Camp Lilac, located in west central Ohio, has operated as a camp for transgender youth since 2017, and they offer the “classic” camp package for their participants including canoeing, archery, climbing and hiking, Nora Mahon, senior director of youth services at the camp, said.
Mahon said having a queer space specifically for transgender youth gives them “a moment of normalcy and community.”
“Trans people really experience a very specific way of going about life and an active analysis of other people and this kind of shared experience that’s just very exclusively trans,” Mahon said. “
That’s very important to connect with people because it’s not always a good experience. There’s a lot of joy in it, there’s a lot of sadness in it.”
The first cycle of campers saw 16 kids, this year the camp will serve 150 kids that will spend about two weeks drowning in arts and crafts activities,
they’ve also introduced lessons throughout the stay specifically tailored for the kids, like confidence workshops and a voice training lesson, which Mahon teaches.
Mahon, who is a licensed speech pathologist, said that vocal courses for transgender youth gives them a chance to further explore and meet goals they may have.
Other resources in the camp include hair and makeup based activities and a community closet for any kids to explore.
“We just want a space that elevates the group and that experience,” Mohan said. “You know it’s a mutual understanding and respect because we all live it.”
Read more about Vice’s experience at Camp Lilac on Page 3, and learn how to get involved on Page 4!
THE VOID YELLS BACK
At times, we may experience moments of deep emotion that require yelling. But where to yell? Yell here: into The Void. And the void yells back advice!
Question: Dear Void, do you believe in life after love?
Answer: Dear Believer, Whether I, or you, believe in it, life is always happening around it. As for love, it's never gone. If you need a reminder of the love in the world, try stealing a Chihuahua’s favorite toy. You'll see a battle for love before your very eyes.
BREAKING NEWS: GAY JOY
By Nik (and friends)
I’ve been feeling sullen recently, on the brink of despair. I told myself I had a weekend to wallow, but it’s been longer and today was hard. I asked (some of) the gay people in my phone for help: “Tell me a moment of joy from this week? On the record”. Here’s what I got back:
“Many to choose from, but the donut I ate earlier today made me very happy” - Amir
“i went for a drive with [a friend]… and we saw several really cute cats including this goofy calico who had a staredown with his truck” - Marie
By Buffy Pico D’Gallo Brown (2011-2025)
Pico was a chocolate lab mix rescued from the roadside by a neighbor. She was the sister of two step-goldens, and mascot of her parents' neighborhoodHolly Dale. Many have wondered if she was French as she was the muse of many artists. Having been reproduced in multiple mediums, she is pictured below in her most famous “do my belly”
“connecting with one of the teens i’m babysitting!! it was really sweet :’)” - Ezra “[My new partner] meeting my friends and people going out of their way to be kind to them! ” - Jill “getting to see all my pals in the same place!!” - Grace
“[Friends] came over to swim yesterday :) they brought the kid and it was super fun!” - Sam
“This week just started!!!! But I would say getting a fishing license yesterday” - Fabio
“Ummm it hasn’t happened yet but I’m getting a massage this afternoon” - John “singing high school musical with my friends at the top of my lungs” - Vice
AI could never.
WILD LILACS:
OHIO’S UNCUT GARDEN
By Vice
I recently spent two and a half weeks this summer deep in the Ohio woods, volunteering at Camp Lilac. Camp Lilac is a camp for transgender teenagers, and a safe haven for the kids and staff alike. I could write you pages and pages of why Camp Lilac is not only fun, but truly lifesaving, but today I am here to tell you about the plants I found in the woods, rather than the fruits I befriended.
The first plant I noticed was Great Mullein. It stood out, standing upright with yellow flowers at the top. This was introduced to the US by settlers in the 1700s, and has been used by native folk for coughs and diarrhea.
Deeper in the woods I saw some pretty white flowers that turned out to be Lobelia Inflata I have found much conflicting information on the toxicity of this plant, but it does seem to be native to the US. I then found White Vervain, with itty bitty pinkish white flowers and huge green leaves, also a US native.
One of the paths back to the cabins was peppered with Allegheny Blackberry. These US natives were pointed out to me by a fellow counselor. At the start of camp they
were not yet ripe, but on the last day we went back to the bushes and had some wonderfully tart berries.
Just across that same path, Poison Ivy climbed up a Maple Tree. Both Natives to the area, one an itchy pest and the other a source of syrup, shade, and beauty. Just beside this common pair was Milkweed, another native most often known for housing the eggs of Monarch Butterflies. Another counselor pointed out the caterpillars that grew larger throughout the weeks, but when they disappeared near the end of camp, we couldn’t find the chrysalises they’d made. The leaves of another native plant, the Woodland Strawberry, covered much of the forest floor, but I did not see any of its fruit, only its white and yellow flowers. Perhaps I was too late in the summer, and was beaten to them by other woodland explorers, or the raccoons.
While plants were not by any means the main focus of my time at Camp Lilac, I did enjoy little reprieves into the woods to find what was growing. Next time you find yourself near a wild, uncut patch of the world, take a minute to look around and see what’s growing. Wonder how it got there. Learn about the beauty around you, and don’t eat anything unless you’re really, really sure of what it is.
source: www.wildflower.org images by the Rural NY Cryptid Page 3
GAY CROSSWORD
By Galina, guest cryptid
Across
1. Breaking them in hurts more than your first gay heartbreak
3. Starina’s little helper
6. Toto and the Tin Man
9. Let’s have a ____
Down
2. ‘I see you shiver with ____________’
4. You for reading this zine
5. Fiercest fossil fuel farming
7. Every time she enters a room, a girl leaves crying
8. Alphabet mafia amphibians acc. to Alex Jones
ASS-TROLOGY
By Nik (and Earth, Wind & Fire)
Aries: Do you remember?
Taurus: The 21st night of September
Gemini: Love is changing the minds of pretenders
Cancer: Chasing the clouds away
LIKE OUR WORK?
<< FOLLOW US ON IG << @READ THE INQUEERIER
Leo: Our hearts are ringing
Virgo: Our souls are singing
Libra: We dance in the night
Scorpio: The stars steal the night away
Sagittarius: Dancing in September
Capricorn: Never a cloudy day
Aquarius: My thoughts are with you
Pisces: Holding hands with your heart
IF YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CAMP LILAC, INCLUDING HOW TO DONATE, VOLUNTEER, OR SEND YOUR KID THERE NEXT SUMMER, VISIT CAMPLILAC.ORG.
