Article

Being a Community Ally

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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

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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

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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

July 1 News Letter out June 30

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The by monthly news letter went out on June 30th to launch the weekend and let people know about coming events.

July 4th Weekend

It’s time for fireworks and picnics in the park. Patriotism is probably along party lines this year, but with this full on launch into summer I hope everyone has an amazing and blessed holiday weekend. Be safe out there. Drive safe out there. Live, Love and Laugh as much as you can. And for those headed out for the 4th of Juplaya … you so lucky! – Toaster & Queer Burners

In this issue of the monthly news letter:

  • Is this Newsletter worth it?
  • Placement Announced for 2017
  • 2017 Queer Camps List
  • Events
  • The Mechanics: How this email works

Hello… is anyone out there?

Is this news letter a value to the community? Our total list has swollen in the last couple days to 735 getting this email from 720ish. Frankly it has been at the same number for almost a year. Yet, as much pertinent information possible is collected and assembled 2x a month. As a backup many of the news letters have been published on our web site (www.QueerBurners.Com).

With some changes coming to the whole Queer Burners structure coming this year, this is also a chance for the community to be more directly involved and have a say in all publications and services offered by this site. Be the change you want to be.

Queer Burners Mission is simple: “A Mission of Building Community and Leadership”

Placement Announced

What exciting and earlier than anticipated news! According to Trippi Longstalking in a recent letter from Placement, the Placement announcements would not be out til the beginning of July. But that changed just a few days ago when we all started getting email notifications (as camp leaders) that … well, shit is going down. And that FILLED the air with excitement.

…and then as usual a map was created to try and give some reference to where camps were at and IF a semblance of the Queer Neighborhood would be kept in tact. There were A LOT OF REASONS to be worried. We lost Answergirl and especially Hepkitten this year who (to my knowledge) were among our strongest advocates. We have had awesome relationships with Placement but when the team changed so drastically this year we could only guess at what that might lead to.

Thank fully the Queer Neighborhood is present, but fractured in spite of the grouping shown. We have good proximity, but that is really not a Placement issue. As hard as it is to say, it is really up to people filling out the applications to be clear with what camps they want to be placed. If you wrote “I need to be in the Gayborhood”… there is no OFFICIAL Gayborhood so there is nothing for a Placer to latch on to. In many cases they do not know which camps are queer/gay/lesbian/trans or not. A stronger Queer Community means we have to be more on topic with our requests.

2017 Queer Burners Camp List

A new list is published today with a different format for best practices on the site. It will be live this afternoon. It is not too late to be added to it, but the graphic above can only hold so much. . Check out the 2017 Queer Burners Page on our web site. 

Events

This is a list of events we know about:

BURNING MAN 2017 – Hot Events

Submit your events for the news letter in the link below.

The Mechanics

Thank you to everyone who has contributed and helped keep this network thriving. As we get closer to event season there is room for more people to play in this garden. If you sign up on the Queer Burners web site and are verified, then you too can write posts and continue conversations relevant to the community at large. Thank you to so many of you.

GLC: What about it?

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The Global Leadership Conference hosted by Burning Man in Oakland at the beginning of the month was an amazing experience. This was my 5th or 6th one. When one starts forgetting those details then it feels like maybe it’s time to slow down? IDK… but I was super grateful to see so many people there.

People have since asked regarding the last post: “GLC: Gayborhood Broken Up?” questions like where is the queer representation at BMorg? With the Census showing an LGBTQ population hovering about 30% [2016 Report] of Black Rock City are we represented in the org the same way? When it comes to Ethnic Diversity and other populations anyone can ask the same question.

After my experience at the GLC and my interactions with BMorg there is a resounding yes (regarding representation), but there are some consistent problems with the BMorg as far as being able to react to Sexual Identity and Ethnic needs in the community that are slowly getting the recognition they have sorely needed over the years.

This is my 9th year in the community and when I tell you I have seen some real shit hit the fan, I have. BUT, I have also seen certain bodies of the BMorg really bounce right back to save the moment. There are some heroes up there.

The Conference

Let’s focus on some of the positives. This year there were more community leaders brought into the fold than ever before. This also included Theme Camp leaders and more diverse community leaders with various agendas. While some of these agendas were Ethnic, some were about Disability Access, and others were about creating new space to commune and make community.

Not to harp on myself, but my first GLC was as a Community Leader for the Las Vegas community and then each year following I went to talk about the Gayborhood. I also talked vigorously about safety for queers and women which is already documented well in the scope of this site.

There were queer leaders from all over the country. Many of whom lead Queer Burner regional message boards listed here on this site. It is also fair to say, without outing anyone who is not ready to be outed, that there are top level people who identify as LGBTQ.

We have many many allies, but that does not mean we have a free pass. Queer Burners as a community has to toil and resolve issues like everyone else in the community. There are issues we have to fight against but that is minutia compared to the scope of what we do for a week out of the year and how we bring Burning Man ideology to our communities.

And that is the key! Burning Man mission statement has been pared down to something very simple about bringing the 10 Principles to the world and creating community with that. Burners Without Boards and the Burning Man Project have been the pivot point on all that.

Us v. Them

Thinking there is an ‘us versus them mentality’ is not really conducive to a positive outcome. There is no such thing. If we want something from this community, we have to ask or demand it. If it happens through our Theme Camp Applications or where we spend our money then those are strong voices.

  • Going back to the Gayborhood question: Radical Self Reliance means we have to put in our applications who we want to be camped near and where.
  • If queers feel unsafe at Burning Man because of dangers growing out of a surging tourist culture then there are other places to spend and get value from that $425 dollar ticket.
  • If the dissolution of 10 Principles ideology is making it hard to be part of the burn, then become an activist and use Immediacy to start your own – thing.

As with any institution there are ways to work within the scope of the community or with our freedom; we can make our own. For many of us Burning Man is something we cherish. We might see some scars but the bigger picture is the value of those few days a year we get to create something amazing.

Schedules

The GLC had a lot of sessions that were very valuable. If you can go next year then by all means go. As this was my 5th or 6th year it has become almost a 2nd Burning Man trip for me… without the dust. I have allies that are there as well as people who would see my work torn apart.

I will post about the workshops and some feedback about them in my next post.

Conclusion

Sorry about the brevity and lack of content in this post. I wanted to share some thoughts about what I perceive as our individual responsibilities in this community to our goals in the Burning Man Community. Queer Burners comes in behind that somewhere as well as your Theme Camp and Yourself in any order that works for you.

We get what we petition for. If this is a chorus rather than one guy shouting like a crazy guy in the street that is very different. If we want the Gayborhood then we have to ask for it. We have to find our strategic partner camps and unite with them and put that in the application.

As far as who is representing us at Burning Man we have a lot of strong voices. For every twenty people there is maybe 1 neigh-sayer. We really do have more allies than not. The only thing I would like to discourage is letting other people be your voice… be your own voice and be heard.

Where are we that….?

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Over the years that I have been doing things under the banner of Queer Burner (formerly Gay Burners) it has taken many forms. As the primary voice on this project it has been my chief goal to unite queer burners and make a fun play space for all those who would like to play in this amazing sand box.

Like on any playground, there are bullies. There are people who would thrust their point of view on other around them in spite of facts or truths. We do live in an age where there is “truthiness” and “alt-truths” and revisionist history that seek to drive a narrative that is increasingly questioned by some and ignored by others.

In the scope of that, calling out white privilege has been a big subject. At the Burning Man Global Leadership Conference this April 2017 in Oakland, California there was a 2 hour discussion from a black woman to a widely mixed audience. The smartest thing a white male could do was to listen and observe, but that was too much for some of us. You can imagine the results.

This week we put a survey on one of our Facebook Groups : Queer Burners Global Social Network :

  • Patience. Calm. Honesty. Maybe reflect a moment before answering. There is a reasonable expectation that the Gayborhood / Rainbow Road is going to be very different in 2017. If the Queer Neighborhood is decentralized will this effect your burn?

The feedback has been amazing. The ability to answer in the scope of the poll was limited. Read through the comments and see some of what happen, because it is awesome. However, a lot of people had no problem with the dissolution of the Gayborhood. BTW: they were mostly white and male (as of last check).

Some battles have been strange and interesting. If you read the trip report from the 2016 Burn there was a meeting with Placement at a queer camp (Sun Guardians) where in mostly queer camps came to meet with Placement and have a conversation about being neighborly: this was not a meeting about Queer Camps.

There were two attendees that highjacked the meeting and tried to make it about the merits of the Gayborhood, but we were able to steer it away. Among them was a person with a complex and strong voice from the White Ocean camp who clearly was dealing with his own demons.

The second person was a member of the temple crew  whose partner wanted nothing to do with the direction of the conversation.

This week someone named Tom Steward posted publicly his feelings about the Gayborhood and this submission was an echo of sentiment from other voices in the minority about the Gayborhood:

  • “Gays are in no more danger than anyone else at burning man. No need for a gayborhood unless you want easy cruising. Gays should be sprinkled lightly over the entire city. We are a gay camp and have never felt threatened and dislike that gays are segregated.” – Tom posted this with his email address and IP. It was a public submission through the feedback form and he had some feelings to share.

Tom reflects the feelings of some other burners; most often it is a voice of people who feel rejected by the Gayborhood and it’s residents. In my 9 years burning I have seen an amazing evolution of queer camps who have worked very very very hard to make their camps and residents more inclusive and welcoming. We have evolved and ask to see if your perception can evolve with us.

Even if the Gayborhood is broken into 2, if it is dissolute, it will evolve and survive. But with that, people who find a sense of safety with it are the people Burning Man is trying to reach. It’s not just an ethnic loss, it’s the loss of diversity on another level.

E very person I have seen asking for the breakup of the Gayborhood was a gay white male sharing a point of view that excluded anyone else in the scope of what they proposed to be destroyed. Objectively these people are missing a lot of facts.

  • we conducted surveys of the community and found clear data that there were significant threats to personal safety against gender ambiguous, trans and specifically female identified people in the scope of the survey sent to Queer Burner members.  The results are on this site from last year.
  • his expression of “we” seems to be limited to his white, gay camp mates of a mysterious camp yet unidentified.

Queers and people of color do not move through community like everyone. We (they) are usually aware of their environments for specific safety reasons. We do not walk through a neighborhood assuming safety. It is the same in the world and the same at Burning Man. With the commercialization of Burning Man, with the Bucket List thinking, we have to step up our game for safety and community support more and more.

March 2917 News Letter P2

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Queer Burners News Letter

Thank you to all of you who have subscribed and been subscribed to this news letter through joining the web site (www.queerburners.com). Our list is an important channel to the LGBTQ++ community. Help keep this list alive and keep up to date with our event announcements that go out every 2 weeks! Thank you again.

In this issue of the monthly news letter:

  • All Of Us Update
    • The Art Garden
    • Artist coming to All Of Us
  • Burning Man Ticket Sales
    • it’s time to get ready!!!
  • Burning Man Global Leadership Event in Oakland
  • 2017 Queer Camps List
  • Events
  • The Mechanics: How this email works

Next Week

 

All Of Us Update

Tom Seago, aka DJ Traaven, aka Wizard of BAAAHS, aka one of the sweetest humans we know has been working on the Art Garden for “All Of Us event” and it is coming together. You heard us talk about in the last issue a little but since then we had some new amazing additions:

All of Us is excited to announce an artist discussion featuring renowned Burning Man artists Rebekah Waites (The Church Trap), Dan Sullivan (Catacomb of Veils), and Dan Reeves (The Journey). Tickets for All of Us on sale now: www.tinyurl.com/AllOfUsArtPanel

So excited to have Steve Dudek back and bringing an amazing piece that was at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. It is one of the highest traffic technology and art showcases in the city. Steve has also contributed to the Burner community and art for many years.

And 3 (visualby3.com) will also be there in a few roles. He will have an amazing project light piece in the garden and will also be engaged as our lighting/graphics artist for the Afterworld Party and will be performing on the Sunday showcase. Yay!!

Burning Man Ticket Sales

In just a few weeks, TICKETS for the event go on sale, and Ye need to do some things to PREPARE

  • You must create or update your “burner profile” to register for the 2017 ticket sale. https://profiles.burningman.org/
  • You should also create or update a “ticketfly” account http://www.ticketfly.com/
  • MARCH 22nd Wednesday 12:00 noon PST
  • Main sale REGISTRATION begins – No need to rush on this one, all you’re doing is registering for the MAIN sale.
  • MARCH 24th Friday 12:00 noon PST
  • Main sale REGISTRATION closes
  • MARCH 29th Wednesday 12:00 noon PST
  • MAIN SALE starts – Be ready to click at NOON or you will NOT get a ticket!!!

Burning Man Global Leadership Event in Oakland

An annual conference of Burning Man community leadership that happens each spring. From humble beginnings in 2007, where 70 Regional Contacts joined us at Burning Man HQ, the GLC has since grown to include over 400 participants from around the world.

These highly-energized folks are Burning Man’s global representatives and community leaders, ambassadors of Burning Man culture in their regions who throw any of 65 Regional events in 20 countries. They participate in the GLC to share ideas, best practices and inspiration, and to make the invaluable face-to-face connections that may just lead to the next big thing. – burningman.org

There is a chance for leaders on almost all levels to go in 2017 and that deadline to apply is Friday (tomorrow). Email glc@burningman.ord to request access to the event. It does cost between $200 and $695, so be prepared to buy a ticket if one is afforded to you.

2017 Queer Burners Camp List

The list is taking shape and camps are seriously gearing up to get ready for “Radical Ritual” Burning Man 2017. Do not be one of those people who wait til the last minute to commit because you WILL be left out. Check out the 2017 Queer Burners Page on our web site. 

Events

This is a list of events we know about:

Submit your events for the news letter in the link below.

The Mechanics

Thank you to everyone who has contributed and helped keep this network thriving. As we get closer to event season there is room for more people to play in this garden. If you sign up on the Queer Burners web site and are verified, then you too can write posts and continue conversations relevant to the community at large. Thank you to so many of you.

Let’s Talk About … IT

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Starting somewhere around 2006 an active member of the community named Mario Cisneros started a gay pride parade event that would begin at the foot of the man and wind into the city. It was usually a well turned out event because politically there was a lot still going on in the United States and in some other parts of the world where LGBT and other sexual self identifying people were struggling for rights and not to forget Mario’s flare for getting people together.

Burning Man Gay Pride
Mario: Left Side of Screen

Mario was part of Moonbow camp. It was, at least for a period of time, usually found near 3:00 and C in Black Rock City and was where the original Official Queer Burner Meet & Greet was before it moved over to the Down Low Club. All of this was done, at least through 2016, in Mario’s memory thanks to several members of the community struggling to keep it alive.

Mario Cisneros
Mario Cisneros

In 2014 the popularity and attendance started to wain and the organizer tried to update the concept to make it more interesting to the community at large but it never really caught fire. Mario passed in 2012 so from 2012 to 2015 Toaster from the Sun Guardians Village tried mastering it with a more pub crawl / parade vibe. Justin from Camp Proper took over in 2016 and had about the same, perhaps slightly better success than what Toaster finished with.

What Happen to LGBT Pride at Burning Man?

When talking about LGBT Pride in Black Rock City there was a dichotomy that was grossly apparent even in a part of the city that has been traditionally called the Gayborhood (to Rainbow Road for inclusivity). On one hand there was a thought that ALL burners were playing on the same field and there was no more us versus them. In fact, the powers that be at Burning Man Headquarters have stated they want to see queer camps dispersed through the city.

On the other hand, there are a lot of Queer Burners who have asked the Burning Man Organization to keep the queer neighborhood in tact for reasons of safety and security which has already been discussed in previous posts on this site. There was a theory that LGBTQAI feel threatened physically and emotionally on various levels; specifically female and non-conforming gender identities based on a recent survey (May 2016 by the Queer Burner Leadership Network); that the close quarters of Queer Camps help created a layer of safety and refuge for vulnerable queers and women.

The various positions on Pride at Burning Man made even a seasoned queer pause and doubt the importance of celebrating ones social/sexual self as opposed to others. The drive behind pride, at least within the fence around Black Rock City, became lost in the dust at some point.

Why Pride?

Why to Burning Man of all places? Most people think of Burning Man as the adult playground of love and harmony. EVERYONE loves each other and free hugs abound. This is the story that touches every soul who is compelled back annually and let nothing get in their way. All of that is absolutely true.

The dark underbelly of that has been physical and sexual assault that has resulted in a powerful and present campaign by great organizations like BED (Bureau of Erotic Discourse) and Safe Place.

But back to pride… there are a lot of old queerdos that go to Burning Man who are 80 years old and there are a lot of young people who never saw those battles in the streets for equality. To some Stonewall was an honorable mention in a history book (maybe) or something written on a rainbow flag they saw in June (gay pride month).

  • In our lifetime, even today, a person can be killed – loose their job – be thrown out of their home – all just for being LGBT. It does not matter what your age is. This happens today.
  • In our lives we queers are often forced by survival to choose our own faemily (spelling intentional) because the ones we were raised with cannot relate.
  • Queer teens are, as long as records have been kept, have the highest rates of suicide.

Pride, even if YOU as an individual don’t need it in the moment, that you know you have a softer place to go to if your other system fails. It is a light, rainbow colored, that will embrace.

Pride has FAILED some people who feel shamed or ostracized by their contemporaries or elders. As much as we try and sweep up the wreckage and want to heal that soul sometimes we cannot.

Pride and self worth is something we as a community embrace on our own terms, but as a community stand together to be that soft cushion for those in need where we can. The key word: Community. No matter how many people who cannot understand that history and vulnerability that are out there, the rest of us have to stand strong and bright so darkness does not win.

LGBT Pride and Burning Man

It has always seemed clear that the 10 Principles written by Larry Harvey for Burning Man were things that would resonate with LGBT people, specifically because it already represents what we have been trying to do our whole lives. It would seem the white-hetero-heavy board of directors for Burning Man were looking for the same exact thing as Queer Burners and people residing in the Rainbow Road section of the city.

According to the 2015 census 1/3rd of the citizens of Black Rock City are LGBT self identified. In 2016 the questions on the survey changed somewhat thanks to input from members of the Gender Blender camp to the powers that be that included more definitive terms people can self identify in the 2016 census. Look up #demographics on this site to see past census data.

The 10 Principles draw some parallel lines to basic needs from Burning Man participants to Queer Burners as a substructure of that community as a whole.

Out of the 70,000 people of Black Rock City only a small percentage actively engage in the Rainbow Road sector comparatively. However, the energy generated by queer camps has attracted mixed and mostly straight camps to the same sector for the same benefits queer camps have asked for. Camps like Orphan Endorphine identify as queer friendly and have been great community partners who want to be near us.

2017 Pride

There is yet new blood working on a 2017 event at Burning Man with new management. It is with great hope and anticipation we will see more of the community drawing together under the 2017 pride banner. We have a responsibility to represent the best qualities of ourselves and our community.

There have been some true champions in this story over the years. Many are shown in the #Queer Burners People hashtag who have contributed to this effort over time. Collectively Gender Blender, Beaverton and Glamcocks have made great strides in building bridges in and out of the queer neighborhood.

There is a vital need for LGBT Pride! Our fight is not over. All the rights bestowed upon us in the USA could vanish in a month, a week, or any amount of time. Even at Burning Man, there is still a chance that Placement will dismantle the queer camps in spite of our arguments to the contrary. The truth is there are more arguments against it out there than for it. We need to keep pride, community, and being present for those that need a hand always in mind.

If you are the one who needs that hand then talk to people… but a hand is different than a handout and radical self reliance is a scary road.

And finally: Placement has not taken a position to dismantle the queer neighborhood completely but it is a reality we might soon need to face. There was talk about breaking it in half at a 2016 meeting attended by your community leaders. Use your voice for good and together we will be a stronger community. Be engaged and help us promote a better united and supportive hug to embrace those when they need it.

Radical Inclusion: Doing Better

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There were 2 highly visible incidents during burn week where people had a wide audience who complained they did not feel welcome in the queer neighborhood affectionately known now as Rainbow Road. This is not news to a lot of people, because we have had problems in the past, among LGBTQAI people exploring the area of Black Rock City.

Given the conversations we have had among leadership in the community, it is hard to believe that such a thing can still happen today. We strive to make Rainbow Road accessible to everyone.

A few years ago Camp Beaverton has a hard nut to crack. That is a women only space (women identified too) and there is a need to protect and honor that space. But the gay men-folk love their lesbians and thanks to the efforts of camp leadership starting with Bucket and then someone like Foxy and Galaxyled the way to make the Beavers more engaged and invigorated community partners.

The Beaverton space is still a space to be honored for women as Gender Blender is to gender queer and trans people which are all spaces that need to be respected. The GB’s have always maintained a sense of welcoming.

Nobody can deny how much The Glamcocks have worked to build into community awareness and to make sure that their camp was accessible by people of all shapes, sizes and ages. It’s been YEARS since there were any complaints and anyone holding into the past needs to explore the future.

That was the Past: The Now

Incident 1: As mentioned in a previous post, there was a meeting at Sun Guardians Village that was attended by a lot of Queer Burner Leaders, non-Queer specific and others. This was attended by Placement and Placers from Burning Man HQ. One of the attendees complained he was ostracized by queer Burning Man participants because he was an ex-porn star, ex-escort and so forth. In fact his position was so anti-Gayborhood and loudly spoken that it derailed the meeting with Placement for at least an hour.

This one person claimed that he posted on the Queer Burner boards and was treated horribly, though I have not been able to find that discussion. In fact the only thing I can find is an offer to help camps with grey water back in August this year.

This was a powerful situation, highly visible, from a person who has a voice in the Burning Man community at large and should never have had a negative experience, but things happen. We have some strong opinions and defenses out there but not to the point of exclusion.

Another Instance

Big Gay OwlIncident 2: A Facebook Queer Burners user Matt Melnicki  posted his misgivings about they way he was received in the Rainbow Road camps. As someone in the process of coming out of the closet, plus putting out an art piece as part of his coming out process, I think from the discussion it was important for him to find that radical acceptance that even his own family hard a hard time giving him; a story we all know (depending on that generation you stem from).

This was his coming out piece, one which he was very proud of. As for some of the supporting posts on the Facebook feed he had a lot of admirers for his work.

Matt Wrote:

“Hey, I’m the artist who did the little owl piece (near the library). I came “home” to some disconcerting messages from my mother urging me not to post about it on social media, and I don’t know how to respond to her (nor do I want to). She was initially supportive when I told her before I went into BRC last week. (The owl was a coming-out piece, for those who missed it). I don’t have the pictures yet to do my big FB post, but now I’m feeling a lot of the empowerment gained at BRC to be dissipating. (I also had several disappointing experiences of unwelcomeness at gay events/camps this year, but that’s another issue). Anyway, I feel alone and confused and sad again and I actually could use some advice if anyone wants to help me finish taking the biggest step of my life..“

  • Rich Martin Matt: I also have enjoyed the same cold reception from the “gay ghetto”,…and I’ve created some of the pieces that have helped make BRC a destination for my fellow citizens 🙂
    Don’t take it personally. As you are finding, charting your own path and being answerable to no one but yourself is a big deal. As an artist, it’s important to realize that your self-worth depends on no one but you. The Ten Principles play big here: radical self-reliance is one of the heaviest hitters.
    Personally…I REALLY HEART THE OWL. ***Please*** post pix. Definitely a piece worth sharing.
  • Matt Melnicki i just spoke on the phone with my brother, who for most of my life has been closed-minded…. UNCONDITIONAL SUPPORT! wow. i’m crying so much. he told me to ignore our parents and do whatever i feel i need to do to be happy.
  • Jay Michel Hi Matt! The owl is wonderful. 🙂 I would love some details on your experience with gay events/ camps this year. As a member of one I hope it was not us that made you feel unwelcomed! But I know we and all the camps are always looking to improve so sharing might be helpful for next year. If you rather not post here, you can always message me.

There were a lot of other posts that went along with this and this is not even a good representation of the highlights. The problem is bigger than this because a lot of people have had similar experiences. I am also personally aware of some camps who have made tremendous efforts to improve accessibility of camps. I am aware of some camps who have done nothing, but the beauty is the people that have – have accomplished a lot.

Balancing Perception v. Bias

Some of us walk into a space with our own baggage or prejudice and see people of a group in a certain light. The challenge in Radical Inclusion is a two way street which means to be received as an open heart, you have to go in with an open heart. To be accepted openly that person has to come in openly.

“Each of us has a biased world view because we are all limited to a single camera perspective. That is we can only see what comes before us, we can only hear what is around us, and we can only read that which is in front of us. No one has the definitive version of reality, including the the author of this lesson. Our social locations helps inform our world view – our race, class, gender, religion, sexual orientation, culture, etc.Our world view impacts how we view, respond, and react to every experience. Our job in this lesson is to learn what stereotypes and biases are, how to recognize our own biases…” – Recognizing & Understanding Stereotypes and Bias on cptc.edu

I have seen two very different reactions to the same kind of interaction in a camp like Glamcocks (or any camp) for example. It is no secret that the Glamcocks live up to their name filled with gorgeous men who are smart, witty and on the cutting edge of their respective communities. A middled aged man walks into camp and:

  • circumstance A: he sees all the lovely people and feels like he is part of that vibe and dances with joy. His expectations are open. His defenses and fears are practically null. He dances and enjoys the vibe and leaves thinking he had a great time. While he was there during his fun, he met several camp members and will be back. He felt connected to the vibe, music and space and will come back.
  • circumstance B: he sees all the lovely people and wants to be part of the vibe and dances but looks for acceptance. He fears he will not click with people. He engages and was greeted and welcomed to the camp. He continues dancing and makes some superficial connections but, although attracted to a lot of the crowd, find himself detached and leaves. It’s their fault for not connecting with him because of his age (weight, hair color or whatever).

I have been on other sides of these equations. This is almost a personal testimony. Where is my heart in this interaction in the reality of the situation. What baggage am I bringing to the table? We all need to ask ourselves these questions and reflect.

In the last few years I have not seen a situation where a camp has not been welcoming. But then again I have a certain level of comfort and ownership that I bring into my interactions that are a lot different than where I was 8 or less years ago.

Conclusion

Without being in Matt’s shoes, or Rich’s shoes, we cannot speak for them. In no way can we blame these folks or apply fault for their perceptions. We can apply tools to help for the future. Or maybe provide tools for others. There is a lot of stuff online including a cool Huffington Post article.

In the end what we take into a situation is what we will experience. Smiles are contagious. An open heart is a road paved in gold.

The thing about our Burning Man world is that it is diverse in it’s psychology. We are all looking for something to hold on to. We want to hold on to each other but we have to be prepared for that union.

Rainbow Road: WTF?

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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.