To the uninitiated, the term “gay campout” may at first bring about a sense of trepidation. One may think that if they are younger and cute they will be harassed all weekend; that there will be all night orgies; awkward sexual tension; people doing things you weren’t even aware there are words for…much like band camp! But in the case of the Western Canadian Pride Festival, you would be completely wrong.
I will admit to being a little unsure of what I was getting into when I attended the Fall Harvest campout in Blackfalds near Red Deer, over the September long weekend of 2008. By the end of the weekend, I felt I had discovered something special, a feeling that was shared by everyone else in attendance.
The event is the brainchild of Leon and Sparky, who have been running the campouts for four years. The focus has always been on bringing together people regardless of age, dating status, or gender, and having a good time.
“What is important is to remember where we are historically right now. People are really tired of carrying their identity as their orientation. We have traveled on as a community. People want to be more socialized and don’t want to hang out with non-stop sexual conversation. Overall most people just want a cool place to hang out and just be themselves,” organizer Leon Thompson explained.
“We get it; we’re gay, what is the next big step? The next big step is to create an environment where we feel it is no longer about their orientation, it is a space to go and hang out with other people and the emphasis isn’t on being gay. It is more, we’re here, we’re queer, we’re over it. That is the type of space we are trying to provide. We are really moving out of the idea of being so liberal, we are becoming more conservative now as a community because of the freedoms and liberties we have been able to experience in the past ten years.”
A perfect example is of a new initiative this year called “Guess Who’s Coming To Breakfast.” I experienced this last year when I was wandering around and promptly sat down by some very nice lesbians at their camper, fed waffles and bacon, with a side order of fun conversation.
“People always have tons of food left over. Because we are about community and breaking down barriers, we came up with guess who’s coming over for breakfast. Instead of us doing the toonie breakfast we came up with a little game. You choose to have people over for breakfast and you don’t know who they are. They will show up between 9 and 10:30am and you will make them breakfast. On Sunday you will go and meet different people and they will make you breakfast at their place. It is optional, people don’t have to do it, it is just another idea to get people to get to know each other as quickly as possible.“
The campout has been growing each year, and this year is already shaping up to be the best attended yet.
“We have seen it grow about 25% every year. We usually start our marketing the weekend of the rodeo. We already have 125 people registered online and we haven’t really started our blitzing yet, we are expecting over 250 people. If you are going to register, do it now. We are not trying to be the biggest anything, but we are trying to grow at just the right pace so we keep the philosophy of what we are trying to do as a camp.”
So what did I experience last year? I had great food, met some really cool people, took a drive to the corn maze (it won’t be open for the summer event but is worth checking out in the fall), laughed at the U-Haul decorated by lesbians (“I fucked in your Mom’s Attic” being a particularly amusing add on) and just had a great time that ended all too quickly. From the games to the pools (August) and hot tubs (September), it really is non-stop fun.
“The good thing about the location of the campground is it is close to Sylvan Lake and in the fall the Lacombe Corn Maze. The biggest highlight for the August long weekend is the mud wrestling. We came up with the idea not based on really hot girls and guys mud wrestling, but how do we get people to become kids again when you are an adult. It is a way to get them to play in dirt. People are a little timid at first but we have 30 – 40 people diving in there by the end. It is a floating schedule; we try to adjust to where the temperament of the camp is. The sports are usually in the afternoon. Saturday you see mud wrestling and Sunday is relay races. Saturday night is the steak dinner and there is food for vegetarians, then karaoke and a dance starts around 10:00. A lot of people come specifically for the dance and are welcome to. We only ask if people have been drinking they don’t drive, they can stay at the campground for $25 but have to be out by noon the next day.”
Each event has themes, and people are encouraged to dress up and have fun. This summer the theme is “Superheroes and Villains.”
“We chose Superheroes and Villains not because it is a classic type of theme, but that those of us in this journey of trying to figure (life) out, have this sense of wanting to be a hero and believe we are a hero. We also have a lot of thoughts in our heads that work against that, the villain side of ourselves. Inside of us there is a duality between our good self and the side that makes bad choices for ourselves. It is not just about being superheroes but understanding that when you come into camp, you guys are all heroes. We are all heroes and we don’t believe that. It is really important. The stuff we have dealt with and been through, it is time for us to pat ourselves on the back, leave your crap out at the gate, and realize for four days you can enjoy your life. If you have had 361 miserable days, realize you are important, not your baggage. It doesn’t define who you are and that is where the superhero part comes in. You have to stand above what your thoughts and emotions say. You may feel like shit but it doesn’t mean you are shit.”
While other plans prevent me from attending in August, I do plan on going to the campout in September, as do the two friends who went with me last year. I’ve been working on a few other friends in hopes they will also join us for what boils down to an incredible weekend.
”You should check it out for one good reason – because everyone is telling you to come check it out. It is a hell of a good time. It has similarities to other gay functions, but since the emphasis isn’t on being gay it is a different twist on it. We have one requirement. Leave your problems at the gate, come and have fun and unconditionally love each other. It isn’t about you, it is about giving and caring for other people. Just learn that it is ok to leave all your problems behind. It is about realizing we are the same as anybody else, and we are all aware of that - it is just whether or not we believe it. The camp is the chance to figure that out.”
