FRENCH LICK, Ind. – This small, southern Indiana town will be the host for CampOUT, an annual gathering for masculine gendered leatherpeople during the weekend of July 16-20.
Jake Arthur, one of the organizers, said that CampOUT started as a way to bring trans/leatherpeople together in 2005. For a time, it moved to West Virginia as TransCampOut. However, in 2010, Jake and others recreated the original event and brought it back to the Midwest.
“When we first started, most of our Alpha members were concentrated in Toledo, and we did regular old school fundraising, with bar nights and things like that,” Jake said in an email. “We’ve gone through quite a few changes over the last few years; two of our Alpha members are no longer active, and the new Alphas are spread out from the east coast to the west (two in Baltimore/DC, three in Toledo, one in Chicago and one in Portland).”
With the organizers spread across the country, that has made fundraising a bit more difficult. The group now has a GoFundMe page at http://www.gofundme.com/8d7v10. Sir Loki, Central Plains Bootblack 2012, has also started a new kind of fundraiser, Grandpa Shine-Shine’s Rummage Sale at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1456022651304969/.
“I gathered items and emptied out my own leather closet and set up a online auction on Facebook based off the format I received reaching out to Toni from FIST,” Loki said. “The idea is I put an item on my wall and share it and my friend share it and after it is up two or three days I contact the winner and arrange payment (PayPal is the fastest of course). I then ship the item, delete the old one and put the next one up for sale. I am saving the best items for last. Because right after the items, I am going to unveil an unwashed jock auction with jocks form some of the hottest men in the community auction them off the same format.”
Loki stated that CampOUT has been largely bankrolled by Jake at a time when most transgender organizations are already underfunded with a lot of money currently donated in the leather community often going to titleholders. The rummage sale offered a creative way to get people involved and raise money for the annual event.
2015 will also be a special celebration because it will be the tenth anniversary of La Fraternitié du Loup-Garou, a social and support group of transmen. The organization grew out of the very first CampOUT in 2005.
For more details on CampOUT, go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1407862319450411/. To register, go to http://lagarou.org/?page_id=1118.
The schedule as of June 8 is:
Wednesday:
2:00 to 7:00 registration
3:00 to 4:00 meet & greet
5:00 to 6:00 dinner–hot dog roast/potluck
7:00 to 9:00 opening ceremonies
9:00 dungeon opening
12:00 to ? midnight snack–sacrifice of the peeps
Thursday:
10:00 to 11:00 Rough Body Play by Ari
11:30 to 12:30 Kinky Laughter Yoga by boi Kris
12:30 to 2:00 lunch
2:30 to 4:00 Fireplay Basics and Safety by Traeonna
5:00 to 6:00 dinner–spaghetti
5:00 to ? swap meet
7:00 to 9:00 Trans*Spirituality in Sexuality by Devon (pending)
12:00 to ? midnight snack–weenie roast
Friday:
10:00 to 11:00 Negotiating with Strangers by boi Kris
11:30 to 12:30 Front Hole Fisting and how to Make Them Squirt by Ari
12:30 to 2:00 lunch
2:30 to 4:00 Rope 101 by Traeonna
5:00 to 6:00 dinner–chilli cook off
7:00 to 9:00 activities:
screw your neighbor auction
kinky speed mixer w/boi Kris
12:00 to ? midnight snack–gourmet s’mores
Saturday:
10:00 to 11:00 Chest Harnesses for Power and Flight by Ari
11:30 to 12:30 Rope 102 by Traeonna
12:30 to 2:00 lunch
2:30 to 4:00 La Garou National Meeting
5:00 to 6:00 dinner–turkey/ham–Festivus in July
7:00 to 9:00 activities–kinky gift grab
12:00 to ? midnight snack–sensual ball
Sunday
10:00 to 12:00 brunch
1:00 to 2:00 closing ceremonies
