Comments on: Gay Church Camp http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2007/08/06/622 News, analysis and fact-checking of anti-gay rhetoric Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:56:31 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Lynn David http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2007/08/06/622/comment-page-1#comment-1421 Lynn David Tue, 07 Aug 2007 06:40:55 +0000 http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2007/08/06/622#comment-1421 We had a camp in southern Illinois for Catholic boys (and girls). I went there with some friends of mine from school/church when I was 11 and it was a great experience, mostly centered on the physical for the boys & teamwork. We had 'cabin groups' with a camp counselor overseeing us; and I think we won (got a gold patch from the camp as a reward). I rode my first horse there. Fun! Unfortunately, I guess that camp had a run-in with a pedophile as a camp counselor somewhere along the line and closed down. But I got a flyer about it opening up again for this summer, so maybe it will have a go. Strange though, now that I remember we had this free for all, where we were trying to tackle our camp counselor (who was really fit and strong). I went at him and he took me in those hands of his and forcefully laid me down on my back... I had my first real sexual response to a man and I went off to hug the wall and didn't go at him again, as the other kids were doing. Then on an overnight hike when we camped by a small pond and everyone skinned up and went swimming. Well everyone but me, I wasn't going in that muddy, slimy, green-algae-filled water. Our counselor counted heads in the pond and got a little scared when he came up one short. Spying me on the shore, he replied, "OH, YOU!" It was in such a tone that I thought he knew about my sexual reaction from before. That scared the hell outta me for a while... sharing your gayness in a Catholic boys camp in the mid'60s could have gotten you shoved down a pit toilet, tied nude to a tree in the woods, or something worse. Happy to see things are changing. We had a camp in southern Illinois for Catholic boys (and girls). I went there with some friends of mine from school/church when I was 11 and it was a great experience, mostly centered on the physical for the boys & teamwork. We had ‘cabin groups’ with a camp counselor overseeing us; and I think we won (got a gold patch from the camp as a reward). I rode my first horse there. Fun!

Unfortunately, I guess that camp had a run-in with a pedophile as a camp counselor somewhere along the line and closed down. But I got a flyer about it opening up again for this summer, so maybe it will have a go.

Strange though, now that I remember we had this free for all, where we were trying to tackle our camp counselor (who was really fit and strong). I went at him and he took me in those hands of his and forcefully laid me down on my back… I had my first real sexual response to a man and I went off to hug the wall and didn’t go at him again, as the other kids were doing. Then on an overnight hike when we camped by a small pond and everyone skinned up and went swimming. Well everyone but me, I wasn’t going in that muddy, slimy, green-algae-filled water. Our counselor counted heads in the pond and got a little scared when he came up one short. Spying me on the shore, he replied, “OH, YOU!” It was in such a tone that I thought he knew about my sexual reaction from before.

That scared the hell outta me for a while… sharing your gayness in a Catholic boys camp in the mid’60s could have gotten you shoved down a pit toilet, tied nude to a tree in the woods, or something worse. Happy to see things are changing.

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