Burning Man LGBTQIA+ and our Allies
Every year we try to pull together a map of where the LGBTQIA+ and ally camps are placed in Black Rock City. This is an initial draft based on our best information as of today, June 15, 2025. If you have any more information or details about any of the camps shown here (or any camps we missed), please let us know asap by emailing info@queerburners.org! This map will be printed as a part of our queer event directory and we want to get it right.
Happy burning man everyone, this is Toaster writing. A question came to me through social media the other day about who is managing Queerburners these days. There are some amazing people who have stepped up in a vacuum I created by taking some steps back. I am grateful those persons who kept this legacy alive with a great deal of respect and honor.
Starting in 2018 I began a slow process of making changes. My last visit to the burn was in 2022 and it was a rough year for me. I began looking into what my priorities are and where they are going. 2022 was so rough, I ended up leaving the burn the Friday before Labor Day weekend for my own mental and physical health. Would I go back? There is a part of me that craves it.
I go to my regional burn called www.snrg.com outside of Las Vegas and am open to others. This year there has been a lot of temptation to return to the burn but I am still questioning if the logistics will work and why I would go. I have never gone to Burning Man as just an attendee before. I have always, always been super committed to projects. In 2022 I didn’t have that structure around me of a theme camp and really crash landed because of my own mistakes. I never learned to Burn on my own.
2018 my parents became seriously ill and I had to make some choices. It was the beginning of change for me as life started asking for more commitment from me. Marriage, moving, job, trying to get a book published, and more.
I still help out on Facebook and check in with @spolsky routinely. He is an amazing human being. Also Paul Carey and others who keep the faith on what Queerburners was always meant to be. I’m in the background, helping where I can, leaving the major decisions to the team who is left. My status as creator and founder is acknowledged, but I am glad to take a back seat as needed. I am no longer involved in a lot of things regionally and nationally that I used to be.
If you want to know more about me and what I am doing in life find me www.scottkay.me and www.iamscottkay.com.
To all those keeping the faith, to all those building community and not getting caught up in the negative, to the creators and the influencers, to those raising up people instead of bringing them down – all the love and respect in the world.
Oh boy! Oh boy oh boy oh boy. It’s the new year which means that all of us die-hard burners can officially start preparing for Burning Man without feeling insane. It’s less than nine months away! Time to start organizing your camp, figuring out what kind of art you’re going to bring, and recruiting new burners. If you want to attend Burning Man for the first time, we have a guide. Remember that most theme camps do a lot of work during the year leading up to Burning Man, so if you are interested in joining one, now! is the time to start getting involved.
It’s also going to be a great year on playa. I can feel it. Last year was a little bit quiet thanks to some big camps taking the year off but they are all comfortably rested by now and should be ready to bring renewed energy.
(My math nerd husband would like to remind everyone that 2025 is the only year we will be alive for that is a perfect square (45²); this won’t happen again until 2116.)
The second largest US regional burn, Love Burn, is coming soon! February 13-16th, in Miami, Florida, it is one of the easiest regional burns to attend. Our correspondents tell us to expect a sizable Rainbow Village located right on esplanade, with quite a few camps including anchor Banana Hammocks, RUPL, Wilde Muse, Freaky Tiki, Sasquatch Society, Darude/Sandstorm, Bad Bitch Skate Club, Locochon, In Vino Veritas, and Time Travelers.
And it’s time to start getting ready for the largest regional burn, located just outside of Gerlach, NV, to be held August 24 – September 1, 2025. Last year we had about 50 queer or queer-adjacent camps in our directory and we published an awesome 36 page event directory listing tons of great events on playa. The 2025 directory is now open for submissions. It is a great way to find your tribe on playa.
If your camp is coming back to playa in 2025 and was already in the 2024 directory, you can resubmit your information with a click (just log on with the same account you used last year). If you are a new camp in 2025 that would like to be listed, it’s easy – just click the Submit link, fill out your camp’s information, and Hey Presto! If you need any help, email me at directory@queerburners.org.