Introducing Camp Autostraddle May 2013: Registration Is Way Open

Once upon a time we had a dream. It involved a couple hundred of you, 35 of us, a group retreat site in the San Bernadino Mountains and a weekend packed with workshops, panels, activities and performances designed to inspire, educate, entertain and/or make you laugh — basically, it was the spirit of this website manifested in three entire dimensions. We wanted to create a special (and affordable!) space where you could be yourself, enhance your relationships within the international queer community, support Autostraddle and make new friends forever.

It was a dream called A-Camp, and it was a dream that came true the last weekend of April, 2012. We did it again in September 2012, and it was even more amazing than the first time.

Obviously, we’re doing it again.

Details

When:

Thursday May 23rd – Monday May 27th, 2013+

Where:

Alpine Meadows Retreat Center in Angelus Oaks, California. It’s 1.5 hours from Palm Springs, 2 hours from Los Angeles, 2.5 hours from San Diego, 4 hours from Las Vegas, 5 hours from Phoenix and 8 hours from San Francisco. We’ll be running shuttles from LAX to the campsite from 10 AM to 3PM on May 23rd and shuttles back to LAX from 8AM ’til 11AM on May 27th.

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Who:

You weirdos! Anyone over the age of 18 is welcome — in September, our campers ranged in age from 18 to 50 and came from all over the world, including lots of Canadians and quite a few Australians and United Kingdomers. Half our campers were over 25 and half were under. About 30% of our campers were returning and 70% were new.

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Lodging:

You’ll be having the bestest biggest surprise slumber party of your life in fully insulated, carpeted & heated cabins with private bathroom/showers/baths and generously-sized bunk beds. You’ll be sharing these cabins with somewhere between 10 and 17 others, led by two counsellors from Team Autostraddle. Cabin groups are designed with your needs in mind (we meet all roommate requests!).

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How:

Tuition is $375 and is all-inclusive. No extra fees.

Just $50 down reserves your spot!

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Your tuition includes:

• Four nights lodging (linens included)
• Three meals a day with snacks – and this time we’ll be working with the chef to design a menu and options catered specifically for our group, and there are vegetarian, vegan & gluten-free options
• Full access to a variety of activities, workshops, panels, sports and arts & crafts. You’ll also have the option to get fun one-on-one stuff like an Alternative Lifestyle Haircut or an Individual Style Consultation, all included!
• Kickass Tote Bag packed with amazing things such as an awesome A-Camp T-Shirt !

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What the hell goes on at A-Camp?

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For more information about what goes on at A-Camp, you can check out our recaps from April and September’s camp  and testimonies from campers about the joy of the experience. Keep in mind that this time around, things will be even more awesome.

A-Camp Daytime

Days at A-Camp are spent participating in a variety of programming options offered by the Autostraddle Team and special guests — Color Wars! Gender Panel! How To Pick Up Chicks! Morning Hike! Coming Out Panel! DIY Home Projects! Trans* Discussion Group! Meet & Geek! The Truth About Cats and Dogs! Lesbian Jeopardy! The Sex Panel! Free Swim! There’ll be lots of new stuff this time and we’ll be following through on your requests for things like a Bisexuality Panel, a Kink Panel and more interactive workshops. There’ll also be a Quiet Room for people to decompress and enjoy the Camp Autostraddle Library.

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A-Camp After Dark

Every night offers plenty of opportunities for fun-fun-fun! Every camp opens with an all-camp campfire hosted by Julie Goldman and closes with an all-camp Talent Show and Dance With DJ Carlytron. In September, we enjoyed a wet/riotous game of Faggity Feud With Julie & Brandy, hosted a Staff Reading (our most well-loved event/activity in the history of camp) which will become a new A-Camp tradition. Other evening activities have included Hav & The Hav-Nots (a musical performance from Haviland Stillwell and the A-Camp Band), all-camp wide games and S’Mores. May Camp will definitely feature a Julie & Brandy Game Show, stand-up from DeAnne Smith and will probably feature my personal fantasy Evening of Lesbian Folk-Rock Music starring Julie Goldman, Somer, Marni, Haviland and other talented teamsters! Much more TBA! (And for night owls, revelry continues all night long in various lodges.)

The Talent

We like to bring smart talented lesbians with lots of shit going on to entertain, educate, and hang out with you. They come because they believe in Autostraddle and A-Camp and we’re really excited about our Talent Roster (so far!) this time:

Julie Goldman & Brandy Howard – You know Julie & Brandy from their hit Autostraddle webseries In Your Box Office, but that’s not all the duo does together — they’re staff writers for E! Fashion Police WIth Joan Rivers, are regular guests on The Gay Pimpin’ Podcast. Julie Goldman is a world-renowned lesbian comedian and star of the former Logo TV program TThe Big Gay Sketch Show, and has also appeared in Bones, DTLA, The Sopranos, The New Normal, Weeds and Best Friends Forever. Brandy Howard has appeared in 56 beer commercials, as well as Untold, Ditching Party, Just Shoot Me! and It’s Like, You Know.

DeAnne Smith – DeAnne blogs for Autostraddle, but mostly she’s known for her hiLARIOUS stand-up and prolific career as a comic. DeAnne has appeared on Last Coming Standing, Good News Week, Canada’s The Comedy Network, HBO Canada and has won and been nominated for heaps of awards all over the world, such as the Sydney Comedy Festival’s Time Out Best Newcomer and the Barry Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Somer Bingham – You know Somer from the terrifying Showtime reality series The Real L Word, throughout which Somer remained a low-key down-to-earth human amid a gaggle of oversexed lesbians, but if you really wanna get real you’ve gotta read our amazing interview with her. Somer hosted SOMER FRIDAYS for Showtime with her wife Donna and heads up Clinical Trials, a “thrashy all-female electro grunge rock [band] with a side of angst.”

The cast of Unicorn Plan-It – You know the ladies of Autostraddle’s hit webseries Unicorn Plan-It — Haviland Stillwell is an actress & singer (her first album “How I Role,” debuted in 2009), who appeared on Broadway in Fiddler On The Roof and Les Miserables and onscreen in Single Ladies, The Client List, CSI: New York and Eastwick; among others. Ashley Reed is a screenwriter/producer & playwright and Sarah Croce (Miss April 2011) is an actress, producer & editor you may have seen in Levi’s Jeans Commercials, Flick’s Chicks, Girl Talk, GO Mag’s Red Carpet or The Real L Word Parody.

Mollie Thomas – 2013 Autostraddle Calendar Girl Mollie Thomas was the first openly gay woman running for Miss California USA. Mollie taught a pole-dancing class at September Camp and is very active in Animal Rescue and animal rights work!

 

How Is This Camp Not Like All Other Camps?

If you’ve been to camp before, rest assured that in May 2013, we’ll be blowing your minds with heaps of new activities and scheduling that offers a little more breathing room. In addition to returning (but reworked) classics like The Gender Panel, we’ll be rolling out a series of more tightly-focused activities that really utilize the talent and expertise of our staff. We can’t wait to see what our new team members come up with!

We put a new twist on the experience every time (and get progressively more organized), so the only way to know the whole story is to come to camp, obvs.

Okay, I’m in. What Now?

If you wanna get on the saddle and trot on over to A-Camp with us this spring, here’s what you’ve gotta do:

1. For the low low price of a $50 non-refundable deposit, you can snag your spot for the spring festivities. Please read the instructions at the top of each registration interface page if anything seems remotely complicated.

2. When registration fills up, you can put yourself on the waitlist. Be sure to put an e-mail address you check regularly & often, so you don’t miss our note if you’re up!

3. If you’re driving in on Thursday, please plan to arrive between 12:00 noon and 5:30 PM. On Monday, please plan to leave by noon.

4. If you’re looking for flights and will need transportation from the airport, then please book your incoming flights for Thursday, May 23rd to get in by 2 PM at the latest. (E-mail camp [at] autostraddle [dot] com to make arrangements for later flights.) Camp officially begins at 6 PM. There will be activities going on throughout the afternoon, but mostly we want to allow you time to get settled in before your counsellors take you into the woods and brand you for life while howling at the moon.

If you’ll need transportation to the airport on Monday, May 27th, there will be busses leaving at 8, 10 and 11, so don’t book a flight that leaves any earlier than 1PM.

5. If you need to cancel, you can just log back in to the registration interface and cancel!

Notes on Payments and Payment Plan

In the past, we’ve offered a Payment Plan, but we’re not doing that this time — BUT DO NOT DESPAIR! Although most vacations require their entire tuition upfront, we’re giving you five months before the tuition payment deadline. The registration system allows for partial payments, so you can create-your-own payment plan — all we ask is that you put down at least $100 towards your tuition by March 1st and pay all your tuition by April 1st. If those deadlines don’t work for you, just email us and we can work something out! We’re real people, know money can be tight, and will do everything we can to work with you to get you there. We’re super flexible as long as you communicate with us.

The reason for those deadlines (and part of the reason we’re abandoning payment plans) is a chronic problem we’ve had with people signing up for camp, putting down a deposit and holding that spot for months without making more than one payment, then often finally canceling when it’s too late for us to fill the spot. Coordinating payment plans and chasing people down has evolved into a nightmare and we bit off more than we could chew. We ended up with quite a few empty spots at last camp due to various problems with abandoned payment plans and non-responsiveness — and because the camp gets final numbers from us six weeks before you arrive, we also ended up at both camps paying the camp for campers who never paid us or showed up. We have to simplify that process this time for mutual sanity, and so we are!

FAQ:

Q: I’m really super poor but I want to go so bad!
A: Firstly, this is a once-in-a-lifetime Utopia-esque situation, I recommend getting your emergency funds out. But we get that hard times are here for some of you, and that’s why we’re giving you five months after putting down your deposit to come up with the money.

Q: I’m still too poor.
A: We do give out between 5-8 camperships (based on space and the amount of campership donations) per session. To apply, campers submit essays explaining why they deserve to get a campership. Please note that we get heaps more applicants than we have camperships. There will be a post about this soon.

Q: Is there Wi-Fi?
A: NOPE! I know it’s scary!

Q: Will there be any free time?
A: Yup! I mean you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, and we’ll be adding more free/flexible time this camp. Go read by the river or go videotape your friend hiding in a tree like a monkey or just lie on the grass or in your bed. You can do whatever you wanna do, you’re a grown-up!

Q: What’s the deal with alcohol?
A: Drinking isn’t part of any A-Camp activities and we do not serve alcohol. But if you’re over 21 and wish to drink at camp, you have to bring your own alcohol, put your name on it, and store it in one of our designated lodges (food/drink are prohibited in cabins because of bears) where you can access it whenever you want. We’ll be providing a “substance-free cabin” option for anyone over 21 who would prefer to room with other abstainers, as well as designated substance-free evening programming/space.

Q: Can I work at camp?
A: No, our camp is staffed entirely in-house. But if you’re coming to camp already and you’ve got a special skill/talent and would like to propose a workshop, email marni [at] autostraddle [dot] com and robin [at] autostraddle [dot] com.

Q: Are there extra charges for anything?
A: If you need a shuttle to or from LAX, it’s $25 each way. Everything else is included. Depending on demand, we may offer a ropes course option at $20 for each attendant.

Q: Me and my girlfriend/all my friends want to go together, can we stay in the same cabin?
A: Yes.

Q:  I can’t come to camp but would like to help somebody else get there, can I do that?
A: Absolutely! We’ll have a post up in the next month or so about how to help send somebody else to camp via the Power of Magic Camperships.

Q: When are you doing an East Coast camp?
A: I know this seems like SUCH a good idea! But for a zillion reasons including a shorter off-season and the fact that most of our team lives on the West Coast, this simply isn’t affordable or logistically possible for us right now — and in turn, for you. This is something we hope to do in the future but we’re not sure when that will be yet, so don’t hold your breath. However, it’s worth noting that we picked a site near LA because it’s one of the cheapest airports to fly into in the country.

Q: What about A-Camp in CANADA?!
A: The expenses required to put on A-Camp in any other country would drive your cost to about $2,000 for a weekend, and that’s before plane tickets, passport fees, etc. If we ever do an international A-Camp, it would be years from now.

Q: When is the next camp after this camp?
A: We’re not 100% positive yet, but it will probably be in October at the same site.

Q: Who should I email with my pressing question?
A: Camp directors Marni [marni at autostraddle dot com] and Robin [robin at autostraddle dot com]

Q: What’s that link again?
A: Here it is!

Q: Anything else?
A: Please we beggeth of you from the deepest depths of your beating heart, to make sure we have an email address for you that you check often. We will be sending you updates via e-mail and it’s imperative that you receive and respond!

Register Now! 

Autostraddle Calendar Girls 2013: Mollie is Miss June

Another year, another opportunity to create a kickass calendar of smokin’ hot lesbians. If you’ve not picked up the 2012 calendar yet, now would be the time — they’re available for the post-holiday price of $10! For 2013 we did something completely different yet totally spectacular.

Are you ready to meet the 2013 Calendar Girls?

video edited by Sarah Croce and Lauren Aadland

Now, onward and upward — here’s Robin!

Artist’s Statement:

For the 2013 Autostraddle Calendar, we put on our bathing suits and hit the water! My goal this year was to do a black and white series that was playful, sexy, and all about the women. I sought to capture images that would reflect the models’ feelings of freedom and comfort in their own skin. We chose a simple expanse of sand and water where the horizon is somewhat indistinguishable, and it was the perfect setting for a very personal and introspective look at each of these extraordinary women.

As a photographer, photographing an entire day at the beach is a great challenge. You need to maintain consistency as the light changes drastically throughout the day and the tides ebb and flow. This adds an interesting element in the images as over the course of the day, we watched them play and interact from sunrise to sunset. We closed the day with some very quiet, intimate interactions between the women who’d come to know each other over the course of those hours.

I love coming away from these shoots knowing that all of these women are now friends, and I hope that these images reflect those bonds formed.

A huge thank you to our beautiful models and our amazing crew for a job well-done. A special thank you to stylist and co-producer Sara Medd for being my partner in this project.

Robin, Photographer

Crew:
Robin Roemer, Photographer and Co-producer
Sara Medd, Stylist and Co-producer

Sarah Croce, Production coordinator and video
Lauren Aaland, video

Alex Vega, designer

Christina Natale, Make-up
Brandi Andrews, Make-up
Taylor Stevenson, Hair
Michelle McCaw, Hair

Sabrina Bringuier, Photo Assistant

Our June Lady is Mollie:

Mollie in her own words:

Hi There! My name is Mollie Thomas, although I have also been known to go by “Miss Abbey West Hollywood.” I am a Libra, born October 14, 1992. I’m originally from the east coast, growing up part time in Manhattan, and part time on a horse farm in Pennsylvania. I have had the privilege of calling myself a Californian for over a year now. And, like a good Cali girl, I got myself involved in the Miss California USA pageant, running as one of the first openly lesbian women in the history of the pageant.

My whole life I have been involved in the arts: I started dance lessons when I was three and continued them for many years, was a theatre nerd at every opportunity, dabbled in modeling, and spent two years running to acting auditions around New York City, and I can now add pageantry to that list. In addition to living a very “artsy” life, I have had the opportunity to travel all over the world, both for fun and for volunteer work. Due to all of my traveling I have picked up a fun collection of random skills, such as elephant riding, dogsledding, skiing, surfing, and scuba diving. However, now that I am all settled down in West Hollywood, with my dog – Dinah, I’m focusing more on starting a nonprofit and advocating for LGBTQ equality!

Love you Autostraddle team! And thank you for allowing me to be a part of something so beautiful! Xoxo

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Robin’s Phoner with Mollie

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What was it like being the first openly gay contestant for Miss CAlifornia USA?!

The experience was incredible! When I decided to run in the pageant I had no idea how much of an impact I would have by running openly.

Had you done pageants before?

Nope! When I ran in January for 2012 I had never done a pageant before. It was completely new to me and I just had to make it up as I went, which made it really fun and exciting, as well as nerve wracking!

You were really comfortable in front of the camera during our calendar shoot. Do you have modeling experience?

I have done a bit of modeling here and there since I was younger. But, I think it was all the photoshoots I would beg my mom to do with me when I was little that really made me love being in front of a camera.

Tell me a bit about your marriage equality and anti-bullying platform, and what that was like being a voice for gay rights.

Well, I have actually taken my pageant platform a lot further then I expected to, partly because of all the media attention my campaign attracted. I now have the opportunity to really speak out and make a difference. I’m using that opportunity to start a nonprofit dedicated to creating positive visibility for the LGBTQ community. I never expected to be in the position I am now, but its really incredible and I’m so grateful for the chance to make a positive impact.

Wow! Mollie, that’s incredible!

Thank you! It’s SUPER exciting!

Do you have a name for your nonprofit yet? What will the main purpose of it be?

We are calling it Team Equality! The ultimate purpose will be to utilize the power of media to promote a positive image of the LGBTQ community.

So cool, I can’t wait to see it take off!

Thanks, me too!

Are you going to run for Miss USA again next year?

Yes! I actually have decided to run again for Miss CA USA! It was such a great experience the first time, I’m really excited to go back again, but with more time to prepare!

Very exciting, we’ll all be rooting for you in January! (January right?)

Thanks! And, I’m pretty sure the 2013 pageant will be in January again.

One last fun question. My favorite image of you from the calendar shoot of you is one where you are laying on your back and the sun is casting a really amazing reflection in the water, but in the online version we can’t really read your tattoo. What does it say and what is the meaning for you?

The tattoo on my side is actually a verse from the Beatles song, “Across The Universe.” It says, “Sounds of laughter shades of life are ringing through my open ears exciting and inviting me, Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns, it calls me on and on across the universe.” I think I could go on for hours about the personal meaning it has to me!

Ha! Maybe the cliff notes version.

Well, one aspect of it for me: it speaks to my love of travel and experiencing everything the world has to offer!

Special Note: As of December 2010, we request that the comments on Calendar Girls posts, unlike every other post on this site, be exclusively positive. These posts exist to celebrate women, so any shit-talking or criticisms of the model’s appearance will get deleted. Direct concerns about the project or website as a whole can be directed to robin at autostraddle dot com or riese at autostraddle dot com!

Lesbians Make History At Miss California USA, Look Hot, Feel Good

Way way back in 2011, we told you about Mollie Thomas and Jenelle Hutcherson, the two out lesbians running for Miss California USA. Thomas is a 2013 Autostraddle Calendar girl, and Hutcherson is a former Miss Long Beach contestant with an alternative lifestyle haircut. The Miss Donald Trump California USA pageant was held this past weekend, where Thomas ran as Miss Abbey West Hollywood (duh) and Hutcherson ran as Miss Downtown Long Beach.

I bet you’re just dying to know what happened! Well, they didn’t place. Womp womp. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t still awesome!

More than 400 women ran for Miss California USA and Miss California Teen USA, so they had some stiff competition. Miss Hoag Hospital Natalie Pack won the crown over runner-up Miss Malibu Brie Gabrielle. Regardless of the crown winners, it seems that Thomas and Hutcherson were the real publicity winners for a pageant that would have been barely reported on otherwise. I read the Boston Globe every day and I don’t remember the Miss Massachusetts USA winners ever being so widely announced.

Though pageants are traditionally conservative and Miss USA owner Donald Trump supported Miss California USA 2009 Carrie Prejean’s anti-equality comments, the Miss California USA 2012 pageant seemed to have been overwhelmingly supportive of the two women. Keith Lewis, co-executive of the contest and an executive producer of the 2007 documentary For the Bible Tells Me So, reportedly said that this year’s pageant “will emphasize individuality and push the envelope even further.” Lewis went on to say, “This year’s event will be bigger and reflect the progressive attitudes of the contestants.” Hutcherson spoke to Autostraddle about her experiences where she explained, “I… was shown only support and love from every participant I met.”

Though many news agencies were quick to label Thomas or Hutcherson “the first” out lesbian to run for Miss California USA (probably whichever one they heard about first) I think it’s way more effective to have two out women running. Being an out gay woman should not be a singular novelty. Additionally, it’s a start in terms of addressing the flawed thinking every queer woman looks, acts or dresses the same way. I think it’s equally powerful that Thomas’s swimsuit and gown were “traditional” pageantwear while Hutcherson wore 1930’s inspired swimwear and a tuxedo. Both women were able to dress true to themselves without worrying about setting the standard for how lesbians “should” dress in pageants.

It’s clear to me that both Thomas and Hutcherson participated in Miss California USA on their own terms, but I recognize that many still question anyone’s participation in a beauty pageant. Yet, these two participants’ experiences seem to have been overwhelmingly positive. “I realized a lot of these girls go in to pageants vulnerable and leave empowered,” Hutcherson told Autostraddle, “I feel like I’ve been upgraded opposed to degraded… I am so inspired by all the support and love through this journey and it’s only just begun. Who would have thought that being yourself was all it took to empower and inspire others?!”

As for the future, it’s hard to know how the two will use their newfound fame. Thomas, who is 19 and still a part-time student at UCLA, is planning on competing again next year. I, for one, am totally rooting for her. As for Hutcherson, she’s imaging big things for herself in the LGBTQ community. “I feel I have grown into myself further as an advocate and mentor for the LGBTQ community,” she said, “My next project is to look into tuxedo branding– my own reincarnated tux designs custom made and auctioned for a charity focused on the youth– all youth.” One thing seems certain; we haven’t seen the last of either of these inspiring women.

Continue to watch Thomas’s and Hucherson’s Facebook pages for updates on their future plans and pageant careers.

Lesbian Pursues the American Dream: Mollie Thomas Runs for Miss California USA

Each year, 80-150 never-married never-pregnant twenty-somethings compete for the ultimate privilege and responsibility — calling themselves Miss California USA and representing the Golden State in the Miss USA Pageant. The contestants in both the Miss California USA and the Miss USA pageants are judged based on the “character, poise, confidence and personality” in the Interview, Swimsuit and Evening Gown portions of the competition. The Miss USA pageant is highly similar to its main competitor, the Miss America pageant, except that Miss USA omits any talent portion and, oh yeah, Donald Trump is the Chairman and President. Trump’s involvement wouldn’t matter much except that when he’s not tracking down President Barack Obama’s birth certificate, he’s basically an asshole to gay folks and defended Miss California USA 2009 and Miss USA 2009 first runner up Carrie Prejean when she said she believed, “that a marriage should be between a man and a woman” during the interview portion of the Miss USA 2009 pageant. So we have a beauty pageant run by Donal Trump where the former Miss California USA said some anti-marriage equality stuff recently. Enter: Mollie Thomas.

Mollie Thomas will be one of the first out lesbians to run for Miss California USA (along with Jenelle Hutcherson who we covered when she ran for Miss Long Beach). Thomas will be running as Miss Abbey West Hollywood (probably because she knew it would make us giggle) and has been receiving overwhelming support from the LGBTQ community there. She also just-so-happens to be a 2013 Autostraddle Calendar Girl!

“The opportunity to run for Miss California USA came up totally unexpectedly,” Thomas told me, as she had been planning to move to Shanghai in October as well as shooting a reality show pilot. Still, when approached by the head of recruitment for Miss USA, Thomas “thought it would be a lot of fun, and a great way to make a statement for the LGBTQ community.” She explained to me, “At first I was definitely a little skeptical [about running], I have never been in a pageant before…Now I’m realizing the impact I’m actually making and I could not be happier I decided to run.” In addition to attempting to break down stereotypes about lesbians, Thomas is focusing her campaign on bullying, discrimination, marriage equality and poverty. To Thomas, humanitarian work is not simply a lofty ideal; she has spent time working with disabled children in Mongolia, on an elephant reserve in Thailand (which is super cool), and rebuilding houses with Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans. Because I care about you guys, I checked. Thomas has indeed ridden an elephant.

In the midst of Thomas’s hopes and goals live the stark reality that pageants are expensive, time consuming and exhausting. In preparation, Thomas has been on a vegan diet and working out daily to ensure that she will feel comfortable in a bathing suit in front of thousands at the pageant. Additionally, Thomas must generate press to secure sponsorships from friends, family and companies to pay her fees to Miss California USA as well as to cover her (yet to be purchased) gown, swimsuit, and interview suit. Luckily, Thomas has a strong support system behind her. All of Thomas’s jewelry has been donated by the founder of Lyon Fine Jewelry, Lauren Russell. “Her company designs an equality bracelet which benefits a gay rights organization called Friend Factor,” Thomas told me, “I’m proud to be wearing this bracelet at all time, and hopefully with my evening gown in the pageant.” Thomas even enlisted a stylist friend, Sara Medd (who you may recall from Autostraddle’s own Calendar Girl shoots!), helping to coordinate her ensembles. Yet despite the enormous cost, Thomas insists she’s in this for the long haul — throughout the competition and beyond. “I’m running to walk away with the crown and title, but no matter what happens I know that I am never going to give up my fight for equality.”

The Miss California USA pageant will be held January 6th and 7th in Indian Wells, CA. You can learn more about Mollie Thomas and help support her campaign for Miss California USA at her campaign Facebook page.