Where: Online only When: April 21, from 8pm to 9pm or later as needed How: Register for direct access on Eventbrite Who: As of 4/10 leads from BAAAHS, C&J, GlamCocks, Camp Beaverton, Gender Blender (Queerdome)
I invited select leaders in the community from some of the most known camps to speak about the Queerborhood in recent history and share ideas for the new age we have entered post covid (an assumption and maybe an unrealistic view). How can we help open a path to better collaboration and presentation without curating ourselves into a corner away from intrinsically inspired content that is spontaneous and inviting.
Register on Eventbrite to get direct access through ZOOM: Eventbrite Link (Donations will help us fund this and future projects)
The Queerborhood in 7:30 has gone through a lot of evolution over time and continues to shapeshift. The splitting of Queerborhoods in 2019 was the first major change.
The 4:30 Queerborhood anchored by BAAAHS was not the only Queerborhood that emerged over the years. Users have often generated spaces grown and fostered out of a need for safety and community. This includes Burner Buddies and others over time.
On Thursday on April 21 8pm, I am inviting a panel to talk about Burning Man 2022. What are the needs of th Queer community and how do leaders in those sectors want to inspire, enrich and mentor our community into more enriching and accountable space.
On March 26 we do a Zoom meeting with Placement and OSS as the headliner. (1.5 to 2 hours) Queerburners presents a series of programs to prepare for return to the playa in 2022 and to make our Queerborhoods shine by inspiring collaboration, resource sharing, and community and culture building together.
– 13:00 We start at 1pm with Toaster welcoming people to the Rainbow Leadership Series – 13:05 Level: Placement and the Queerborhoods – 13:20 Q&A – 13:25 Galaxy and President talk about OSS and a new program for reducing our impact on the playa with new power solutions – 13:40 Q&A – 13:45 Farmer: to talk about storage and other services available in Gerlach and Empire that he wants Queer Camps to be aware of – 14:00 AJ from Gerlach: Wants to talk about Gerlach Gay Pride
Farmer will talk about a growing Queer Culture in Gerlach We are asking everyone to register through Eventbrite so the we have a an accountable audience and limit potential spammers and disruptors. We will have someone monitoring and stacking hands for Q&A.
– April – Queerborhoods – May – Queerstory w/ Harley K DuBois – June – RiDE the Rainbow, a RIDE initiative
Hi its Ariel (Trixie) and I’m inviting you to Gender Blender on March 25 in Oakland!
Details here – After two long years of being six feet apart we are thrilled to be making our Cumback!!! You waited so patiently, and we’re DELIGHTED to invite you to Gender Blender’s long-awaited CUMback play and dance party! This party is for people of all genders with a priority on creating a safer, consent-focused space for trans, genderqueer, GNC + questioning folks to get their groove on. Our play parties offer a sensuous space to explore, indulge, and celebrate what turns you on. It’s gonna be hot, intimate, & kinky!
Chill in the BYOB bar, get down on the dance floor, enjoy performances by trans and genderqueer artists, meet new friends, or kink it up, well, anywhere! All levels of play are welcome, from first-timers to sexperts~
DOORS OPEN 8 PM OPENING CIRCLE 8:30 PM PERFORMANCES PLAY SPACES OPEN 9 PM ~PLAY! DANCE! REVELRY!~ DOORS CLOSE MIDNIGHT WRAP IT UP 2 AM
Private event. 21+. BYOB.
Proof of vax + negative PCR test <72hours or rapid test <24hours.
To attend you MUST arrive with a “PAL”. PALs are pairs/groups of 2+ guests who can vouch for each other, and will be responsible for each other for the night.
Safer sex supplies provided, and our lovely house caddies will be on call to deliver them to you, or fetch you a toy from our party stash.
How to get in on the action:
Become a Mission Control Member: http://events.missioncontrolsf.org/sessions/new (free, but must be done in advance)
Volunteer to get in FREE: https://forms.gle/3Ha4CGhYw4kKjss9A -or- Buy your tickets: https://events.missioncontrolsf.org/events/40862/orders/new
Want to see who’s going, match, chat, and meet the community?
Check out Gender Blender CUMBACK Party! on the Bloom Community app: https://bl.ooo/m/gender-blender-cumback-party. Don’t forget to invite all the cuties you just can’t wait any longer to see… If you have something special you’d like to share at this event, need a low-income discount, or have any questions, please contact one of the event hosts (Alex or Trixie/Ariel)
ALSO happening! Theme Camp and Project Speed Dating! To participate: > Link to Eventbrite < To present your camp or project: > Link < This is an in-person event, indoor with a covid policy contained on the Eventbrite Site
Queer Burners has been around since 2008 and has hosted Community and Leadership events over the years. It has also produced patches, created a network for LGBTQAI Burning Man participants to engage each other, and is always evolving. At the same time the web page and service have often been static, has largely depended on a single person, and struggled to be financially solvent and stable to meet lofty goals. The good news that this is changing right now.
2 Teams have been meeting bi-weekly since May to prepare for a brighter future. It has been very exciting and inspiring so far. We are actively looking for stakeholders in leaders of today and tomorrow who want to be part of something brighter.
Events Team – Planning for ALL OF US 2021 and other new events over time.
Comms Team – Updating and evolving the web site, social media and communications.
We are also working towards becoming a 501.c3 which opens the door for us to do new and amazing things that is also so very exciting. By doing that we will need more people at the core to bring their talents to the table so we can establish a Board. Those roles have not been specifically defined yet so the field is open. However, there are a couple skill sets we are seeking right now (see below).
Lawyer and / or Law Student to be a Board Member in the role of Clerk & Clerk Assistant
CPA/Accountant to be a Board Member in the role of Treasurer
Writer/Editor to possibly be a member of the Board who will be the funnel for all external communications, press release, and promotions as Comms Manager.
Every interest is appreciated! If you want to go deep or to be a helper at an event we are embracing it all. If so please complete this form or share it with friends who you think might be a good fit: https://forms.gle/uFW62AE4yZJeKmos8 . Some of you might have filled this out already.
More news! With our 501.c3 status we will actively be looking to support artists with sponsorship for their work! For me personally this is one of the most exciting rewards for moving in this direction. It opens doors for art and performance in our community.
Is there compensation for joining the Board? Right now we are not in a position to offer remuneration for these roles. This is a community driven project still and we will be raising money for the costs to establish our legal status and start. No one has ever benefited financially with their involvement, but Queer Burners has paid some people for their services and work on a contract basis.
Thank you for your time and attention! This is a call to action.
Queer Burners Mission Statement: “Building Community and Leadership together”
With this shift in the Burnerverse and the community facing COVID-19 we have taken this as an opportunity for positive change. So we are dumping some things with Queer Burners that have not worked so well, improving some things that did, and then bringing on a few nice additions that are designed for the betterment of the community.
So far there are two teams working on the process and given the plan there is room for more. Queer Burners was initially created in 2008 to network queer participants and camps to promote community and leadership. This service has had some pretty big successes and offers a platform to keep building better and stronger.
You can be a part of it as well. There are opportunities on the horizon while we are working on other things. In short, the goal is to make Queer Burners an entity led by a board of which if anyone on that board leaves the team it can survive and thrive. Also, that we provide better resources for the community through social media and the web site. And, plan events and activities that we can build on like “ALL OF US”.
Current Teams
Comms Team: We are currently filtering and highlighting some of the social media and content that could be more helpful. The Queer Burners Page on Facebook was eliminated to make the Queer Burners Group the main focal point of the community reducing some confusion.
Events Team: We are working on an event post COVID-19 just to get people together if all works out, but additionally we are working on a new ALL OF US for 2021.
Our meetings begin with an agenda and notes are taken. Anyone wishing to join can get caught up very easily. The meetings on Zoom are also recorded so with approved access you can get caught up that way as well. Some new teams will take shape and new positions for volunteers will also slowly take shape.
Moving Forward
Your participation can be as deep as you have the ability to contribute. Some roles will require more time than others. The basic fact is that without a group of people working in consensus there is no future for Queer Burners or any related project. Queer Burners operates independently from a single camp so we have a chorus of voices working to a central agenda of Community and Leadership.
Building Community (1 of the 10 Principles) is the very core of what this project was designed to be about.
And secondly was building Leadership, which involved helping to raise those in the community who have the metal to lead to be successful. Someone once asked “who appointed you as leader?” and to them I say leaders are rarely appointed, they are raised. They volunteer and are not waiting for permission and can see something through even in the face of neigh-sayers who tell them it cannot be done.
One of the top agenda items this year is to form a board because we are looking at an LLC. Board members should be able to take on specific roles with the projects at hand and in the future. Be able to be present for consensus voting and help guide the group into a direction with the 10 Principles as our guiding tenets.
Queer Burner Leadership Network (QBLN)
Leadership starts with an internal drive. It means someone sees a need and acts on it rather than just hoping someone else is willing to take it on. You do not need anyone’s permission. As long as you are acting on the best interest of the community, you are a leader. We have a network that has been around a few years on Facebook along with some notes on this site. < < check out these links
Leadership is more consensus based than ever and is working on creating a platform to solidify that by creating a Board and entity.
Giving the community a stronger voice by banding together.
Making sure personal safety and consent are always present all the time in our activities and events for all participants.
Here we are going into a new calendar year! In the year 2020 some of say it is a year of new focus and direction for those who can see. The things we are working toward are coming into focus. And for those of us who have counted on our community to grow stronger it does with all of us participating. Thank you all for being so amazing!
It feels like an important time of growth along with very positive changes to the ways theme camps will lead us in Cultural Direction Setting in 2020. Community leaders have been meeting over the last year working on an objective to put our participants back on course for the best possible us.
Where does that leave the Queerborhood? CDS is a very positive spin on setting the vision for the future of Burning Man? Rest assured these changes are set for the community at large with a lot of focus on acculturation and making neighborhoods at Burning Man stronger. The impact on the Queerborhood seems minimal. Details coming out through official channels soon.
However, I am asking LGBTQAI+ leaders to spend some time thinking about the changes we have experienced specially since 2016 and where we see the future. Because, Burning Man Placement is asking to meet with us once more in 2020 to touch base. It will be late in the first quarter or perhaps in the beginning of the beginning of the 2nd.
Who wants to be a part of that conversation? If that is you please make sure you are part of the QBLN Queer Burner Leadership Network on Facebook or seeing links on the web site.
Note: I have been blessed to be part of the Phase 2 CDS team along with a lot of other theme camp leaders from all across our community. I led a theme camp for 7 years and resigned from it in 2019 after the burn to start new projects. My role in Queer Burners has been a facilitator to network and organize queer camps and as an advocate for the Queerborhood(s). And help do great and wonderful things for all those who like fun things.
In 2016 we published a Survey Monkey questionnaire once we were contact by BM Placement. Some of us in leadership were being asked to meet with them in an effort to discover why there were so many applications for the 7:30 sector over other parts of the city. Were these LGBTQ camps seeking to be close to other LGBTQ camps.
The answer may have been more likely “no” than otherwise, but there was a factor we discovered in the process. There are some non-LGBTQ specific camps who wanted to be close to the vibe the gayborhood offered. And camps who were mixed who had LGBTQ camp members who had benefit from being in that proximity.
Placement (BMOrg official) placed camps intermittently in an effort to weave queer and non-queer camps together.
All of the above was true at least through June 2016 when we met with Placement to discuss our place in the 7:30 sector as well as our friends at 4:30 and J.
As of 2018 there have been no major changes. See more detailed information on www.queerburners.com.
This is not the original report that was submitted to Placement at the meeting. We have the original information from the survey. Upon request from BMorg Placement to meet we conducted an adhoc survey addressing the needs of our community and came to some important conclusions:
The most vulnerable people in our community rely on the Queerborhood as a safe space and to give many a sense of preservation
Many of the same people feel or have experienced discrimination and danger while at the event
We heard from about 285 people in the quickly assembled survey. While a great many people included in the survey were gay white males, we can extrapolate that removing that feedback in the scope of the feedback the data changes heavily.
What is your sexual orientation?
286 Respondents
What is your Gender Identity?
285 Respondents
How many years have you gone to Burning Man?
286 Respondents
Have you ever visited the Gayborhood?
What is your perception of the Gayborhood?
Mark all that apply.
If you needed a safe space at Burning Man would you go to the Gayborhood?
Have you ever felt threatened at Burning Man because of your sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender presentation?
Do you know someone….
Have you…
What aspects…
Comments & More
There was a section of comments that were added and mostly left off of the data presented to Answergirl who was representing BMorg Placement at the time of the meeting. This was left of with the concern it would contain some personal information that some may not appreciate being released. So, with some minor edits, here are almost all the comments.
There are some comments that make more recent event resonate more about some subjects that have come up in 2018:
The call for Safe Spaces
The need for sober safe spaces on the community
The information we collected was truly spectacular. If so many people in such a short time could be truly heard by Placement then our concerns would be unnecessary perhaps.
I am so excited to see that leaders in this community have taken up a torch for the benefit of the 7:30 sector for the Queerborhood (formerly the Gayborhood). Over the years Placement (a burning man office that oversees the way the city is populated by placing camps) has threatened to break up and separate the Gayborhood time and time again. It was originally something that came together because camps made it happen organically and out of a need (see link: refer to 1997 date). In 2015 (link to details) we had our first Rainbow Road where queer camps were generally placed along “D” road between 7:00 and 8:30 under the influence of a staunch community ally in Placement named Hepkitten.
Former head of Placement Answergirl called us all in around May 2016 under the assumption that LGBTQ camps were the reason the sector received an unusually high amount of applications. Was this queer camps setting the scales off? I think in the end the real truth was that queer camps were bringing something very special to the sector and that ally camps and camps with some LGBTQ wanted to be part of that vibe.
The thing is, I have visited other sectors of Black Rock City, and each has it’s own special feel. Breaking the Gayborhood into 2 pieces will not solve the high number of applications for the 7:30 sector. 4:00 has it’s own energy. 2:00 and 10:00 as well as 9:00 have a flavor, culture and consciousness of its own.
New head of Placement is Trippi Longstalking who has seem to shown she is an advocate for the culture and creative energy we as LGBTQ people bring to the table. Us, along with ally camps, work hard to build something special out there. But even as late as Burning Man: iRobot 2018 we were still peppered through the sector in clumps and just like the map from 2016 showed (along with the notes Dare: Glamcocks made on a photo graphic of the official map). In the beginning of the 2018 season this year the Placement newsletter gave foreboding information about a sector shakeup that sent a wave of nervousness through the community given our extremely uncertain place in it.
We seem to be fighting for several things that some people have lost sight of: the right to radically represent LGBTQ culture in the most positive way possible. We are fighting to make sure that people represented in those letters are not further marginalized and taken advantage of by assault, rape, gay bashing and trans-phobia. They happen out there today. They happen at Burning Man, Regional Events and IRL. Safety was the primary concern for people who were surveyed: Results 2016 P1 and Results 2016 P2 [Pending review]
Yet there are those dismissing voices who call for the Queerborhood to be dismantled and dismiss it with prejudice as the Gay Ghetto. They also claim that the Gayborhood keeps people locked in the bubble and others out. See the results of the on-playa Placement meeting with camps from 2016 where voices determined to squash queer camps showed up and hijacked the meeting for their own agenda.
Why do requests of LGBTQ camps to be placed closer together go unheeded even with all the information given to them? Not everyone is going to want to be in the cluster, but those asking for it should. Some would say they were already doing that, but smaller clusters. And why should they do that and not for anyone else? Well, they do for Kidsville but that was a whole other bag of bees. And do they think by spreading us out more this will resolve anything more for them or us?
It seems like Placement is evolving and we have yet to see how we are fitting into the discussion. The conversation in 2016 with Answergirl left more confusion that results especially for me when she said: “Imagine the Gayborhood [changes or goes away or something like that]…” and used the eraser to remove it from the whiteboard and then back peddle wildly to clarify.
It is time for Placement to acknowledge the Queerborhood as it has been present at Burning Man in one form or another for 15+ years. Answergirl told myself and Cyndi NoPants with a wave of her hand at the 2017 GLC that the Gayborhood does not exist so there is no reason to talk about it going away or not. Trippi Longstalking was in the room preparing to take over Placement quietly observing and I looked at her. I looked at Trippi who had the most interesting expression on her face because it said something to me I have yet to understand. Was it the hope that a new sheriff was in town or was she considering how she might have handled that discussion. I have yet to know. And this whole post is my own interpretation of the events.
I know we have allies in the BMorg. I know that BM fundamentals that have built the city do not want to group camps by specialty. No more red light district? Kidville is in tact. This year a lot of food driven camps were clustered closely. Musician camps like Rootpile camp have started consolidating. When Placement talks about the future what exactly are they getting to? And when will they acknowledge our progress?
See the following links for more information on this subject:
