Comments on: I Was A Baby Queer at Bible Camp

By: Cassie

Cassie — Sat, 18 May 2013 14:19:39 +0000

I actually learned about masturbation from two of my guy friends. They asked me if I had ever masturbated and I lied and said I hadn’t and we actually got into a really good conversation about it. But I always got along better with guys when I was growing up. They were also the first people I came out to.

By: Laura

Laura — Fri, 11 May 2012 04:58:46 +0000

I had no idea that girls didn’t know that other girls masturbate. I knew a lot of my friends that did when we were young. I used to go to sleepovers and my friends would show me how they masturbated when we took showers. I thought everybody did that??
*(LONGish)Side note* I also went to an Evangelical Bible Camp(Brookhill in Arkansas). I went for 4 summers and was a counselor for one summer after that, too. By the time I was a counselor I had began to have questions about the appropriateness of some of the views being taught. I guess they ID’d me as a bit of a skeptic and outsider so I was sent off for kitchen duty for the last month of the summer. After that I went off to to college and I started to come to terms with being gay, I send several e-mail to the “preacher” running this camp. Initially, I assumed that the guy was just a little bit confused about the fact that he was seriously mind-fucking a bunch of little helpless queers into hating themselves and I was there to help him realize the error of his ways. I WAS SO WRONG, you guys so wrong!! He responded with the most hateful and bitter communication that I have ever been privy to. (Any my dad is a lawyer and I’m in law school so I’ve been privy to some awful shit) Every word was snarling and dripping with vitriol and venom. I sent more e-mails to him that I poured over to make sure that they presented my points as best as I was able. He continues to spew hate at unsuspecting kids who just wanted to make friends and shoot arrows a few weeks every summer…

By: CatD

CatD — Wed, 09 May 2012 21:43:18 +0000

If you want to maintain that feeling of ‘better’, don’t move to the UK. Kids are doing it at 12 here and not lying about it.

By: GinnyLaPala

GinnyLaPala — Wed, 09 May 2012 10:09:23 +0000

Also I love this: “an attitude that I thought exuded a cool nonchalance, but probably came off as more of an awkward laziness”
Very familiar! ^^

By: GinnyLaPala

GinnyLaPala — Wed, 09 May 2012 10:07:03 +0000

Thanks for explaining, Lemon.
Full disclaimer: in my middle school in France in the mid-90s, there were only one or two person per class who had boyfriends/girlfriends. And I don’t think they did much at all. The rest of us, we were all single. Even in high school… Very few people were in relationships (we don’t “date” in France. We’re either single or in a relationship). So anyway, hearing about sexually active 13-year-olds being the “norm” made me go O_o
So, not so much a case of “Different times, different places” as just a bunch of lying teens. Okay, I feel better.

By: Amber

Amber — Wed, 09 May 2012 08:13:33 +0000

This bought back so many memories for me lol. When I was 13 I went to a church camp and I realized I was gay after my tent-mate confessed to me that she liked girls and instead of being shocked I wanted to make out with her haha. I wrote about it here, http://curtrashy.tumblr.com/post/22245295179/when-did-you-know-you-were-gay-like-exact-moment-or really briefly a couple of days ago if anyone wants to read about it.

By: sunhaina

sunhaina — Wed, 09 May 2012 06:01:25 +0000

Beer, mustard, and lipstick? That sounds like some interesting debauchery. (What happens at Oktoberfest stays at Oktoberfest?)

By: Mary

Mary — Wed, 09 May 2012 04:37:15 +0000

this was really great. I love your writing!

By: Stephanie Truex

Stephanie Truex — Wed, 09 May 2012 04:11:02 +0000

This is relevant to my interests since I went to church camp for may years and its an odd experience that needs talked about along with masturbation.

However, I wish I got find out what happened with Rosie. Things ended too abruptly.

By: Lister

Lister — Wed, 09 May 2012 03:56:01 +0000

OH, AND WHAT HAPPENED WITH ROSIE?

By: Lister

Lister — Wed, 09 May 2012 03:55:42 +0000

I was between 12 and 14 when I finally learned about the word “masturbation.” I knew people touched themselves, I just didn’t know there was a word for it! Stupid catholic school and its lame sex ed class.

By: Lemon

Lemon — Wed, 09 May 2012 01:06:45 +0000

yes this.