Bay Windows, New England’s Largest LGBT Newspaper, September 6, 2001

"Where Everybody's On The Team"

by Mary Angelis

Ah, wilderness! Maine evergreens. The lake. The silence. The male shriek of terror from the Ropes Course –

Camper 1:
I really have to jump down this zip line?

Staff:
Do what you want. Remember, you’re harnessed to the rope, and to me.

Camper 1:
 I am really terrified right now.

Staff:
But you’re doing great. Better scared up there, than scared and still standing down here.

Camper 2:
And ya look great. Like a queen

Camper 1:
That’s princess; Mom is still alive. Guys – you’re my inspiration

Staff:
I thought I was your inspiration.

Camper 1:
You’re a beautiful woman. But, you don’t have a hairy chest

Staff:
Oh? Jump down and find out.

Camper 3:
Good butch scream, c’mon.

Camper 1:
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! I did it! Woo-HOO!

At 'Camp' Camp, shrieks became woo-hoos when some 200 LGBT adults gathered in August. “The Ropes Course,” said staff member Eden Stone, “is about locating yourself within your challenges and fears. That sense of accomplishment and meaning relates to whatever in your life has eluded success. I was in the last stages of kidney failure, scheduled for a transplant. The Ropes were about feeling my own physical strength and prowess – even in the midst of that cauldron.”

That cauldron is different for everyone. With sports and games in particular, Eden observes that “The road back is hard for many people…. [Men especially] go back to that [childhood] space of all the teasing.” At $725 on up for one week, the nostalgic setting without movies, TV, workshops, advertised sexual imagery, walkmans, or drugs (and with clear limits on alcohol) is not everyone’s idea of vacation. And differences of opinion do arise, since “’Community’ is not a group of like-minded people. Instead, it is a group of people who have come together for a purpose – with a lot of diversity.” But when the Prissy Queens battle Yvonne’s Honey-Dipped Love Slaves, “It doesn’t matter if they ever hit the ball. They’re cheered anyway – and everybody gets picked to be on the team!” It’s the serious work of pure play, “but this time with an accepted awareness of your sexuality. And mistakes are not only O.K. – they are not even an issue.”

Being available
Peer communication and support begin with the staff. “Camp is 365 days a year; I don’t know if we ever sit down to eat without the phone ringing,” laughed David Trueblood, partner of founder Bill Cole. “But that’s Bill’s vision – to be available, to know who the campers are.” Art teacher Andy’s eyes sparkle as he proudly displays his students’ brush painting. (“This was his very first circle. And look – why, it’s a perfect circle!”) Another camper recalled his first art creation: “Paul at the pottery barn said ‘It may not live up to your expectations, but you’ll learn a lot.’ I did learn a lot – but the piece far exceeded my expectations! So I built my own pottery studio.” Campers worried about a rock climbing trip (“I’d get hurt if I fell outa bed”). But when the going got tough, Guide Bill scaled the cliff to encourage climbers, and afterward the group glowed with victory. A source of special healing was the affection and playfulness of the straight counselors, who welcomed their apprehensive gay clients with rounds of Twister and Spin the Bottle. In turn, delighted “Camp”-ers designed Tea Dance costumes for counselors which were remarkable for their color – and brevity.

Campers devised creative ways to support one another. Two campers grateful for this support were transgendered women. “They recognized me as a friend!” one stated. Another added, “This ‘LGBT’ community really is ‘BT’ as well. I’m 66. I’ve seen Vietnam; I’ve seen it all. It’s the happiest week of my life.” When one quiet singer confessed reticence about performing, the buff boys in the first row listened respectfully to his song, then rushed the stage, babbling with passion and slathering his legs with kisses. After one camper spent hours coaching Rope’s adventurers on gravity and arm coordination from his wheelchair, his appreciative alumni planned to park the wheelchair and welcome Coach for his own glorious flight on the zip line.

Peer support warmed a “Midnight Hike with Phil,” as 26 campers aired their fears: “We’ve got 26 people. What if we end with 28?” “Run like hell. We’ll be right behind you.”

Phil addressed each concern, then gave safety rules: Don’t leave the group, startle anyone, or joke about anyone’s fear. Then, we joined hands and clambered silently in total darkness, guided by Phil’s tactile recall of the trail and our neighbor’s support. We emerged at the still starlit lake and sat arm in arm, awed at the view.

“It’s like I’m… in fairyland,” someone whispered.
“You are,” his neighbor sighed happily. “You are.”

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