Back from Camp -- Oh what a weekend!

I left for camp on Friday excited but anxious. This evening, freshly returned from camp, I am exhausted physically and drained emotionally, but my heart overflows with such love and joy after this amazing weekend.

(Out of respect for the privacy of camp families, I will not post pictures of them. I did take a selfie each morning to commemorate my weekend.)

Saturday morning

My wordsmithing skills encounter their limits as I try to express all that I felt and experienced this weekend, and all the emotions, memories and thoughts that continue to run through my mind even now. I had worried whether I would successfully connect with the children and youth. As so many of you assured me, my worries were unfounded. I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with them during activities, over meals, hanging out on the patio. These are great kids, and I am so glad they are now part of my life.

Sunday morning

I went wanting to give to the families attending camp. I received way more than I gave. I found a welcoming, diverse, supportive family, a community of families of many different designs united above all by the desire to create a society in which their children – transgender, non-binary and gender creative – can safely and fully express their unique identities. As they work toward this, they face many challenges from outside – restrictive laws, unsupportive schools, hostile relatives – as well as the challenges of developing home environments in which all siblings feel loved, valued and supported, and offer that to one another. As someone with children of her own, I am familiar with that challenge. As someone who is herself transgender, I am painfully familiar with many of the challenges their children face.

I applaud these parents. They are fierce warriors for their children. They are also so warm and welcoming. Their support for one another and their passionate love for their children (ALL of them, and that was very apparent) inspire me. I also particularly admired the siblings I met at camp, who despite the usual inter-sibling issues, fiercely supported their gender diverse sibling(s). Among the many enjoyable conversations I had over the weekend, some of the most insightful were those with these siblings as we talked about what their own journey and experience has been.

I went into camp knowing that it would be tiring. The returning staff warned me of that from the first planning meeting. They weren’t lying, though knowing that didn’t fully prepare me for the level of tired I felt by the end of each day. I think that feeling was intensified because I didn’t fully anticipate the extent to which camp would also be emotionally exhausting. I shed many, many tears during the weekend. A lot of them flowed as my own tender spots and not-so-old wounds were touched at various times. Each time someone, usually multiple someones, would wrap me in a warm hug and speak to me of how loved I am. There is no better tonic for the soul.

Monday morning

Other tears flowed as I observed the beauty of the community I had the privilege to be part of. I truly wish everyone could experience this for themselves. I think the world would be a better place. In this diverse, open community I encountered a lot of love, a lot of willingness and effort to understand, to communicate, and to hold space for different experiences. We were not all cut from a single mold, nor were we trying to fit each other into any particular model. We were a group of people struggling together to create a world that is more just, inclusive, open and welcoming of diversity.

Last weekend I felt overwhelmed with a sense of despair in light of the forces working against those of us who believe in an inclusive, welcoming society. This weekend renewed my hope. There is goodness in this world. The families and staff of Camp Born This Way demonstrated this so powerfully. I’m so glad I went and so honored to be a part of this community. I know where I will be at this time next year. I wouldn’t miss it.