wanderlust.

There was Music in the Cafes at Night

Love Burn had a number of sound camps, with a large range in sizes. Many stages had DJs playing drum and bass music, but genres weren’t limited to this, and there were even a few acoustic stages. I never struggled to find a sound camp that was playing good music, and had enough room for me to dance comfortably. Some of the sound camps were right on the beach.

Getting There is Easy

I was initially hesitant to attend Love Burn because I thought I would have to rent a car. The event doesn’t offer shuttles. However, it’s easy to travel from the airport to Love Burn using Uber/Lyft. It cost less than $40 each way, and there was no line of cars at the entrance. When you get to Love Burn, you get out of the car and then wait to check in. Unfortunately the wait to check in gets long, but you get to wait in the shade for most of that time. 

There is a camp that will transport items from NYC to Love Burn and back again for a fee, and there are likely camps that do this from other cities as well. I managed just fine with items I took on the plane with me. I took a tent in my checked bag, and an air mattress in my carry on bag. 

Join a Theme Camp

The open camping areas are far from where most of the action happens. Joining a theme camp will allow you to camp next to all of the other theme camps. This will reduce the amount of walking you need to do, but it might make it harder to fall asleep due to the noise from sound camps. In addition to being a great way to meet people and contribute to the event, being part of a theme camp makes the event logistically easier. In exchange for camp dues, theme camps may provide food, cooking supplies, shade structures, and a communal hangout space. Cooking is often done in shifts, which reduces the amount of time any one person has to spend cooking. It also turns cooking into a social activity. 

Theme camps are allowed to let a certain number of camp members arrive on Wednesday, to help set up camp. In my experience, there was a lot happening on Wednesday. If you’re able to arrive this early, I would recommend doing so.  

Prepare to Walk or Bike a Lot

The event is spread out. Walking from one end to the other takes between 20 and 30 minutes. There are shuttles, but I didn’t see them around a lot. I took a shuttle from the gate to my campsite when I first arrived at the event with all of my bags. But I only used the shuttles twice after this. 

Bikes are allowed at the event, but some of the paths are pretty narrow. I found it harder to bike around Love Burn than I did at Burning Man. It was also less necessary because the event was smaller. If you are local and have a cheap bike to bring, it’s probably worth it. But if you’re flying in, I wouldn’t worry about not having a bike. There are also bikeshare bikes, but I rarely found one that was free. 

Weather

The weather in Miami in February is generally pretty comfortable, but it also isn’t perfect. I know of at least one year when Love Burn was unbearably hot. The temperatures in 2024 were pretty reasonable, but my tent was still pretty hot by 10 AM most mornings. There was also a storm on Sunday that brought strong winds and a fair bit of rain. 

Final Thoughts 

Love Burn is a great event that will be enjoyable for both veteran and virgin burners. At some point, I would like to attend Frost Burn as well. I think there is a lot to gain from an event like that. But there’s a lot to gain from Love Burn too, and I think people write it off unfairly.

— Ski Rodge

Report from Love Burn 2024

[Editor’s Note: We just got back from a terrific regional burn in Miami called Love Burn. With over 8500 participants this year, it’s already the biggest North American regional and has a huge and growing Queer presence. This blog post was contributed by Hammer from the Banana Hammocks theme camp.]

I’ve been burning since 2014 with Midwest burners. My home burn started out with about 50 people and today has grown to about 350. Unfortunately I haven’t been around them since 2018. I have a great mix of Festival, rainbow traveler family gatherings and attend all the burner sanctioned and burner-like events I’m able to.

Last year I joined a small camp at Love Burn hoping to make some good queer connections here in South Florida. I originally came to Love Burn in 2023 with a camp named Gaysayers. At that time certain political figures were pushing unfortunate laws through. So I joined this camp and hope to learn and give awareness to the current issue. This was my first queer and inclusive burn camp.

I came out as pansexual in the middle of 2020. I separated from my ex-wife on mutual terms for the new path of self-discovery. I definitely got to say that I feel like a whole different person and wish I would have been my authentic self years ago. Love Burn and South Florida has really helped me become who I am today. As well as many individuals over my lifetime have also been a great influence.

This year I was fortunate enough to make the connections to be able to join camp Banana Hammocks. While I’m an introvert by nature and had struggled in the first few days talking to others, by the end of the event I almost seemed as if my flow was only keeping me around those who were queer tolerant. But the zero judgment of the event from others of all walks of life really made me feel safe to be my authentic self.

I take great pride in being a part of a theme camp. I’m the type who likes to be there before anything starts: helping with the build, helping with little things people may forget about, chipping in or even organizing camp meals. Obviously I do love enjoying some down time and cutting loose and maybe even getting a little reckless. But when it’s all said and done I enjoy being around other like-minded folks like myself.

I’ve been nomadic for about 4 years now and enjoy the travels that present themself as a vanlifer. However seeing so many happy couples within our camp really made me wish I had someone to experience everything with. They may have even made it easier for me to be able just to walk up into welcoming theme camps or just start conversations with unknown individuals.

I’m looking forward to the upcoming years and returning to this camp or possibly joining other queer friendly camps at Regional Burns and hopefully make it back to the big burn in Black Rock City hopefully in 2025 if not by 2030.

This summer I turn 40 and my birthday falls on the Lakes of Fire Burn regional event in Michigan in mid July. I’m keeping in communication with my friends from banana hammocks and hoping a good portion meet up and join me in my celebrations with my Midwest Family of burners.

I try to live by the motto “Live positive, and keep true connection close to the heart.”

It truly is a mindset that things will always work out when you focus on the positive and push out all the negative that surrounds oneself.

–Hammer
Instagram: @outdoorshammer
Facebook: EmBARKingwithMig / 2024exploration

Announcing the 2024 Queerburners Directory

I don’t want to bury the lede here: in a bombshell announcement, Queerborhood anchor Comfort & Joy has announced that they are taking the year off in 2024 for “Radical Self-Care.”

That has already led to a lot of displaced campers looking for new camps for 2024, so we’ve opened the Queerburners directory to submissions to find out who is coming this year.

Last year we had about 60 queer and ally camps listed, and many people told me it was a great way for burners to find their tribes in a big city with over 70,000 residents.

The directory also serves as the canonical list of LGBTQIA+ camps for the Queerburners Event Guide – a big PDF listing an insane number of great events on playa that comes out a week before the burn.

If your camp is coming back to playa in 2024 and was already in the 2023 directory, you can resubmit your information in one click (just log on with the same account you used last year). If you are a new camp in 2024 that would like to be listed, it’s easy – just click the Submit link and tada! For any help with the directory in particular, I’ve set up the email address directory@queerburners.org.

The 2023 Queerburners Events Guide is Here!

Getting ready to head to Burning Man? We’ve put together a detailed guide to all the LGBTQIA+ events on playa – at least all the ones we know about! It comes with a map of the Queerborhoods, a guide to your favorite camps, and all the events we could find. We even know where BAAAHS is going to be!

Download your free guide here:

2023 Queerburners Event Guide – Download PDF (29.6MB)

Print it out, bring it with you, and share it with your friends.

Board / Town Hall 8/8 Video

Tonight we opened a forum for any member of the community to join us and learn a little more about Queerburners. We also had doped to recruit some interest in participation in the board and inspire the community to help us in our mission. Where could Queerburners go with new leadership at the helm?

Document referred to in the video include:
Roles and Responsibilities Document (PDF)
– Emails: info@queerburners.org, toaster@queerburners.org, matt@queerburners.org
Please take your time and let us know if you see yourself taking a role in the future of Queerburners. The next Board meeting will be October 2nd to install the officers for 2024 and start planning for the next season.

Town Hall Meeting 8/8

Hey Queersdos! Just a reminder that this will be a Zoom Meetup that will be an hour or a little more depending on the vibe. Really want to talk to the community leadership and would be leaders about the future of the LGBTQAI Burner Community and how Queerburners can help you as we move forward. We have done a lot in the past, but as the future evolves we are looking at camp/project/mutant vehicle leaders as the targeted audience who will take information and spread it into their groups. The information can come from other leaders, our internal network of leadership, and in some cases other resources that are vital for the health and well-being of our community and the community at-large.

  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/667171338255131/?active_tab=discussion
  • Website: Here

The Agenda is super easy and will have an open floor for discussion and topic related to the community

  1. Welcome to the August Board Meeting: Town Hall (This meeting will be recorded and put on our website and YouTube Channel)
    • Role Call (Name to addressed as in meeting, Association [camp, project, mv], pronouns, going to BTC this year? Board member or interested in Board role?]
  2. Business
    • Finances – Scott
      • Bank Balance
      • Need a Treasurer
    • Events – Scott
      • Planned event for on-playa Camp / Project / MV leadership @ Future Turtles
      • What is the future of events?
        • Something Queer & BAAAHS Annual Events – Created by Community Members
    • Communications – Joel and Scott
    • About Fundraising / Grants – Matt / Sara
    • Recruiting – Scott
      • We need more people engaged for at least the next year to move Queerburners forward and are looking to you to help get the word out
  3. Join us at Queerburners
    • We have accomplished a lot of things over the last fifteen years and there is a lot more we can accomplish within the scope of the community as a whole with room to grow.
    • Discussion:
  4. Accomplishments
    • Events
    • Grants

Rangers and Volunteering

In my fifteen years of burning, I tried a lot of channels. My position has always been to be a person who contributes and supports my community. As you might have noted from previous posts, I talk about my fellow burners a lot. My community focus is the LGBTQIA, but my network and community extends far beyond that. And, also noted in a recent post, I set a clear intention to develop better relationships with women, which I feel successful at. The bonus is, I met and became close to a lot of wonderful humans from all kind of walks of like that became very important to me as well.

Why Rangering?

The positive side of rangering, from my point of view, is you someone can feel like you have become a co-host for the party. Honestly, you walk around and get to watch people having a great time and when someone is being a jerk, you get to help them walk themselves back into the party in a btter place. Well, hopefully. There are times when people are just going to be assholes and that is not really your problem in the bigger picture.

As a Ranger you are a volunteer on vacation and you get to hang out with like minded people. There is a dizzying amount of ‘kinds’ of ranger you might see at Burning Man, but the most common you might see is the Dirt Ranger who is wandering the event in pairs. They are level one ambassadors and have built a lot of trust. That trust is called “Social Capital” and its really important. Bottom line, Rangers are there to help make things run smoothly.

Let’s go back to Social Capital. I learned a lot about leadership from this model. I wish I learned this in the beginning, like before I started leading camps, because my world might be very different from today. Part of rangering is about learning to listen and not reacting to a situation. Often that means doing nothing. Social Capital lets that happen because very often just being around a Ranger makes people want to do better. As a neighbor or as a citizen of BRC.

Volunteering

Volunteering is what makes Black Rock City tick. It is the major line that defines Burning Man as a cultural event over being a festival. Anyone calling it a festival is missing the point. There are rewards that come with giving your energy and time that make it worth while. Rangering is, IMHO, one of the best things leaders in our community could take on and find themselves much better evolved because:

  • You learn a lot about conflict resolution
  • You learn a lot about yourself
  • It is the perfect chance to leave you camp and self assigned responsibilities to enjoy the event
  • It is freeing of the ego

Conclusion

Is it too late to jump on ship? Check out the Volunteering form through your burner profile today. There are several layers you have to go through to be a ranger to start off with. Do this with intention.

  • Complete the Volunteer Form
  • Complete the online training course (it’s short this year and concise)
  • Complete in person training (a whole day)
  • Complete your Alpha Shift on playa (10 Hours)

This is very much worth it with what you will walk away with.

The only negative side of this coin is that there are still some jerks that ruin that social capital that is hard to unsee. Ranger really value that Social Capital and those remaining salty old fuks are a dying breed. Like the Ranger Manual says, sometimes do nothing and move on. Hold on to the intention we talked about in a previous paragraph and use these tools to make you a better leader, community member, and participant. Community is more important than ever these days.

IMPORTANT NOTE: It seems to be too late to become a ranger for 2023. Can’t stop you from learning about it and getting to know some cool rangers. Maybe 2024?

Being a Community Ally

Reachout Australia Image

(NOTE: The comments below are an opinion and not official policy of Queerburners. This is not in anyway officially connected to the Burning Man Project)

Recently, with the impetus of the camp directory, I wanted to clarify what it means to be an ally for LGBTQ Burners. I might have been a bit “stern” in my feedback. This is because we live in a time where LGBT people are being demonized by conservatives to deflect from a problematic agenda. It is more important than ever to know who our community partners actually are. It is also important to know what allyship can mean. Granted, it can be very different for various people. Maybe there are layers?

Flag waiving was one of the comments made. We see that kind of shit all the time with corporations and businesses who are trying to attract LGBT dollars. Or, the blow back on their Allyship has caused their business’ to reel backward fearing a loss of revenue as a result. Even individuals have claimed an allyship and been shamed into stepping back. A true ally will stand through the storm, because all storms pass.

Here is a great example of Allyship in a statement I found from Summa Health:

Anyone, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, can support the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning) community. But being an ally of this population takes action. Allies work to stay informed on current LGBT issues and events. They speak up for what’s right and they support equality by fighting for policies that protect LGBTQ individuals from discrimination.

Allies are important and welcomed supporters of the LGBTQ movement, as they have one of the most powerful, influential voices. They help create a platform for activism to fight homophobia and transphobia, and they personally advocate for equal treatment for all people, regardless of their sexual orientation.  

Summa Health

Love this… I came back to it several times as I explored the subject. Visit their website to see employee statements that are truly touching. (Also Check out Reachout Australia)

How does this apply to Burning Man or Black Rock City?

The battle to get the Queerborhood secured for LGBTQ camps has been a climb. The last great battle came in 2016 when we met with Placement when it was headed by Answergirl. We were able to drive home the point the purpose of the neighborhood is the safety and security of queer people who are vulnerable at the event. Maybe you are one of those people that does not believe things like that happen at Burning Man, and you would be wrong. (2016 Survey)

No matter how you cut it, Burning Man is a very heteronormative environment with a hard focus on being CIS and white and privileged and able bodied. Any regional event you attend is clearly a hetero focused event with some gay people, which is why I feel it is important to have our own Queer Regional Events and we invite our hetero allies. We had 4 years of success in that area from 2015 to 2018, but not since. However, events like Something Queer and BAAAHS have made really strong efforts in that area. And Comfort & Joy have been doing it a long time.

In 2023 with all the anti LGBT agendas in the United States, even Burning Man has dropped the ball. With something as simple as dropping the LGBT category from on-playa events it has reverberated in how we make our presence known. So, we are producing our own What Where When.

Maybe you are asking: Well, we have the Queeborhood! What else do you want?

  • LGBT Burners are still a very marginalized group and there are fae, GNC, and Trans people (more specific: anyone not CIS and white and male and masc) and safety and community are still top priority and those things get lost in heavy environments.

What is RIDE?

Burning Man RIDE can be found linked here. There is a huge push in Burning Man on RIDE initiatives with a specific focus on BIPOC participants. In the 7/22/2023 meeting there was an announcement about a new effort for Blind as well as Deaf Burners in the community. The support for LGBT Burners over time has been a real roller coaster. IMO with only 13% of burners going to Black Rock City identifying as BIPOC the real problem is CIS white leadership of BMorg need to prove to the world they are really Diverse by forcing the conversation instead of dealing with the people that make up the entire rainbow of loyal participants.

  • Take a look at the Burning Man RIDE resources page and how they are all about everything BUT LGBT burners. Queerburners in one form or another has been active in the community for 15 Years and still have yet to be given an ounce of respect from the Org.

I am not saying that BIPOC efforts should be reduced or impeded in anyway. Having more representation from all cultural backgrounds is super important to the DNA of the Burning Man idea.

Burning Man RIDE is only about POC (People of Color), which is great. However, the BIGGEST and most participatory segment of the marginalized population of this phenomena called Burning Man is LGBTQ burners and we are routinely kicked to the curb in spite of many LGBTQ staff at BMorg headquarters and leadership.

Burning Man RIDE lets the leadership of Burning Man point into a crowd and say: Look we have POCs here. LGBTQ people rarely stand out on group photos. We need to be able to point to the pictures and see more than Instagram models and TechBros and Celebrities.

Final Thoughts

This is the hardest part, because I have let Burning Man and the LGBT Burner world become a part of who I am and to think I could lose that is like losing a parent or family member. I have been a strong advocate for Queerburners behind the scenes as well as by writing cheerful blogs like this (sarcasm). I have let myself be involved in our leadership on Alabama Street in San Francisco (BMorg HQ) and have played in a lot of different ponds.

I have seen Burning Man Leadership fall down and then get up even stronger over and over in these fifteen years. I think accountability is vital.

When I hear important leadership like Maid Marian, Level, Answergirl, and Andie Grace using language that lessens us as a presence of this community, it really hurts. These are people who I thought were allies, and in some cases actual queer burners, get lost in the politics of the office. Where are our real allies? Who is advocating for the LGBTQ PARTICIPANTS OF THIS COMMUNITY?

Following the meeting on 7/22 and after listening to Level, there was a part of me ready to give up entirely on leadership on Alabama Avenue. Seeing the things I am seeing on the RIDE official pages for Burning Man really makes me see how they DO NOT SEE US. The world is heading in the wrong direction and to me it seems Burning Man is a reflection of that. Burning Man has always been a reflection of the world.

Truth be told… a lot of feedback is that LGBTQ leaders are glad not to get officially involved with the BMorg, and I understand why. This is my last post on this subject, take it or leave it. Comments welcome below.

BMorg Collaborators Meeting on July 22nd

Getting the real Tea will come from watching the recorded video that is published on Burning Man Hive, linked below this paragraph (bloop). There were almost 400 people at the meeting including presenters. Considering the number of camps and mutant vehicles out there, and the importance of the information, there should have been a lot more. But, then again, the powers-that-be and the community are usually good about getting it all out.

TLDR; My quick two cents was that the meeting was great for being packed into a single hour. They can only do so much with a topic a huge as this. Biggest take-aways for me was LNT topics and new sound rules for camps and mutant vehicles. Moreso, while I am glad they verbally acknowledge the Queerborhood, Level had to specifically state that it is not Placements position to officially acknowledge it but a community request to have queer camps together ignoring the topic of why. And when talking about community resources completely ignored queerburners.org as a long standing entity.

Ups of the Meeting
– Transparency
– Clarified Sound Policy
– Awareness of Exodus issues
– Changes to Center Camp
Downs of the Meeting
– Seeing how people are leaving their shit behind post event (LNT)
– Sound Policy (yes, there is plus and minus)
– 1 Violation on Mutant Vehicles could get license revoked?
– BMorg still has their head buried in the sand over RIDE/Diversity
Note: This is a persons opinion. I am in no way an authority on any of this information. You must find the facts yourself.

Meeting Notes (from Toaster)

The meeting started at 10am PDT on 7/22/2023 on a Zoom Call

  1. BM Collaborators Meeting
    • The opening was couched By Charlie Dolman as something new to loop in the community on changes to Burning Man for 2023
      • 2022 MOOP was a huge problem
      • eBikes another huge issue
      • Government Regulations in some cases have changed
    • D.A. on MOOP
      • Biggest MOOP problem was tent stakes, lag bolts, rebar
      • There was so much more captured in his slide deck
    • Magpie talked about Exodus
      • Wants to make it NOT SUCK in 2023
      • GARS is coming back 95.1 on the radio dial / BMIR Traffic every 30 mins
      • @bmantraffic on Twitter
      • New Digital Signs
      • F-Lot: impaired vehicles, pullover and fix something, loose loads, find people, etc
    • Retro on Community Service
      • eBikes : Must follow the same rules as vehicles
      • 5 MPH speed limit
    • Sparky / Level on Sound Levels
      • Sparky (DMV)
        • On playa parked vehicles outside DMZ limited to 3 hours with Sound Limits
        • On playa parked in DMZ no limits
        • Limits around all events and art installations for Mutant Vehicles
        • Quiet time in city 2AM to 10AM
        • A single violation COULD get your license pulled
      • Level (Placement)
        • Big Changes!
          • Max 300 db GONE, 90 db CHANGED!
          • All speakers in a camp must be pointed internally
          • 60db @ border of neighbors camp or center of the street (except Esplanade)
          • 100 db to open playa
          • Case Levels need to be negotiated with neighbors – be a good neighbor
    • Cory and Tinker about Center Camp
      • Camps can bring their vibe to Center Camp (sorta like Golden Guy works: IMO)
      • SWIFT Team can help you schedule time and space
        • e.g. Blood Mary Bacon Bar and more will be setup there…. stay tuned!
    • Level and Shaye about Vending
      • “Mistakes are the best place to start”
        • IMO: this was a great way to start because it allows people to make mistakes and learn from them
        • Reporting violations to Placement @burningman.org
          • doingitwrong@ or ip@ for intellectual property violations or placement@ or oss@
            • These usually make sense to those in the know
          • Help the community
          • Keeps us in scope of the 10 Principles
    • Marnee and Katie from Government Relations
      • LNT and Environmental Protection
        • Earth Guardians / Black Rock Rangers / Playa Restoration
          • Provides Education
          • Addresses Leaks and Fluids on the Playa
          • Look out for your neighbors
      • LE (Law Enforcement)
        • BLM / Pershing County Sherriff Office (PCSO) – on playa
          • Unified Command / Emergency Response
      • Decommodification – Katie
        • BLM has strict requirement
        • Venders MUST be part of the OSS program
        • Housing for payment is Eliminated
          • Plug n Play, Mobile Homes Delivered, etc
      • Traffic Safety – Katie
        • Speed limits are very important
        • NO VENDORS at EMPIRE in 2023
    • Starchild on Sustainability
      • There was a lot about fuel and solar ideas
    • Harley and Level on RIDE
      • New dimension this year goes to Sign Language and Blind Burners
      • There were a lot of stats and a strong focus on BIPOC that they say made up 13% of the population based on the Census
      • LGBT burners got an honorable mention with notes that the Queerborhoods are at 4:30 and 7:30

Like I said, there was a lot to cram into a one hour meeting. And there was a lot missing in the conversation. The RIDE message from the BMorg has never sat well with me, because their focus seems to be on the visible spectrum of Diversity. With 13% BIPOC as a statistic and a desperation to get those numbers up over everyone else it is because those are accountable stats because every picture taken at Burning Man is not all white CIS people. Even having Blind and Deaf participants getting recognition, it is still a visible commodity to be used in the sale of Burning Man as an event and an ideology.

Loneliness and Burning Man

How can someone in the middle of 80k people be lonely at Burning Man? It’s hard to imagine that it is even possible, while for some the gathering in the desert is the ultimate in participation and social engagement, it can play a harsh toll on body and mind. Connections are extremely important and many of us go the burn to something this amazing to dance and rejoice in a community with principles we can all relate to. The reason we do these kinds of things is to build community and relate to other humans that are different from ourselves.

One of the most important things for me, that brought me into Burning Man was the intention to have better relationships with women. I feel like I achieved that, but subsequently I learned a lot more about other people in the LGBTQIA spectrum and the community at-large. My connections to humans have deepened to see and respect people from all walks of life and self identity.

In 2019, I held an event in my camp called “Being Lonely at Burning Man” and the turn-out was small, but really powerful. For an event that never made it to the What Where When, getting this amazing group together to walk through a connection and intention setting safe space was purely magical. Out of the group, I remember a beautiful young woman in particular who couldn’t find the connections she wanted and needed in the rush of people. Maybe an afternoon at the Land of Monkey Theme Camp helped with that a bit. But, after a long time talking things through and sharing with a circle of people we finished with a group hug that raised all of us up.

  • It was later in the week so for many of us that Dopamine was in short supply and the rays of the sun were taking their toll.

In fifteen years of burning, as a camp leader, artist, community cheerleader, I have found myself feeling very alone even in a circle of people I was burning with. Hence, the impetuous of writing a post like this. With a case of severe social anxiety that was basically undiagnosed (along with PTSD from sexual assault) my own mountain was steep in my minds eye. I learned that very many of my fellow Burners were really going through the same thing.

I managed Theme Camps for most of a decade. I also created a few other channels of Burner gatherings inside and outside the Queerburner community for years. My theory was that if I could not participate because of my internal limitations, I would create spaces where I had ownership/investment so I had no choice but to engage. It was very impowering and freeing of those anxieties. At least, until I couldn’t.

  • Even with 20, 30, 40 or more people who joined me in my camp annually, I often felt abandoned and alone and turned to things that were not healthy to deal with the loneliness.
  • The impulse to be angry in a place of fight or flight was often the result and may have signaled my own crisis moments.

For me, life in 2018 began sliding off the rails with my personal relationship and my parents health. I became my mother’s caregiver and not long after my step-dad died and a year later in 2020 my mom passed on, too. My PTSD was diagnosed in the same year and I have been on a radical journey since peeling back those layers and coming to terms with social anxiety as well.

If you know me, I can stand in front of a room of people and talk like any TED talk. The truth was that the demons inside my thoughts were preventing me from ever thinking I was good enough. The ego and pride of seeing myself how I thought everyone else saw me was only my problem and delusion. When I see other people in the same boat all I can do it empathize and be patient for them.

Todays epiphany is that you have to put yourself out there to make any kind of connections. Not to oversimplify something very complicated, but I am offering a little advice to ponder. Getting good mental health guidance! I was in mental health treatment for years before the PTSD diagnosis came into focus. Use your sources wherever you are do not be afraid to ask for help.

In the United States dial 988 for the National Suicide Hotline

Black Dog Burners (Burner Mental Health Space) | International Suicide Hotlines | Mental Health Hotline

While in Black Rock City reach out to Black Rock Rangers or visit Zendome