Tonight we opened a forum for any member of the community to join us and learn a little more about Queerburners. We also had doped to recruit some interest in participation in the board and inspire the community to help us in our mission. Where could Queerburners go with new leadership at the helm?
Document referred to in the video include: – Roles and Responsibilities Document (PDF) – Emails: info@queerburners.org, toaster@queerburners.org, matt@queerburners.org
Please take your time and let us know if you see yourself taking a role in the future of Queerburners. The next Board meeting will be October 2nd to install the officers for 2024 and start planning for the next season.
We are in the heat of the season for festivals and preparation for Burning Man. Next week is EDC is Vegas, the BAAAHS Campout is coming up. So much happening all at once and it is so exciting, especially after 3 years of being trapped in our caves. Our organization became a non-profit during that same down time in 2020 and we have been working behind the curtain to develop what we could with the welfare of our community one-hundred percent in the focus of that goal.
When we wrote the vision statement for our organization, it was Nexus who helped us create that where we said essentially: our mission is complete when the community no longer needs what we are working for. Some might say, well, what have you been working on? Our primary mission is creating safe and accountable spaces and providing access for people from all walks of life. We almost always us NOTAFLOF (No One Turned Away For Lack Of Funds) when we talk about pricing and always make every effort to make sure all of our community is represented.
Last year we were able to produce an amazing series called the Rainbow Leadership Series in 4 parts that was held on Zoom. We gave away Grants for the first time to some great projects. When we wanted to do a camping event, it seemed that people were not ready for that so we decided to wait a year.
This year (2023) we tried to repeat that progress. Either our voices (meaning me and the board) are not reaching people through our Facebook Channel, Twitter, Insta, and Mailchimp, or people have moved on and don’t need what we are doing anymore. At the end of May 2023 we had two events planned that no one responded to. I ran into one of the biggest voices of this community this week amd when we spoke they did not know anything about it, so where did we go wrong?
The only way Queerburners works it through it’s participants. Everyone has a voice here and those of us on the board are very good about keeping things balanced. Why? Because all of us see the world from different places and do not always agree, but we have a common goal and work together well. If a person is disruptive to that, they made their own exit. But, we work well together with a collective process of sharing and having the safety of expressing an opinion or feeling.
As the current chair and founder of Queerburners, I have not always been an ideal leader, but I hope people can always feel safe talking to me and carrying the banner that was initially raised in 2008 and accomplished so much! If you want to contribute and help us develop programming for the community that supports all across the rainbow, please send us an email to info [at] queerburners [dot] org
Queerburners is a service organization focused on LGBTQIA+ burners and our allies creating safe and accountable spaces for every person in that acronym and more.
We start a new calendar year following the big event in Black Rock City every year because we are also looking ahead to the future and setting the tone and direction we want to go.
We are a consensus based organization and everyone who attends a meeting has a voice. We vote by majority, but we are exceedingly open to view points some of us might know need to be heard.
Where am I going with that?
We need more help in order to continue – and there are roles for people to play if you can.
The board is largely CIS, white and male TBH. We would like to see more representation from the people who identify from more letters of LGBTQIA and people of color.
We need help with our communications and event production to meet some lofty goals for next year.
In 2022 – We sponsored and ran 2 local events in the bay area to hook up campers with camps and visa versa to great success – We also saw our camp directory on our website get spectacular attention and were able to help continue networking people and camps – We produced 4 Zoom workshops called the Rainbow Leadership Summit that can currently be seen on our YouTube Channel and our website – We gave out grants to projects headed to Waking Dreams in a way we have never been able to before
Queerburners was originally founded in 2008 as Gayburners and evolved a lot over time. I had a lot of help along the way, but through community support we were able to keep going to produce a variety of events over the last thirteen years.
We produced – 4 LGBTQIA regional style events in 2015, 16, 17 and 18. – Leadership conferences in 2012, 16 and 2018 – And many local events in the bay area…
The future demands we do more in more regionally if we are successful in supporting our mission beyond one region.
We currently have about twenty Facebook groups for people all over the world to network. This is more than just getting ready for the big burn, these spaces are a chance for local producers and community leaders to rally and carry on the mission of Queerburners.
To be clear, our mission is simply to build community through events and education. To promote leadership. And to stand in solidarity to assure we are being heard for our collective safety and welfare in the greater community. We are not an authority or representation of the Borg. But we will stand together and make our needs known like we did in 2016.
Grants
This year we gave out two grants and a well-deserved donation to a project we really loved.
Gender Blender received a grant from us to help promote their message and support their education and performance programs on playa. We love the work Ariel and her crew do off and on-playa through their active programming.
And Moonlight Outpost who served soup from a Soup Cart on deep playa bringing Asian and Queer culture together in a way that shares the best of both worlds.
We made a donation to one of the most talked about projects at Burning Man this year called The Afterlife by Blitzy, Chickpea and a group of amazing volunteers.
Changes
Truthfully, since the pandemic with Corona virus we have been changed as a community. There has been a thematic shift in the priorities and what we need and expect. Not just from each other, but our leadership. There were a LOT of new camps placed this year. There were a lot of smaller camps who were part of bigger camps that broke free to create their own spaces.
How we burn has shifted. What we need for self care and what we can give has changed too. My own priorities have changed, and as I speak to different people in our community I can testify to the huge shift in what we hold dear.
Acknowledgements
That is why when I admire how some of the leadership in our community are able to marshall tremendous resources and create with so much passion, I am left in awe, I have to send out a few shout-outs before I go tonight.
Christian Williams who had brought the BAAAHS sheep out there year after year actively supporting other projects, social causes and community along the way and how he is able to get so many people behind him. Mary from Tomorrow Lambs for her success in building her own camp and making it such a presence on playa for 2022 Comfort and Joy for always demonstrating their commitment to the values we hold dear and work so hard to lead Dr. Dilemma aka Mark who actively does so much for the Queerborhoods behind the scenes and works hard for the BMorg Rui Rita and his people from Glamcocks who, with his team, always delivers mind blowing architecture and events And Ariel Vergosen from Gender Blender who gives constantly in producing educational and entertainment programming, not to mention a safe place for people who are Trans, Gender Non Conforming and Questioning bodies on the playa.
Conclusion
Queerburners need more engagement from the community and people who might drive the ship into the next generation. We have been actively looking for people with the desire and ability to take this to the next level.
Simply put, the thirteen years Queerburners has existed and evolved is not the same institution that can coast into the future. Our services are for the strength and success of the people we serve.
You can find recruitment links on our website queerburners.org, sign up for our mailing list on the same link, and find all kinds of information.
Queeerburners is excited about the way 2022 is already starting to unfold. There are so many amazing opportunities coming up and chances to come together. And whether it comes from an internally produced event or someone in our community we are excited to see everyone sparkle.
Produced Events from Queerburners
Rainbow Leadership Summit – San Francisco’s Upper Haight 3/26 to 3/27 (Eventbrite)
Theme Camp Speed Dating – San Francisco Upper Haight 3/26 (Eventbrite)
Spring Retreat Camping Event – East Park Reservoir 5/6-8 (TicketSpice – Coming Soon)
Community Events you should explore!
Mystopia: Electroluxx – San Francisco Feb 12 – The Midway
Kostume Cult – Miami @ Love Burn Feb 11 – Facebook
Glamcocks: Double Feature – San Francisco Feb 25 – The Midway
Comfort & Joy: Touch – Saturday, Mar 12 – TBA
Gender Blender Party – Oakland’s Mission Control Mar 25
(Discount for RLS Attendees) – TBA
Comfort & Joy: Touch – Saturday, Apr 23 – TBA
Comfort & Joy: AfterGlow Pride – Saturday, Jun 25 – TBA
Stewards Ticket Sales Form Opens – Feb 23 to Mar 4
Stewards Ticket Sale – Mar 9 to 11th
Main Sale Registration – Mar 23 to 25th
Main Ticket Sale – Mar 30th
Ticket Aide Program Form Opens – Mar 16 to May 18 (may close earlier)
Ticket Aide Ticket Sale – May 23 – 25th
**announced in Placement news letter 2/7 >See email here<
This event is a focus on the Queerborhoods where our focus on our return in 2022 to Waking Dreams for camp and project leaders. That includes new and veteran camp and communtiy builders to nurture a safe and accountable space that is raised to the highest level we can rech as a community.
Get involved today!
To sign up as a volunteer for the Rainbow Leadership Summit > click here <
To sign up as a volunteer for the Speed Dating event > click here <
To sign up as a camp, project or other for Speed Dating > click here <
Queerburner services and community support
Is your camp listed on our Camp Directory yet? > click here <
or… are you looking for a camp still? > click here <
or… go to the local Theme Camp / Project Speed Dating near you!
Queerburners is a 501c3 organization as a social organization for LGBTQIA+ our allies and friends. We are a volunteer driven organization and are actively in need to people to help drive our mission and promote our activities. Check us out on www.blog.queerburners.org today and learn more.
Blog entry: We need help : Looking for new Treasurer and Communications Director (&Team)
Tax Deductible Donation to Queer Burners today: > click here <
Other important places to give back in our community
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Queerburners values the ideas, language and safety of our community. We move forward with accountability and purpose with our RiDE programs and the planning and future for our organization.
Feeling very grateful for the level of participation from this community. Since I started this thing so many years ago there have been a lot of people who have come and gone that took on some of the weight and added to the drive to find our successes. Today was not different and without a filter, the link above is to the whole meeting.
Thank you again to the current members of leadership for Queerburners:
Toaster founder of Queerburners – Chair
Wink from Tickled Mink – Communications
Matt from Land of Monkey – Clerk
Starduster from Comfort & Joy / Black Rock City Rangers – Events
Sara from Land of Monkey
Brace from Burners Without Borders – Treasurer (temporary)
