Supporting our diverse, intersectional queer community, including trans, non-binary, and people of color, through Radical Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity at Burning Man.
Toaster
New annual map is out!
Every burn year since …. way back… I produced a map placing camps based on the addresses camps published after they were released from Placement. A few people asked about it and I was very glad to do it again. Here is version 1!
It is all done in fun. There are probably more details that camps might have, but this shows how we are distributed in the city. It is important for a variety of reasons.
Where are the queers at? How do we find out own. As radically inclusive as we are, there are a lot of queer people who want (even temporarily) to be among like people. And part of the whole deal is we also welcome the un-like people.
The Queerborhood provides a valuable service and brings a unique energy to Black Rock City. It is vital to protect and nurture that. It is vital to curate and welcome new participants.
A 2015 survey from Black Rock Census showed us that a third of the city identified as queer, which is telling in a lot of ways. Whether it is a population who is actually non-straight or a co-opting of the word queer because cultural norms have shifted.
Updated should be made at www.queerburners.org/directory with a camp submission. The next update will come out within a week.
Rainbow Leadership Series Ep.2: Queerborhoods
Where: Online only
When: April 21, from 8pm to 9pm or later as needed
How: Register for direct access on Eventbrite
Who: As of 4/10 leads from BAAAHS, C&J, GlamCocks, Camp Beaverton, Gender Blender (Queerdome)
I invited select leaders in the community from some of the most known camps to speak about the Queerborhood in recent history and share ideas for the new age we have entered post covid (an assumption and maybe an unrealistic view). How can we help open a path to better collaboration and presentation without curating ourselves into a corner away from intrinsically inspired content that is spontaneous and inviting.
- Register on Eventbrite to get direct access through ZOOM: Eventbrite Link (Donations will help us fund this and future projects)
- Watch LIVE on Facebook via livestreaming in the Queerburners main group Linked Here
The Queerborhood in 7:30 has gone through a lot of evolution over time and continues to shapeshift. The splitting of Queerborhoods in 2019 was the first major change.
The 4:30 Queerborhood anchored by BAAAHS was not the only Queerborhood that emerged over the years. Users have often generated spaces grown and fostered out of a need for safety and community. This includes Burner Buddies and others over time.
On Thursday on April 21 8pm, I am inviting a panel to talk about Burning Man 2022. What are the needs of th Queer community and how do leaders in those sectors want to inspire, enrich and mentor our community into more enriching and accountable space.
Rainbow Leadership Series 1: Services and Placement
On March 26 we do a Zoom meeting with Placement and OSS as the headliner. (1.5 to 2 hours)
Queerburners presents a series of programs to prepare for return to the playa in 2022 and to make our Queerborhoods shine by inspiring collaboration, resource sharing, and community and culture building together.
– 13:00 We start at 1pm with Toaster welcoming people to the Rainbow Leadership Series
– 13:05 Level: Placement and the Queerborhoods
– 13:20 Q&A
– 13:25 Galaxy and President talk about OSS and a new program for reducing our impact on the playa with new power solutions
– 13:40 Q&A
– 13:45 Farmer: to talk about storage and other services available in Gerlach and Empire that he wants Queer Camps to be aware of
– 14:00 AJ from Gerlach: Wants to talk about Gerlach Gay Pride
Farmer will talk about a growing Queer Culture in Gerlach
We are asking everyone to register through Eventbrite so the we have a an accountable audience and limit potential spammers and disruptors. We will have someone monitoring and stacking hands for Q&A.
– April – Queerborhoods
– May – Queerstory w/ Harley K DuBois
– June – RiDE the Rainbow, a RIDE initiative
Hi its Ariel (Trixie) and I’m inviting you to Gender Blender on March 25 in Oakland!
Details here – After two long years of being six feet apart we are thrilled to be making our Cumback!!! You waited so patiently, and we’re DELIGHTED to invite you to Gender Blender’s long-awaited CUMback play and dance party! This party is for people of all genders with a priority on creating a safer, consent-focused space for trans, genderqueer, GNC + questioning folks to get their groove on. Our play parties offer a sensuous space to explore, indulge, and celebrate what turns you on. It’s gonna be hot, intimate, & kinky!
Chill in the BYOB bar, get down on the dance floor, enjoy performances by trans and genderqueer artists, meet new friends, or kink it up, well, anywhere! All levels of play are welcome, from first-timers to sexperts~
DOORS OPEN 8 PM
OPENING CIRCLE 8:30 PM
PERFORMANCES PLAY SPACES OPEN 9 PM
~PLAY! DANCE! REVELRY!~
DOORS CLOSE MIDNIGHT WRAP IT UP 2 AM
Private event. 21+. BYOB.
Proof of vax + negative PCR test <72hours or rapid test <24hours.
To attend you MUST arrive with a “PAL”. PALs are pairs/groups of 2+ guests who can vouch for each other, and will be responsible for each other for the night.
Safer sex supplies provided, and our lovely house caddies will be on call to deliver them to you, or fetch you a toy from our party stash.
How to get in on the action:
- Become a Mission Control Member: http://events.missioncontrolsf.org/sessions/new (free, but must be done in advance)
- Volunteer to get in FREE: https://forms.gle/3Ha4CGhYw4kKjss9A -or- Buy your tickets: https://events.missioncontrolsf.org/events/40862/orders/new
- Want to see who’s going, match, chat, and meet the community?
Check out Gender Blender CUMBACK Party! on the Bloom Community app: https://bl.ooo/m/gender-blender-cumback-party. Don’t forget to invite all the cuties you just can’t wait any longer to see… If you have something special you’d like to share at this event, need a low-income discount, or have any questions, please contact one of the event hosts (Alex or Trixie/Ariel)
To participate: > Link to Eventbrite <
To present your camp or project: > Link <
This is an in-person event, indoor with a covid policy contained on the Eventbrite Site
RLS: Rainbow Leadership – Series?
The vision of the RLS has always been to create a platform for queer leaders and our allies to collaborate and meet the needs of our community on the playa for Waking Dreams: Burning Man 2022. What special needs? Among them are safety and security of our camps and participants. Our voice is as unique as other special groups on playa, and our special sauce is bigger and better now with 2 Queerborhoods and more are self manifesting.
We are going to present the same content in smaller doses over time before the big event in the Black Rock Desert. Stay tuned as we prepare this new channel that can be received around the world.
February 22 News letter sent 2/9
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Sign up for our Newsletter
Hey folks, this is Toaster. Until I find someone to take over the Communications part of our system here I will try and get one newsletter out a month with general updates and information I can find. There is not a lot of input from people outside of the Bay Area, but I am actively looking for information for anywhere specifically related to LGBTQAI+ participants and our allies. Sign up today to get a dose of queerness in your inboxes!
We Need Help
The time we had during the pandemic allowed us to come together and create Queerburners as a non-profit with a Board that was put together by some pretty amazing folks. But, as we started seeing some return to normal a couple of those folks found they had less time and had to drop off the board, But, we are still in serious need.
The roles of Treasurer and Communications Director are voting members of the board and need representation by someone who is self motivated and can operate in our structure. We’re not a horribly tight rules group of people, but we have certain policies and procedures to assure the health and well being of the group we need to abide by. That includes the 10 Principles. That also includes what is socially and economically responsible to our community, culture and participants.
Treasurer
- Be at Board meetings and actively engage a committee headed by the Treasurer that focuses on finance. Each meeting happens once a month. There are some other money related committees you might like to be a part of. It is also important that the treasurer is guiding the boat on feduciary responsibility.
Communications Director
- Be at the Board meetings and actively engage a committee headed by the Communications Director that focuses on all of our channels out of the organization. It comes highly recommended that this position brings in people to take over facets of the job and report to them.
- e.g.: Social Media Manager: Focuses on social media channels like Twitter Accounts (2), Instagram, and Facebook Groups (13)
- E.G. Blog Copywriter Manager: Makes sure we have posts on the blog channel scheduled monthly (Bi-monthly or weekly). Sources could come from Board members, community members and other events going on in the community.
Go here to sign up and talk to someone soon: https://queerburners.org/volunteer
What Fundraising means right now
Today we announced the 2021 EOY fundraising campaign and there was a lot of information there. We came up with a strategy to get people to donate and get a tax deduction for their 2021 taxes as a benefit. For Queerburners, we want to lower our overhead for the events we produce. This is in a time when it is more expensive than ever to produce an event. Nothing is free anymore, sadly, and everywhere we look the fees have virtually doubled.
These excessive fees make it extra hard to assure our ticket sales are affordable for people with less means. And in our mission to make it accessible for anyone who wants to participate. No matter what, we will do everything in our power to be available for our community.
So, stay tuned for more information. I will keep posting through this campaign.
Scott aka Toaster
Queerburners in the Coming Year
I am so grateful for how much we have done on the 1.5 years it took to get where we are today. We became a nonprofit exactly a year ago and in that time we have worked hard to set the groundwork for our future. Queer Burners has been around since 2008, but the non-profit is a better, leaner and more structured animal. I can tell you that I am not the same person. This project has taken me on a huge journey with amazing people I am so proud to have walked this path with.
It’s hotter, fiercer-er, and hungrier. Meow.
This thing started off to be a place to create an intersection for LGBTQAI burners. It’s not so much that there was no crossroads for that out there, but people were generally very tribal and like any group of humans we stayed in spaces that were safe and familiar. Queerburners has only sought to help expand that and try and create a safe and conventual path to collaboration
The results of ALL OF US in 2017 and 2018 felt like the peak of success. Since 2019 there have been a lot of reasons why the brakes had to be put on the progress that we had achieved. Do we go down or do we keep climbing? I will keep climbing with some ambitious and exciting ideas ahead for 2022.
I expect to be able to announce 3 major events for 2022 produced by Queerburners and our community. We only succeed with collaboration. What we are doing is driven by volunteers and participation. Yes, a few people get paid too! Our creative people have to be paid for their work.
All that is coming. I am so excite for it. I can share hints from the blog, but am waiting to get the okay from the Board and our committees to share more. I am just – that – excited about it.
Fuck yeah.
Here are some other important notes!
- We are starting our End of Year Fundraising campaign beginning the fist week of December and are asking for the community’s help to keep our expenses down and help maintain accessibility for all of our community. ALL. Donations are tax deductible. Our tax status is linked here > click <
- We need more volunteers and people to help drive this space ship > click here <
Toaster