Afternoon Activities

Mad Hatters T* Party // Pool Party (Kaylah, Gigler & Kai) // Canoeing (Marni & Kip) // Ropes Course // Make a F*cking ‘Zine (Riese, Laneia, Dannielle, Kristin & Chelsey) // Yarn Weaving (Jasika Nicole) // 8 Bits, Boss Keys and Belonging: Video Games, Identity and Community (Whitney, Laura M, Heather, Taylor, Bren, Morgan, Mey) // Queer Safer Sex 101 (Lizz Rubin & Carolyn)  // You Drew You (Cameron & Rory) // The Art of the Whiskey Sour (Ali & Alex)

Ali: Y’all, The Art of the Whiskey Sour was AMAZING. Instead of making a cocktail at the whiskey tasting this year, Alex Vega and I teamed up to do two different themed cocktail workshops this year and I would like to do this forever and ever. I was really nervous for it, actually. During pre-camp, I just sort of looked at Alex nervously and said, “but doesn’t everyone know everything we know?” I was so afraid that everyone would just stare at me like, okay, but tell us something new. But I had no reason to be nervous!

Ali: We had an absolute blast and Alex showed off her classic whiskey sour recipe with the egg white and everything and we taught everyone how to dry shake and garnish with bitters and we all got rip-roaring and it was AWESOME. I love seeing queermos move in on hobby-territory that’s generally reserved for straight cis men.

Alex Vega, Marketing & Design Director: I’m so happy I got to share my newfound love of this cocktail with some new people, especially the recipe with egg white because it’s such a rare thing to find at a bar and it is the best way, imho, to enjoy a sour. After the workshop, Ali and I got the cutest card in our pigeon hole from a camper who had attended the workshop to tell us how much she enjoyed it! I die.

photo by Robin Roemer

Emily: I just want to say that it pained me emotionally to have to miss the canoe trip this year, it’s always one of my favorite camp moments. However to have to miss it for the pool party was about as good of a consolation prize as I could have.

Carmen: I am always at the Pool Party at A-Camp, not because it’s assigned to me but because we all know it wouldn’t be the same without me. Right before, I noticed I had a massive bug bite on my right thigh, which didn’t terrify me but terrified Nurse Viv, which instilled me with great shame and fear. To make up for it, I planned some Singled Out stuff with Stef while she treaded water and then hung out poolside, as I am wont to do at all times.

Babe-Watch at the pool // photo by Taylor Hatmaker

Stef: It’s worth noting that until this camp, I had never been in the pool. This camp, I decided to fight back against my dual phobias of sunlight and people seeing my body in a bathing suit, and went for a rousing swim among the moths. Thanks, Kai, for grabbing a net and fishing all my insect buddies out of the water.

Kai Keller, The Beach Counselor: Don’t be fooled. Scooping bugs out of a pool that size is a damn good workout.

pool partying // photo by Taylor Hatmaker

Gigler: Kaylah and I didn’t have the emotional or physical time or resources to plan the pool party the way we did last year, but turns out all we really need is music and campers and it was such a chill afternoon. My highlights: Cleo dancing to Mz 007’s “Important”, Emily L’s Snorkel Barbie™ look, Gilles always being ready and willing to bust a move, Becca’s flower princess game, and every cutie out there enjoying the toastiest A-Camp on record.

Lizz Rubin, Witchblades Counselor: In the afternoon I did my annual Queer Safer Sex 101 talk. I think it went pretty spectacularly as usual.

Carolyn Yates, Fun Home Counselor: I had never been to Lizz’s Queer Safer Sex 101 before and helping out with it was a revelation.

Lizz: This year we got totally side tracked talking about HPV and then again talking about yeast and BV. Except I’m totally okay with getting side tracked because we have to go where the knowledge desire takes us, you know? I’m always so impressed by the number of campers who show up to the safer-sex talks. I think it just shows how much everyone actually cares about keeping each other safe.

Riese: I think it also speaks to how much everyone really likes hearing Lizz Rubin talk about sex.

Lizz Rubin: Happy To Be Alive

Carolyn: In a world where most safer sex education is hetero- and cisnormative, hearing a sex educator discuss health concerns frankly and accessibly was a necessary delight that I wish we could somehow make mandatory.

Lizz: I really hope people learned something! Also I have to shout out to the Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health for loaning us toys to help make this possible!

Marni: Canoeing on Jenks Lake Pond is always one of my favorite moments at camp. My trusty bowman Kip was on hand, as usual, to lend his neckscart (aka legitimacy) to the event and help divvy up boats and get everybody a chance on the water.

photo by Bree Peacock

Gabby Rivera, Beehive Counselor: When Laura W. asks me with her cute ass face to do something, generally I do it. So when she asked me to go canoeing with her, I said of course my sweet piece of corn on the cob. I will canoe! And in my head, I was like, da fuq? I’m from the Bronx. We don’t canoe. I can barely swim. I’m not even good in the rain. But I said ok, and then Trent was coming too, so of course, I had to be mad cool about everything.

Kip & Gabby

Gabby: We get to the canoe spot and it’s beautiful. I helped mega stud, Marni, put a bunch of canoes on the water for everyone. Then it was our turn. Someone put me in the steering spot. Why for they did that?? I learned how to canoe in circles, canoe into the mud, canoe into the trees… it took about 25mins for me to get us moving in a forward motion.

Laura W: If you ever have the opportunity to be in a canoe with Gabrielle Rivera and Djuan Trent, you should jump on it. Gabby will steer you into every single tree and Trent will sing you songs and take selfies and you’ll get some vitamin D and decide that this has been one of the best afternoons of your life.

Trent: Listen Linda… are you listening? Okay, good. Have you ever felt like you were just going around in circles and hitting nothing but dead ends, while you watch everyone else effortlessly cruise off into the sun and open spaces without you??? Well, that’s what it was like being in a canoe with Laura and Gabby… and it was so great! Ha! Hitting dead ends and running into trees has never been so fun. This is what happens when you have Hot Laura, Gabby from the Bronx and Trent the Selfie Queen all in one canoe.

Gabby: At one point, Trent was like “can you stop looking angry and constipated? I’m trying to take a picture of you where you’re not grimacing.” Then I relaxed and literally had one of the most fun afternoons of my life. Canoeing is awesome.

Trent: My only regret was leaving my selfie stick in the car, but ya know…life happens, selfie sticks get left and the world just keeps on turning…and so does your canoe.

Marni: Watching Gabby, Trent and Laura’s canoe zigzag around the lake in and out of the weeds was the goddamn funniest thing I’d seen all week and I loved every minute of it.

photo by Bree Peacock

Morgan: Our Gamer Circle was smashing. Everyone had such a wide array of experiences I found myself hunting down people afterwards to hear more from them. Also someone knew what Drakengard was which basically filled my heart to bursting. Love you, Emily. <3

Laura M: The gamer discussion was the first time I felt really relaxed about anything this camp. Large group discussions can be difficult, but this was such a fantastic assemblage of respectful, nerdy awesome humans! I really loved this panel.

Whitney: We had a wonderful gaming roundcircle and it was here that I got to meet Kayla, who is an internationally ranked Tetris player (and who can drop 3-ish Tetris blocks per second—PER SECOND you guys) and chat with Heather, who makes board games, card games and video games. We had a great time talking about gender in games, about making your own character in RPGs, and about queer games.

Heather: The gaming roundcircle was fantastic! Hogwarts’ camper Kayla is a world class (no, seriously, like ranked and everything) Tetris player, and after we were finished, she brought out her laptop and showed us her skills. It was unreal. I have never, ever seen anyone play a video game like that before. I’ve barely even read about it in books (and I’ve read a lot of nerdy books). I almost couldn’t even see the pieces they were moving so fast. I also really loved talking about people’s experiences with queering RPGs and gaming spaces. It made me feel really hopeful about the future of the community.

Bren Christolear, Fried Green Tomatoes Counselor: My one big camp regret is not seeing Kayla play Tetris.

Ropes Course // photo by Robin Roemer

KaeLyn: This was my first unscheduled block of camp thus far and what did I do? I took a nap-ish. I curled up in my bunk and closed my little eyes and didn’t even smear my makeup. Then I booked it over to Homo La Flor where my co-captain, Yvonne was looking so hot in her bedazzled and very authentic-looking Selena replica bra and hot pants. Sex on legs. That is all.

Yvonne: It was the 20th anniversary of Selena’s death this year and I wanted to do something special at camp. I was inspired to do a quote/sing/dance-along and trivia to the Selena movie!

Gabby: God that was so much fun. First of all, Yvonne was the hottest person on the mountain in her boistier – how do you spell boustiare? Bousti-caca? I don’t know. Anyway. We watched Selena with a crowd and we had microphones to talk shit over the movie.

photo by Robin Roemer

Yvonne: Y’all, I made a bustier just like Selena’s because that’s how much I love Selena. I saw a how-to video on Youtube and it seemed easy enough. I knew I had to wear a bustier to my own event in order to properly honor La Reina de Tejano. I have big boobs so I knew it was gonna take some time to add all the shiny rhinestones. I think in total it took 10 hours to hot glue every single rhinestone on that black bra. I’m pretty sure Selena was very proud and smiling down upon me.

Elicia: La Flor was basically one of the best things that ever happened to me. I have never been in a room with so many queer peers that know who Selena is or love her music or care to hear my stories about our distant familial relationship.

Yvonne: God, Elicia and Stef made me laugh so much with their commentary! They were so good.

KaeLyn: I would like to watch every movie with Yvonne, Elicia, Gabby, Stef, and Mey providing commentary. And Grace turning down the volume for trivia and contests whenever mansplaining or boring romance shit was happening. And with Yvonne not wearing a shirt. This is what I wish for in the world.

Heather: Same, KaeLyn. Same. (The Selena afternoon was my hands down favorite part of camp.)

Stef: Homo La Flor was amazing for several reasons:

1) Yvonne’s incredible bustier, modeled after one of the ones Selena wears in the movie

2) Finding out Elicia is distantly related to Selena

3) The red team’s incredible knowledge of Selena trivia

4) “Poor Suzette,” a drinking game Gabby and I invented. The rules are simple: you take a drink every time Selena’s parents ignore their other children, because Selena is their only child who matters.

5) The dinner bell rang with about 20 minutes left in the movie, right around when Selena wins her Grammy. This meant that the major tragedy at the end of the film was cut out, so I got to announce, “And then Selena went on to have a long and prosperous career, thank you for joining us, goodnight!” Grace had never seen the movie, so the ending remains a total mystery for her. Nobody spoil it.

Elicia: Stef brought accidentally perfectly themed snacks of chips and salsa and dried mango slices with chili.

Gabby: Stef and Elicia made me cry cuz I was laughing so hard. And Mey is just the best person to sit next to at a movie and she always laughs at my stupid ass jokes. SELENAS ESTA AQUIIIIII.

Kaelyn: Heather Fucking Hogan literally danced for points for the yellow team. She is a better person than I.

Yvonne: Red team killed it during trivia. (Maybe because four of them were from Texas, ha!) Oh, and I made Heather Hogan dance with me for points and its was the greatest.

Elicia: Getting to do commentary over this movie with Yvonne (WHOSE BUSTIER WAS MUY AMAZING), Gabby, Stef and Mey was the greatest. People laughed. People danced. Selena didn’t die. It was awesome. #AnythingForSelenas #PoorSuzette

Riese: Make a F*cking Zine was, as always, a delightful time had by all! It ends up being almost its own Introvert Meet-Up, as sooner or later it becomes a room of queers cutting, taping, pasting, and writing to their hearts content, on the floors or at tables or wherever their heart leads them.

Making ‘zines at the ‘zine-making zine-athon // photo by Robin Roemer

Laneia: Man, we keep trying to figure out how to create and also print zines in the time allotted and it’s just kind of impossible because we end up having too much damn fun making them and don’t stop long enough to, you know, compile and print them. But don’t worry! I still have all of the original pages and will be printing and mailing them to y’all very soon!

Kristin: I learned the definition of “Ephemera,” and also learned that you can buy bags of it on Etsy. Truthfully, although I did learn the word at A-Camp, I forgot it today while trying to write this re-camp… so just had to text Riese to find out what the hell you call those weird bags of cool weird shit for ‘zine making.

Riese: I LOVE EPHEMERA!

Zine-makers!

Kristin: Anyway, this was a super amazing workshop. We rolled out yoga mats and sat in a quiet, sun-free space with scissors and glue-sticks and stacks of magazines. It was the way life should always be. We should legit just always be collaging and making political ‘zines. Everyone else is doing it wrong.

photo by Robin Roemer

Cameron, Outsiders Counselor: For You Drew You, we wanted campers to explore art as A Thing For Everyone and a basic form of self-expression instead of gilded frames stuck behind plate glass and signs that read “Please Stay Behind Line.” This was my first activity for camp. It felt like the first day of school and I was internally freaking out because what if nobody likes me or thinks I’m cool?? Meanwhile, Rory is just casually Rory-ing about and greeting people like a pro. Some of my Outsiders came—probably 50% to come to my activity and 50% because in a high school cafeteria they’d be the weird art kids/the greatest people you will ever meet. We did three drawing exercises: Exquisite Corpses, Tilted Self-portraits, and Favorite Moment of Camp So Far. I tried to participate in the first one, but had a hard time keeping time and drawing simultaneously. As it turned out, I was just bad at keeping time correctly. Thank you, campers, for not laughing at me too much while I struggled with my phone.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6See entire article on one page

Before you go! Autostraddle runs on the reader support of our AF+ Members. If this article meant something to you today — if it informed you or made you smile or feel seen, will you consider joining AF and supporting the people who make this queer media site possible?

Join AF+!