Queer at Camp: The Impact of Summer Camps on LGBTQ Campers in the United States
The purpose of this study is to explore the ways in which LGBTQ campers and counsellors are shaped by and shape summer camp. Summer camps are often the place where many US youth begin to learn about sex and sexuality. It is a unique and important spatial locale that is understudied in both sexualiti...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | ces |
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Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Gender a Výzkum |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://genderonline.cz/en/artkey/gav-202102-0005_queer-at-camp-the-impact-of-summer-camps-on-lgbtq-campers-in-the-united-states.php |
| _version_ | 1818472756517273600 |
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| author | Penny Harvey Juhwan Seo Emily Logan |
| author_facet | Penny Harvey Juhwan Seo Emily Logan |
| author_sort | Penny Harvey |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The purpose of this study is to explore the ways in which LGBTQ campers and counsellors are shaped by and shape summer camp. Summer camps are often the place where many US youth begin to learn about sex and sexuality. It is a unique and important spatial locale that is understudied in both sexualities and wider sociological enquiry. To better understand the impact of summer camp experiences on sexualities, the study analyses retrospective interviews with former campers about their experiences at a summer camp, as well as podcasts and blogs. We address two key areas of camp life: sexual firsts and being openly queer at camp. Many campers are less likely to be out at camp than they are at home. The exception to this is when there are visible staff or counsellors that are out at camp. Despite not being out, many LGBTQ campers have their first sexual experience at camp, though many do not see it as sexual at the time of the act. Our findings reaffirm the importance of contact with queer people, both for LGBTQ acceptance from straight/cis people and for the self-acceptance of young queer persons. We conclude by discussing how this space is unique and how it can be improved for LGBTQ people's experiences and development at summer camps. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T04:11:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-71c66f9cd3b44175afcc3c551a63f7f5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2570-6578 2570-6586 |
| language | ces |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T04:11:50Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Gender a Výzkum |
| spelling | doaj.art-71c66f9cd3b44175afcc3c551a63f7f52022-12-22T02:13:05ZcesInstitute of Sociology, Czech Academy of SciencesGender a Výzkum2570-65782570-65862022-01-01222457010.13060/gav.2021.019gav-202102-0005Queer at Camp: The Impact of Summer Camps on LGBTQ Campers in the United StatesPenny Harvey0Juhwan Seo1Emily Logan2California Institute for Integral StudiesCornell UniversityGeorgia State UniversityThe purpose of this study is to explore the ways in which LGBTQ campers and counsellors are shaped by and shape summer camp. Summer camps are often the place where many US youth begin to learn about sex and sexuality. It is a unique and important spatial locale that is understudied in both sexualities and wider sociological enquiry. To better understand the impact of summer camp experiences on sexualities, the study analyses retrospective interviews with former campers about their experiences at a summer camp, as well as podcasts and blogs. We address two key areas of camp life: sexual firsts and being openly queer at camp. Many campers are less likely to be out at camp than they are at home. The exception to this is when there are visible staff or counsellors that are out at camp. Despite not being out, many LGBTQ campers have their first sexual experience at camp, though many do not see it as sexual at the time of the act. Our findings reaffirm the importance of contact with queer people, both for LGBTQ acceptance from straight/cis people and for the self-acceptance of young queer persons. We conclude by discussing how this space is unique and how it can be improved for LGBTQ people's experiences and development at summer camps.https://genderonline.cz/en/artkey/gav-202102-0005_queer-at-camp-the-impact-of-summer-camps-on-lgbtq-campers-in-the-united-states.phpsummer camplgbtqtotal institutioncoming out |
| spellingShingle | Penny Harvey Juhwan Seo Emily Logan Queer at Camp: The Impact of Summer Camps on LGBTQ Campers in the United States Gender a Výzkum summer camp lgbtq total institution coming out |
| title | Queer at Camp: The Impact of Summer Camps on LGBTQ Campers in the United States |
| title_full | Queer at Camp: The Impact of Summer Camps on LGBTQ Campers in the United States |
| title_fullStr | Queer at Camp: The Impact of Summer Camps on LGBTQ Campers in the United States |
| title_full_unstemmed | Queer at Camp: The Impact of Summer Camps on LGBTQ Campers in the United States |
| title_short | Queer at Camp: The Impact of Summer Camps on LGBTQ Campers in the United States |
| title_sort | queer at camp the impact of summer camps on lgbtq campers in the united states |
| topic | summer camp lgbtq total institution coming out |
| url | https://genderonline.cz/en/artkey/gav-202102-0005_queer-at-camp-the-impact-of-summer-camps-on-lgbtq-campers-in-the-united-states.php |
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