Cody is a champion in his community. It is certainly not contained to his camp at Burning Man every year. He is a leader with the Glamcocks and their voice for the newbies with acculturation. In 2015 his efforts really helped make the Queer Burner Retreat a success with all the volunteering and support. Along with Shane, Yogen and other members of the Glamcocks they are making a whole new bold statement for theme camps at the Burn.
The Glamcocks first appeared on the playa not that long ago, but have made such an impact that they are hard to emulate. Cody was there from the beginning; with others but this is a thank you letter to Cody for his impact and influence with the success of this community.
In 2016 Cody will be starting a series here writing articles about acculturation appearing regularly. His insights and growing success with the Glamcocks is worth noting. He has been one of the champions of successful integration of his fellow camp mates into the culture of Burning Man and the Queer Burner community. It especially noteworthy as we have seen this camp grow into a diamond on the crown of the Gayborhood.
Ain’t she a pretty girl? This is Scott. He does a lot in the community, perhaps more than you know, not just in the LGBTQ sector. He is one of the founders of Camp Conception out of Seattle. He admins several burning man boards including the Burning Man group (73k members) and Burning Man Classifieds.
Meet this guy and meet one a the biggest, sweetest personalities you will ever have the chance to meet.
He is leader in the Seattle community and a big voice. This is a man that will help you when called when it comes to being a true community leader. He has stepped up to help support and manage some of the many Queer Burner boards has been a great supporter.
One of the leaders of Gender Blender (Website); the camp name says it all. Cyndi generally runs the camp along with David, Ariel, Katt and have picked up some interesting new leaders and participants along the way seeking a place of gender queer and trans folk on the playa.
Gender Blender made its debut in 2009 and the following year joined with Camp Beaverton and then for a few years coexisted as CBGB, but they split in 2012 but remained close friends. Since then they camped directly across the street from each other supporting each of their missions of Sex positive thinking and gender awareness/queerness.
Gender Blender has been the only consistent camp for gender queer people since their inception. Cyndi and her team have been advocates for queer gender issues and education and support.
From the web site:
Cyndi “NoPants” Vee is a decade-long burner and part of the Gender Blender Leadership Team. Cyndi has been described as a “punk rock mountain femme”. As a transgender being, Cyndi is as comfortable backpacking, camping, and off-roading, as she is rummaging through vintage clothing shops, cinching corsets, and dancing in five-inch stilleto heels. Cyndi is a techie, professionally and playfully. To relax, Cyndi practices fire spinning and MFR massage therapy (just not at the same time).
As an advocate, creator, leader and bringer of education for people of all walks of life, Cindy has been a major contributor to our community at large.
She was head Beaver from Camp Beaverton Home for Wayward Girls for a couple years. She was also the perfect ambassador that created a lot of bridges to other queer camps. She is an enigmatic member of our Queer Burner community: Foxy.
“Flash mob idea. Burners show up all at once in playafied gear goggles bandanas etc. Then a zombie flash mob shows up. The apocalypse starting right before the innocent bystanders eyes.“
Thinking back, certainly Jessica Allred was the mayor that really started working hard on making the Beaverton camp more accessible to the other camps, genders and people of the gayborhood outside of gender identified women. Mitch was Mayor for a while before Foxy took the mantel and really made the Beavers so accessible and welcoming.
“I’m almost 40, wearing a fox onesie and Fox slippers drinking whiskey at home on a Friday night, after 2 weeks of sheep riding, day time dance parties, riding a carousel horse bike, high speed golf cart chases, and writing on a huge typewriter . It’s only the 40 part that seems ridiculous.“
Her unlimited energy and exuberance and willingness to play in other people’s sandbox has made her the darling Lesbian of the community. She is not limited in any form, because she welcomes people and engages with vigor any and all.
This year she has taken on a new title and something of a new journey by becoming a Ranger; that is a Black Rock City Ranger. It is a role of distinction in our community because these are the people we engage and help us in and outside the trash fence. We have seen how passionate she has become in her new role as a Ranger and how it has made her stronger and a better shaker in the community as a whole.
Foxy was one of the founding organizers of the 2015 Queer Burner Retreat called “Spring Retreat” and is planning on joining the production team for 2016.
In 2012 she was in a internationally distributed film called Meet the Beavers where she shared some of what she stands for in the Queer / Lesbian community. The making of the movie was a project she was very proud of, featuring the best parts of her collective, and putting the Beaverton crew as an even more important presence in the Gayborhood at Burning Man.
She loves pussy, in fact hers has a name: Augusta. It’s a kitty cat… with a lot of white fur. With four legs… not a euphemism.
Do you know his birth name? For so many years he has been simply known as Chickpea. But in recent years we have been introduced to another persona that stemmed from the soul of the man: Amber Alert; yeas hunty has a drag(ish) persona both lovable and disturbing.
He is one of the leaders in the theme camp Comfort & Joy that started at Burning Man in 2001 (See Burner History X for more) but Chickpea first year was 1996 and he showed up without a tent.
“my first year was 1996 i went with my good friend Damien Grey, we didn’t bring much not even tents just a tarp to put over the car to sleep under , sandwiches and popcorn for meals …. its kinda a funny story“
He joined Comfort & Joy in 2002 at the encouragement of his close friend and today is the President of the Comfort & Joy board known as the Purple Circle. He is also responsible for all the neon decorations you see on playa and at every Comfort & Joy event including Touch and the Afterglow Parties. Yes, she makes the magic happen.
“…my first year was 1996. That was the year Helco happened. When we arrived in the desert we asked a girl where Burning Man was. She said drive six miles that way and turn right, go another 2 miles… we came upon 20 grand pianos stacked together with a guy playing one. We asked if that was Burning Man… he said no, it’s two miles that way…” [paraphrased]
Then there is Amber Alert. She came into being around 2013 and family members emerged from dark alleys, cracks in the soil and some place near the bowels of hell. LOL. One of the most disturbing sibling was Playa Hole.
Above all else Chickpea (Brian) is a solid and engaged member of the community with a passion for art and creative endeavors. He has a huge aviary (yes, for real) in his home filled with small birds he cherishes and cares for. He is active with the Radical Faery community and extremely supportive of fellow creatives naturally drawn to him.
He is one of the many captains of the Giant Sheep roaming several venues from Burning Man, Folsom Street, Palm Springs Pride and more and more and more. The art car came to life in 2013 with M*J*R as one of the guiding warriors of it’s creation. BAAAHS stands for Bad Ass Awesome Amazing Homosexual Sheep. He is currently featured in Polyglamorous parties and can occasionally be seen with GoBANG, Honey Sound System and has been seen hanging out with Digital Wildlife all based out of the San Francisco Bay Area.
M*J*R is a romantic behind this hot, tattoo, leather covered exterior. He has been in a partnered relationship. He loves San Francisco and lives in the heart of the Mission. In spite of a shitty housing scenario last year he stayed here and continued to be an active member of his community and gives back with his music and art.
Those tattoos M*J*R sports are beautiful and worth a see. Ask him next time you see him.
Above all, M*J*R is a sincere and good soul with passion and heart. Just ask any of the many people he makes music with including Collin Bass and Mark O’Brien. He loves sunsets over the city and sunrises on the playa with a couple hundred dancing friends.
Posted on M*J*R’s Facebook today: I think it says a lot about the man described above and his passion:
“Seeing all of the queer kids (And I mean KIDS… teens and younger) dancing around/on/inside BAAAHS, sliding through the hole over and over, was so heart swellingly beautiful. This was so worth it. It’s easy to forget that the impact projects like this can have on people go so far beyond the immediate outcomes one(me in this case) often have of “throw a good party”, “have fun”, blah blah blah. Touching peoples lives in positive ways (and young’uns!)… **that** is worth enduing working with this often scalding hot cauldron of culture to try and make something transcendent with.
Seriously strong work everyone past&present in BAAAHS.
What an incredible success.”
It was announced today! The news finally arrived. Just in time to get people excited for the pre-holiday ticket sale in coming up where Burning Man raises more funds for the year. Money raised goes to the production of the event as well as funding for art projects going to the burn.
DaVinci’s Workshop
The art theme for Burning Man 2016 will be “Da Vinci’s Workshop”, inspired by the Italian Renaissance of the middle fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, when an historic convergence of inspired artistry, technical innovation and enlightened patronage launched Europe out of the dark ages and into modernity.
Our story will focus on the republic of Florence, for it was here, in a city-state of about the same size and population as Black Rock City, that humanist ideals, a rediscovery of science, and funding from a newly moneyed class of entrepreneurs fueled a revolutionary cultural movement that redefined Western civilization. – blog.burningman.com
Yes, we are excited. Yes, we are thrilled. No, this year does not begin with Car… (see last 3 years themes).
For all the silly things in this world there is nothing more ridiculous than the winds at 50 mph blowing dust non-stop so bad one cannot see 3 feet ahead of oneself. Or maybe that there is the same art car passing by fifty times and the people on it never let you on? Or maybe waiting to get in the gate when you can see the brightly lit gate area 12 cars away and YET it is still 3 hours from getting inside.
Insanity. (Did we see that out there somewhere in the form of art?)
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So, we pass you a magic wand and now you have 2 choices to make a change on the playa right this moment. If you play the game right you will be whisked back in time and given a chance to relive Carnival of Mirrors with your changes implemented.
rules: 1. complete the survey as requested. 2. see the results as they compare to others who have also participated. 3. put on your favorite burning man costume. 4. this includes makeup and personal lighting. 5. proceed to your front yard/sidewalk/dirt-patch and light a small fire using anything flammable BUT cannot be larger that a very small flame. 6. dance around it while spinning siting the 10 principles in order and after 3 times… you will find yourself in deep playa. The consumption of alcohol or absinthe before answering the survey is a recommended start with a 2 oz shot with each step.
Where do you get your information about Burning Man? In that first year, with glitter filled eyes, the best sources are YouTube and Facebook. The hungrier you are for Burning Man related posts the the less those two networks can satisfy, because what is the content that context is made from? What are those 10 Principles and how and when are they applied.
Burner Life
If you are a person who thinks the 10 Principles is something you hold on to for 8 days and nights a year then we respectfully ask you to put the toys down and back away slowly. Your inexperience with firey toys will get someone burned. Likewise, you are a tourist in a world many of us have committed to.
While Facebook and the hundreds of Burning Man related groups and pages that exist there are an amazing source of materials about the community, there is still more. While YouTube is a bonanza of burner videos and we see pretty boys and girls singing Dr Suess rhymes as what brought them out there. That is what writings of fellow burners can bestow upon you.
Here are, in our humble opinion, the best Burner Blogs:
good : the blogs listed above have been really true to the mission of the playa. While this is only a limited list of good ones out there that is not to say there are not others. These are just the noteworthy ones really deserving your read.
bad : there once was a child who was really sweet, but someone spoiled the little brat. Some time ago Queer Burners published a post about other blogs. The web site Burners.Me was once a platform of one person who raised a lot of dust; not in the good way. Well, after some serious bounce back that person supposedly went away but another took over with even more noise and rancor. So much so even a usually quiet FOUNDER of Burning Man came out swinging against him. Burners.Me was the good blog that threw itself on a sharp object and never recovered.
the ugly : the ugly side was pretty clear. But was is also ugly is when something good goes away. One of those jewels we lost was BurnCast.tv that saw it’s last post in 2012. 2012 was a transitional year. We have those points along the way that are milestones of change.
Conclusion
This is such a limited list of voices out there. Even a google search kept looping me back to a few. The Borg has done a great job marketing The Voices of Burning Man and they are really great posts. What are you favs? (Comment Below)
Well, we survived another year at the burn. Burning Man: Carnival of Mirrors was spectacular. It was a year that felt inspiring again after a few years of transition with the organization that makes everything happen. Since 2012 Burning Man feels like it has gone more commercial than ever yet somehow maintaining a grasp on the desired core values of the past.
Big Picture
source www.maddogmadigan.com
Carnival of Mirrors theme was another big hit. The abomination that was Fertility 2.0 that went to Cargo Cult (loved it), then Caravansary (Fabulous), and now Carnival of Mirrors… what’s next: “Carrot Top”? While struggling to think of something Carrific we are eagerly awaiting next year’s theme.
Carnival of Mirrors featured a Midway that was as superb as the Souk from last year, showing that Burning Man is working on elevating the features of the-man experience. If this is the working model moving forward it certainly brings a greater sense of excitement to the event. It’s very marketable.
The Gayborhood
Another change to the Gayborhood layout made it much larger this year. It also lent to a greater opportunity for the queer camps of Burning Man to make a greater presentation. We were laid out on “D” street between 6:30 t0 8:30 which the Gayborhood renamed Rainbow Road.
pre-event estimate of Rainbow Road: not the actual
Some new camps in the Gayborhood made quite a splash:
Hanging Gardens rocked the hood with an exciting presentation
Cubhouse participated in the Naked Bike ride and served it
Bierdhaus struck out from their village last year and rocked it
Sun Guardians delivered and grew rapidly
Some established camps in the Gayborhood schooled us animal style:
Mudskippers: Whitney Houston Party always epic
Glamcocks put on an amazing show
Celestial Bodies, BloAsis so many…
…they killed it. There are so many camps in the Gayborhood who really uped their game this year and make Rainbow Road spectacular. But there were a few Queer camps outside the Gayborhood that brought it as well.
Disco Château – amazing
Peterson’s Pink Pagoda – awesome
Burner Buddies – Nacho Daddies sexiness….
Queer camps were all over the playa. Our preplaya map that was published before the event including Get Nailed that was over on B street. It was exciting and having the chance at having so many friends all over the city just a huge bonus.
Evolution in the Gayborhood
Rumor has it that a few more camps are going to enter cocoons before the 2016 unnamed event and come back in new forms. We hear that Comfort & Joy are going to go through a few changes again. Also, rumor control has it that the Down Low Club is not coming back in the same form as they have since 2001. It seems that Comfort & Joy is always evolving anyway and as they seem to be always at the epicenter of the Gayborhood we appreciate the work they put into their real estate with those amazing lights and art displays.
Theme camps and villages are the interactive core of Burning Man. An ideal theme camp should create a visually stimulating presence and provide a communal space or other opportunity for interaction. – Burning Man Theme Camp Organizer Facebook Interactive Group
Is it rumor or true? We will find out next year, but the sources were rock solid, and if these camps and others grow, evolve or transition then we stand behind them. Many camps have stayed the same for years and Burning Man is demanding that camps evolve in order to get placement. Staying the same is just not acceptable. We have to offer engaging and interactive camps that bring something to the event.
Working Together
We as patrons and proprietors in the Gayborhood make choices of what we engage and offer in the neighborhood. The growth and new structure of the Gayborood, aka Rainbow Road, lends to a whole new level of opportunities and leverage that we have began sampling. Working together, like the 7:30 Block Party by Hanging Gardens, is a big win for the community.
This is not the first time camps working together have found such a huge success. Glamcock’s Cock-talks and Beaverton’s workshops are another level of success. Comfort & Joy has also been a champion in this area of radical inclusion.
We, as a community, have chances to make our community and culture stronger. We are certainly not confined to just Queer Camps (because we are radically inclusive) and have non-queer neighbors interlaced with the Gayborhood that want to benefit from the A.D.D. razor like focus and creativity we have to share.
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
good : Other than all the previously mentioned goodies at the burn this year, there was an amazing piece of history that reappeared on the playa this year. Taking Burning Man back to it’s roots of radical expression was the ‘art piece’ that appeared on the playa in 2001 that was censored by the Org. It was an important and amazing presence on Comfort & Joy’s courtyard.
Learn more about this bit of Queer Burner History in our Burner History X article on this site. Having discovered this piece on the day of the Naked Bike Ride found friends taking pictures with it. It seemed to be quite the attraction and if only those people knew the history behind it.
Queer camps had a chance, better than any year before, to make a presentation that was a solid win. The stretch of Rainbow Road was phenomenal.
bad : Unfortunately this was not the year where the Burner Gods smiled upon the BAAAHS crew as they experienced a lot of challenges that they did not expect to meet. A neighbor or two or three or so complained about their sound levels; an absurd idea as they and Camp Conception were camps with some serious speaker action. (Yes, many of us knew going into the burn this year we had new restrictions on sound). One neighbor actually made it her mission to rally the neighbors against BAAAHS but many stood by the BAAAHS crew solidly.
But that was not all. This was BAAAHS 3rd or 4th year on playa and this year they got dinged on a legal issue that may or may not have been noticed before, they were just over the legal size to move through the street by the DMV. Aparently mustant vehicles have to be on a diet to roam the streets of the BRC; maximum size is 14′, And it seems BAAAHS was 14′-6″… yikes!
The restrictions greatly limited what BAAAHS was able to do in the city and it was sad. We, as a community, support and love what BAAAHS and their support team delivers. It is awesome and it is entertaining. John Major, aka M*J*R wrote on Facebook how the year could result in diminishing his passion for Burning Man (heavily paraphrased); well we hope not.
ugly : Evolution is the only way Theme Camps can survive on the playa. As a community and subculture we also have to police ourselves. Reputation can follow for years but here are a few notions that we need to revisit:
Glamcocks is an unfriendly camp to visit for anyone over 30
GET OVER IT: Leadership in the Glamcocks camp has worked really hard to change the perception of this. Key leaders have made very public and vocal efforts to show they are welcoming to all. They have initiated concierges for their camp and a requirement for camp mates to welcome people who come to their camp and their events off playa.
The Gayborhood keeps people in and others out
GET OVER IT AGAIN… yeah! Many camps in the Gayborhood host events clearly programmed to welcome people from all lifestyles, orientations and genders. While a few may be specific to one of those demographics the bigger picture is that this is an unfair projection from people who dismiss the Gayborhood who typically have never been to it.
Annual events suffered this year for a variety of reasons like th Official Queer Burner Meet & Greet as well as the Gay Pride celebration.
The Official Queer Burner Meet & Greet on Monday failed to appear in the What Where When, but many burners remembered that Monday night was the night to come to the Down Low Club camp. The event itself was in memory of a beloved burner who left us a few years ago; Mario Cisneros. Participation last year was off the chart, but on this occasion the event was nice and cozy.
The Gay Pride Parade was supposed to be a strong show of pride and celebration but fizzled into nothing before we got very far. The restriction that knocked BAAAHS off the city streets also put the smack-down on our parade plans. Thankfully Burner Buddies party with Nacho Daddies was still a huge win.
While there are more, the politics of keeping a positive focus prevents them from being written about here. The goal of this project is to promote and encourage growth, evolution and elevation of our part of the city.
Conclusion
2015 was an awesome year. The borg is demanding, even forcing, change and evolution on the community. The people feeling it most are the people building camps, art cars and attractions. With new sound restrictions and a surging growth in law enforcement the radical side of Burning Man is waning. Fortunately it is still a life changing experience with the chances of our own individual growth and chances to grow our community. All it takes is a ‘we’.
Retreat a success with all the volunteering and support. Along with Shane, Yogen and other members of the Glamcocks they are making a whole new bold statement for theme camps at the Burn.
Ain’t she a pretty girl? This is Scott. He does a lot in the community, perhaps more than you know, not just in the LGBTQ sector. He is one of the founders of Camp Conception out of Seattle. He admins several burning man boards including the Burning Man group (73k members) and Burning Man Classifieds.
of gender queer and trans folk on the playa.
This year she has taken on a new title and something of a new journey by becoming a Ranger; that is a Black Rock City Ranger. It is a role of distinction in our community because these are the people we engage and help us in and outside the trash fence. We have seen how passionate she has become in her new role as a Ranger and how it has made her stronger and a better shaker in the community as a whole.
warriors of it’s creation. 
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