I am here today because I am gay, and also to announce that registration is officially open for our tenth anniversary A-Camp event, taking place this May in beautiful Ojai, California!
That’s right — after four years and seven A-Camps at Alpine Meadows in the San Bernardino Mountains and two A-Camps in Wisconsin, we’re heading back to the Southern California coast, setting up shop at a gorgeous new site that we truly believe will enable our collective dreams to come true at last. We deserve a bigger, brighter tomorrow, free of rained-out pool parties (Wisconsin), dusty rocky ankle-twisting pathways (Alpine), frigid nights (Wisconsin) and stomach-churning altitude (Alpine). We deserve an accessible site, a roomy dining hall, and SO MANY FRUIT TREES.
What Is A-Camp?
A-Camp, an idea I had in the middle of the night about seven years ago, is a manifestation of this website in three entire dimensions, mixed with a dash of old-fashioned summer camp goodness and an infusion of conference-style programming. A-Camp is workshops, panels, classes, meet-ups, discussion groups, crafts, activities and performances designed to inspire, educate, entertain, build community, and make you laugh. It’s a chance to support Autostraddle, be kids again, and make new friends forever — and it’s been wildly successful, with the waitlists to prove it. We’ve held spectacular A-Camps in April 2012, September 2012, May 2013, October 2013, May 2014, June 2015, June 2016, October 2016 and May 2017.
A-Camp has created much-needed community and safe space for LGBTQ women, non-binary and other trans folks from all over the world. It is a queermonormative refuge from the burning hellfire of our current political climate. It’s a space to let go and have fun, while also strengthening our commitment to resistance and community care.
When
7:00 PM May 16th – 11:00 AM May 21st
On May 16th, we’ll be running shuttles from LAX to the campsite from 12:00 to 2:30 PM. Registration will open at 4pm on the 16th, dinner will run from 7-8 and opening ceremonies commence at 9pm. On May 21st, shuttles will leave camp for LAX at 10:30 AM, and we ask all campers to hit the road by 11 AM.
Where
Just 90 minutes from Los Angeles and right outside of Ventura, Ojai is a “charmingly hip wine mom of a town” and a popular weekend escape located at the foot of the Topatopa Mountains. Our campsite is a secluded retreat nestled into the Ojai hills, offering fresh mountain air, a peaceful wooded setting, and so much more: we’ve got two swimming pools with waterslides, basketball and tennis courts, softball fields, a gorgeous chapel, two libraries, two teaching kitchens, three arts & crafts rooms, a secluded treehouse and meditation platform, an adventure course, climbing wall, outdoor amphitheaters, an orange grove, a rec lounge with pool and ping-pong, and multiple lodging options to ensure everybody is comfortable, happy, and ready to have SO MUCH FUN.
Who?
You weirdos! At past A-Camps, half our campers have been over 25 and half under 25, and they’ve come from all over the world. Usually 50% of our campers are new and 50% are returning. Although initially created as a space specifically for lesbian, bisexual and queer women (cis and trans, of course!), A-Camp now also welcomes non-binary people and trans men.
Also: Us! We are headed up by A-Camp Directors Marni Kellison & Robin Roemer, and in order to give you the broadest range of programming possible, we’ve got a staff-to-camper ratio of about 1:6, with staff members mostly drawn from Autostraddle the website. Kristin Russo, who co-directed our past three A-Camps, has to take the year off, so Robin, who co-directed our first six A-Camps, has returned for a victory lap!
In order to best serve the needs of our diverse community, we also have four leadership positions addressing specific camper populations: two QTPOC Speakeasy Leaders, one C.U.T.I.E. (Consultant/Coordinator Undertaking Trans Inclusion & Experiences), and one Accessibility Maven. The QTPOC Speakeasy, headed up by Mackenzie McDade and Yvonne Marquez and built up by all our QTPOC staff, celebrates the diversity of our group with frequent activities and community spaces specifically for QTPOC campers. We’ll also have designated go-to staffers for Sober campers and Newbies.
How Much?
For a Limited Time: Only $695 Total* or $139/night!
- 3 meals/day and snacks (with options for vegans, vegetarians, gluten-frees, and so forth)
- 5 nights accommodation in cabins sleeping 12-18 people
- 100+ programming options: crafts, panels, workshops & adventures
- A dedicated staff with a staff to camper ratio of 1:6
- 5 Nights of Stellar Entertainment
- Kickass swag bag with your A-Camp tee and other cool goodies from indie and queer businesses.
* Early Bird Pricing — tuition goes up to $735 after February 14th.
This site is significantly more expensive than our previous sites —if we adjusted the cost proportionately, this camp would cost $1,404 per person. But we’re not doing that, ’cause we want to make this accessible to as many campers as possible (NOW MORE THAN EVER!), even if it cuts into the profit we need so desperately to keep this website afloat. So we have a different plan to try to make up what we’re losing on basic tuition, and if you’d like to read more about that, then you can do so here. (Part of the plan is our premium housing, which we’re about to discuss!)
If you’re able to pay a little more, then please donate to our campership fund.
Accommodations
We have two options for accommodations at our new site:
The standard camp experience! Cabins sleep 12-20 people each, with 2-4 private bathrooms and showers inside each cabin, and are all within walking distance of a freshly renovated bathhouse with extra showers should you require them. There’s lots of storage and all cabins are located near each other and the main camp area.
The Dolphin Inn or The Hotel California: The Dolphin Inn has 14 hotel-style rooms on two floors, and The Hotel California has 16 hotel-style rooms on two floors. Each furnished room sleeps one or two people each and has a large private bathroom with tub/shower. Hotel/Inn guests can also enjoy a shared common area with couches and tables, as well as refrigerators for the exclusive use of guests. We’re still sorting out if it’s possible to also provide microwaves and toasters. Also, some special amenities/goodies TBD.
Your “cabin group” will be the residents of your inn/hotel, and you’ll have assigned counselors just like they’ve got in the bunks!
A shared room (with one roommate) is $850 + $75 registration fee per person, and a private room is $950 + $75 registration fee per person. Rooms with twin beds can be combined into a queen by request.
Daytime Programming
You’ll have full access to a variety of activities, workshops, panels, sports, discussion groups, classes and arts & crafts, offering a variety of tones to set for your week.
Activities offered at previous A-Camps include…
Arts & Crafts: Itty-Bitty Avocado Jewelry * Leather Fobs * Dapper Collar Pins * Kinky Cross-Stitch * Coptic Bookbinding * DIY Oracle Decks * Chingona Chats and Crafts: Sacred Queer Heart Shrines * Look After Yourself: Self-Portraits * Nerdcraft * Make A Thing: Merit Badges * Finger Knittin’ Good * Pit Stop: DIY Deodorant
Workshops: Learn to Magish Shibari Rope Bondage * Erotica Writing * We’ve Got Your Back: Community Care * YO! A-Camp Raps! * Slam Poetry * Queer Astrology 101 * Lez Talk About Sex(ual Health) * Swagger 101 * String Cheese & Boxed Wine Tasting * Casual Sext * Feminist Improv Troupe Gay Your Makeup * Great Grilled Cheese Bake-Off
Sports, Games, Etc: Masculine-of-Center Stage * A-Campella * Basketball Wives * Chair-Dancing * Self Defense 101 * Queerleading * Rock Yoga * Beyonce’s Dance Grooves * Canoeing * Pop Science Trivia * Mindfulness & Meditation * Haus of Vogue * Hogwarts Trivia
Discussion Groups, Panels & Presentations: Gender Panel * Ally Ally Oxen Free: Making Queer Spaces Better for Trans Women * Changing the Narrative: The Importance of QTPOC Fiction * Gaming, Identity and Community * Queer People of Color Politicking & Zine-Making * Mixed-Race/Biracial/Multi-racial Discussion Group * Profesh Pantsuit Power Hour * Mommy Queerest: Queer Parenting Panel * Tardy for the Party: A Coming Out Later In Life Discussion Group * Mountaintop Bisexual Discussion Group and Hummus Appreciation Society * Real Talk: Your Relationship Doesn’t Have To Suck
Nighttime Entertainment
Autostraddle After Dark is where our Special Guests shine most brightly, and where you get a chance to dance your ass of in a ridiculous costume. Past A-Camp After Dark activities have included stand-up comedy from Cameron Esposito, Deanne Smith, Brittani Nichols, Gaby Dunn, El Sanchez and Rhea Butcher; sexy game shows hosted by Julie Goldman and Brandy Howard; the legendary Staff Reading; Talent Shows; Variety Nights hosted by Hannah Hart and Jasika Nicole and concerts featuring musicians including Julia Nunes, Jenny Owen Youngs, Be Steadwell, Mal Blum, Bell’s Roar, Haviland Stillwell and Somer Bingham.
The last night always brings a kickass themed dance party and a performance from the legendary A-Camp Family Band, with lots of special guests (last camp, we had Mara Wilson doing “Dancing On My Own” and it was EPIC.)
Special Guests
Mary Lambert, Musician
As a singer/songwriter and spoken word artist, Mary Lambert is most known for her heart-wrenching vocals in the 2012 global anthem, “Same Love”. Writing and singing the hook led to two Grammy nominations for “Song Of The Year” and “Album Of The Year”, as well as the iconic performance alongside pop legend Madonna at the 2014 Grammys. Mary Lambert isn’t your typical pop artist. Inspired by confessional folk singers as well as spoken-word performers, she is a brutally candid writer who deals directly in her art with her past traumas and lived experience. Lambert was raised in an abusive home, attempted suicide at 17, turned to drugs and alcohol before being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and survived multiple sexual assaults throughout her childhood. With a list of horrors, you wouldn’t expect Mary to be disarmingly joyful, but she charms effortlessly, and the effect on her audience is bewitching. She describes her performances as “safe spaces where crying is encouraged; My entire prerogative is about connection, about being present, and facilitating true and genuine catharsis. Also, fart jokes.
Jen Richards, Writer / Actresss
Jen Richards is a writer & actress, as well as a consultant & advocate. She is the Co-Writer/Star/Producer of the series Her Story, which was nominated for an Emmy and won Gotham and Peabody awards; Co-Producer of the documentary More Than T (Showtime) and Writer of its accompanying Trans 102 series (Refinery 29); a 2016 Outfest Screenwriting Fellow for her feature script Any Given Week; and can be seen in CBS’s Doubt, CMT’s Nashville, FX’s Better Things, Seeso’s Take My Wife, the film Easy Living, and Two Sentence Horror Stories (Stage 13). Jen was a series regular on E!’s I Am Cait, featured in Logo’s Beautiful As I Want To Be and AOL’s True Trans with Laura Jane Grace, covered live events for Logo, has appeared in several videos for BuzzFeed, OWN, and After Ellen, and countless podcasts and YouTube shows. She is a columnist for NewNowNext, has published essays on multiple platforms, and wrote the 2015 Sep/Oct cover story “What Trans Movement?” for The Advocate. She was previously the Co-Founder and Director of The Trans 100, creator of We Happy Trans, a website dedicated to celebrating positive transgender experiences.
Be Steadwell, Musician
Be Steadwell is a singer songwriter from Washington DC. Be believes that all people deserve cheesy pop songs-so she writes supergay music and calls it queerpop. In her live performances, she utilizes looping, vocal layering and beat boxing to compose her songs on stage.
In 2017, Be sang in The Women’s March behind Maxwell and Janelle Monae. The Astraea Global Arts Fund awarded Be a grant to produce her new album, Queer Love Songs. In September, Be had the opportunity to open for Big Freedia at DC’s Honeygroove Festival. The DC Commission in the Arts awarded Be with the 2018 Artist Fellowship. Be is currently touring her music and screening her film Vow of Silence internationally.
Gaby Dunn, Writer / Actress / Comedian
Gaby Dunn is a bisexual writer, actress, YouTuber, and podcaster based in Los Angeles. Her book I Hate Everyone But You was a NYT Best Seller in 2017 and her new book Bad With Money comes out from Simon and Schuster this year.
Liza Dye, Comedian
Liza Dye is a standup comedian, writer, actress and occasional disc jokey based in Los Angeles, California. You may have heard her on Call Chelsea Peretti Podcast or seen her do standup at Ilana Glazer’s Snowbird Series or you may follow her on Twitter where she is very active in the Celesbian Gossip™ world. Previously living in NYC, Liza is mostly known for her insane subway accident story from 2014, which garnered a lot of attention from the elite comedy community. Liza attempts to use the pain from her traumatic injury and transform it into humor for her standup sets, which you can catch around Los Angeles.
Mara Wilson, Author/Actress
Mara Wilson is a recovering child actor perhaps best known for playing the title role in the movie Matilda. She now works as a writer, voice-over actor, and storyteller. Her voice can be heard on BoJack Horseman and Welcome to Night Vale, and her writing has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, McSweeney’s, The Toast, and many other places. She is the creator and host of the storytelling show What Are You Afraid Of?, and in 2016, her first book, Where Am I Now? was published by Penguin Books.
Brittani Nichols, Actress / Comedian
Brittani Nichols is a writer, comedian, and actor living in Los Angeles. Prior to her career in television and film, Brittani’s writing could be found in various places on the internet including Autostraddle, Jezebel, Huffington Post, and Buzzfeed. Words With Girls, a comedy pilot (based on the webseries of the same name) which she created and starred, was produced as part of Issa Rae’s Color Creative TV and premiered at HBO/BET’s Urbanworld Film Festival in 2014. Brittani was a recurring character on Season 2 of Transparent and guest starred on the IFC series, Boxed In. She currently co-hosts Brand New Podcast with her neighbor and friend, Ariana Lenarsky.
Suicide Kale, the feature she produced, wrote, and starred is currently available SVOD after winning the Audience Award at both Outfest and Newfest amongst other festival awards. Some of Brittani’s most recent television writing credits include Take My Wife and Drop the Mic. She just finished writing for the second season of Strangers which will be available on Facebook later this year.
Camperships & Tuition Discounts
- Your generosity has sent over 50 deserving humans to A-Camp over the past five years and you’ll have the chance to make dreams come true again this year by donating to the campership fund! We take donations of all sizes, and to keep things simple, we’re pricing full camperships at $800 each. This covers tuition, shuttles, and linens. If the recipient doesn’t need tuition/shuttles/linens, they’ll get $80 in credit for fee-workshops or A-Camp canteen purchases. We’ll have a post up soon sharing the stories from some of last camp’s campership recipients.
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You can apply for camperships here. All campership applications must be in by February 20th, but we’ll be assessing applications on a rolling basis up until the 20th, so get yours in as soon as possible and you may hear back from us about an opportunity sooner!
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We also recognize that as A-Camp becomes more expensive it becomes harder to maintain the diversity we require for a truly successful A-Camp. We encourage campership applicants who are POC and/or trans women, and will have some offers for those groups specifically.
+ If you cannot attend camp without a full Campership, do not register for camp! We reserve spaces for Campershippers so you don’t need to snag one in case you become a Campershipper — that’s been taken care of. If you sign up and then end up getting a full campership, you will not be refunded the $75 registration fee.
+ If you have a business who’d like to sponsor a campership, get in touch with sarah [at] autostraddle.com. Previous sponsors have included Catalyst Wedding Co, Tomboy Toes, OUT Play, Sharpe Suiting, Kipper Clothiers, Scout’s Honor, Kreuzbach10, OK Cupid and Hannah Hart.
+ If you’re a person who’d like to sponsor a campership for a specific demographic, get in touch with cool [at] autostraddle [dot] com. In the past, we’ve had individuals donate camperships specifically for groups including trans women, queer people of color who need help with travel costs, Mexican/Mexican-Americans, people from small towns, and campers from overseas who need help with travel costs.
Okay, I’m in. What now?
If you wanna get on the saddle and trot on over to A-Camp with us this fall, just head over to the registration form where, for the low low price of a $75 non-refundable non-transferable deposit, you can snag your spot. Please read the instructions at the top of the interface page if anything seems complicated or confusing. Please read the instructions even if nothing seems confusing. Just read them for fun!
You’ll also have to add tuition to your cart during the registration process, but you’re not required to pay in full until April 1st. You can make partial payments up until that point. Tuition will go up on February 14th, so we highly advise putting tuition in your cart prior to that date.
For more information about airport shuttles, refund policies and other money-or-travel related questions, please read our FAQ here.
If you need to cancel, you can just log back in to the registration interface and cancel! QUESTIONS ABOUT REGISTRATION OR TRAVEL GO TO [email protected]. (“COOL” stands for “Coordinator of Logistics”)
For More Information
On our A-Camp website, you’ll find our FAQ, the staff we’ve got on board so far and a link to register the hell out of your unit. For more information about what goes on at A-Camp, you can check out our recaps from past camps and testimonies from campers about the joy of the experience. (We had to stop doing Recamps in 2016 because of the time it took, but previous camps should still give you a good idea!) Ultimately, A-Camp is whatever you make of it: every camper writes their own story. Come with your heart wide open and do whatever you want.
What are you waiting for?
Register Now!
REGISTERED!
Thank you all so much for not raising the price of camp this year! <3 <3 <3 All of your many efforts are appreciated, always.
love u forever, queer girl <3
Vanessa! Are you coming? <3
done!
This makes me very happy!
TORRE AND MOTES, always a classic
We’re unstoppable duo!
ALICE MOTES I CAN’T WAIT TO MEET YOU
Alice!!!! you are coming back?! Yay!!!!
Wooo, I’m officially returning to camp! I’ll see so many of you in CA and I can’t wait. It’s going to be amazing ❤️?
Yay, I wasn’t sure if you were going to make it to Cali, this is rad! :-D
REUNITED AND IT FEELS SO GOOOOOOOD
Awesome! I’m really excited that you’ll be there, too ?
How exciting! This is going to be such a well-run event.
The page on the “economics of A-Camp” appears to still be in password-protected “Secure” mode and I’d love to read it — just letting y’all know in case it was supposed to be made public by now!
It’s been fixed! Thank you <3
Thanks Riese!
Thanks! I’m still having issues with it (seeing password request) but I probably just need to be more patient…
Fixed!
The Economics of A-Camp
Thank you!!
I am so excited that you agreed to call me C.U.T.I.E., because I am a cutie. Sooooo excited for camp this year!!!
°‿‿°
Sooooo EXCITED! Very thankful for the cost this year, was really worried about being able to afford it and now it’s manageable. I LOVE you!
? JAY ?
I am SO FREAKING EXCITED. Was it really just two years ago I was registering for my first A-Camp and p a n i c k i n g? Because now I count down the days baaaasically as soon as I get on that flight back to New York. Heaven is a place on earth, and that place is A-Camp.
I hope there’s at least one murder tunnel at the new space. And maybe a yurt. Or something we can pretend is a yurt.
i have it on good authority that there are two murder tunnels and they are also water slides.
Valerie annnnnnne
I hope to meet you this time around
Registered! This time I will be 300% more prepared than last time.
sallyyyyyyyyyyy
hurray!
sally can you also wear a large sign that reads I AM SALLY
Maybe a small-to-medium one, I don’t want to take away all the challenge
YES LANEIA.
I CANNOT WAIT TO HIGH FIVE YOU ALL!
A L I C E
I want hugs and one famous Alice shoulder massage pls. If you enthusiastically want that too.
umm for 1000000% sure!!
ALICEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
I’m about to pass out from the anticipatory joy of seeing all your beautiful faces again!!
ALICE IS COMING BACK YAYYYY
OH WOW I AM PUMPED TO SEE YOU!!!!
If Ventura is a “charmingly hip wine mom of a town” does that make this the Mommi of A-Camps? SO EXCITED EITHER WAY
my thought exactly
omg
wow we are all really living our best lives in 2018, bless
C U AT THE MOMMI LOUNGE
wait can there actually be a mommi lounge
if there isn’t a mommi lounge it would be such a missed opportunity
If you are cool with that Wine mom being married to a republican and no LGBTQ center.
Wooo!! I’m registered. See y’all there!
? ?
I’ll miss y’all. A-Camp keeps happening the same time as Moogfest, which I buy tickets for a year in advance. ;_;
Norah :(
I am also semicolon crying and sad facing.
NOT AGAIN. :(
see y’all in the klub
Registered! Is there a way to update profile info without having to make another PayPal payment? I can’t seem to figure out how.
same issue here. halp!
Hurray! :)
aah figuring this out rn
OKAY IT SHOULD BE FIXED NOW lemme know
Yes, it’s working when I put $0 for the payment now. Thank you!!
Man, I need to start doing the lottery, it would be so amazing to go to this one day!
Apply for a campership! That’s the only way I was able to attend last year and A Camp literally changed my life!
Literally same as Abeni. APPLY
It was the [1] good thing that happened to me last year
I still get as excited every year as my first and this is Camp #5 for me. :’)
honestly sad that we even had four camps without you
DO A LIVE FEED OF THE SLIDE
done
I started a savings fund specifically for A-Camp 2019… the FOMO for this year (and years past) will keep my savings on track!
congrats on taking on that goal – that’s so cool! can’t wait to meet you in 2019 :)
COOL COOL COOL COOL COOL
Mary Lambert?!?!?!!!!!! I wanna go!!! Alas, I have a huge work event that weekend. Have fun, y’all!
I”M SO EXCITED TO SAY HI TO ALL OF YOU AT CAAAAAMMMMPPPPP
I have more apples for you!
The page on the “economics of A-Camp” is in password-protected “Secure” mode
fixed!
Thanks Sarah!
“If you love someone, set them free. If they come back they’re yours; if they don’t they never were.”
A-Camp and California… made for each other…
I’m in the corner, watching you kiss her, oh oh oh
I’m right over here, why can’t you see me, oh oh oh
And I’m giving it my all, but I’m not the guy you’re taking home, ooh
I keep dancing on my own
FIRST TIME CAMPER AND I’M SO EXCITED
I’M SO EXCITED TOOO
Ummm hi we are gonna meet and be irl pals and I CANT WAIT
Archie I literally can’t believe that it’s taken us so long to meet irl but I guess this is what we get for trying to make plans on actual Christmas
Also, yes: MARY LAMBERT!!!!!!
Woot!!! Registered!! I’m so excited!!! Can’t wait to be in Mommi country!
Can’t go this year and I am so bummed about it. A-Camp really was THE BEST experience I could have asked for. You meet beatifull humans, (maybe you also end up shyly giving Mara Wilson a “I’m so tired” pin because she lost hers), get introduced to Gaby Dunn and her podcast, get to cook with Yvonne, listen to the amazing talent read their souls bare, do every arts and crafts you desire among the most encouraging teachers, Cee might teach you to tie some cute up (good luck concentrating on the knots), you might drink beer with Heather Hogan (!!!!!!). The Team and talent work so so hard. If you can’t afford it, don’t doubt about applying for a campership. I am saving some money to donate it so another human gets to enjoy pure magic!
I would love to try it out (would also be terrified, but you know, that comes along with new things) but I can’t take that time off work, especially with all that travelling :( Maybe after my PhD if I have a more normal job. Keep me a spot in a few years?
Can disabled people (physically or otherwise, but especially disabled people who can’t work traditionally and live off a disability pension or something of the like) also be a special category for Camperships? My girlfriend and I don’t particularly want to go to A Camp, but we couldn’t even if we wanted to because disability pensions are very, very small.
so excited for this!! see you all there ☺️??
AAAAAH SEE YOU THERE!
Dumb question but should we be getting a confirmation email after applying for a Campership? I have not gotten one so I am starting to worry that I made a typo when entering my e-mail address.
No, there’s no confirmation email and I see you in there so you’re okay
Thank you :)
Hiiii, A-Camp first-timer in the house. So excited to meet y’all!
I only recently came out as queer last summer. I’m 27, but I grew up in a small town in Texas and never really asked myself the hard questions about my sexuality (despite *years* of Dana Scully obsession/fangirling). I was actually engaged to a guy several months ago when I found Autostraddle. I was googling “how to break an engagement when you realize you’re a lesbian”. In the middle of a very tumultuous time, I have learned so much and gained so much hope through the Autostraddle community; every time I get on here I feel like I belong (and that has not been a typical feeling for me!)
So it’s only fitting that I will be at A-camp during the week that would have been my honeymoon. I could not be more excited to be free and be myself and be surrounded by all of you wonderful humans!
<3
HI BOSLEY I’M SO EXCITED FOR YOU!!!
:) :) thank you!
@Bosley, I’m excited for you too!
Thanks Natalie! :)
Bosley you’re gonna have the best time, it’s gonna be mind blowing
Thx Carmen, I am super excited!
This is so cool! See you at camp! ?
I feel this! I also came out at 27 and found autostraddle via the search “how to break up with your boyfriend because you are a lesbian”! Welcome!
BOSLEY. HELLO.
i’m so glad you’re coming and i can’t wait to say hi at the registration table!!!
yayy! I can’t wait to meet you!
I’m trying to figure out who I can pawn my child off on, but I think I’m coming back, bb! I’m a little sad I missed the whole Wisconsin era, but also I’m not.
I’d be so excited to see you again
Aw damn I was really hoping Remi was gonna lead a finger-painting workshop! :-D
Yayyyy camp! So excited for Mary Lambert!!
WOO! Just registered! First time camper. I’M SO EXCITED!!! *\o/*
Definitely misread “Camp Autostraddle X” as like, a sexytimes-themed version of A-Camp. Like, a spinoff camp. And I thought, “Riese’s creativity is boundless.”
Have fun in California at the 10th regularly awesome A-Camp, y’all!
what if it was an Xtreme Sports Camp tho
see you on the half-pipe
I AM SO EXCITED TO BE COMING BACK TO A CAMP AND NOW ITS BACK IN CALIFORNIA AHHHHH!
YAYYYY
Just registered for my first Acamp! Excited to have something to look forward to during the next 4 months of way too much work.
yayayay!!!
I’m finally old enough to go!!…but I’m moving out of the state for college. Great :(
When I saw the dates, I had to check to see if A-Camp intersected with Finals Week. Thankfully it doesn’t. I’ll have to apply for a campership, so we’ll see what happens.
How will next camp be branded? A-Camp XI? Asking the important questions here
Good question! Is it gonna be like the Super Bowl and go all roman numbers?
The successor to Final Fantasy X was called Final Fantasy X2, just putting it out there
Ahhh this is so tempting! Idk if I can make the logistics happen with my work schedule, but it’s so! close! And who doesn’t want to escape from Orange County to a queer wonderland?
i want to note that i was at work when registration opened up, like most of you i’m sure. i work in a pharmacy now so i was periodically hiding between shelves of pill bottles, discreetly refreshing autostraddle on my phone, like you do.
First time camper and I was doing the constant refresh thing and actually late to court yesterday because I was registering for A-camp and I regret NOTHING.
I work in a restaurant and we had just started lunch but I kept sneaking away to finish the registration page!
i’m a first time camper and i absolutely registered on my phone in a chair in the lobby after physical therapy. no regrets.
My last camp (2015) I remember there being text about 18+ vs 21+, but I’m not seeing that on any of the pages anymore. Are 18-20 year olds still allowed at camp, and if so, how is the alcohol issue being handled for them?
yes 18-20 year olds are absolutely welcome! and they are not allowed to drink alcohol if they are under 21 because that is the law of the land. and if they do drink alcohol they will have to go home.
Unless I receive a mind-boggling tax refund, I most likely will not be attending A-Camp this year, but have plans to attend again in the future. I really enjoyed last camp (maybe because I am born and raised mid-west), but I’m very excited for the new location. I hope everyone has a great time!
As someone considering coming for the first time but who hasn’t flown/navigated airports alone before, how impossible will it be to find my way around the airport and get to the shuttle, if anyone knows?
Last year I found really easy to find the group… it’s just basically a big group of queers! I can’t speak for LAX specifically, but I figure it won’t be too different
It’s hard to miss a group of A-Campers…
plus You’ll have the shuttle organizer’s phone number and you can call if you can’t find them.
Not impossible! Just follow the signs and ask airport staff to point you in the right direction if you need to. It’ll likely be Terminal 6 baggage claim where everyone will meet up and it will be a super obvious group of people there. If you fly out of a major airport there may even be other campers on your flight with you.
Do they ever make a giant sign?
I recommend:
-a cardboard cutout of Sara Ramirez in a suit
-the real life Sara Ramirez in a suit (depending on seasonal availability)
-a banner that says “Talking, laughing, loving, breathing”
-someone reading Buffy/Faith fan fiction over a megaphone
-Mary Lambert holding a boom box playing her own music and saying ‘Yes, I DO look like her’ to random fans
Can confirm that a cardboard cutout of Sara will be at camp, although probably not at the airport <3
really excited (and a bit nervous) for my first a-camp, as i’ll be coming solo from nyc. can’t wait to meet everybody! xx
EXCITED 2 MEET YOU TOO
there are at least 3 other people (myself included) coming from nyc!! see you in CA if i don’t see you at jfk first :-P
Make that four! I’m coming solo from NYC too!
amazing, so excited to meet riese and you amazing nyc-ers!
DAMN this sounds good
Registered! Although without a Walmart stop how can I bring pink lady apples to Mey and Mara ?
Registered me and my beloved wife. And hi! I’ve been lurking for years and I’m super excited to finally go to A camp. I’m invisibly disabled so I don’t get out to see community very often. As well as never getting much camp experience as a kid. I’m super excited. I’ll be 7 months on hormones when I go, also something I’m super excited for. Sorry for the rant, but I’m just excited and super happy .
yayyyy Tanaria! I’m so happy for you and your wife!
I’m excited for both of you, too! It’s going to be so great ❤️
so are any of the rooms going to come furnished with a gynecological exam chair this time or
Hi! I’m travelling solo from the UK for my first ever A-camp! I’m planning to be in SF the week before, is anyone driving down from San Francisco to A-camp and if so, do you fancy a road buddy with a cute as hell British accent and some gas money? xx