CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
Scroll To Top
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
I realized I was gay the summer I was 12, at an all-boys camp in northern Wisconsin with a peculiar abundance of nudity. As at most camps, all of the staff were suburban hippies, particularly my counselor Greg, an 18-year-old nature boy who openly mocked any camper who tried to wear his swimsuit in the group shower or sauna. The arrangement killed me -- I was a self-conscious and underdeveloped kid -- but I was really enjoying the hell out of Gregs enthusiastic naturism.
Campers were strenuously pressured to participate in the annual Jack Dawes run, which involved jogging naked from the cabins to the lake and jumping in. I wouldnt have thought I could do it, but with Gregs ass in front of me, my eyes remained firmly on the prize, any embarrassment lost in a confusing haze of adolescent lust. To this day, I cant smell patchouli without thinking of the overeager nudist.
I had my first sexual experience as a 16-year-old counselor, with an older counselor named Dan, one night camping out in the woods. Wed left the campers and met up with our friends; when we returned to the site, it was abandoned, with a note telling us there was a tornado warning and they had retreated to the main lodge. Dan was stoned and worked up from an evening playing spin the bottle, and we ended up hooking up. When he was finished, he freaked out, hitching up his pants and running deeper into the woods, leaving me to walk the mile back to the lodge alone, confused, and without a flashlight. We didnt really speak for the remainder of the summer.
Dan reintegrated with the other counselors, but I had a harder time. From then on, after the campers went to bed, I preferred to listen to my Walkman in solitude, opting not to participate in the counselor activities. Get a canoe paddle, theyd shout. Were going to streak Camp Beaver! But already I felt that I was not one of them.
Camp Camp by Roger Bennett & Jules Shell (Random House, $24.95) is in stores now.Send a letter to the editor about this article.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
39 male celebs who did full frontal scenes
June 05 2024 9:37 AM
38 LGBTQ+ celebs you can follow on OnlyFans
July 23 2024 2:33 PM
28 actors who showed bare ass in movies & TV shows
May 22 2024 5:21 PM
These pics prove that Maluma is still our supreme thirst trap king
May 22 2024 6:29 PM
26 LGBTQ+ reality dating shows & where to watch them
July 03 2024 4:21 PM
18 times male celebrities had to say they weren't gay
June 21 2024 2:58 PM
15 queens who quit or retired from drag after 'RuPaul's Drag Race'
July 09 2024 11:33 AM
15 Unforgettable Gay Kissing Scenes From TV & Movies
February 14 2024 10:20 AM
45 steamy celebrity Calvin Klein ads we'll always be thirsty for
June 18 2024 4:45 PM
Here's how long each Pit Crew hunk has been on 'RuPaul's Drag Race'
February 09 2024 2:16 PM
Latest Stories
July 24, 2024
14h
Give Benedict a male love interest in 'Bridgerton' season 4, you cowards!
July 23 2024 4:52 PM
All the 'Drag Race' queens on OnlyFans (& what they're showing)
July 23 2024 4:19 PM
MUNA's Katie Gavin is officially in her solo era, releases first single
July 23 2024 1:28 PM
Want to see Tessa's Testicles? 'Global All Stars' queen is now on OF
July 23 2024 11:23 AM
87 LGBTQ+ athletes we'll be rooting for at the 2024 Olympics
July 23 2024 11:01 AM
Here's why fans think Lady Gaga will perform at the 2024 Paris Olympics
July 22 2024 3:34 PM
Tom Daley shows off how sturdy his Olympic Village bed is
July 22 2024 3:19 PM
That epic, queer 'House of the Dragon' kiss wasn't scripted
July 22 2024 3:10 PM
Oil up! Our fave shirtless Olympic flag bearer confirms he's headed to Paris
July 22 2024 1:44 PM
Charli XCX declares Kamala Harris IS brat & our next President's campaign agrees
July 22 2024 1:13 PM
Homophobes are mad about 'Love Island USA' stars Aaron & Rob's bromance
July 22 2024 12:23 PM