It’s all gone, y’all. We spent days in the sun and nights in the rain but now summer is over, simple and plain. I found you some fun that’s good for the pain, though: A bunch of queer women camped out somewhere eating barbecue.

That’s right, cuties. Autostraddle Babe-B-Q weekend is upon us.

Last year, I was very keen on getting y’all to grill. Remember that? It was a very exciting time to be alive. So majestic were the wonders of queer women reclaiming the art of the BBQ from white guys and so delicious were the things we ate together that we’re doing it all over again! Summer comes to an official close on September 22, so this weekend we’re calling on queermos like you around the world to ring in a colder season with one final dog day spent together slathering yourself and maybe also some food in vegan barbecue sauce!

A Babe-B-Q could look like a lot of different things, because we all contain multitudes. You could host a potluck in your backyard! You could make a reservation at your local BBQ pit joint and raise hell. You could quite literally camp in the middle of nowhere, scavenge for food, and cook it over a tiny portable stove while reading excerpts from Wild and also my secret Tumblr out loud to each other! Or you could like, pack a picnic and do a variation on that which is less rigorous, although I do recommend reading excerpts from my secret Tumblr out loud to each other anyway and then reporting back to me on whether or not anyone felt anything / whether or not anyone thinks my work has meaning. Either way, I recommend browsing our Babe-B-Q archives for inspiration, recipes, and music suggestions from last year, especially the cookbook we made for y’all with love that involved me standing over an open fire with an expensive camera a lot. Were we ever so young? Does anyone else prefer birds’ eye photos of their meals? Who cares! Let’s make some magic happen and stop asking questions!

You’ve got one wild and precious life to live. Why not spend a day of it with a spatula in your hand while someone else preps the Tofurkey sausages and then sit back in a lawn chair and put some coleslaw in your face surrounded by a bunch of people you’ll soon find yourself hopelessly in love with?

For those of y’all who decide to be national heroes and host a Babe-B-Q this weekend, we’ve got lots of goodies for you. A Facebook event cover photo! Images for Twitter and Instagram that announce your badass gathering-to-be! A portal chock-full of meet-up organizing tips and tricks! An endless well of our love! And once you’ve picked a time / place / concept and finished up the delicate wording on your event listing, you can submit your events to our calendar and we’ll slap ’em up on the site and spread the word for you on social media.

If you’re less the type to organize something this awe-inspiring and more the type to appreciate it while offering quietly to help out in someone else’s kitchen, come on down! There’s room for everyone in this movement, y’know? Simply join in online with the hashtag #AutoBabeBQ, put on your fave linen shorts, and make yourself known to the queer universe at-large. Everyone’s gonna love your hair, promise. Just click here to find the event closest to you, or maybe furthest if you’re looking to drive across the desert and figure out the purpose of life. You do you! Have fun! Make good choices!

Let’s do this thing, y’all. Let’s do it like it’s never been done before. Be there or be square, and don’t forget to put sunscreen on please.

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