Admin Notices

News letter from 10/13

by

October Part II View this email in your browser

** October Part 2 ————————————————————

Here is to hoping everyone and their many touching #ComingOutDay messages seen on line this week. This is a great primer as we see the announcement for ALL OF US 2017 (the new Queer Burner Retreat) is on the horizon. BUT, we are looking for help still… we are looking for:

* An Accountant

* Stage Manager

* Choreographer

Just email us or reply to this email. The production Team will be meeting in the beginning of November and are looking for someone engaged as soon as possible. It is best if this person is in the Bay Area, but not absolutely required. These are paid positions, part time.

Big Announcements coming in the mid November mailer about ALL OF US 2017 – including tickets sales, ways camps can make a presence, the ways people can access the event that could not do it before, and out campaign for INCLUSIVITY!

** EVENTS & HAPPENINGS ————————————————————

From the calendar!
* San Francisco: Cosmic Ranch 2016 Burning Man Deco (https://www.facebook.com/events/168549850255182
* World Wide: Hugs Across America (https://www.facebook.com/events/296284867393010/
* New York City: Playa in the Park (https://www.facebook.com/events/1608200769472687/
* Colorado: Denver DeCOmpression – The Atomic (https://www.facebook.com/events/1839492569612308/
* Oakland: Exxxhibition – An artistic celebration of (https://www.facebook.com/events/1161140213927069/
* San Francisco: SpiceRack: Trumpacolypse! (https://www.facebook.com/events/351848188490599/
* San Francisco: 7th Annual SuperHero Street Fair 2016 (https://www.facebook.com/events/173711622995981/
* New York City: Haus of Yes – Pink Mammoth (http://Tickets: https://www.residentadvisor.net/event.aspx
* Yorkville: Groundswell Halloween 2016 (https://www.facebook.com/events/1313540668657288/
* San Francisco: Ghost Ship Halloween: Atlantis (https://www.facebook.com/events/1779256285686456/
* Sacramento: Spark the Dark – Sacramento Burning Man (https://www.facebook.com/events/660141257469081/
* San Francisco: ALL OF US Production Team Meeting – closed meeting for producers Nov 3rd

LAS VEGAS: Going to Vegas anytime soon? The Phoenix Bar 4213 W Sahara Ave is Burner and Queer Burner owned space! They have weekly meet-ups. Check them out! https://www.facebook.com/thephoenixlv

COLORADO: has a new Regional Queer Burner Page!!! More to come, but this page has already taken on some amazing life!!! https://www.facebook.com/groups/216147918803048/

SAN FRANCISCO: Did you know that there are a lot of local businesses owned by burners? QBar, Midnight Sun and Beaux are all owned by a local burner business man who is committed to the community.

 

** COMMUNITY AWARENESS ————————————————————

How many people on your feed are experiencing a hard time? The increase in Cancer in the community is scary! Keep your thoughts, prayers, well wishes and wallets available for those asking for help! #fuckcancer hashtag for those supporting the fight for cancer.

Mental Health is also something very important! Many camp leaders and participants suffer from Anxiety and Depression and can’t … literally can’t ask for help. Be mindful of our community and be a supporter. All it takes to start is a smile and the show of love and support. Don’t find out when it is too late.

Rainbow Road: WTF?

by

I wrote a somewhat cutting piece last week about the Gayborhood / Rainbow Road about what I witnessed and I tried to convey a sentiment from myself and the voices of people around me. What I discovered there is a huge leap from what people will say, what they will speak up for and what they will take action for.

There is an inherit danger to writing a piece the is critical of an institution that has unlimited power on your experience at an event that you might hold dear. In spite of a lot of work, commitment and bridge building that one leap of faith can result in a pretty messy splatter. A part of my leadership standard has been to take chances.

Rainbow Road Feedback

The responses on Facebook opened the door for several things.

  1. it gave a segment of people a chance to stand-up for a similar vision; 22 people signed the petition calling for the stronger presentation of the Gayborhood /  Rainbow Road. There were some feelings expressed.
  2. a majority of the voices were actually against the Gayborhood, or so it seemed. We have a lot of people asking for the dissimulation of the Gayborhood stating it was a crutch for people unwilling to engage outside a perceived bubble.
  3. then there were the voices waffling on the idea or being supportive who felt very lost in the feedback

There were 2 conversations on the Facebook PAGE and the Facebook GROUP. Both of which were very powerful and eye-opening. This project (Queer Burners) is a community driven project. My opinions do not represent all queer burners and I  try and stay away from giving that position.

Alas, this post. I lit a torch to carry forward and found out for the most part I was standing alone. I had some powerful quotes that in the 24 hour life of the article were pulled and asked to be removed. They were accurate and complete in the moment, but they were also accurate from the position I heard them in. OR copied/pasted them from their written sources. So there was no other choice but to remove the article.

Placement

The voices say that people are generally happy with the way Placement handled the location of queer camps. The map that we posted and that was enhanced by a member of the community made it look like far less of a spreading than it seemed while out there:

BRC Map

Comfort and Joy really felt like they were off the beaten path and outside the center of the Gayborhood. C&J has been the epicenter of the Gayborhood along with Beaverton for years. We really did not have that anchor camp this year and that was missed. Maybe that was why we seemed so decentralized?

Integrity

All we have is our integrity, and if I can maintain mine then I feel like I can hold my head up. I have always tried to do that in the community (Burning Man wide) and have often walked right into barriers that come from places that would shock people. This propensity to step into someone’s pile of shit has left me gob-smacked on more than one occasion.

There was a bit of a scandal over another camp and some EA passes. I asked a group of leaders in a private message about HOW we can help. The general consensus when all was said and done was there was nothing we could do. One of those campers shared that conversation with Placement; that person is known. Ironically, one of those leaders who was so adamant about the issue shared their EA passes with another camp leaving me completely stunned.

Voices

There was a meeting on playa Tuesday of burn week at the Sun Guardians village hosted by the Burning Man Theme Camp Organizer board that Placement attended. Having Answergirl and several placers there with more than 2 dozen camp leads was very important and appreciated.

There were a couple rotten tomatoes in the mix including Rich Martin who claimed to be a founding member of White Ocean and Opulent Temple. His rants against the Gayborhood and were paired with a member of the Temple Burn crew (name unknown) who railed hard about the existence of the Rainbow Road neighborhood. They had their reasons, and their voices are not unfamiliar, but they seemed to come to upset the table of the meeting that was not about the Rainbow Road. The meeting was about Placement and services for camp leaders.

It is powerful voices like these out of the 29.7% of the LGBTQ, Burning Man Black Rock City Citizens, that talk about the dissimulation of the Gayborhood. Is that where this is headed? Is that the future as it applies to Burning Man?

Conclusion

It is Queer Burners position, as part of the project, is to see the Gayborhood preserved. That Rainbow Road will be the future of the queer burner participants. If the future of Burning Man cannot see color, sexual orientation, sexual identity, or the other things that make us different than the other person then that will be a curious day. What I learned from Burners is that each of us who build and make want to be seen for our individual or group special-ness. All burners are peacocks.

Our integrity is everything. But someone told me this week that sometimes we simply need to be water, we need to flow with the current, and for some people the integrity of a peaceful solution is better than a battle against the current. If Queer Burners went away tomorrow and that was where it was supposed to go, if that was the flow, then that is the natural evolution of this project.

In the end, thanks for ALL the feedback. I encourage everyone to read back and see what was written by community members and share those feelings. Be honest. Be true.

 

Rainbow Road Story Redacted

by

I decided to pull the post and delete the petition because this was bringing a lot of things to the surface that were not desirable over all. It seems like there are a lot of feelings people have about the Gayborhood and what Placement offers. While these feelings do not specifically coincide with mine and what I observed it is the mission of Queer Burners to perpetuate the needs of the Queer Burning Man participants. (period)

What people will say, what people will commit to in writing, and then what people will take action for are very different things. And especially with Mercury still in retrograde and this crazy full ellipse stuff going on in the universe… it’s best to pull back and re-evaluate.

My position is that I want to fiercely protect the Gayborhood. It has been my mission for 8 years. Maybe we are going through a typical phase of change and sometime change needs to thrive.

The wide feeling is people are happy with Placement. And with that… I thank eveeryone for their feedback. Stay tuned as we look to keep this community live and vibrant. Much love to you all.

Events Information for BM 2016

by

The creator of the Time to Burn App has provided one of the most widely used online tools for the playa for your smart phone. While many people argue that devices like that are one of the reasons TTITD is in the middle of the desert, it is also more useful that the What Where When booklet because it holds a lot more events than are listed in it.

The What Where When booklet you get upon arrival, with the official sticker inside, can only hold approximately 15000 entries while there are a lot more than that on playa. Apps like Time to Burn and iBurn utilize the whole playaevents database. The more value added side of Time to Burn is that he has been able to ferret out many of the LGBTQ camps/events and associate the #lgbt hashtag that makes it more useful to our community.

Has need and technology voided the usefulness of the What Where When booklet? That is for the future participants to decide. We have the links where you can download your copy of the app for free. 

 

Mailer: July Addon

by

*|MC:SUBJECT|*

 


Yikes! 1 quick correction and an addendum

View this email in your browser

Sup’s Important

Not to weigh down your in box but there are a couple more notes from our calendar and happenings.

A link was broken on the last email:
We have this fund raiser that is about to end and we really need to meet our goal. It is only $2500 but that will do a lot for Queer Burners.
1. every few bucks helps out
2. some of the higher rewards will get you early access to the 2017 event on Mdemorial Day weekend.

Follow this link: to Indiegogo

Theme Camp News

Believe it or not there are a few camps still looking for people for TTITD. Want to camp with a Theme Camp? Each one of these brings a distinctly different flavor to the playa.

Thank you all for your participation and help this year with the Queer Burner Retreat. The next year is going to be absolutely amazing so stay tuned for more and exciting announcements for the next year.

These camps listed above posted on Queer Burners they were looking for people.

Toaster

Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*, All rights reserved.
*|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|*Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

*|IF:REWARDS|* *|HTML:REWARDS|* *|END:IF|*


 

July 1st Mailer

by

 

 

Community announcements and news

 

 

View this email in your browser

 

 
 

Our New Look & More!

The web site has a new look and more changes to make it a better resource for YOU. We have some big things coming in the Queer Burner network for growth, structure and what we are able to deliver. We do need you participation and help to make it real though. Who benefits? Our community does.

What is contained in this email

 

 
How is this for a logo for 2017 starting with DaVinci’s Workshop and moving ahead through the coming calendar year. “Gayborhood” was removed as we seek to remind people that we are a radically inclusive community and many of our participants fall under the many other letters in the acronyms used to capture us bunch of Queers.

Starting July 1st we started a Fun Raising Campaign to take care of a few obligations and pave the road to the future. We are creating a legal identity and need a little boost to make that happen. The nice thing about the “rewards” from this fund raiser is a chance to get in on early ticket purchases for the 2017 queer burner retreat called “All Of Us”. EVERY PENNY COUNTS and we thank you all.
 

 Playa Prep

On your way out to the playa for your first time? You must be prepared… and if you are going on your own be extra prepared. If you are going with a camp make sure you are getting your acculturation training and HOW to prepare for the Playa.
All these resources are from 3rd parties that are highly popular on the Facebook web.

What is happening: Mark your Calendars

Here is what I can find on the Calendar. To see an evolving list go to the web site:
Quite literally this is all the events I have listed and for some reason only items in San Francisco. To get listed here and on the web site use the contact form on the web site or post on Queer Burners Facebook Group.

Things to mark your calendar on the playa!

There are some events to make special note of now and see more as they appear online in the coming future on the web site:
  • MONDAY burn week:
    • Down Low Club Annual Meet & Greet in the camp at night
    • Tectonic will host a Queer Burner dance party
  • TUESDAY burn week:
    • Sun Guardians Village hosts: Theme Camp Organizer Mixer with representatives from Placement
  • FRIDAY burn week:
    • Comfort & Joy w/ BAAAHS are moving their amazing Afterglow party out to the Playa! THIS IS A SOLID MUST ATTEND… it will be the hottest party for the week! Stay tuned for more information

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

For more information:

 

 

 
 

Copyright © *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*, All rights reserved.
*|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* *|LIST:DESCRIPTION|*

To contact us use the Contact Form on the web site or reply to this email.

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

*|IF:REWARDS|* *|HTML:REWARDS|* *|END:IF|*

 

 

 

 

Fun Raising for QB

by

We started a fund raising campaign on July 1st asking our community for $2500. that will pay a little of on Queer Burners and give us enough money to create the legal entity needed for the fulfillment of Queer Burners under “Life Grand Brilliant Triumphant Production” as an umbrella. Our mission is:

To create and curate events & spaces for intentional development of community and leadership based on the Burning Man 10 Principles. To give members of the community the space to rise into roles that let them become leaders and creators and drive the wake that makes, creates and promotes radical creativity. Promote projects and collaboration.
– 7/22/2016 undergoing revision

Since the campaign began, on days 1, we received a wonderful donation of $20 but since then it has been rather quiet. Mama may not get that raincoat after all.

Hope still reigns that over the next 10 days or more that things might turn around and goals will be achieved. The money has vert specific goals meant for it as noted above.

Our bank balance is $20. The 2016 Queer Burner Retreat was not meant to be profitable, but neither was it meant to dig into my pockets especially as deeply as it did. There was some overflow from 2015 that went into gifts for the community.

As for 2017 the plan is a lot more stable and we are already building a frame work so that finances are well managed and there is a bank balance in the end with a marvelous team and there are resources as companies like ir35 umbrella that help managing finances in business since accounting services are not that easy to find. In fact we had our first meeting last night signing the contract for the 2017 Event.

What they say Post Event: SURVEY RESULTS

by

Out of 150 attendees we got 42 people who answered a survey about the weekend. Overall it looks like people love GroundSwell, but not their plumbing or the cabins so much. But overall people seem to love it very much. The goal was to capture the general feeling of the event as a whole.

Back2GSquestionThere is little doubt that GroundSwell was very appreciated by everyone attending. While we love the property the production team is already looking at a place that can hold for a larger population next year. The Queer Burner Retreat is not looking to grow significantly, but we feel that the new venue will allow us some growth and the ability to expand what we are offering.

We had no injuries this year, thank goodness. We had no need for any medical assistance or problems with behavior. Everyone was safe and not a single incident was raised that except for 2 minor abrasions that were treated with the first aide kit.

We were fortunate to have a attendee who was a paramedic and he was not needed in that sense.

In regards to GroundSwell there were some comments:

“Cut down the tall grass in tent sites to decrease tick activity.“

“Time to upgrade that bathhouse! :)”

“…No real suggestions except possibly expanding volunteer roles a bit with like a “bathroom mop” daily or something. But
people were super-cooperative and pitched in. It worked!”

Events

The next biggest area we got comments on was about the events that were offered and not offered. We had a limited program based on the amount of time available on the weekend. A few people asked about having an ice breaker on day 1 which is something we should definitely consider.

  • Day 1: Camp fire meet and greet at 9pm

Maybe they were suggesting some kind of exercise. We did have Dinner Circle wherein people were introduced but if someone has a suggestion in the future that is something that can be implemented please let us know.

4 workshops

  • Inclusivity workshop on Saturday at 10am

This seemed to be a well attended workshop and really took on the banner of the weekend as the Production Team wanted a gender and racially diverse weekend. We went to a lot of effort to try and make sure people felt comfortable.

  • Hats for the Playa on Saturday at 1pm

A nice afternoon crafting workshop with good attendance.

  • Being a Ranger on Sunday at 10am

While the rangers out-numbered the attendees it was really nice and we hope some people felt inspired to explore rangering. I know a few people understand what Rangers do more.

  • Acculturation Sunday at Noon

There were comments about workshops for people new to Burning Man. We did have this piece for newbies and encouraged all new people to attend.

The Food

The survey at the top was very well in favor of the food produced, but there were some people who noted some dissatisfaction. Clearly we need to do better with Vegetarian food as the chef was not as prepared as needed to handle those needs. This falls strictly on Toaster who will make sure that these needs are met next year significantly better.

Lessons Learned

Mistakes happen and the real failure is not doing better next time around. Here are a few areas of note in random order:

  • improved meals for vegetarian diets
  • more clearly defined workshops
  • better explanation of the requirements of consent and personal boundaries among the attendees
  • written agreement with staff
  • making sure property representatives are able to respond to the needs of their guests

Conclusion

The survey we put out was to get a general temperature of what people experienced and how we could do better in the future. There were places we fell down and hope people will give us a chance again next year. Please add comments to this page or continue the dialog in the Groups / Forums part of this web site.

Safety

by

In the wake of Orlando, many of us are just stunned. It is probably more surprising that something as bad as that did not happen before. Every week it seems we are hearing about some horrible tragedy with guns in the world, but Orlando hit close to home for all of us. Queers have been targets for years by zealots.

In recent weeks we have been talking to BMorg about safety on the playa and in the Queer parts of the city and how it is important. That reason exploded this week. Believe it or not: many BMorg leaders and community participants have this misshapen view that Burning Man is all hippies and hugs which is not true.

Safety everywhere is a real issue. Listen to our older members of the community; to those who grew up in rural, scary places, to those who could not come out of the closet. Gay marriage was not the golden rainbow bridge that made us all equal. The things we did to survive in a hostile world in a country where all people were never really equal.

When the BMorg asked us if the flood of 7:30 Sector requests was queer camps we figure out the answer was no. Camps want the 7:30 sector because of alleged reasons such as better weather, streets in good condition, energy and more entertainment. While queer camps coalesced for safety, we hear BMorg uttering the dull roar of breaking it up again. We can’t have that. Now more than ever we need to safety and security of a united community.

Does that exclude non-queer community members? Not at all. We are a radically inclusive community but we have not always felt that inclusivity. Many see themselves and have experienced clear and defined marginalism. Our strength is in our perseverance and our chosen family and our community pride.

NOTE: BMorg Placement has not said they are breaking up the area typically known as the Gayborhood. But they are talking about making two distinct spaces in future events. This year it looks like we are going to see a Rainbow Road scenario and many of us are excited for that. But as Placement is taking on new leadership this year we need to be vigilant that the dialog of integrating queer camps through the city simply does not happen to dissolute the magic we bring as an attraction year after year.