Outlook Weekly, Ohio's Gay Newspaper, August 3, 2000

“Happy Campers” 

by Lisa K. Zellner

Imagine sitting around a campfire roasting marshmallows, singing songs, laughing with good friends. Sound like days gone by - way by? Summer camp experiences for gay adults at opposite ends of North America are helping folks recapture and reclaim those carefree days of our younger years.

From hiking, kayaking and crafts to wine tasting and mountain T-dances, summer camp is no typical vacation.

“This is definitely a different environment. We don’t dote,” said Bill Cole, director of 'Camp' Camp near Kezar Falls, Maine.

“You’re in cabins with people, not by yourself in a hotel room. And you’re eating meals at tables with eight to 10 people. At the activities you are always next to someone chatting, talking on a canoe trip or hiking.”

“You have to give up privacy - you should consider whether being in a cabin with six or eight other people is going to make you miserable,” Cole said.

The advantage?
“ ‘Camp’ Camp caters to GLTB people.” Cole said.

While many youth camps help children develop self-esteem, adult camp experiences are more of a break from daily routine.

“Camp provides a way for people to take a break from their normal lives. In the context of the outdoors there is no pressure, meals are provided, you don’t have to deal with any kind of hassles,” Cole said. “A lot of people report soul experiences - this is a chance to go off by yourselves, sit by the water and just think.”

“And it’s a great way for gay adults to meet each other and talk.”

Cleveland native Jeff Perrotti, who helped Cole launch 'Camp' Camp, said it has been rewarding to see the connections people make through their experiences there.

“It’s a beautiful camp with incredible facilities. There are two lakes, tennis courts, a pottery studio, ropes course, stained glass and jewelry instruction and a great staff,” Perrotti said.

“We’ve been so heartened by the effect this has had on other people’s lives. People stay in touch and feel that they are a part of the gay community all year long because of the experience they’ve had here,” he said.

“We recognize that there needs to be a place where people can come to get replenished. Here people can get nourishment to go back into their lives to work for change,” Perrotti said.

More than 200 people - slightly more than half of them men - will trek to Maine to participate in 'Camp' Camp’s fourth year. In years past, about half of the campers had been to camp as children, the others had not.

“Of the people who had been to camp as kids, most were in the closet then and at least in some way aware of sexuality. A lot of people come to camp again and reclaim their childhood,” Cold said. “Other people just remember how they loved camp, being outdoors and the group experience.”

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