This film, directed by Vincent Rommelaere, takes a look at Camp Glamcock, a gay camp at Burning Man founded just a few years ago. Filmed in 2012, it’s very engaging and tons of fun, with some impressive visuals—the Arizona desert, insane Burning Man art pieces, and the Glamcock camp structure itself—and, naturally, a lot of hot guys.
Thing is, though, once you scratch the surface, I got to wondering what it is that makes the Glamcocks special, and… coming up dry. Is it more than just a week-long gay-club-slash-camping-trip? I really couldn’t tell. So I think it’d be interesting to compare and contrast the Glamcocks with the Beavers, because there are some very important differences.
- Camp Glamcock started with a few friends, who brought in more of their friends. There was no more purpose to it than that, unlike the Beavers who are intentionally creating a safe space for queer women. I don’t think the Glamcocks provide any service to the larger community except for killer parties and drag shows. If they do help out nearby Camp Beaverton in any way the movie doesn’t mention it.
- Likewise, the idea of a physical safe space is apparently not even on the radar. The Glamcocks’ structure is completely open, even the shower, with only one covered section on the second floor, presumably the sleeping area. All the better to host dance parties!
- Physically, the Glamcocks are incredibly homogeneous. They seem to be all 20- or 30-something fit, smooth, muscly guys, all white except for one black guy. The interview segments only featured one older gentleman with grey hair, and one somewhat skinnier guy—who still fit the mold pretty well. Where are the bears? Where are the femme guys? Where are the trans guys? Mind you, I have heard that Glamcock is only one of several gay camps at Burning Man, which include a camp for bears, and one for gay Asians. So there’s that.
One thing that this film does, though, is spend more time outside of the camp and look at the rest of Burning Man. And though Camp Glamcock is not an especially spiritual place, a couple interviews with individual Glamcocks did resonate with me. One spoke of walking out in the desert one time, alone, and just being there. No checking Facebook, no talking, no plans, just being in the moment. I loved that, and I’m wondering how many people set out for Burning Man with this kind of thing in mind, but get distracted by all the insanity surrounding them.
Another bit I loved was the visit to the Temple. Not only is it a gorgeous piece of architecture, but it exists only for the greater community, providing people with a quiet space for reflection and spiritual expression. Atheist as I am, I understand that’s a valid need, and if I ever go to Burning Man I’ll be sure to visit it. People leave messages for absent friends, prayers to the universe, fears they need to leave behind, burdens they need to drop. And it all goes up in flames at the end of the week.
So those parts were good. Overall, though… Meet the Glamcocks was a very well-done film, and I did enjoy it very much, but thinking back on it I feel its focus was narrow. I would have loved to see other Burning Man gay camps (which I only learned about two days later), and see how—or whether—they interact with other queer camps like Beaverton.