Nestled in the woods alongside a splendid lake, about 45 minutes
outside of Portland, Maine, there emerges once a year the most wonderful
LGBT space in the country. No, Disney World hasn't set up a new outpost
and no, it's not an Indigo Girls theme park. It's called 'Camp' Camp,
a LGBT adult summer camp, and for nineteen years, folks from all over
the world who identify with some color on the LGBT gender and sexuality
rainbow have been flocking to this Brigadoon-like place for a magical
summer experience.
I first heard about 'Camp' Camp five years ago after reading Joel Derfner's wonderful memoir Swish,
but the stars didn't align themselves for me to go until this summer. I
had never been to overnight camp before and I was hesitant, but from
the handful of 'Camp' Camp alumni whom I met over the years, they always
spoke about the place as if they had drunk some crazy Kool Aid,
returning there summer after summer. Could it really be that good? In
the end, I realized, there was only one way to find out, and so, with my
single bag packed -- I was a light packer compared to many of the gay
men who schlepped two or three suitcases, some with just shoes -- I
boarded my flight to Portland, not knowing a single soul and a bit
petrified. Would this just be like almost every gay bar experience in my
life in which I felt myself standing along the sidelines while cliquely
gaggles of gays ignored me?
The answer quickly made
itself apparent. As I walked into the lodge at 'Camp' Camp, it was like
being welcomed in a big warm embrace, at times, literally so. People
couldn't wait to greet me, ask me questions and make me feel right at
home. There were over two hundred people there this summer from so many
walks of life. Men, women and folks who didn't identify with any one
gender category. Folks in their 20s up through those in their 60s and
70s. Teachers, pastors, professional opera singers and retirees. Singles
and couples (some with and without their partners present). Urban
dwellers and individuals who lived in remote outposts.
As if I
had fallen through Alice's looking glass, the week that followed was one
of sublime fun and exuberant liberation, coupled with a profound sense
of being accepted for who I am as a gay man. 'Camp' Camp has everything
you could imagine at a great summer camp: arts and crafts, sports,
boating and swimming, plus some delicious food (don't worry, there's no
bug juice or chicken nuggets on the menu). But it's at night when 'Camp'
Camp really comes into its own. On the night of the first full day, the
camp hosts its Barn Dance and campers, many outfitted in cowboy shirts,
boots and bandanas, square danced all night to a live band. As I
promenaded and dosey-doed around the room to the caller's instructions
(all with a handsome boy on my arm), watching the smiling faces of my
fellow campers, I felt like I was having a bit of an out-of-body
experience. When was the last time I felt so uninhibited and free?
Honestly, I couldn't remember. In the evenings that followed with a game
show night and karaoke, I found myself laughing and grinning in ways
that I hadn't for a long time.
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