Host Your Own Indigo Tie-Dye Party, Make These Amazing Handkerchiefs

We had so much fun making indigo tie-dyed hankies at A-Camp! For those of you who couldn’t be there or would like to host your own indigo parties this summer, here’s a simple tutorial to get you started.

Shibori is a fabric manipulation technique that controls dye distribution and resistance in certain parts of natural textiles. The material is bound, stitched, gathered, clamped, or folded and repeatedly dipped into an indigo dye vat to make unique surface patterns. In this tutorial, we will be pulling some inspiration from this traditional Japanese technique to create indigo tie-dyed fabrics.

The process of Indigo resist-dyeing can never be entirely controlled thus creating a unique piece every time. Once you unbind your pieces, you’ll be gushing over your lovely creations. Good luck resisting the urge to indigo dye everything in your life.

You’ll Need:

• Indigo tie dye kit– The kit includes indigo crystals, thiourea dioxide, soda ash, one pair of latex gloves, popscile sticks, and a few rubber bands.
• Fabric- Fibers such as cotton, silk, linen will absorb the indigo dye better than synthetic fibers.
• Organic fume respirator- Protect those lungs from harsh chemicals while mixing the dye vat.
• 5 gallon bucket
• Drying rack or clothes line
• Extra rubberbands
• Paint mixing stick
• Long gloves
• Clothespins

Fabric

Shibori and indigo dying are often done on natural fabrics, such as silk, hemp, or cotton. These natural fibers are absorbent and take indigo dye much better than synthetic fibers. Commercial textiles are often coated with a variety of chemicals and this coating may sometimes interfere with dye penetration. As a general rule, pre-wash all of your textiles before dying them.

Make a Dyebath

Indigo is the traditional dye used with Shibori. This natural dye is derived from fermented indigo leaves and is not soluble in water without the addition of a reducing agent. In the dye kit, you’ll find pre-reduced indigo crystals, color remover (Thiourea Dioxide), and soda ash. The color remover and soda ash increase the PH of the water, making it a proper reducing agent for the indigo.

Fun Fact: The first chemical used to reduce indigo was urine. There’s some fiber folklore out there which claims that dye houses were originally built near pubs. Drunken people would pee into buckets outside, and the dye house would collect the urine to use for indigo reduction.

Dye Vat Ingredients:

• ¾ oz pre-reduced indigo crystals
• 2.3 oz thiourea dioxide
• 3.5 oz soda ash
• 3 gallons water

1. Fill a large bucket with 3 gallons warm tap water.
2. Add the pre-reduced indigo crystals into the water and stir.
3. While stirring, slowly add the soda ash and thiourea dioxide to the water.
4. Gently stir the vat in one circular motion, making sure to drag the stir stick along the outer edge of the container before removing it.
5. Cover the container with a lid and allow it to settle for at least 15 minutes.
6. After the vat has settled, remove the lid. The top of the dye bath will have a layer of foam called the ‘flower’ or ‘bloom.’ Gently push aside the ‘flower’ to check the color of the liquid. The dye bath should be a clear yellow or yellow-green. If not, let the bath settle for another 30 minutes.

Folding Techniques

Itajime aka Accordion Fold

Accordion-folding fabric vertically, then again horizontally. Use a rubber band to keep the folds in place. You can even use clothespins on the edges to add even more dye resistance.

To create a triangle version of Itajime, accordion-fold the fabric vertically, then fold in accordion-triangles horizontally.

Kanoko aka Scrunchy Fold

This folding technique involves pleating the fabric and tying in areas where you would like to resist dye. To create a line, bunch the fabric laterally, then rubber band over the whole bunch. For a circle, pull the fabric up in the middle like a tent, rubber band around the peak.

Kumo aka Bound Resist

Place marbles on the fabric (you can also use rocks, or even just bunch the fabric) and secure them with rubber bands. Another ring will be created with each additional rubber band. Repeat this technique throughout the fabric. The rubber band creates a beautiful circular pattern most synonymous with tye-dye.

Let’s do some Indigo Dying!

Place each folded piece individually into the indigo vat for 2 minutes. Slightly agitate the fabric to expose the maximum amount of dye to the fabric. Remove the fabric from the vat and squeeze the extra dye liquid into a “squeeze bucket.” Squeezing the dye directly back into the vat will add additional oxygen to the vat.

Hang the folded pieces on a clothesline or lay on a drying rack. Just make sure that oxygen can get to the top and bottom of the fabric. Oxidize the indigo for 10 minutes. Exposure to air will turn the green dye into an indigo blue. Wait until the fabric turns entirely blue before doing either the next dunk or washing out the dye.
Repeat steps 1 and 2. One dunk will create a light blue, and with each successive dunk, the indigo will be darker. About 3 or 4 dips is a good place to start.

Unfold and hang the fabric for approx. 10 minutes to let every last bit of the dye oxidize.

Rinse the fabric until the water runs clear. A good water rinse will keep your designs crisp with contrast and set the color. Just to be safe, launder the indigo fabrics separately before throwing them in with your general laundry.

There are endless amounts of variations of folding that you can try with indigo. To learn more about Shibori, take a gander at Shibori: The Inventive Art of Japanese Shaped Resist Dyeing by Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada. This book is so informative and is packed full of pictures that’ll make you go, “Mmm, that’s nice.” Here are a few more resources to keep you indigo dying all Summer long.

• The World Shibori Network
• Traditional Craft of Shibori documentary.

Team Pick: “Nancy” Goes To A-Camp

feature image by Robin Roemer

I don’t mean the person (though I’m sure there were many Nancies there). I mean the podcast. Nancy is like gay This American Life. Kathy Tu and Tobin Low create a sound-venture of queerness from the perspective of two Asian-American homogays. I’ve been listening to Nancy since the first episode happened. I teared up; it’s everything I love about podcasts and radio shows with its slice-of-life sensibility, calm intonations, and also it’s 100% gaygaygay content. They have an episode about the “ring of keys” moment. They have an episode about the Pulse shooting. And now, they have an episode in which Kathy Tu, half of team Nancy, goes to A-Camp for the first time.

Now, as you may have gathered from my thousands upon thousands of complaints, I did not get to go to Camp this year; my wife was graduating from law school. This podcast audio, and Kathy herself, was super endearing and it really alleviated some of my sorrow at not being able to be there. I couldn’t stop smiling while listening to everyone being silly and laughing and making cool shit (and Jenny singing!). I loved hearing all my friends talk; the friends I haven’t met yet (I’ll be back at Camp next Spring, so I’ll meet you then!) I already loved Nancy — I’ve been listening since it started. But my love burst forth like a thousand suns.

Kathy Tu and Maggie the Mailperson!

You should listen to this episode if you, too, were sad about not being able to go. Or if you’ve never been and you don’t know what Camp is. Or if you were there and you want to have the cool, cool water of happy queer folks drip dropping upon your heart. Ugh. I’m tearing up a little, guys. I can’t. I’m listening to it right now as I type this and “Heaven is a Place On Earth” is playing and I’m crying LISTEN TO THE THING.

The Babadook was a Special Guest at A-Camp and These Are His Stories

It’s possible that if you’ve perused the internet lately, you may have come across mention of the Babadook‘s meteoric ascent as 2017’s most prolific queer icon. Although the meme allegedly started via Tumblr and Twitter last October, this reporter has been personally trolling the Autostraddle staff with Babadook-related imagery since at least then. In November, I created a Babadook emoji for the Autostraddle slack team which appeared whenever anyone mentioned the words “sleep,” “asleep,” “dream,” “dreaming,” “dreams” or his actual name. He was a real hit.

Erin & the Babadook: the beginning of a beautiful friendship

Later, as the Babadook grew more comfortable with his sexuality (and SOMEONE who works here kept deleting my Slack prompts), he ventured out into other corners of the internet, gradually developing a massively dedicated gay following. Obviously, when May rolled around and it was time for the team to venture out to Wisconsin for A-Camp, our lil buddy tagged along. Babadook loves adventure! He was kind enough to take some time off from his relentless schedule as Grand Marshall of every pride parade ever in order to shoot us a couple of photos from his time in Mukwonago.

All photos are actually taken by Robin Roemer and/or Molly Adams.

These three heartbreakers stormed the “Heaven Is A Place On Earth” dance, turning heads with their bold 80’s-inspired looks.

Babadook loved everything about camp – crafting, attending workshops, messing around in the teaching kitchen, bonding with his cabinmates – but he particularly relished receiving packages from our adorable unofficial mail carrier, Maggie. Did you receive an anonymous love note at camp? Maybe it was from the Babadook!

On the Music Hike, Jenny Owen Youngs and Mal Blum led a team of campers through the woods in search of adventure. Babadook forgot to bring bug spray, but he says it was worth it.

When he wasn’t manning the accessibility shuttle, Babadook took our Program Support guru Megan O’Grady on a scenic tour of the campgrounds. She looks positively delighted.

Who could forget the Babadook’s classic performance with the masculine of center dance team as they writhed around to “Pony” by Ginuwine? I’ll never be able to listen to that song without thinking of him ever again.

Special Programming Director Carly Usdin sent me this snap of the Babadook helping her set up production for Brittani Nichols and Gaby Dunn’s game show night. He ran lights for most of the evening activities.

Still, my dude found the time to participate in game show night, even slithering onstage for an amazing lip sync rendition of “And I Am Telling You” with resident Autostraddle artist Alyssa. These two set tongues wagging when they were later spotted leaving Klub Deer together in what my sources tell me was an “intimate embrace.”

At the all-camp photo, Babadook stood in the back so he wouldn’t block anyone else. Always super considerate, that guy.

Babadook turned out for Autopaddle, taking a kayak out for a peaceful, reflective solo spin around Lake Beulah.

“I’M RIGHT OVER HEEEERE, WHY CAN’T YOU SEE ME, OOOOHHHH…” On the last night, Babadook showed off his more hidden talents by singing backup for the A-Camp Family Band – here, he performs Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own” with fellow queer icons Alaina Monts and Mara Wilson. He really brought the house down!

If you have any other special memories with our pal the Babadook, please feel free to share in the comments.

8 Of the Hottest Fat Fashion Trends for This Summer

It’s summer! Or at least in my opinion it is. According to me, summer starts the first day it’s over fifty degrees, otherwise known as shorts weather. Shopping for fashionable clothes can be especially tough if you’re fat; a lot of designers and stores don’t carry any clothes that fit us, and if they do, they aren’t exactly up to date on the trends. At A-Camp, El Sanchez and I run a workshop called Destigmatize Your Size where we talk about body issues, being fat in queer spaces, and some fashion tips. Here I’m gonna focus on that fashion tip part. Other great trends for this fat queers this summer include aliens, tweed, Bodysuits and beachwear as formal wear.

Crop Tops

Crop tops are timeless, like a sunny day, and more and more fashionable fat people have been wearing them the last few years. That’s definitely a trend I want to see continue, but I’d especially love to see it on fat masc of center people. This Autostraddle Soft Butch Grey Tri-Blend tee comes in sizes up to 4x and can easily be altered into a crop top. I personally own and love the Asos Curve Crop Top with Off Shoulder Tab and I think you should too. Later I’m going to talk about oxblood, my favorite color for this summer, but the two other best colors are blush and marigold, which is essentially what color this Lace Off-The-Shoulder Crop Top is. For a more racy look that’s perfect for a summer picnic, I’d go with this Floral Lace Crop Bralette.

Windbreakers

Maybe you live somewhere where a light jacket is still needed, in case you do, windbreakers are a super great look for masc, femme and all other queers. For a few modern options, I’d go with the ASOS Zip Through Windbreaker with Cloud Print and Overhead Windbreaker in Palm Print, both come in sizes up to 4XL in Men’s. There’s also this great Overhead Windbreaker with Cut and Sew Panels in Blue that goes up to men’s 2XL. You can also look at Etsy for plenty of super great vintage windbreakers. Those are the ones that are really pushing this look forward.

Basketball Jerseys

Just like most fashion, this comes from Black and Brown people and from hip-hop fashion, so make sure to be respectful. These vintage Denver Nuggets jerseys are, in my opinion, the best-looking basketball jerseys ever. I’m personally a Memphis Grizzlies gal, I know some people who prefer Lebron James and the Cavs, though. Maybe you’re more of a college basketball fan, and you’d like this Custom UConn jersey, or maybe you’re a Tune Squad fan and want this Lola Bunny #10 jersey.

Short Shorts

Like I said, summer is defined by shorts weather, and true summer is defined by short shorts weather. These ASOS CURVE Shredded Denim Shorts in Black are exactly the kind of shorts I’d wear. Look at these Runner Shorts in Beige Velour — let’s say that again, VELOUR RUNNER SHORTS. If that’s a little too bold for you, these Navy/Gray Marl Jersey Runner Shorts are a great look too. If you’re a floral type of gal, I’d go with these Floral High Waist Shorts.

Food Prints

Now we’re getting away from specific pieces of clothing and into styles. Food prints are super in right now, and they should be especially in for fat people, as we’re often the ones who eat the most food. This Fried Egg Boob shirt is really cute, and so is this Strawberry Beefcake Tee. For a simpler look, this shop has cute tees with foods like Pizza, French Fries and Donuts. For something that’s the opposite of simple, this shop has Full Printed Sweatshirts with fruit patterns like Bananas, Kiwis and Berries.

Oxblood

Oxblood is The Hottest Color this year. Dress-wearers can go with this Oxblood Floral T-Shirt Scuba Bodycon Dress or Deep Bardot Mini Skater Dress with 3/4 Length Sleeve. This Plus Size Velvet Caged-Front Bodysuit is absolutely gorgeous, and these Plus Size Refuge Hi-Waist Shortie Denim Shorts are super great and would go great with this Lover + Fighter Bomber from Wildfang.

Schoolgirl

This is a trend I’m totally loving right now. I own this Red Plaid Print Pleated Mini Skirt and Plaid Pleated Mini Skirt in Black. This Column Pinafore Dress is also super cute. For Outerwear, I’d suggest the Wild Feminist Essence Bomber, or Lend Me Your Yesteryear Jacket. To finish off the look, you can’t go wrong with these Ribbed Knee-High Socks.

Fans

I asked my great friend Maddi for a summer fashion trend she loves and she said “Big fancy European hand fans” and then followed up with “or carrying around a big leaf to fan yourself with.” I love it. Buy some hand fans and fan yourself all summer.

Drawn to Comics: Support Queer Camp Comics With “As the Crow Flies”

by rory midhani

Melanie Gillman‘s webcomic, As the Crow Flies, has long been one of my favorites. Not only does Gillman create full and vibrant art with a distinctive colored pencil-style, but they also draw you in with instantly lovable characters who live in a story you can’t stop reading. As the Crow Flies is a comic about a 13-year-old girl named Charlie who gets dropped off at Camp Three Peaks, a Christian summer camp for girls, where she’s supposed to learn about God, learn about womanhood, and make friends. The thing is, Charlie is Black and queer, two things that make her stand out at this camp. I’ve been reading this comic for years and my love for it has only grown. Now, I can love it in a brand new way, and you can too, by supporting the Kickstarter campaign to produce the first volume of the comic by Iron Circus Press.

As we go up to A-Camp in the next couple days, a lot of us are probably thinking back to camps we went to as children. For many of us that included christian camps where we might not have exactly fit in. I didn’t start going to Christian camps until my later teen years, but I definitely have a lot of memories of feeling alienated by the language that was used. That’s exactly what Charlie and her friend Sydney, a 12-year-old trans girl, are going through. Whether it’s talks about God “whitening” and “purifying” the campers’ souls, or “women only spaces,” there’s a lot about what the things that Bee, the leader of the camp, says that make kids like Charlie and Sydney feel like they might not belong.

Art edits made for the new edition.

This is honestly one of the best comics about identity and finding community and yourself that I’ve ever read. Gillman knows how to write kids; they know how to write queer characters; and they know how to draw diverse body types.  When you’re queer or a person of color or both and you’re in a very white Christian space, it can feel like you’re the only person on earth. Gillman nails that isolation and confusion and frustration that Charlie feels, and then also perfectly nails the profound sense of comfort, familiarity and community that comes from finding someone like yourself is there too.

There are only a handful of comics I’ve been reading and enjoying as long as As the Crow Flies. Melanie Gillman deserves to be a modern day legend. Hopefully this Kickstarter will help make that happen. Not only can you yourself get a copy of this book by supporting it, but Iron Circus is planning distribution through Consortium, so hopefully this book will also be available in book stores and libraries where it can get to the kids and adults who need to read it the most.

Art edits made for the print editon.

This first volume will collect the first 270 pages of the comic, which takes place over the first three days of the camp. Another awesome bonus about this new print edition is that Gillman spent a long time and a ton of hard work into making art edits to the earlier pages to make the art throughout the comic (which so far has been made over seven years of artistic growth) more cohesive. Head over to the website and support this amazing queer camp themed comic!

New Releases (May 17)

Batwoman #3
DC Comics Bombshells #27
Green Lanterns #23
Harley Quinn #20
Odyssey of the Amazons #5
Supergirls Vol 1 Rein of the Cyborg Supermen TP
Superman/Wonder Woman Vol 5 Savage End TP
Wonder Woman by George Perez Omnibus Vol 2 HC
The Wicked + The Divine 455 AD #1
Mighty Thor #19
Star Wars #31
Star Wars Poe Dameron #15
Ultimates 2 #7
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #20
Adventure Time Comics #11
Alien Covenant Collectors Ed. HC
Animosity #7
Eleanor & The Egret
Josephine Baker GN
Kim Reaper #2
Red Sonja #5
Tank Girl Gold TP

Welcome to Drawn to Comics! From diary comics to superheroes, from webcomics to graphic novels – this is where we’ll be taking a look at comics by, featuring and for queer ladies. So whether you love to look at detailed personal accounts of other people’s lives, explore new and creative worlds, or you just love to see hot ladies in spandex, we’ve got something for you.

If you have a comic that you’d like to see me review, you can email me at mey [at] autostraddle [dot] com.

Heaven is a Place at A-Camp: Masculine-of-Center Looks For The A-Camp May 2017 Dance

If you were here yesterday, you may have spotted this guide to femme looks for the A-Camp 2017 Dance. Now we’re back with even more sartorial inspiration for you.

Sometimes you’re a masculine-of-center woman/person and wanna go full costume… and sometimes you wanna be “on theme” while also wearing an outfit you could potentially wear again in a non-theme setting. Well I have good news for you: that’s what this post is about! With some help from my masculine-of-center activity partner, I’ve put together some looks that you can definitely wear to San Junipero if that’s where you decide to go when you die. Or, I guess, if you are attending the “Heaven is a Place on Earth” dance at A-Camp. (Read more about that theme on Mey’s post.)

ETA: This post is not intended to be representative of what lesbians wore in 1987, but rather outfits that go with the ’80s beachy vibe of the “San Junipero” episode of Black Mirror, which inspired this year’s A-Camp Dance Theme.

Lunch Date

Look for spread collars and flowy, short-sleeve patterned button downs you can wear a little open, or over a white or black t-shirt, paired with jeans or shorts. Add some shades and an obscene Casio watch and you’re really gonna love that Raspberry Vinaigrette.

Top Row: The Ultimate WF S/S Button Up, Vans Old Skool Trainers, Palm Leaf Short Sleeve Button Up Camp Shirt.

Bottom Row: Produkt Chino Shorts, Wayfarer Sunglasses, Casio Vintage Digital Watch and asos Slim Jeans in Light Wash (also comes in Plus sizes).

Cocktail

Congratulations, you got a gig tending bar at Tucker’s! You better roll up your short sleeves, get some bold prints (pair with a deep V), some sturdy boots and a strong attitude.

Top Row: Vintage-Inspired Shirt in White Stripe, Lace-Up Leather Boots,  New Look Roll Sleeve T-Shirt In Black, GUESS Retro Script Tee.

Bottom Rows: Casio Vintage Calculator Watch, Reclaimed Vintage-Inspired Shirt in Stone Abstract Fit, Revere Collar Retro-Fit Shirt,  Levi’s 511 Sly Slim Jean

Miami Vice

A lot of the suit-related trends from the ’80s should probably remain there, forever (it was a particularly unfortunate time for lesbians because blazers), but with a modern twist you can still get the jist while looking cool and staying hot.

Top Row: Zara pink basic blazer, White Viscose Mix Drop Shoulder T-Shirt, Bold Floral Shirt, Sartorial suit trousers, Wildfang Newton Ivory Long Blazer & Wildfang Elba Pants.

Bottom Row: Black Calvin Klein T-Shirt, Dusty Blue twill skinny fit suit jacket & Suit Pants, Patent Leather Platform Flats, Asos loafers in navy metallic, Andron Suede Loafer, Blue Pima Cotton T-Shirt.

Also Pictured: Getting your own Rolex Oyster watch to look authentic Miami Vice will cost approximately five thousand dollars, so here’s a $25 watch that’ll do in a pinch.

Jackets

If you’ve spent any length of time glued to John Hughes movies or waiting in line for Top Gun at King’s Island, you know that men in the ’80s were a little chilly a lot of the time. Major trends include the classic denim jacket, print/plaid oversized blazers (think Duckie in Pretty in Pink), trench-style coats, Varsity jackets, bomber jackets in general, and leather bomber jackets specifically. The leather motorcycle jacket remains a strong pick throughout the ages, but in the ’80s was mostly part of punk/biker looks generally.

Top Row: Asos Plus Knitted Cotton Bomber with Contrast Trims in Grey Twist, denim jacket, Lakewood Distressed Denim Jacket (with a puffer vest for Marty McFly style, or roll up the sleeves and pair with light wash denim jeans and high-tops or solid dark pants) Faux Leather Bomber Jacket (google “Top Gun”), Melton Oversized Varsity Jacket With Print (let your crush borrow it when she gets cold)

Bottom Row: Satin Souvenir Bomber Jacket (roll up the sleeves, pair with a black tee), Brooklyn Supply College Bomber, Wildfang Fraser Coat (looks good over a white button-up with spread collar) and H & M Leather Jacket (pair with black concert tee)

Endless Summer: Surf Looks

Undoubtedly, a lot of awesome people chose San Junipero for its proximity to the beach. Probably you’re in San Junipero in the first place for surf-related reasons, right? Surf brands were huge in the ’80s (and early ’90s) so you’re really set for life I mean DEATH.

Top row: Guess  1981 Acid Wash Jean, Maui & Sons 80s Jumble Swim Trunks, Guess Oversized Tee, T & C Surf Designs Checkered T-Shirt

Second Row: T&C Surf Designs Checkerboard Shorts, Nile Blue Sea & Destroy Hat, Neff Daily Sunglasses, Vans Checkerboard Slip-On Shoes, Always Rare Donny Denim Short Black Acid Wash Shorts, UP for UO Surfer-Striped Crewneck Sweatshirt

Not Pictured, But Should Be, Because It’s Gay: Keith Haring t-shirt.

Preppy

Crested blazers, layered polos, argyle sweater vests, sweaters draped over your shoulders and tied in the front, pleated khakis, Cricket sweaters, topsiders, loafers, expensive watches — the ’80s were a time of Peak Prep, and left its mark on the early ’90s (see: Carlton on the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air). Style icons for this look include every character Andrew McCarthy played in an ’80s movie and the girls in The Facts of Life.

Roll up the sleeves on your Linen Blazer (not-pictured) and pair with Suit Pants and a Pink polo shirt (top row, first two) and pink loafers (bottom row, first one).

Other items for a preppy look include Top Row Items: Men’s Coast Tommy Hilfiger Cricket Sweater and Only & Sons Cropped Chinos.

Bottom Row: Ralph Lauren Argyle Socks, Sperry Topsider Men’s Boat Shoes (wear with bare feet), Blade + Blue Ribbon Belt and Oversized Circle Metal Eyeglasses Frame Clear Lens Glasses.

You can also do a lot with accessories: fanny packs, a single silver earring, sweatbands — the world is your retro oyster!! Or you could just dress like Duckie, that’s always an option.

Heaven is a Place at A-Camp: Femme Looks For The A-Camp May 2017 Dance

As you make your way past the big hair and bigger shoulder pads, you see her. You don’t know her name, but based on her Frankie Says Relax shirt, you guess it might be Frankie. You’ve always had a thing for girls with guy’s names, remember Molly Ringwald as Andie in Pretty in Pink? Wow. You make your way to Frankie, and you check your own hair. Obviously you’re no Annie Lennox, but you are looking great. Really, it’s the hair more than anything that makes 1987 your favorite year so far. Well, the hair, and now Frankie. Frankie looks totally rad.

“Hey Frankie, that’s a totally righteous haircut, love the bangs.”

She smiles and raises one eyebrow. Wow, this girl, is like, totally radical. Like, how did she get so cool? “So, like, is this your first time here?”

“At this bar? Yeah, I’m not much of a party animal, but I am into trying new things. So, Frankie, do you wanna dance? I’m a totally tubular date, I promise.”

She looks at you again with that smile, “You know my name’s not Frankie, right? It’s a song?”

You can feel the crimp in your hair go away. “Oh my gawd! What is my damage??? I’m so embarrassed! I’m a huge nerd!”

She puts a hand on your shoulder, “No, no! Calm down! Nerds are like, totally cool. I like nerds. I like you”

Suddenly, the room stops and you hear the boombox. “Ooh, baby, do you know what that’s worth? Ooh heaven is a place on earth!”

“Oh! This is my song,” Not-Frankie shouts! “Let’s dance! By the way, my name’s Joey, what’s yours?”

Your name is A-Camper and this is your dance.

Black Mirror

The A-Camp dance theme this May is “Heaven is Place On Earth,” so I want to see everyone in their best Billy Idol, Rhythm Nation, Whitney Houston, Jennifer Beals, Ronald Reagan, Paula Abdul, Bruce Springsteen and Jem & The Holograms drag. Obviously we’re gonna start with Yorkie and Kelly, though.

Yorkie is all about normcore meets nerdcore. She’s just herself, you know? Yorkie wears her khaki mom shorts, cute striped sweater and collared shirt; and as Kelly points out, her outfit wouldn’t be complete without her geeky glasses. She’s also disabled, and in our Autostraddle version, she’s proud of that and shows it by wearing this cute Disability Pride Pin.

Kelly on the other hand, is like, totally radical. She knows what fashion is and she knows how to rock it. She’s got those great harem pants and the absolutely cute corset top. To finish it off she has an amazing purple blazer with fringe and studs and a belt and all sorts of embellishments on the shoulders, and it’s impossible to find, but this purple blazer with shoulder studs is a good start.

Bodysuits

I’m hoping that I see so many of these at the dance, just put one of these one with some leggings and a great jacket and do your hair and you’ll knock everyone dead. This Short Sleeve Off Shoulder bodysuit is super cute. This V Front Body with Long Sleeves covers up a bit more but still looks amazing. Finally, this Daisy Street Plus Button Body Suit is absolutely adorable in it’s simplicity.

Dresses/Skirts

If you want to go a more traditional femme route and make a great statement, the Silver ’80s Ruffle Mini Dress or Structured ’80s Bow Cocktail Dress is perfect for you. To get that Robert Palmer backing band look, the Cold Shoulder Long Sleeve Mini Bodycon Dress in Crepe is the way to go. Or you could pair the Leather Look Mini Skirt with ’80s Waist with a cute top and go from there.

Jackets

All of these outfits so far, and most outfits that you could imagine wearing to this dance will only look better when worn with the perfect ’80s jacket. For the perfect leather jacket, I’d suggest the Bershka ’80s Sleeve Leather Look Jacket, but if denim is your thing, I’d go for the New Look Frill Detail Denim Jacket. When it comes to jackets though, the ’80s are most known for their blazers. This Mix and Match Blazer with Rouched Sleeve is cute and soft, while the Mansy Clean Blazer has a much more aggressive look. If you want the clean white look of a Miami Vice character, you could go for the River Island Plus Tailored Blazer.

Accessories

The ’80s are also totally about the accessorizing. You could go for the ’80s nerd look with these ASOS Suspenders. Or go for more of a pop princess look with the Large Ruffle Hair Fascinator, Occasion Bow Fascinator or Oversize Soft Bow Headband. I’m also gonna suggest Kate Leth’s San Junipero Pin because it’s actually extremely perfect. But again, the ’80s was largely about the hair, and the hair was large. No matter what everyone’s wearing, I better see some super amazing hairstyles at the dance.

A second “Heaven is a Place on Earth” A-Camp dance fashion guide focusing on more masculine-of-center presentations will be published tomorrow. 

Campership Alert: Pool Party at A-Camp In Style Courtesy of Outplay

Y’all, I can’t go to Camp this year and it is KILLING ME. And you know what’s killing me the most? I’m not gonna get to meet the rad human who wins this Outplay Campership (last year it was Fiona and she totally attended our whiskey tasting and it was really rad).

Left: Rip-Current Sweatpants with Pampatar Tank // Right: Tux Pants with Tux Crest Sports Bra

Outplay makes swimsuits for all sorts of genders and bodies, and specifically they’re best known for their compression swimsuit tops. It’s a binder and a swimsuit all in one! My mom got me one for Christmas a while back. Red bottoms, grey Flatsea top! They’ve got ones that show your midriff if you’re one o’ them butch-crop-top-wearing folks, and they’ve got swimsuits for me, whose beach style veers more toward Butch Nun. They’ve even got tops with sleeves, bless them! And they’re all stylish, with fun bright colors and the ability to mix and match to get your desired look. Ugh, I love Outplay. I love that I don’t have to worry about my giant boobs in the water. I love that there’s a place I can go where I don’t have to try on a million things to find one thing that sort of works — instead, I can get anything I want and it makes me look and feel awesome. And if I flub it on the size? Ship that sucker back and exchange, it’s super easy.

Turns out, Outplay loves A-Camp as much as I love them. They’re sending one Camper to Wisconsin, suit in hand. Or suit in suitcase. Anyone can win! Here’s whatcha gotta do to enter:

1. Follow Outplay on Instagram.
2. Find the Instagram photo all about this A-Camp Campership
3. Like the photo, AND
4. Comment on the photo telling them what your fave Outplay product is
5. When you comment on the photo, use the hashtag #daretooutplay
6. That is it! That is all. Maybe you come to Camp for zero dollars and take hella hot Instagram photos in your Outplay swimsuit while you’re there.

Deadline is Friday, April 21st.

This contest begins today on Monday, April 17th and runs through Friday, April 21st. All entries must be received by 11:59pm PST on Friday, April 21st to be considered eligible. The winner will be notified on Monday, April 24th!

Please be advised that you’ve gotta be able to get there yourself, by plane, train or automobile; transport to and from camp is on you. And also, when you get there, SEND ME A PHOTO OF EVERYONE’S POOL FASHIONS PLEASE UGH I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M MISSING CAMP. But my wife is graduating law school, so. I guess that’s fine. I guess.

Oh, and about that swimsuit. In case you need some inspiration for what your favorite Outplay sitch is, they’re specifically giving away the Campership winner’s choice of Flatsea or Swimmee top (low or high compression!) and then to cover your bum, a choice of Tombois, Bois or Todasana shorts. You can mix and match colors!

So get in there and get this Campership! When you’re chilling round the pool being the babeliest of babes at the gayest of places, you’ll be glad you did.

61 Ways You Weirdos Described Yourselves When Signing Up For A-Camp

A-Camp 8.0 is six weeks away which means it’s time for me to start doing the magical spells that place everybody in cabins with other humans they may or may not like but hopefully will like! That’s why I ask campers to describe themselves in 400 characters or less when they register, and most of them do, and then I read through them and get very excited to meet everybody. I know a lot about your astrological signs, Meyers-Briggs types, dog vs. cat preferences, Hogwarts houses, gender presentations, grad school majors and negative feelings towards the patriarchy, so thank you for that.

Here are some excerpts from your self-descriptions, ripped mercilessly out of context, and shared here for everybody’s collective enjoyment:

1. I like showing off this one weird talent where I can turn my feet almost 180 degrees backward and still stand straight

2. Even if I only get 400 characters, 9 of them will be SLYTHERIN so make of that what you will

3. Sometimes I cry easily?

4. After years of complaining about shoddy lesbian storylines, I still haven’t seen Carol

5. I’m an Alex Danvers crossed with an Elena Alvarez but with an unfortunate side of Ali Pfefferman

6. If they made a movie about my life, Clea DuVall would play me

7. I would say I’m a mixture of all the Belcher kids (from Bob’s Burgers) but mostly a Tina

8. If Queen Latifah and J-Lo got together and had a love child it would be me

9. I am the Mexican/gay Elaine Benes that never was

10. I like to think of myself as a mix between Issa Rae and Solange

11. 100% Elena from “One Day at a Time” looking for my Mexican bruja Carmen

12. I’m the same height as Putin

13. I know the words to every single Lion King song

14. I have no self control when there are cookies in my vicinity

15. Seizing the means of production is my kink.

16. Basically I’m a sentient trash can with three degrees.

17. Secret Grunge Time Traveler

18. Insufferable bleeding heart Liberal snowflake

19. Denim-Wearing Campy Chatty Cathy

20. Sparkly weird garbage glam alien

21. Reclusive Swashbuckler / Puttering PUNographer / Sagacious Sherlockian

22. I love snapbacks and dancing like a goon

23. I eat tortilla chips in hummus literally every day

24. I have a tattoo of broccoli on my left hip

25. I am perpetually coming out to my internet service provider

26. I hate mushrooms and pudding, have never done drugs, and may one day do yoga, but probably not.

27. I’m a young grandma at heart with no apologies

28. My current favorite goof is making jokes about the Nintendo Switch. I mean, come on, Nintendo. Come on.

29. I’m usually surrounded by too many books while I’m vibing to Linda Ronstadt while leafing through the latest issue of MaximumRockNRoll.

30. I studied knot theory — in both the practical and theoretical senses, and if you find me somewhere without rope, you should help me change that situation!

31. Last year I gave a PSA about a butt plug

32. All I asked for for my last birthday was a Leatherman multitool

33. I was dubbed The Shane of the Hell’s Angels cabin. Probably because I give good life advice.

34. Writing this bio made me nervous so I google image-d “self description”

35. After one full year, this brown queer
Is ready for more fun.
Positive and goofy
awkward and sleuthy
But no longer “the quiet one.”
I can’t dance, but might take a chance,
When paired with craft beer.
Doing ALL the workshops,
breaking from the desktops,
And looking forward to Club Deer.

36. Just a smalltown queer living in a world with no fear.
They took a midnight drive going to A-caaaamp.

37. Have you ever had a dream that you, um, you had, your, you- you could, you’ll do, you- you wants, you, you could do so, you- you’ll do, you could- you, you want, you want them to do you so much you could do anything?

38. Tall like Amazon
Empathetic and witty
Snuggles for days, yo

When A-Camp rings bell
Lurk for years and then answer
Futile resistance

39. My Patronus is the Australian Magpie — a beautiful songbird that, when threatened, can literally kill you.

40. I enjoy long discussions about how Katniss should have run off with Madge

41. I enjoy telling people random Star Trek: The Next Generation facts

42. I have been told I’m a golden retriever in human form.

43. I’m a social media-less cusp of mystery.

44. Connoisseur of rosé and Real Housewives

45. Dream job: pilot in the rebel alliance

46. My favorite holidays are Halloween and 420.

47. Gryffindor in the streets, Slytherin in the sheets.

48. Canadian turned Southerner turned small-town Midwesterner (in other words: RESERVED BUT FRIENDLY).

49. In an Autostraddle article I read once, I found “aunt dad” as a way to describe my gender presentation and I never looked back.

50. Raised by indirect communicators but therapy has helped tremendously on that

51. I’m a Scorpio, but one who is a nervous dog terrified of everyone until I’m comfortable but then once I am I’ll both curl up on your lap and also defend your honor to the death.

52. Vapid Fluff is the most important thing on the internet.

53. I went to boarding school so know all the fun games to play when the lights go off and the teachers have gone to bed

54. I can usually be found with my head in a book because fictional life is much more interesting than my real life

55. HI RIESE

56. If I approached everything in life with the same determination and speed I put into changing into pajamas after work, I would be a highly productive person

57. I’ve been single so long that I’m pretty sure I am no longer eligible to refer to myself as a homosexual.

58. If I was an animal I’d be a raccoon because I love shiny things, staying up late, and eating garbage.

59. I’ve probably seen every Ryan Gosling movie in existence. It’s a serious disorder.

60. I love cheese more than any other food in the world

61. Anxious around cute people. Please put me with cute people.

A-Camp Spring 2017: Win A Campership From Catalyst Wedding Co.!

Auto-babes, gather round and rejoice; we’ve got another Campership opportunity to announce today! Catalyst Wedding Co. wants to give one lucky camper a Full Campership (with shuttle travel to and from the airport + linens) to attend A-Camp 8.0. And that’s not all – the winner of this specific Campership will also win four print issues of Catalyst Wedding Magazine and a rad Catalyst t-shirt. So who are the fabulous humans behind this Campership opportunity and how do you apply? So glad you asked!

Liz Susong, Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Catalyst Wedding Co. // photo by Ana Photo NYC

Jen Siomacco, Creative Director of Catalyst Wedding Co. // photo by Tiffany Josephs Photography

Catalyst Wedding Co. is a women-owned business that aspires to increase diverse representation in wedding media and to engage in critical dialogue about love, sex, marriage, and weddings. They publish Catalyst Wedding Magazine, the first and only print wedding magazine with a feminist consciousness, and they host events to increase diverse representation in the wedding industry.

photo by Kinzie Ferguson

The folks at Catalyst Wedding Co. are all about diversifying representation, challenging gendered roles, and standing for equal rights. Sound rad? We think so too! And we’re not the only ones. This Campership opportunity came about because Catalyst Wedding Co. received the Girl Boss Grant this year, and they decided to use the money to sponsor a Campership as a way of spreading the love to their community. Talk about putting your money where your mouth is!

How to Apply

Catalyst Wedding Co. shares stories about love, sex, and relationships with the knowledge that storytelling is a force for change. They’ll be selecting the Catalyst Camper through an essay competition on the theme “The Personal is Political.” The winning essay will be shared on the Catalyst Wedding Co. website with the author’s permission.

Here are some examples of stories the Catalyst Wedding Co. team is looking for in this Campership Contest:

• Navigating challenging political ideas in your own identity and/or love life
• What intersectional feminism means to you
• Why you need A-Camp in this current political environment
• What intersectional community looks like for you
• Anything else that inspires you!

Try to keep essays between 400-600 words, but feel free to expand beyond that if you need the room!

All essays should be emailed to Liz at submissions@catalystwedco.com with the subject line “Catalyst Campership” by the end of Sunday, April 16th.

photo by A Lovely Photo

Deadline is Sunday, April 16th

This contest begins today on Thursday, April 5th and runs through Sunday, April 16th. All essays must be received by 11:59pm PST on Sunday, April 16th to be considered eligible. The Senior Editors at Catalyst Wedding Co. and A-Camp Senior Staff will read over all the submissions and choose the winner together. The winner will be notified on Wednesday, April 19th!

Please do not enter the contest if you cannot commit to attending A-Camp 8.0 – this includes having the means to transport yourself to and from the magical place that is camp (although Catalyst will cover a shuttle to and from the airport if you’re flying in).

photo by Betty Clicker Photography

And whether you’re applying for the Campership or not, be sure to check out Catalyst Wedding Co. for all of your queer wedding needs!

A-Camp Spring 2017: Win A Campership AND Fancy Shoes from Tomboy Toes!

feature photo and all photos in post by Lindsey Stone of Gryfeathr Photography, model in photos is Alex Perry

If you’re a fashionable queer on a budget with a penchant for classy masculine dress shoes who’s still hoping to attend A-Camp this May, today’s Campership Contest announcement is going to make you feel like dancing and prancing!

Thanks to Tomboy Toes, a small business owned and operated by a queer woman that sells formal and semi-formal men’s shoes in sizes intended to fit women, trans men, nonbinary people, and anyone with smaller feet, we’re giving away one Full Campership (with shuttle travel and linens) and one pair of fancy shoes!

The Roguish Brogue in Light Brown

Tomboy Toes is a rad company that was founded by Lauren Craig, an entrepreneur from Toronto with a passion for roller derby, video games, and her two calico cats. Oh, and classy, dapper dress shoes that fill their wearers with pride! Disappointed with her lifelong inability to find masculine dress shoes that would fit her small feet, Lauren finally decided to take matters into her own hands (or feet!) and did what any badass entrepreneur would do: she decided to fix the problem herself. Thus, Tomboy Toes was born. The company’s mission is as follows:

“Tomboy Toes is a seller of formal and semi-formal men’s shoes in sizes intended to fit women and people with smaller feet. Our ambition goes beyond just selling shoes. We’re about giving people confidence in their appearance, empowered by a wardrobe that reflects their unique style. You deserve to feel awesome.

You hear that y’all? You deserve to feel awesome! And what could possibly make you feel more awesome than winning a pair of fancy shoes and a Campership to A-Camp 8.0?! Read on to learn how to enter the contest and live your best life.

How to Apply

1. Follow Tomboy Toes on Instagram. (You should do this even if you don’t plan to enter the Campership contest because who doesn’t want to look at beautifully crafted formal and semi-formal dress shoes that actually fit your feet?!)

2. Post a photo on your own Instagram account and tag it #acampshoein and @tomboytoes. What should this be a photo of, you may ask. Great question. You have two options!

• Post a photo of a pair of formal shoes you already own that you had to buy out of necessity. They’re okay because they’re a shoe and they go on your feet and you can walk in them, but you’re not in love with them. In the caption, tell us how you felt when you bought this pair of shoes versus how you imagine you might feel if you win a sweet pair of Tomboy Toes shoes.

OR

• Post a photo of a fancy outfit you own that you love but that needs the perfect pair of shoes to compliment it. You know the one we mean — every single piece of the ensemble is The Best but every time you put it on you’re left staring at your closet, wondering what the heck to put on your feet. In the caption, tell us why you love this outfit and where you’ll wear it if you finally get the perfect pair of Tomboy Toes shoes to complete the look.

You do NOT need to post two photos. Just pick ONE option, and follow that prompt. The captions don’t have to be lengthy (think 2-4 sentences), just speak from your honest open shoe-loving heart.

3. That’s all, you’re done!

The Downtown Dappers in Dark Brown

Deadline is Thursday, March 23rd

This contest begins today on Thursday, March 9th and runs through Thursday, March 23rd. All photos must be posted to Instagram by 11:59pm PST on Thursday, March 23rd to be considered eligible. Lauren and A-Camp Senior Staff will read over all the submissions and choose the winner together. The winner will be notified on Monday, March 27th!

Please do not enter the contest if you cannot commit to attending A-Camp 8.0 – this includes having the means to transport yourself to and from the magical place that is camp.

And whether you’re applying for the Campership or not, be sure to check out the Tomboy Toes website next time you need a pair of fancy masculine formal or semi-formal shoes, cause remember, you don’t have to settle for something that’s almost good enough. As the Tomboy Toes mission says, you deserve to feel 100% awesome.

Want to learn more about Tomboy Toes? Check out the Tomboy Toes website, subscribe to the Tomboy Toes email list, follow Tomboy Toes on Instagram and Twitter, and like Tomboy Toes on Facebook!

Introducing the A-Camp Arts & Resistance Fund: A Tax-Deductible Way To Change Lives

Fiscal sponsorship through Fractured Atlas is enabling us to do something you’ve been requesting for a long time — a way to contribute to the work we do here in a tax-deductable manner. Finally, that dream has been realized. Let’s talk about it!

The arts have always been an integral element of the A-Camp experience — through workshops, performances and master-classes with established queer artists, many campers have found their voice, met their dream collaborators, or simply gained the courage and confidence to pursue creative work. We’ve offered a range of arts-related workshops on topics including songwriting, ballet, hip-hop dance, photography, a capella, essay writing, improv, stand-up comedy, zine-making, queer music history, slam poetry and figure drawing. In addition to all the programming run by the writers and illustrators of Autostraddle.com, we’ve hosted discussions and interactive sessions with the creators and writers behind projects including the Netflix show Orange is the New Black, the trans-inclusive web series Her Story, the Eisner-Award-winning comic book franchise Lumberjanes, Outfest’s 2016 Best First Feature Film Suicide Kale, the buzzy young adult novel Juliet Takes a Breath, the bestselling Adventure Time graphic novels and YouTube hits like Just Between Us and My Drunk Kitchen.

The importance of the arts and the representation of marginalized voices has taken on a new urgency in our current political climate, and the A-Camp Arts & Resistance Fund aims to invest in and elevate those voices by providing avenues for inspiration and collaboration through the A-Camp program.

That’s where Fractured Atlas comes in. Fractured Atlas is a non-profit technology company that empowers artists and arts organizations by eliminating practical barriers to artistic expression in hopes of engendering a more agile and resilient cultural ecosystem. One of their primary services is the fiscal sponsorship program, which allows non-commercial art-related projects to be supported through grants and tax-deductible donations without the project having to maintain 501(c)(3) status.

The majority of AARF funds will go towards camperships specifically for queer artists of color. We are soliciting applications from QPOC who have any level of interest, skill, talent or experience in any arts area (e.g., dance, visual arts, music performance or composition, comedy, writing). A donation of $771 will cover the entire cost of camp, airport shuttles and linens for one camper, but any size of donation helps. The rest of the funding will go towards bringing in additional facilitators and supporting the experienced staff who deliver this arts-based programming. Donors will receive appropriate tax forms from Fractured Atlas.

If you’d like to donate to the A-Camp Arts & Resistance Fund or apply for an ARF campership, you can do so using the button below or on this page of the A-Camp website.

The A-Camp Arts & Resistance Fund is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of The A-Camp Arts & Resistance Fund must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

A-Camp Spring 2017: We’ve Got Six Full Camperships for Trans Women To Give Away

Autostraddle’s A-Camp is coming up this May and we’ve got an anonymous donor who wants to see lots of trans women there! If you ask a lot of trans women who’ve attended A-Camp, it can truly be the most affirming queer space they’ve ever encountered. Of course it’s not perfect — no space containing white and/or cis people is, really — but we are working our asses off to make it the best most trans-inclusive environment it can be, and it’s definitely at the very least a nice break from the hellscape of our current world.

Before we get into details, here’s some words from the anonymous donor who wants to send you to A-Camp:

I think that we can all agree that the world we live in is pretty problematic when it comes to tra… well, everything. Relevant to this campership, though, the world isn’t always the the most enjoyable place to be a trans woman in. What I found at A-Camp 6.0 (my first camp), was a group of queers that was strikingly less problematic than I’d encountered anywhere else. I can’t say that it was perfect, but I felt more accepted and free at camp than I did at home; that was nice. By the end, I had made some amazing friends, and went home wishing I could stay.

Yes, problematic things still happened at camp, but I saw an A-Camp staff that cared. I saw A-Camp staff take immediate action to fix problems and issue apologies. I heard conversations about how to be better, to make camp more inclusive, and to make camp a safe space. The active engagement of leadership makes me feel good about future A-Camps, and my continued participation in them.

Here are some quotes from trans women who’ve attended past camps and filled out feedback surveys:

“I loved the intentional efforts I observed by Staffers to create an atmosphere that is truly supportive of trans women like myself. I love the ability to be in a space where we can talk openly about transgender issues, about racism, about ableism. So valuable.”

“I’ve never felt a lower amount of shame about my body than I have felt with my cabin mates. I was able to just be myself and not worry about someone attacking me (verbally or otherwise) for being trans. Just being able to change clothes in the presence of other people without feeling terrified was incredible. For the first time I honestly felt like I was accepted and included.”

“I was concerned about being trans at camp. Sure, the website said camp was trans inclusive, but I’ve been burned by events that claim trans inclusivity before. It’s hard for me to relax while being myself, and feel accepted. I felt more accepted and able to relax while at A-Camp, than I have in trans exclusive/normative spaces. The atmosphere of acceptance, and the feeling I got that being trans wasn’t even a thing I had to care about was amazing. It was made more powerful because it wasn’t a trans normative or exclusive space.”

“Coming from the South it can feel very isolating being queer, especially as a trans woman, and A-Camp made me feel like I belong somewhere for the first time.”

This A-Camp will be from May 18th – May 23rd in Mukwonago, Wisconsin. There’s going to be all sorts of awesome panels, workshops and activities, as well as special guests Gaby Dunn, Mara Wilson, Be Steadwell, Brittani Nichols and Kim Milan. It’s pretty cool: you get to sleep in cabins, enjoy the outdoors, go to dances and spend some absolutely wonderful days with a camp full of other queers.

Here’s a breakdown of the camperships we have available. These are open to trans women and AMAB trans femmes and other nb AMAB people. All camperships include price of admission, and linens and shuttle fee if you need them:

• One campership for a trans woman of color with full travel included
• One campership for a trans woman without travel
• Four camperships for trans women of color with a $100 travel stipend

If you’re interested in entering, please send the following to mey (at) autostraddle (dot) com:

• Your name and a bit about you
• Which campership you’re applying for
• Your favorite thing about Autostraddle
• Why you want to come to camp.

This contest is open for one week, and will end at 11:59 pm Western Time next Monday, February 27th.

If you have already applied for a campership through traditional avenues but haven’t heard back yet, you should definitely still apply for this one! (I know they’ve still got a few more to give out, but you should still apply for this one just in case.)

A-Camp Spring 2017: It’s Time To Donate and/or Apply For Camperships!

Sometimes you wanna go to A-Camp but you just can’t afford it, and sometimes you don’t really want to go to A-Camp but totally could afford it, and if we mash both of those types of people together, we create a symbiotic relationship known as “the campership.” Although we have lots of good ideas around here, this particular idea just-so-happens to be yours.

Our campership program has sent around 50 people to camp on full or partial camperships. This session is gonna be particularly kickass: we’re going to a new site in Wisconsin (1.5 hours from Chicago) with Mara Wilson, Gaby Dunn, Be Steadwell, Brittani Nichols, Kim Milan and additional talent TBA. You definitely want to be there!

This year we have two options for donating and applying to the campership fund:

1. The typical way — contributing to the A-Camp Campership fund via Paypal and applying via our website. Applications are open to anybody, although full camperships are only available to first-time campers.
2. The A-Camp Arts & Resistance Fund, a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. If you go this route, your donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law, and you will be supporting camperships specifically for QTPOC artists. You can read more about that here and we’ll probably have another post about it soon!

Now, let’s hear from some of the wonderful human beings who were able to attend A-Camp 7.5 in Wisconsin BECAUSE OF YOU. If you’d like to read further testimonials that’d tug at your heartstrings, you can do so here: Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Spring 2013 and Fall 2012.

There will also be some special camperships and sponsored camperships announced in the coming weeks!

Dera, 21 – St. Louis, MO

Once you attend A-Camp, you become part of a larger community of people who have attended camp, and A-Camp family has your back.

Here’s what I did when I got the email telling me I’d won a campership:

Read email. Was filled with joy and stunned at the same time.

Immediately started looking at flights, with plans to use Southwest points to buy a ticket.

Figured out that Midway airport is not ORD, and that Southwest doesn’t even go to O’Hare, which meant I couldn’t use my Rapid Rewards miles to get there.

Thought, You know what? That’s okay. You’ll figure something out.

Reread email and noticed that it says “with travel covered!”

Burst into tears.

I’m looking at that email again right now, and all the good feelings are rushing back. I feel so lucky and blessed to have been able to go to A-Camp.

I’m a queer Nigerian-American woman, and sometimes that’s too much intersectionality for my liking. Before A-Camp, I was going through a period where I felt down about my sexual orientation. I was thinking that maybe if it were different, I could have one less thing counting against me.

Before A-Camp, the only type of camp I’d experienced was years of Mormon youth camp. Well, let me tell you: they’re nothing alike. Shocking. Also A-Camp is better.

But during A-Camp? Let me tell you about during A-Camp! This is what A-Camp gave me:

• A moment when I was on the shuttle bus and thinking something ~gay~ and wondering if I could say it, and then I remembered OH WAIT EVERYONE ON THIS BUS IS TOTES INTO LADIES. Not having to filter my queerness ever is something that I really enjoyed during A-Camp.
• Amazing musical, visual, and performance art produced by awesome queer women and non-binary folks who were previously unknown to me
• More workshops than I could physically attend. There are so many great options!
• Fun times with the Autostraddle staff <3
• The power and strength in a room full of QTPOC
• Spreadable port wine cheese. I’m not sure if it’s the spreadable part or the port wine part that intrigues me more
• Klub Deer, plus an even bigger dance shebang at the end
• An overwhelming feeling of acceptance

But the joys of A-Camp weren’t confined to those three days. Once you attend A-Camp, you become part of a larger community of people who have attended camp. And A-Camp family has your back. I am often in awe of the amount of support and encouragement I see in A-Camp related groups online. For example, a person whom I’ve never met but who attended a previous A-Camp helped me save money on my passport renewal application. This wonderful human processes passport photos for work and was able to verify that my DIY passport picture met the requirements. At A-Camp, I met wonderful humans that I’m still in contact with today. Now I’m getting queer mail and holigay cards, y’all. This never happened before!

I had a dream about A-Camp registration because I’m that excited for A-Camp 8.0 to open up. If you’d like to go but don’t have the funds, please apply for the campership!

Ines, 26 – Chicago, IL

Being a fat femme, Black, Puerto Rican, and bisexual babe is hard in my white, straight, cis owned/run company, but was LIFE at camp.

A-camp is literally the best thing that happened to me in 2016 (and probably every year before that!). I came out to my family after the Pulse Massacre. I have been dancing in gay clubs for years with my best friend without a care in the world. It wasn’t just the fact that this hit so close to home, but that if anything like that would happen in the strip of “boystown” Chicago where I basically LIVE, I would be misidentified in the papers afterward. I felt that I hadn’t lived “authentically me” and this was my wake up call to do so and fuck what everyone else feels. I wanted to go to A-camp to prove to myself that I, in all of my queerness, was enough. Getting a campership was really the final push to get me to explore my identity and what I really want for my own life.

My first A-camp in October of 2016 brought every affirmation I needed to know that who I am is amazing and wonderful and fierce and great and loved. It was like utopia and I never wanted to leave it. A few of us first timers joked that we could just stay there and make our own little town of queers filled with queer businesses, queer products, queer houses, queer pets and queer lives forever.

But really, I honestly have never been more confident in who I am than when I was at camp. I was nervous that everyone would be super confident, have been out for years and years and that I would be the “baby” of the group, but that was not the case. There were people from all walks of life there. Some were not out yet, some had been out for some time, and some that still were finding themselves. So many of us found the confidence to be who we felt we really were in those late night dance parties, or those powerful discussion groups. I left there gaygaygaygaygayx100 and loved every minute of it! I found friends from across the country that I will cherish forever. We still text each other, comment on each other’s sexy pics with heart eye emojis, send articles to each other that will make us feel the same type of way, hang out when we are in the town of each other, and affirm each other daily.

Some of my favorite groups were “POC speakeasy,” “Destigmatize Your Size,” and “bisexual crafts.” Being a fat femme, Black & Puertorican, bisexual babe is hard in my white, straight, cis owned/run company, but was LIFE at camp. I could own every part of my sexuality and identity without judgement or feeling that I needed to tone down or silence any part of me. And beyond that I got to chat it up with some hot plus size babes, cry, hug and dance with my super dope and gorgeous POC fam, and dish on why can’t dating be easier for my bisexual peeps while making bi-flag shrinkydinks. Being the dancer that I am, I joined the dance team and rocked the show on the last night and had girls making me blush all night about it. I ain’t mad at them tho… I loved every second of it.

Truly, as mentioned before, going to A-Camp was the best thing I’ve ever done, and it wouldn’t have been possible without a campership. I am so grateful to the generous donors for allowing me to experience this camp and really become the confident, secure, proud, bad ass bisexual black/puertorican fat femme that I loudly rep all day every day. The experiences and the friends I made here will be things I take with me forever, and I honestly do not know where I would be without this experience.

Candice, 22 – Indianapolis, IN

A-Camp Selfie

Over the course of only a few days, I knew I’d found my intentional space I didn’t realize I was missing.

It’s difficult to sum up the feelings I’ve had before/during/since camp, but ‘belonging’ is a good start. I’m super active in my local AS community and we often talked about how awesome it would be if there was a camp in the midwest. My day-to-day non-profit life didn’t allow me the finances to flat out attend camp on the west coast, even though I’ve dreamt of it since I was nineteen and still pretty closeted in southern Georgia. Fast forward to age 24 — Wisconsin 7.5 was announced and I guess my stars were aligning because I was now living in the right place at the right time, but still living on ramen noodle funds (with occasional wine nights). I became my own hype-person for a few days on why I should apply for camp + campership and decided to share my story. Lo and behold — I had a Charlie Bucket/Willy Wonka moment when I received word that I was going to camp and proceeded to dance and call my mother and girlfriend with the news.

Marni warned me not to get murdered on this creepy route — thanks!

Picture this: you’re following faulty GPS through the ‘outback’ of Indiana-Illinois-Wisconsin. Not 100% sure what to expect, but I knew that it’s better than the soul-draining state of Indiana where I’m now residing. I arrived only vaguely knowing my cabin mates, but not a single other soul at camp beyond recognizing some of the staff. Over the course of only a few days, I knew I’d found my intentional space I didn’t realize I was missing. Never have I felt so much kinship like the QTPOC Speakeasy or Bi+ Crafting. I’m not much of a singer, but that didn’t stop me from joining the Belle Jars A Capella squ​ad. I even made an amazing vision board that I took back to my office space as a daily reminder from A-Camp to hold on to that feeling of belonging when things get rough (life update: things are pretty dreadful right now, imo).

Not a great pic but it is from when i was on stage with Belle Jar a capella.

Leaving camp led to a week of tears, but the friendships I made didn’t stop on that flat mountain. My cabin still maintains almost-daily contact and we even held a mini A-Camp reunion in Madison, WI a few weeks ago (#lexareunion). These are the people who came into my life at the right time and it wouldn’t’ve been possible if some folks hadn’t chipped in to make this happen. Things are pretty rough in the world and morale is low. BUT, I dream of when I can go back to camp and plan to also contribute so someone else can find the chosen and intentional family that we all need.

Rachel, 24 – Baton Rouge, LA

I finally felt totally accepted. I found somewhere I could be myself and talk to anyone about anything.

For me, attending a Catholic middle school in a small town outside of a small city was not a great experience. I was relentlessly made fun of for being a lesbian before I even knew I was one. I had thought I was just a “late bloomer”, and that I didn’t like boys “yet”, but all of a sudden I found myself questioning every part of my life. Fast forward through the years of high school I spent dating boys and making out with girls in secret and the years of southern sorority culture filled with pearls and seersucker, and I found myself once again with a lot of time to myself, stuck in the South, thinking about how much I liked (loved) girls, and wishing I had some sort of lgbtq community for support and education. I knew I needed some sort of queer getaway, and after combing the Internet, I found A-Camp. It seemed perfect. I’d always loved summer camps growing up, and nothing sounded better than surrounding myself with a bunch of queer humans. Even though I was saving to go back to school, I was determined to make it work. But late that summer, disaster struck the Baton Rouge area. We ended up with almost three feet of water in our house, and between the things lost and the time I had to take off of work, I knew there was no way I’d be able to go to camp. Then, I read about a neat little thing called camperships. It seemed far fetched, but I figured I had nothing to lose.

That email from Riese saying I actually got it was by far one of the best emails I have ever received (even though there was a typo in my email address and Riese is a miracle worker and somehow figured it out anyway). Although I was a bundle of excited nerves over the next few weeks, all it took were the smiling faces of my fellow campers waiting at the Chicago airport to completely dispel my fears. By the time we were walking to the shuttle bus to take us to camp, I remember feeling such a distinct and overwhelming sense of belonging, and I knew I had found a home in A-Camp.

I could go on and on about camp, and probably did for a solid two weeks. I could tell you about the friend I made on the bus and how we impulse bought cheese head hats together. I could tell about the songs we sang, the cheap wine and expensive cheese consumed, the trivia we rocked, about how Heather Hogan taught me about badass lesbian nuns who brewed beer, the haunted house, and the crystal given to me at witch//craft. I could go on and on about the camp itself, with its tire swing, and lakefront, its delicious food, and super cool observatory that is perfect for sneaking away to. But really, the most important part for me, was the people. I finally felt totally accepted. I found somewhere I could be myself and talk to anyone about anything. I made fast friends, and stories of the past were shared as well as hopes for the future. Some of my fondest memories from camp include sitting on the floor of our cabin, bonding, and sitting on a log outside of evening programming, having a mini heart to heart, and strolling along the camp grounds, talking about anything and everything that came to mind. Living a life where I’d always felt a bit like an outsider, I had finally found a place where I felt wholly myself, somewhere I belonged.

My life has changed so much since I left Wisconsin. I am now out to almost everyone, whereas before it was just a select few. I finally really put myself out there, met someone, and am in the most fulfilling relationship with the most amazing girl. I joined my local roller derby league, where I feel empowered as a woman, and have found a plethora of queer friends right here in the Deep South. A-Camp gave me confidence and pride; it is a magical place I wish everyone could experience, and this is why camperships are so important. I am beyond thankful for having received one, and can’t wait to meet all of the amazing, deserving humans that camperships send to camp come May!

Jessica, 23 – Dunn, NC

This world was not created with our safety in mind, and yet we exist and we thrive and we were able to come together in the flatlands of Wisconsin to celebrate that which disrupts the so called norm.

“What’s the difference between a butterfly and a moth? Exactly.”

El Sanchez relayed this joke they had overheard on a train during their stand-up routine for the A-Camp variety show. I was huddled next to my cabin mates on wooden benches, a crackle of electricity in the air, like logs in the fire, this warmth seeping through my chest. I remember looking out into the crowd and trying to grasp that everyone I was looking at was queer. Laughter rumbled through the audience, twinkling eyes glued to the stage, and it was one of those times when the concept of time ceased to exist. I remembered thinking it was one of the most magical moments of my life. Months later, it’s still one of the most magical moments of my life.

A-Camp is magical in ways that are hard to explain. To be surrounded by queer women and non-binary folks and not to constantly have an inner dialogue with myself over whether or not I should be vocally out in my comments was a validation that was so incredibly gratifying and powerful and wonderful. I could just be my unapologetically gay self without fear. I came to A-Camp from the aggressively heterosexual land of rural North Carolina, and to be able to embrace this part of my identity that I had been forced to keep closeted for my job was so healing in ways that I didn’t know I needed to heal from.

At A-Camp, I met people who were about the friendliest group of people I’ve ever came into contact with. Everybody was so willing to engage with you and converse with you and even though you were surrounded by complete strangers, you never felt alone. I was placed in the best camp family I could ever dream of (special shout out to the Blackhearts and Runaways!), and not only were they my closest friends at camp, but they also made my time at camp unforgettable.

The activities were unforgettable as well. I got to learn the history of women in whiskey making which involved a group wide discussion about whether or not Marianne Barnes was queer. I got out of my comfort zone and tried the bondage class with my awesome roommate Lisa who patiently sat through my failed attempts at knots. I spoke with Valerie Anne about the possibility of Alex Danvers being gay on Supergirl. I sang in the acapella group next to the incredibly talented and fabulous Be Steadwell. I finally was able to put all that queer television knowledge to good use during TV Trivia. I met Heather Hogan, a personal hero of mine. She opened a door for me. I said thank you, and she said you’re welcome, and she walked back to whatever brilliant thing Heather Hogan does, and I tried walking back to my room without imploding from fangirlness.

DREAMS COME TRUE HERE Y’ALL

The world has dramatically changed these last few months. Back then, the most pressing issue for LGBTQ rights seemed to be HB2. Hillary Clinton was still a bright liberal North Star we hoped America would follow, and the world didn’t seem like an executive order away from implosion. However, through the rough times, I think back to my memory at A-Camp and remember that that moment in time existed. I hold onto those memories like rosary beads, with whispered caresses of amen. This world was not created with our safety in mind, and yet we exist and we thrive and we were able to come together in the flatlands of Wisconsin to celebrate that which disrupts the so called norm. We bonded and laughed, Jesus did we laugh, and for that weekend, it was magic. We were magic.

So, what’s the difference between A-Camp and the brimstone fire world of Heterolandia we find ourselves in?

Exactly.

Vita, 27 – Chicago, IL

A-Camp gave me another home, a year after I almost left this world altogether.

To be honest, I had no fucking idea what I was getting myself into when I signed up for camp. My friend Jenny V Simile applied for a campership, and then hit me up on Twitter to do it. I don’t win these things, to be honest, I don’t really win anything like this! Like, if my life were a raffle ticket, it’d be the one that always gets to the last digit before someone else is called. That’s me, all the time… except for this time.

A-Camp was in the middle of the Wisconsin woods and it took place on the anniversary of the time I tried to commit suicide (again), and wound up in the hospital for three days. When I got out, and eventually moved to Chicago, I was aching for some semblance of community. I was finding it in doses, but never truly feeling like it was coming. That’s long since changed, and I owed part of that to A-Camp, and the late Charlotte Jo.

Now before y’all freak out, let me explain.

After the first night, which consisted of all kinds of debauchery (dance parties at Club deer, music from the camp staff, some NSFW things y’all can ask me about in person at the next camp ;), I remember feeling some kinda fear. I remember catching myself stuck in nerves around all these fascinating people, and feelin’ like I didn’t belong. I remember being one of the only visible Black Trans people there, and how that scared me.

I woke up the next morning, blissful and hungover, which is an interesting combo, but a good one when you’re surrounded by everyone who’s just as lit as you are. Hehe. It was then, that all these signs started popping up, and I mean, wherever they could be found. There was a picture of a woman, and the words, “Where is Charlotte Jo,” in big letters? I was like, “who the actual fuck is Charlotte Jo, why did they bring us to the WOODS SHE WENT MISSING IN, and where she at?”

Mey hung up these signs all over camp

We kept asking that question in-between meals made with love. We kept asking between shibari rope sessions and sex trivia. We asked that question in between the sway of dance moves and hugs between tears and life given in the QTPOC speakeasy. We asked in between songs, makeout sessions, and smoke breaks by the lake. That whole time, none of us had a clue what was up, and most of us were hella confused! Well, right before the end of camp, we all found her.

She showed up in-between the beautiful melodies of Cameron Glavin, Be Steadwell, and Jenny Owen Youngs, because they were phenomenal. She laughed at all of El Sanchez and Brittani Nichols’ jokes, cause they were hella funny. She danced every single night in Klub Deer, surrounded by many who just wanted to get free for a few days. Then she was seconds away from beatboxing with the acapella group onstage, when her name was called… when my name was called. Mey Rude announced that they had found Charlotte Jo, and that Charlotte Jo was me.

I freaked out so bad I almost backpedaled into another human being, slowly and shyly walked onstage, with a spotlight and the smiles and cheers of people who had easily become family. It felt weird to be there, but it felt wonderful. A-Camp gave me another home, a year after I almost left this world altogether. I struggled at first to feel this good, and nothing is perfect in any sense, but I truly feel that this is a place where people love up on each other, try their best to understand each other, and build true community. Tbhonest, I can’t think of another way I would have loved to spend the anniversary of the moment I told myself, “I’m still here for a reason.”

If you have any thoughts about A-Camp, go. Do it. It’s life giving, healing, enjoyment, and true coming into self, surrounded by people who are doing some version of the same. It literally changed my life. I think it’ll do the same for you.

Love to all campers past, present, and future.

You can donate to the Campership Fund here and apply for a Campership here.

You can donate to the A-Camp Arts & Resistance Fund, which goes directly to camperships for queer people of color who have some kind of interest in the arts. Your donations to the ARF are entirely tax deductible, and you can read more about that here.

Introducing Camp Autostraddle 8.0

After four years and seven A-Camps in the San Bernardino Mountains, we have decided to say goodbye to Alpine Meadows’ dusty rocky ankle-twisting pathways, scenic/nauseating altitude, remote location and frozen bread in favor of a bigger, brighter tomorrow.

Last fall, we hosted a “trial run” at a new site in Wisconsin and it was as spectacular as we’d hoped. In California, our site had only four indoor spaces for hosting activities — in Wisconsin, we have 20, including a small teaching kitchen, a dance studio, an auditorium and an arts & crafts building. There’s room for more campers. We have a lakefront with a beach and we have sports fields and we have a pool. We have everything we need to take camp to the next level, and are so happy to announce that we’re moving the whole damn show to the heartland in May for what will be the largest A-Camp of all time!

What Is A-Camp?

A-Camp, an idea I had in the middle of the night about six years ago, is a manifestation of this website in three entire dimensions, mixed with a dash of old-fashioned summer camp goodness and an infusion of conference-style programming. A-Camp is workshops, panels, classes, meet-ups, discussion groups, crafts, activities and performances designed to inspire, educate, entertain, build community, and make you laugh. It’s a chance to support Autostraddle, be kids again, and make new friends forever — and it’s been wildly successful, with the waitlists to prove it. We’ve held spectacular A-Camps in April 2012, September 2012, May 2013, October 2013, May 2014, June 2015, June 2016 and October 2016. A-Camp has created much-needed community and safe space for LGBTQ women, nonbinary and trans folks from all over the world. It is a queermonormative refuge from the burning hellfire of the rest of the world. This session will undoubtedly have a special impact and a stronger focus on activism, resistance and community care due to the current political climate.

When

5:30 PM May 18th – 11:00 AM May 23rd

On May 18th, we’ll be running shuttles from Chicago O’Hare to the campsite from 1:30pm to 3pm and from the Milwaukee airport to the campsite at 4pm. Camp officially begins at 5:30 PM.

Where

Mukwonago, Wisconsin

The site is 30 minutes from Milwaukee, just over an hour from Madison, 1.5 hours from Chicago, 4 hours from Indianapolis and 5 hours from Ann Arbor, Minneapolis or Des Moines. This site is full of relevant features:

350 wooded acres * Beach * Ropes Course * Indoor & Outdoor Climbing Wall * Canoeing * Kayaking * Campfire Rings * Yurt * Lighted Basketball Courts * Softball Diamond * Indoor & Outdoor Amphitheaters * Archery * Recording Studio * Dance Studio * Arts & Crafts Building * Teaching Kitchen * Ultimate Frisbee Field * Organic Farm * Secluded Witchy Bonfire Situation * Sand Volleyball * Tennis Courts * Hiking Trails * AND SO MUCH MORE!

Who?

You weirdos! At past A-Camps, half our campers have been over 25 and half under 25, and they’ve come from all over the world. Usually 60% of our campers are new and 40% are returning, but we’re expecting more new campers than usual to join us at our new location.

Also: Us! We are headed up by A-Camp Directors Marni Kellison & Kristin Russo, and in order to give you the broadest range of programming possible, we’ve got a staff-to-camper ratio of about 1:6, with staff members drawn from Autostraddle the website.

In order to best serve the needs of our diverse community, we also have four leadership positions addressing specific camper populations: two QTPOC Speakeasy Leaders, one Queen Trans, and one Accessibility Maven. (Read more about them on our website.)

How Much?

Only $715 Total or $143/night!

• 3 meals/day and snacks (with options for vegans, vegetarians, gluten-frees, and so forth)
• 5 nights accommodation in cabins sleeping 10-18 people
• 100+ programming options: crafts, panels, workshops & adventures
• A dedicated staff with a staff to camper ratio of 1:6
• 5 Nights of Stellar Entertainment
• Kickass swag bag with your A-Camp tee and other cool goodies from indie and queer businesses.

If you’re not bringing your own sheets/blanket/sleeping bag, there’s an option to rent linens from the site for $16/each.

It’s costing us way more to do this camp than previous camps — travel expenses are higher for our West Coast staff and talent and the site itself is about twice as much per night as Alpine. If we adjusted the cost proportionately, this camp would cost $975 per person. But we’re not doing that, ’cause we want to make this accessible to as many campers as possible (NOW MORE THAN EVER!), even if it cuts into the profit we need so desperately to keep this website afloat. If you’re able to pay a little more, then please donate to our campership fund, and if you’d like to read more about the economics of A-Camp, you can do so here.

Accommodations

We have two options for accommodations at our new site:

Bunk Bed Cabins: The standard cabins sleeping 12-18 people each, with private bathrooms and showers inside each cabin.

The Villa: A great option for anybody seeking a less rustic and more private experience or consistent access to a kitchen, The Villa complex contains 9 bedrooms with suite bathrooms (two bedrooms share one bathroom) and is available for an up-charge. The Villa includes a full kitchen and dining area, laundry, a lounge area with couches and television, and an outdoor patio. You can select a shared room (with 1-3 other roommates) or a private room when registering. At previous camps, VIP lodging like The Villa has been most popular with campers who really value a good night’s sleep and the relative quiet necessary to do so, so keep that in mind when signing up.

Daytime Programming

You’ll have full access to a variety of activities, workshops, panels, sports, discussion groups, classes and arts & crafts. There are also opportunities for closed spaces and bonding for campers who are QTPOC, trans women and/or bisexual/non-monosexual.

Activities offered at previous A-Camps include…

Arts & Crafts: Dapper Collar Pins * Kinky Cross-Stitch * Coptic Bookbinding * Chingona Chats and Crafts: Sacred Queer Heart Shrines * Look After Yourself: Self-Portraits * Nerdcraft * Make A Thing: Merit Badges * Finger Knittin’ Good * Pit Stop: DIY Deodorant

Workshops: Learn to Magish * Shibari Rope Bondage * Erotica Writing * We’ve Got Your Back: Community Care * YO! A-Camp Raps! * Slam Poetry * Queer Astrology 101 * Lez Talk About Sex(ual Health) * Swagger 101 * String Cheese & Boxed Wine Tasting * Casual Sext * Feminist Improv Troupe * Gay Your Makeup

Sports, Games, Etc: A-Campella * Basketball Wives * Self Defense 101 * Cheer Camp * Ballet for Basic Bitches * Rock Yoga * Beyonce’s Dance Grooves * Canoeing * Pop Science Trivia * Mindfulness & Meditation * Haus of Vogue * Hogwarts Trivia

Discussion Groups, Panels & Presentations: Ally Ally Oxen Free: Making Queer Spaces Better for Trans Women * Changing the Narrative: The Importance of QTPOC Fiction * Gaming, Identity and Community * Queer People of Color Politicking & Zine-Making * Mixed-Race/Biracial/Multi-racial Discussion Group * Profesh Pantsuit Power Hour * Mommy Queerest: Queer Parenting Panel * Tardy for the Party: A Coming Out Later In Life Discussion Group * Mountaintop Bisexual Discussion Group and Hummus Appreciation Society * Real Talk: Your Relationship Doesn’t Have To Suck

Nighttime Entertainment

Autostraddle After Dark is where our Special Guests shine most brightly, and where you get a chance to dance your ass of in a ridiculous costume. Past A-Camp After Dark activities have included stand-up comedy from Cameron Esposito, Deanne Smith, Brittani Nichols, El Sanchez and Rhea Butcher; sexy game shows hosted by Julie Goldman and Brandy Howard; the legendary Staff Reading; Talent Shows; Variety Nights hosted by Hannah Hart and Jasika Nicole and concerts featuring musicians including Julia Nunes, Jenny Owen Youngs, Mal Blum, Bell’s Roar, Haviland Stillwell and Somer Bingham.

The last night always brings a kickass themed dance party and a performance from the legendary A-Camp Family Band. 

Special Guests 

Gaby Dunn, Writer / Actress / Comedian 

Based in Los Angeles, Gaby Dunn is the co-creator of the wildly successful YouTube show Just Between Us, and the host of Bad With Money, named one of The New York Times’ “Best New Podcasts of 2016.” Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Cosmopolitan, New York Magazine, The Boston Globe, Playboy, Refinery 29, Women’s Health Magazine, Vulture, Thought Catalog and on NPR’s On The Media, Sourcefed, Nickelodeon, Buzzfeed Video, Fusion, Mashable, Glamour, xoJane, Salon, Slate, ROOKIE, Jezebel and ABC’s Nightline. This year, she co-created and starred in a pilot for MTV and has developed original half-hour pilots for both FX and YouTube Red. This September will see the release of her YA Novel I Hate Everyone But You, co-written with Allison Raskin and published by St. Martin’s Press.

Shea Diamond, Musician 

ShaGasyia “Shea” Diamond is a transgender singer/songwriter born in Little Rock, Arkansas, who moved to Memphis and then to Flint and now lives in New York. After ten years in a men’s prison for a crime she committed to finance her transition, she moved to New York and began writing “I Am Her,” a statement to a world that said she shouldn’t exist. In 2016, her video for “I Am Her” was featured in Time, Out, and Paper.

Mara Wilson, Author/Actress

Mara Wilson is a recovering child actor perhaps best known for playing the title role in the movie Matilda. She now works as a writer, voice-over actor, and storyteller. Her voice can be heard on BoJack Horseman and Welcome to Night Vale, and her writing has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, McSweeney’s, The Toast, and many other places. She is the creator and host of the storytelling show What Are You Afraid Of?, and in 2016, her first book, Where Am I Now? was published by Penguin Books.

Be Steadwell, Musician

Be Steadwell is a singer songwriter from Washington DC. With roots in jazz, acapella and folk-Be composes a soulful blend of genres into what she calls queer pop. In her live performances, she utilizes loop pedal vocal layering and beat boxing to compose her songs on stage. Be’s self-produced albums feature her earnest lyricism, proud LGBTQ content, unapologetic silliness, and the art of the simple love song. As she pursued her career in music, she began a career in film. Shooting and editing her own music videos, Be combined her love of music with narrative film. In 2014, Be completed an MFA in film from Howard University.

Brittani Nichols, Actress / Comedian

Brittani Nichols is the creator and star of the comedy pilot Words With Girls, produced as part of Issa Rae’s Color Creative TV with a premiere at HBO/BET’s Urbanworld Film Festival in 2014 as well as a writer and star of Suicide Kale, an independent film currently racking up awards on the film festival circuit. Brittani has appeared in the series You Do You, was a recurring character in Season Two of Transparent, and hosts two podcasts, Brand New and Hamilton the Podcast.

Kim Milan, Educator / Writer / Artist

We’re very excited to have Kim Milan visiting A-Camp in order to lead/facilitate two racial justice workshops.

A daughter of the diaspora, Afro Caribbean, Venezuelan Arawak, Indian and Scottish, hailing from Trinidad and living between Toronto & New York. Kim Katrin Milan is an award winning internationally acclaimed educator, writer & artist. She is recognized stateside as one of The Root’s’ Young Feminists to Watch,’ celebrated in Canada as 2016’s National Youth Role Model and nationally as one of the 50 Most Loved Gay Canadians. Kim is the co-founder and Executive Director of The People Project; an initiative to bring forth local and international community development for queer and trans folks of color and their allies, through alternative education, art­-activism, and collaboration. She is also one of the owners of the Glad Day Book Shop, the oldest LGBT bookstore in the world. As an educator, Kim travels around the world talking to people about justice, equity, and human rights. A public researcher, consultant and human rights educator, she has shared hundreds of unique resources and presentations around intersectional issues including race, ability & gender. As a social entrepreneur, she speaks to the opportunities and challenges for women in business and leadership roles. With great openness, she welcomes difficult conversations hosting community dialogues and sharing practical strategies around ‘Sexuality & Consent’, ‘Queer & Trans Allyship’ and ‘Anti­Racism & Equity’.

Camperships & Tuition Discounts

+ Your generosity has sent over 40 deserving humans to A-Camp over the past five years and you’ll have the chance to make dreams come true again this year by donating to the campership fund! We take donations of all sizes and a full campership is $715 (or $755 with shuttles, $771 with linens & shuttles), and we’ll have a post up soon sharing the stories from some of last camp’s campership recipients.

+ You can apply for camperships here. All campership applications must be in by February 20th, but we’ll be assessing applications on a rolling basis up until the 20th, so get yours in as soon as possible and you may hear back from us about an opportunity sooner!

+ We also recognize that as A-Camp becomes more expensive it becomes harder to maintain the diversity we require for a truly successful A-Camp. We encourage campership applicants who are POC and/or trans women, and will have some offers for those groups specifically.

+ Our most recent call for submissions, specifically for personal essays by Black queer women, pays $100 cash per essay OR $200 towards A-Camp tuition, so if that’s you, check it out!

+ If you cannot attend camp without a full Campership, do not register for camp! We reserve spaces for Campershippers so you don’t need to snag one in case you become a Campershipper — that’s been taken care of. If you sign up and then end up getting a full campership, you will not be refunded the $75 registration fee.

+ If you have a business who’d like to sponsor a campership, get in touch with sarah [at] autostraddle.com. Previous sponsors have included Sharpe Suiting, Kipper Clothiers, Scout’s Honor, Kreuzbach10, OK Cupid and Hannah Hart.

Okay, I’m in. What now?

If you wanna get on the saddle and trot on over to A-Camp with us this fall, just head over to the registration form where, for the low low price of a $75 non-refundable non-transferable deposit, you can snag your spot. Please read the instructions at the top of the interface page if anything seems remotely complicated. You’ll also have to add tuition to your cart during the registration process, but you’re not required to pay in full until April 1st. You can make partial payments up until that point.

For more information about airport shuttles, refund policies and other money-or-travel related questions, please read our FAQ here.

If you need to cancel, you can just log back in to the registration interface and cancel! QUESTIONS ABOUT REGISTRATION OR TRAVEL GO TO cool@autostraddle.com. (“COOL” stands for “Coordinator of Logistics”)

For More Information

On our A-Camp website, you’ll find our FAQ, the staff we’ve got on board so far and a link to register the hell out of your unit. For more information about what goes on at A-Camp, you can check out our recaps from past camps and testimonies from campers about the joy of the experience. (We had to stop doing Recamps in 2016 because of the time it took, but previous camps should still give you a good idea!) Ultimately, A-Camp is whatever you make of it: every camper writes their own story. Come with your heart wide open and do whatever you want.

What are you waiting for?

Register Now!