Original subtitles

(mysterious guitar music)

- [Voiceover] Black Rock City, a veritable playground

that exists for just eight days upon a dried up lakebed

in the Nevada desert during Burning Man,

a festival that attracts tens of thousands

of people every year.

This is the future site of Camp Beaverton,

the home for wayward girls.

We wanted to explore the notion of a sacred safe space

for queer women.

As well as take a closer look

into their self-described sex positive camp

in a setting where casual sex was already, abound

and boundaries were left back home.

We gave each other Playa names

and on a mission, and I, Agent Nelsen,

went deep into the desert.

We went to Camp Beaverton to meet the Beavers

and this is what we found.

- In 2007, which was Camp Beaverton's first year,

I was married.

I had never been with a woman.

I had a three-year-old son and I knew I was gay

and I was terrified of lesbians.

- My name is Ginger or Jack,

depending on what gender I'm presenting.

Right now, I'm definitely in Ginger mode.

I'm a first time Burner and this is my first time

with Camp Beaverton.

I'm really, really excited to be here

and a part of everything. (chuckles)

- Camp Beaverton is like a queer oasis

for women and trans both.

The first year that I came here,

the first thing I wanted to do is find my community

and I found Camp Beaverton.

I wanted to help create that for other people.

- I met the Beavers, right after the Burn four years ago.

Fell in love with the idea.

It was my first time sleeping in a tent.

First PBR, first everything.

- Some women just come to this camp,

just to get away from a lot of pressures

of the sexual energy that's at Burning Man.

Sometimes it's a bit of an escape for some women

to come here and then other people come

for the sexual energy of the queer women.

So, it's a bit of both.

- I came to Camp Beaverton

'cause it's a queer trans inclusive

fun camp.

One of my besties is the mayor of this camp

and she's like, "Pool boy, do you wanna come this year?

"I have an extra ticket."

- We went to this gay leadership summit

and we were joking that the role about how you get

into Camp Beaverton is you have to sleep

with a man.

So, what you're gonna do?

I mean I said it out loud in front of a bunch of people.

We'll see, we'll see.

I have at least one that I know of

that I'll be devirginizing in my boudoir tent,

which is now not falling down.

So, it's got a full erection.

And it's nice and soft with some drapery.

- When I told my dad I was camping with Camp Beaverton,

he asked me, "Are they expecting you to do things?"

(chuckles)

and I said, no dad, they're not. (chuckles)

No, I'm just a human being existing in a community.

I'm not expected to do anything but it was funny.

He doesn't know that much about Burning Man.

- I compare Burning Man to an orgasm and that

you can describe it to somebody else

and tell them how to get there

and you can give them all the tools

and try and dance around exactly what it's like

to somebody who's never had one

but you can't ever really put your finger on it

until you've been there.

- [Voiceover] Before you can understand Camp Beaverton,

you must first understand Burning Man.

Originally, an experimental art experience in 1986,

the gathering outgrew its space on Baker Beach

in San Francisco and so, they acquired space

from the Federal Bureau of Land Management

in partnership with the Native American Elders

of the Paiute Tribe.

In 1991, they created what we now know today,

as Black Rock City.

A seven square mile temporary city

built on a 400 square mile expanse

also known simply as "The Playa".

In 2012, the year we filmed the Beavers,

Black Rock City was called home by almost 60,000 Burners.

This city runs on 10 principles.

The first is communal effort.

Individuals pouring from all over the globe to dedicate

their hard work and good energy, a principle

that is imperative to the survival

of this unique experiment, run mostly by volunteers.

Through this volunteer spirit, the second principle,

gifting is born.

No money is exchanged except for ice and coffee

and everything else is given from the heart.

Nothing is expected in return.

There is a third principle.

Decommodification.

This city is void of commercial sponsorship and advertising.

- My name is Ruf and I'm French.

And my nation gave to America

the statue of Liberty

and you gave me Burning Man.

Good trade. (chuckles)

- [Voiceover] I should also inform you

that this is my first time coming to Burning Man.

My co-director on the mission, a previous Burner

and former member of Camp Beaverton told me,

the Beavers hold what is possibly the largest

queer women's play party on the planet,

the Strap-on-a-Thon.

I was not sure how I felt about play parties

and casual sex in a hot, dusty desert

but decided to join her on this mission,

document the Beavers faithfully and welcome the journey.

- She just said that we are going to her box.

- She'll be coming to my box.

- [Voiceover] Are you inviting Agent Nelsen to your box?

- I'm inviting you both to my box.

- Yeah, once it's all set up, you should check it out.

It's not exactly where I want it to be

but it's as good as the Playa can get this year.

It's gonna be home sweet-- - Yeah, sweet box.

- Yeah. (chuckles)

- Box sweet box.

- I'm trying to make my box home, all the time.

(chuckles)

- It's very important.

- All colors and-- - You wanna be one with your box.

- soft shimmeries.

I'm actually across the street (mumbling).

- The thing I love about Burning Man is this,

we come here and we shed the skin of society

and we get to just be ourselves

and then Camp Beaverton, who I am and myself

without those layers has been so celebrated

and I think that's been one of the biggest life lessons

is that Bonnie can just be Bonnie and

be celebrated for whoever I am at that point in time.

That's priceless.

That's something that's hard to come across

in the default world.

- I live in a very conservative community.

I work in an extraordinarily conservative industry

and I didn't have any space for that

and I came here and I was like a kid in a candy store.

Everything was okay.

Anything that I wanted, I could manifest

and that's something that I had never experienced

in my life and I've become much more open

and softer and more open to love and relationships

and different types of relationships

and different dynamics and everything is okay.

- I want you to read my shirt

'cause it kinda defines who I am.

It says, "Not your average Beaver!"

I am I think one of the only straight,

I think I'm the only straight woman camping

with Camp Beaverton and some of the people

have been asking me, "Well, why?"

and it's because I have a best friend of 20 years

who's a Beaver and she's really involved

in the community and she invited me

to be a part of the community.

And so, I've been here, hanging out,

making really good friends and feeling really welcome

and definitely, getting to experience some stuff

I've never experienced before.

- I come from a small town and I was not very educated

about gender issues and for me to be able

to be educated.

Say for example, one person appears to be one gender

and they would prefer to present as another.

Being corrected lovingly by my campmates,

being that actually that person is not a she,

they're a he.

I'm still learning that journey

and I feel the freedom to be inexperienced

but to be corrected in a constructive way

and no one's insulted by my mistakes,

they just simply ask me to respect what they would prefer

and that's a really, really nice thing

that no one gets like personally offended,

they just wanna guide you to an understanding

of who they are.

- I consider myself trans.

I don't know.

Maybe it's sort of a little nickname

that we say, boy but I know there's a difference

like some people are boys.

They're B-O-Y's and there's B-O-I

and B-O-I is more of an androgynous.

Somebody who still considers themselves female, I believe

and B-O-Y is more of a trans person.

- [Voiceover] And which one are you?

- B-O-Y.

I do consider myself trans.

- Burning man was the first place where I was read as male

really consistently because everybody that I was meeting

didn't have the context and haven't seen me

as a pretty girl beforehand.

I had reserves for myself as well

knowing that I carry male privilege.

And I still haven't totally come to terms with that.

I went to an all women school for my undergrad

and so I really value same sex space.

- I'll just tell you because I'm not shy about it at all.

I am Ginger and I am Jack,

both of those two male and female identities

are actually further fragmented.

Jack has a gay man and a straight man

and Ginger has a gay woman and straight woman

and to elaborate a little bit further

so you understand what that means to me personally,

Ginger as a gay woman really loves butch, dikey women

like really loves them and Ginger as a straight woman,

loves bleached, blonde party boys with big cocks

and as a gay man, as Jack, I like rimming a bear's ass

and as a straight man, as Jack, I like bleached blonde,

big boobs, tight-assed women

and it's a giant spectrum inside two genders

and two identities that exists inside of me

and I feel really, really embraced by the Playa

because I've had the opportunity today

during our Gay Pride Playa Parade

to hit on a lot of middle aged bear men

and I feel very lucky that they don't view me

from my external cis appearance as being a woman

and from the way that I deal with them,

they perceive me entirely as being a bit

of a twinky gay boy, which I am sometimes. (chuckles)

And it's been really lovely to bat my eyelashes at them

and play with their chest hair and whatever

and things that I never normally do as a woman

but as a Jack, it's actually incredibly hot to me.

- Wake up bear men!

We've got queers!

We've got back!

We've got everybody that loves everybody!

And we love bear men!

(everyone screaming)

(lively parade music)

- Five years ago, we built our first Beaver dam together,

just like this.

- We are Playa crushes.

Dated for two years from Seattle and Boston

and here we are, five years later really great friends,

still building.

- I love all of the cuddle time and the sexy time

and the fun time.

And I love that we all work hard and play hard.

- Did you see that I'm packing?

- [Voiceover] I did, I saw that.

Is it a softy?

- It is and it's also a pack of cigarettes

and a lighter.

- [Voiceover] It's functional and fashionable.

I like that.

Yeah, turns up to be a little more of a bulge.

- Yeah, very nice.

- [Voiceover] Yeah, beautiful.

- Thanks.

This is my construction outfit today.

- I'm excited, proud!

It's so beautiful and we did it on record time.

Sometimes we put it up and we take it down.

Put it up, take it down but this time,

we have the golden team.

We had it all figured out.

- [Voiceover] What time is it now?

- 11:50.

- [Voiceover] How many hours is that?

- Two hours and 20 minutes, like a break.

Two hours.

We did that in two hours.

- Yeah!

- Our hard work is (mumbling)

because Thursday night, there's gonna be 150 women

having sex (mumbling)--

- It's gonna be the most beautiful thing in the world.

- And you build that , they will come.

So, they'll be coming to us.

- They will come all right.

- [Voiceover] The Beavers put me to work right away

and I did my best to contribute to the camp

practicing the first principle of communal effort

while establishing trust and rapport with them.

Their structures were built and soon,

we were given a brief history on how Camp Beaverton

came to be.

It was actually started by a man.

- He was driving to Burning Man with one

of his lesbian friends and she was saying

how she can never find any of the lesbians

on Playa and he just had this idea in his head.

He's like, "Well, we have to create a camp!

"So, all the lesbians know where to go!"

- There's no organized place for women to know

to come that they could play.

They wanted to save space.

So, built the Beaver Dome or got donated

the Beaver Dome actually.

- Many of us still have a great connection to Reid.

and will always be forever grateful but it is kinda funny

that a cisgendered male created the Camp Beaverton.

- I think Burning Man is something that's really special

and I think that when two people connect at Burning Man

like they can connect in real life

because this is the real test.

You're in a harsh environment.

The elements are strong or crazy.

There's dust.

There's dirt.

- A lot of couples don't survive Burning Man.

If you're not a great communicator,

it's a pretty harsh environment in a lot of ways

and if you don't stay hydrated

and don't have good conversations. (chuckles)

90% water.

(chuckles)

I think we're doing a good job.

- I sleep with multiple people on occasion.

I'm currently only sleeping with one person

on a regular basis and we do exchange fluids

or sleep with anybody else.

We have an agreement that we will not.

If we need to revisit that agreement then we will.

- We are one of the few couples that are

in a monogamous relationship on Playa

with all of these sexual energy around us

and I think we're navigating it pretty well.

- Yeah.

I'm more monogamous.

She's more monogam-ish.

(laughs)

- My partner knew that I was poly

before we started dating but I made the decision

that I wanted to date her and it was worth it for me

to be in a monogamous relationship.

It was weird being a poly person

in a monogamous relationship but it was fine.

I just ask if I could participate in other ways

and making out was fine and helping people come

(laughs) was fine but no playing myself.

But now, I'm in a great poly relationship with two people.

I'm dating a couple, a boy and a girl

or a man and a woman actually

and our agreements are much different

where I can play with whoever I want

as long as it's say and consensual.

So, yes.

- I've been in polyamorous relationships

for pretty much the last decade

and I've had partners who were like two primary partners

or we didn't have a hierarchy at all

and currently, we are primaries to each other.

Emotional connection is strongest with each other

and we are open to play other outside

and have other relationships outside.

I currently don't have any other ongoing relationship

outside of ours but we are open for that

so that it's part of our dynamic.

We spontaneously got married last year

and it was delightful and sweet

and we talked about renewing our vows this year

and part of the surprise Mitch said,

"Let's not do that anymore.

"I don't want to."

It was a little bit kind of mean

but it was a ruse.

It was gonna be a little fem parade

that these ladies we're gonna be taking out

and then they said, there's a Lady Gaga Party

and I couldn't miss that because I love her.

They took me out to somewhere

under the guise with being a Lady Gaga Party

and it was a marriage ceremony between me and Mitch

and a lot of my home friends were scattered on the Playa

came over there to surprise me too.

So, that was also a treat.

- And by the power vested in me by the Stardust Lounge,

Resort and Casino and Lady Gaga and Michael J. Fox.

(everyone laughs and applauds)

I now pronounce you, Bone and Lollipop

(everyone cheers and applauds)

(mumbling) slippery spouse.

(everyone cheers and applauds)

- [Voiceover] As a first time Burner, I am beginning

to think that a big part of the appeal of this experience

lies within these three Burning Man principles.

That of radical inclusion,

radical self-expression and participation,

every individual is welcome, unique

and encouraged.

Burning Man strongly advises that transformative change

can only occur through the medium

of deeply personal participation.

In an effort to align themselves with the same principles,

the Beavers offer many services to the larger population

here at Burning Man.

- I think the most important thing that Beaverton offers

is the dome, the all-women's dome as a safe haven

for not just queer women but for straight women,

for any women that wanna come and have a safe place,

a comfortable place to hang out, take a nap.

The dome doesn't mean that you have to be having sex.

It's just a quiet, comfortable hang out spot.

- It's a place for us to come together and meet

and ask loving consent, give loving consent

and play as far as our boundaries will let us.

And we feel comfortable

in a completely welcoming safe environment

and I hope that for me like so many other people

it will be a place where we can experiment

with things we've never done before

with people that we'll absolutely have our best interest

physically and emotionally and spiritually

as their top priority.

- There was such a great collection of workshops

that we put on this week.

The one that I was more involved in was the workshop

called, How to drive a vulva.

Basically, female anatomy, how to please a woman,

directed to men and women, taught by queer women.

- We had probably over 200 people show up.

I mean the shade structure was just packed with people.

Different gendered people.

Let's say, a lot of men but definitely, various genders

and so that made me excited that that many people

on the Playa wanted to come and learn how to drive a vulva

and they asked good questions and they seemed really engaged

and we got lots of positive feedback about that.

- This 40-year-old guy said,

he came up to one of the facilitators after the workshop

and said, "So, the clitoris is on the outside?

"I always thought it was on the inside." (chuckles)

- People think, well that's the end of the sexual organ

in a female but there are nerve endings

that are on average six inches long

that wrap around the vaginal canal

and so, on average six inches like the average penis.

That's just the tip of the iceberg.

- I think a lot of people might even look at the title

and be like, what's a vulva?

Because people don't even know the word.

But people often use the word, vagina, vagina, vagina

for everything and that's actually not usually

what they mean.

They usually mean vulva.

- I gave some ninja sex moves that I've learned.

I gave them out to the workshop and I ran into people

throughout the week after that and they're like,

"I've already tried it!

"It works so well." or like,

"I can't wait try the tricks that you taught us."

- People had a lot of questions about everything

from oral sex to hand sex

to specific things that have come up with partners before

in situations they dealt with body and stuff

or their partners not being comfortable in their bodies

and how do they work with that.

There's some really thoughtful questions.

- My favorite ninja pussy trick is

if the clit is here and the vulva is here,

if you go just inside the lips and push in either side,

you'll reach in the wishbone that comes down.

So ...

- [Voiceover] I knew that.

- Well--

(laughs)

You could teach the class too then, just kidding.

- We did some anatomy.

I'm kind of an anatomy geek.

So, we went over some of that and hopefully, helped people

learn their way around a vulva a little bit better

than they knew before. (chuckles)

- That's really exciting and just sort of the ways

that queer women can retrain men to be better men

and I think that's really awesome thing.

(relaxing electronic music)

- My first year in 2009 when I came through the gates,

I looked through the booklet to find that

and I saw the Strap-on-a-Thon and I was like,

oh, that's good to know.

That's how I found Camp Beaverton was through

the Strap-on-a-Thon and I came to that

and been coming ever since.

- I think it's gonna be really lovely to have a safe space

for women and I really love the dome

that's been set up as well.

You walk through a pair of vagina lips

into this wonderful red and orange and pink uterus

of silky fabric striping down and comfortable things

to lie on and it feels very magical to be there.

I think that it's going to be sheer romance tonight

between everybody.

I don't know if I'm necessarily gonna participate

beyond voyeurism but I think what I'll see

will be beautiful enough to satisfy.

- I've heard this is the only Strap-on-a-Thon

I think on the Playa and I've been told

that it's pretty famous and so, I've heard

that there's a line out the door.

They get to maximum capacity and they have to start waiting

for women to leave before they can let other women in.

I'm really excited to see the crowd

that it brings to our camp.

- I walked into the Strap-on-a-Thon

and I had already put on my strap on

and I was wearing a rainbow (mumbling)

and I walked in and I looked around

and people were already fucking and playing

and I locked eyes on this really, really hot couple

and I scooted my way over to them and asked

if I could watch and they asked if I wanted to join.

And so, we had this super hot, threesome

and then one of the girls had to leave

and the other one, we played for a couple more hours

and ended up going on a few more dates that first year

after the Strap-on-a-Thon and had a great time together.

That was my first Strap-on-a-Thon.

My second one, the next year, I was partnered

and she didn't come to the Burn.

I ended up just caddying that year,

which is really fun because I got to pass out lube

and condoms and gloves to everybody

and last year, I had a gangbang that I organized for myself

with some really, really hot, hot people about four of them.

It was excellent.

I can't wait for this shit.

- [Voiceover] There is definitely a buzz in the air

as the Beavers are well underway with their "clittail hour".

Their version of a cocktail hour leading up

to their well known play party,

the Strap-on-a-Thon.

- I've been to sex parties before and to Babeland

and places like that and have done classes

but I've never been in an environment like this.

It will be interesting to see what it's all about.

- Tonight is the pinnacle event at Camp Beaverton.

It's Strap-on-a-Thon.

Tonight is Strap-on-a-Thon here.

- What is gonna be your role at this event?

- I'm going to caddy.

- What does that mean?

- I'm gonna keep my eyes open for any people

that have needs like lubrication, gloves.

We wanna keep it clean.

We do practice safe sex here at Beaverton.

- Safe sex is using gloves, dental dams

or not exchanging bodily fluids.

Using condoms on sex toys, lube is always a good idea.

It's not necessarily a safe sex thing.

- On Playa, everyone should use gloves

even if you're fluid bonded 'cause look at this. (chuckles)

- To me, safe sex is not only just the act of safe sex

but it's the communication and the talking about

what you know your body and what is right

and how to stay safe with somebody else

when they may have other partners,

you may have other partners.

- I would just ask them when were you last tested

and what were you tested for

and they'll tell me and then I'll ask them

if they have any maybe risky behavior

that they would need to tell me about.

- The elevator speech is invented by Reid Mihalko

readaboutsex.com and basically,

it goes like this, last time I was tested,

it was August 3rd.

I tested negative for everything including gonorrhea,

syphilis and I'm in an open relationship

or fluid bonded open relationship.

I'm free to play with whoever I want to

within certain boundaries.

I don't like anal sex.

I might be missing something else.

- And what do you like?

- Oh, and I like to give oral sex.

And then if the person responses to me and says,

I've never been tested.

I have multiple partners.

I'm an intravenous drug user.

I like being shit in my mouth

and I don't like kissing.

Doesn't mean we can't play but it lets me know

what I need to prepare to play with that person.

- I'm celebrating a birthday this evening.

So, my expectation is as many lap dances as possible

and I'm hard packing so when people give me a lap dance,

they have something to rub up against

that might feel nice and to have really hot sex

with my partner in public.

I love to have people watch.

I would love to have a third participate with us.

I'm looking forward to co-topping

with my partner for the first time.

- [Voiceover] Miss Glo.

- Yes, Miss Anna.

- [Voiceover] How are you tonight?

- I'm great, how are you?

- [Voiceover] I'm good, I'm good.

I'm having a great time.

I'm just gonna spin around this way.

- So, you get the moon behind me?

- [Voiceover] Yeah, yeah but don't move, don't stop.

Okay, right there.

- You know, I like the moon.

- [Voiceover] That's right.

What's up tonight?

What are you looking forward to most?

- Well, if you can read my shirt,

you would see that it says,

"How about a threesome?"

As I told you earlier, I live in a triad relationship

so, I'm all about the threesomes.

I've already got about maybe three couples

that have agreed to have one

so that's what I'm all about today.

- [Voiceover] Yeah.

How many ...

- No.

- [Voiceover] They have asked me to perform caddy duties

as part of my own civic responsibility

to the camp.

Another of the 10 principles here at Burning Man,

which states that community members who hold events

should assume responsibility for public welfare

as well as local, state and federal laws.

While the Beavers have provided a tub of strap-on toys,

the event is not necessarily strap-on-centric.

Safe sex is widely encouraged and the Beavers

have brought hundreds of gloves in various sizes,

antibacterial wipes for both skin and toys,

dental dams, condoms, dildos and 500 packets

of lube to the Playa.

200 plus women are expected to attend.

In order to respect the sacred safe space,

the Beavers have created for women to come

and explore their sexual boundaries,

we have been asked not to film inside their dome

during this event.

(serene music)

- This morning, the former mayor gave me this shirt.

I'm very pleased to have.

Camp Beaverton for Wayward Girls, Burning Man.

- [Voiceover] Do you feel like you're

a full-fledged Beaver now, Agent Nelsen?

You guys are doing a great job.

Look how beautiful it is again.

- Thank you.

We need the encouragement.

I pulled like 700 condoms out of the dome.

(chuckles)

- [Voiceover] Were you at the Strap-on-a-Thon

last night?

- Yeah, I was.

It got real hot in here. (chuckles)

It got hot really quickly.

- [Voiceover] Do you think you would have participated

if you didn't have a relationship, a girlfriend?

- Probably not actually, no.

- [Voiceover] Why?

- It's just not my nature.

- [Voiceover] Is it not your nature for what?

For anonymous sex?

You know sex is ... - Yeah, exactly.

- Anonymous sex, yeah.

Even though there were several people

that were talking before or anything ever happened,

they try to build a little relationship before,

you can tell that's what some people are doing

but no, I think I need a little bit more than that.

(chuckles)

But I don't judge.

That's just me.

- [Voiceover] Do you feel that Camp Beaverton offers you

also a safe place to be just that without any pressure

of kinda fitting in?

- Yeah, absolutely.

Absolutely.

They have been wonderful for that.

No pressure whatsoever.

- Last night, I was a little overwhelmed.

There were a lot of people in here

and I think I'm definitely, more of a one on one person

I wanna feel more comfortable and so, just seeing everyone

in here was a little bit like, oh, fuck.

(chuckles) There's so many beautiful people here.

- I would say 100 plus women. (chuckles)

Most of which were naked and playing

and just a very beautiful scene to behold.

I think I had to pinch myself, slap myself on the face

a few times and be like is this really happening?

It was amazingly beautiful to share

in everybody's experience.

- I was terrified. (chuckles)

I didn't know if I was gonna go at all actually

but I had some friends that went last year

and were like, "No, just go and you don't have

"to feel obligated to participate.

"You can just go and watch." and yeah,

I think I drank a bottle of champagne

before I went (chuckles) in.

But it was a lot easier than I thought it was gonna be.

- Once it got started and people started playing.

I had to keep coming out of the dome

and like checking on things.

I wanted to make sure there was not a huge line.

People were getting in and that everybody was taken care of

and finally, I went in there and I was like okay.

It's time.

I dropped trough (chuckles) and throw my strap-on.

I'm standing there and looking around the room,

watching everything that's going on,

putting on my strap-on slowly, looking around

and I can see people watching me

and what's gonna happen next?

I haven't arranged anybody to play with yet

but there's this hot couple that had flirted

with me already.

I put it on and as soon as I have my cock on,

I'm like, okay, it's time.

That's when my mood switches.

Now, it's in sex mode and that was fun.

I got hit on instantly and this couple asked me

if I would play with them.

I did and that was very fun.

- I think there was a lot of nervous energy there

and I really found that exciting

because I really identify with that

because that's exactly how I felt the first time

I went to a Strap-on-a-Thon.

I had never been with a woman before ever

and I just come out and I went and I was nervous as hell

and I got in there and sat down and was like, shaking

and then the person next to me eventually asked

if they could make out with me

and we ended up sleeping together and it was really positive

and just really safe and yeah, I felt really lovely.

- I could around me, women.

Pretty sure I was talking with someone

who have never kissed a girl before

and she went all the way with a woman that night.

I think that felt pretty fierce. (chuckles)

- Part of the eroticism around it is honestly,

just like pausing for a moment and looking to your neighbor

and seeing that someone's getting oral right next to you

and they're enjoying it and you can see their body moving

and you can feel the heat off of them.

- A lot of people I know come from using a strap-on.

It definitely gets them really hot.

I don't know exactly what it is about it

but it's the best of both worlds.

I get to be a woman and I get to have a cock

and fuck with it too.

Boys don't get to do that.

There's no strap-on pussy really. (chuckles)

- The three of us had a really wonderful dynamic

and I felt like Jess and I were able to be doing more

intense fucking and Katie was like (chuckles) ultra-support.

- I'm a good coach.

- Yeah. (chuckles)

In the back and we were all able to kiss each other

and play with each other and Katie would be rubbing my chest

and kissing me and (chuckles) be behind me well.

Jess was fucking me too and it was yeah.

- It's a lot of fun.

- It was a lot of fun.

It was definitely some of the best sex I've had.

- I didn't realize how hot I could make people feel

and how hot people could make me feel.

I didn't realize how much fun a play party could be.

I didn't realize a lot of things before I came here

and now, I feel like I can explore things a lot

with a lot less self-doubt.

- You can see that people are wanting this in their lives

and how important that is for them to have that space

and how easy it is to get in that space too

and just start going for it.

- [Voiceover] How many people have you had sex with?

- In life?

- [Voiceover] (laughs)

No, this past week here at the ...

- Five, four.

Four.

- [Voiceover] Including the strap-on?

- Yeah.

Yeah, I had all these threesomes lined up

but shit just got busy. (chuckles)

- [Voiceover] Is it true that you had expectations

of actually having way more sex than you actually had?

- Maybe.

It will happen though.

I know all these people outside of Black Rock City.

Maybe I'll be invited over to wine, dine in 69.

(chuckles)

- Good morning!

- [Voiceover] How you doing?

- I'm waking up.

It's about 11:00 and we're gonna have a workshop here.

It's called Female Circle Jerk,

which we nicknamed, the Oval Ascension.

Circle Jerk is often associated with the guys

and even though that's what we're gonna do.

We're gonna have a mutual type of masturbation session

where everyone just touches themselves

and do it in a group setting so that it's even hotter

than it would be by yourself.

As far as I know, everyone I've talked to,

this is the only one that's happened at Burning Man.

It should be pretty cool.

They have a men's one but I mean for women,

it's the only one that's happened.

- [Voiceover] Can you tell us just a little bit

of how you're gonna start at all?

- It started off by just having everyone

feel safe in the space, just doing some introductions

and then talk about what makes us feel hot

and when we like to masturbate,

why we do it and then how we like to do it.

I think everyone has their own style

and what makes them feel good and I think one

of the best parts about this is the people can share

and they can explore rather the other things

somebody else does, makes them feel good too.

It opens up their masturbation practice.

Kinda like yoga. (laughs)

- [Voiceover] Kinda like yoga.

(laughs)

(relaxed pop music)

- [Voiceover] At last, there is a stillness in the air

on the final night of the Burn.

As the temple burns, a quiet has taken over this community

as we stand in reverence and pay homage

to loved ones who have passed.

We come together in sacred remembrance

as we welcome the healing process of grief and renewal.

Banding together, united in the sacred circle.

The flames hit until the entire structure

is engulfed and nothing is left

but the love and respect we all share.

- Oh, that thing is dusty.

You want me to blow on that?

- [Voiceover] Yeah.

- It's still dusty.

- [Voiceover] Does that make a difference?

- Not really.

- [Voiceover] You don't think?

Do you think we look better in the dust maybe?

- I know I do.

Look at my legs.

- [Voiceover] And after a week of giving oneself

as well as being mindful of the principle

of self-reliance whereby Burning Man encourages

the individual to rely on their own inner resources,

we are all human and people are beginning to come down

including the Beavers.

Back at camp, a concerned father who once had a son

but now has a transgendered daughter sought Mayor Foxy out

to get advice and while he did not want to be filmed,

Foxy shared her thoughts with us.

- I think because of the Strap-on-a-Thon,

a lot more people have been coming around

and it's been a lot more of that kind of thing coming

where we've been mentoring, talking

and hosting and putting all our energy out there.

We hold space.

We create safe space.

We educate.

We want people to come in.

We want people to come in and sit by the fire

and talk about stuff and ask questions

even if they think they're stupid.

I'm like ...

We'll answer it (chuckles) whatever it is.

We had the gay boys come in from all these camps over here

and come hang out and it's been

just a beautiful, beautiful space.

Why do we exist?

Because we eat.

People need us here.

So much.

- [Voiceover] I understand that (chuckles)

that connection has happened between the two of you.

Would you like to talk about that just a little bit?

- No, actually. (chuckles)

Laura?

- Glo?

I don't know.

I like her.

She's cool.

- Yup.

- But we're both have things going on

in the real world.

- [Voiceover] That's tricky.

It's always the risk.

- Yeah, she's moving in days.

- Yeah, it's Saturday right now.

I don't know if you could tell.

It's Saturday. (laughs)

I'm moving to Berlin on Wednesday.

So, yeah, I don't know.

This feels like a good first step

but I've really connected with a lot of the people here.

So, including this good one.

I kinda like uh-uh (mumbling)

I'm gonna be sad that I'm not there anymore.

- Even though you really wanted to leave?

- Yeah.

- You still really wanna leave.

- I do really wanna leave here, right.

Yeah, you're right.

- [Voiceover] Laura, can you tell us about

how your Burn has been?

How has this last week been and specifically,

since the last time we talked?

What's been going on for you?

- I just ...

(mumbling)

(chuckles)

- Laura's very popular.

Lots of people fall in love with Laura

and they're all here. (laughs)

- Yeah, at Burning Man this summer.

I have a lot of transition.

I had a long summer and then Burning Man was a release.

I didn't know anyone at Camp Beaverton

and I actually found Camp Beaverton by Googling

Camp Beaverton and then found the website

and e-mailed saying like with my little bio hoping,

crossing my fingers. (laughs) - That they would choose you?

- Yeah. (laughs)

- You passed the hot quotient.

So, you're good.

- Perfect.

And so, I didn't know anyone coming into this

and I didn't know if I would connect with people or not

and I told my friends, I might be at your camp every day

because I don't know if I'm gonna make connections

but in the last couple of days, I don't know.

I hung out with this one.

And it's been really nice and the people here

are just really magic.

Just deepening connections that I made earlier.

- [Voiceover] Would you come back in camp

with the Beavers again?

- Oh, yeah.

Fuck yeah.

I'm a Beaver for life, so yeah.

I'm gonna come next year for sure.

This is a place that I wanna be.

- [Voiceover] One last thing, if somebody was

considering coming to Beaverton--

Burning Man's hard, don't come.

(laughs)

- [Both] It's dusty.

- I'm sorry what?

- [Voiceover] What would you tell them?

- If they wanna come, be a Beaver?

- [Voiceover] You're the co-mayor.

- I'm the co-mayor.

Come, come, come.

Come to come.

Come, come.

That's what I would say.

- You'll have a good time.

Definitely, be a Beaver.

Show up with your whole self

because it's like, with an open heart.

You'll find some good stuff.

- Loving women and having bisexual identity

is a fairly complex thing and I tend to try

and override the complexity of my emotions

and attachment to that by defining in very clear ways

who I'm gonna see, how I'm gonna see them,

the kind of sex I'm gonna have,

how I'm gonna look when I'm doing it.

It's a very constructed sexual identity for myself

and that got completely destroyed here.

Not just by one person but by many of the things

I was attracted to, the people that were attracted to me.

What made me feel good, what made me feel sexy.

All of those things were completely different

and the plans that I had for lesbian Ginger

in the real world and so, I need to take some time

to maybe separate the fact that what I wanted

to put out there was maybe a little bit more

about what I thought other people would wanna receive

and maybe wasn't as honest as I was hoping

it was gonna be.

There have been times here where I have been dressed up

in a beautiful outfit and I have felt

like a piece of crap and there have been times

where I have just been covered in dirt and sweat

and I look like an albino from a sandstorm

and I feel like the most glorious golden god ever

and I think that I should allow some time

to just feel things out instead of planning

my next adventure and next partner

and my next interaction so meticulously.

There's a closer connection between my groin

and my hear right now than there has been

in a very long time but it was a very surprising process

and a little bit nerve wracking.

- [Voiceover] Possibly one of the most unique principles

of Burning Man philosophy is to leave no trace.

After the exodus of nearly 60,000 people

and the dismantling of Black Rock City,

an army of volunteers and Burning Man contractors

ensure that no trace of this festival remains

and that the Playa is restored

to its natural condition.

- [Voiceover] What is MOOP now?

- MOOP, Matter Out Of Place.

It's my favorite Playa euphemism.

And it's fun to say.

I say it at every opportunity.

- [Voiceover] And what are you doing right now?

- I'm picking up teeny tiny pieces of trash on the Playa

because we don't wanna leave any trace.

Even little pieces of fuzz, a little tiny piece of paper,

a string, it all gets tossed.

- It's been a big day with the structures coming down

and things not running as smoothly as they'd hope,

some emotions have also come down a bit.

People are feeling a bit drained I think.

This is a lot of work to do.

They got a lot of work done but there's still

quite a bit more to do.

(serene guitar music)

- [Voiceover] In the end, the Beavers broke down

Camp Beaverton, leaving us to ponder and reflect

on our experiences as filmmakers and personally,

as members of this unique social experiment

while meeting the Beavers.

- [Voiceover] What do you think our agenda was here?

What were we trying to accomplish here with the Beavers

at Camp Beaverton?

What kind of film do you think are we trying to make?

- In the very beginning like ...

To paint a picture of this Camp Beaverton

which I really had no idea what to expect

like the little bit that I heard beforehand

and to be honest, I was kinda turned off.

I thought it's just a big sex party.

Like they come out to Burning Man and they do a lot of drugs

and they all sleep with each other.

That's what I thought we were gonna be covering.

And so, in the beginning my intentions were to dig deeper

and try to find out how do people do that.

How are people so carefree?

Because I am not.

I'm not like that.

But then (chuckles) as I got to know them,

and understood that there's actually

all kinds of Beavers,

it's funny because I actually kinda grew to like

all of them very much.

I grew very fond of them.

- [Voiceover] Now, that you had this week with

Camp Beaverton, do you feel like you've opened up

sexually at all?

- I've opened up to touch more for sure.

Because it's not something that I say lightly

but I haven't had any kind of interaction

in a very long time.

- [Voiceover] How long is long?

- 15 months.

- [Voiceover] (gasps)

- Yeah.

- [Voiceover] Respect.

- Yeah.

I don't know.

I had a lot of casual sex kinda between 21

and 31 I'd say but in the last several years,

I've been in partnerships like relationships

and now, I'm kind of I guess old fashioned nowadays,

monogamous, (laughs) which I learned is old fashioned now.

Yeah, I mean I don't know.

I would look at these couples that are open

to play and I don't know.

There was a night here where I was thinking about it

and I woke up really sad in the middle of the night

thinking, that's great that they can do that

but would I want to be third?

No, because I don't think that I could be the third

because I think I would be too envious of what they have

and could I be in that couple having a third?

I can't even answer that question

because I have never had that strong partnership

in my life.

People have asked me that.

Could you take on a third person for a threesome?

And I just think to myself, I don't even know

what it's like to have a twosome.

So, how can I have a threesome? (laughs)

It opened my eyes to the way the young people

are coming up in the world and expressing themselves

and I think it's great because I feel like

Camp Beaverton, the people here really take ownership

of themselves, their sex lives, their bodies,

which I think we still don't have enough of that happening,

especially for women.

That part of it, I really appreciate.

(relaxing pop music)

- [Voiceover] But of course, without a proper climax,

what kind of a documentary would this be?

(people moaning)

- They want a real clap.

(laughs)

(people moaning)

- (chuckles) That was awesome.

(people applauding)

(lively electronic music)

- I don't know if I could talk about that on camera.

- [Voiceover] And what we were--

(laughs)

- Did you hear?

- [Voiceover] All hands on Glo.

- All hands on Glo. (laughs)

Instead of all hands on deck.

- I think I might need to buy stock in Hitachi after this.

I definitely screamed really loudly

when I came from the Hitachi.

- Not your average Beaver bitches!

(serene pop music)