Happy New Year Queerdos. Welcome to 2020, the roaring twenties part deaux! I am reaching out to everyone asking about the future of Queer Burners, it’s children pages and Facebook groups, and the Queerborhood. What does the community want from leadership? What do you want from Burning Man?
Back in 2016 a group of LGBTQ leadership went to BMHQ to be heard about why Queer camps are collecting in the 7:30 sector. It was based on concerns that Placement had received about so many applications for that sector. We did surveys and collected a lot of 411 and were able to show BM Placement that personal individual and group safety was the key. (see this entry from 2016)
Since then the role of Placement Manager has turned over 2 more times, life in other sectors has started to glow spectacularly, and smaller Queerborhoods have taken shape either on their own or with Placements help. The new head of Placement is Level Placer, Trippi Longstalking was before him, and AnswerGirl was the one whom we met with along with a couple placers in 2016.
Do we feel safe still? My perception is “yes”, because I think I am hearing this from our community. It is not a question for a CIS gendered white male to answer. QPOC (Queer People of Color) and our Transgendered are the most at risk. Female and GNC (Gender Non-Conforming) have been targeted by hostility and assault as well. These things happen on playa and in areas of our community we need to be safe places.
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Meeting with Placement 2020
I do not believe we have anything to worry about in regards to major changes to Placement and Queer Camps. The biggest new thing really happened in 2019 when BAAAHS bravely volunteered as an anchor camp on 4:30 and D a shown on the 2019 map. In speaking to Level from Placement he wants to check in with camp leaders and catch up from 2016.
This will likely happen about March-TBD, because the teams at BMHQ are actively focused on the Cultural Direction Setting which has gone from Phase 0 (proposal to BM Leadership) to Phase 1 (setting the ground work and surveys) to now on Phase 2 where up to 11 teams are working on how to implement changes to benefit how Placement sets up theme camps on playa. I am on this team on Team 8 – Communications Team. And announcements will be coming out in January.
For the leadership that was at the 2016 meeting with Placement many are listed on this site as voices in this community here (link). This definitely needs to be updated because there have been more people engaged since.
Who are some of the new voices who will bring fresh ideas and breath to this discussion?
In January I will put out a survey asking who wants to be present for the meeting. Of course, the people who were present at the last meeting should be invited to the table. I will follow up with Level about getting something on the calendar so people in other parts can plan on being present if needed.
Suggest Reading
Of course everyone should be ready for the big event in May where the leadership and participants will have a chance to start working on Cultural Direction Setting as we steam head first into the upcoming Burn – Multiverse!
Stay tuned and maybe consider these questions below. Feel free to comment and add questions… or get involved.