Arts
Just in Time for Summer
Just in Time
for Summer
by Walter Zeichner
Sex
Camp |
Sex
Camp is the latest
book by Brian McNaught, the author of On Being Gay among other
books, and a speaker and trainer in sexuality diversity. There are many
perspectives from which one can approach this work.
It is, initially, a fictionalized account
of a week of experiences of staff and participants at the Annual Workshop
on Sexuality, held for 30 years at Thornfield in upstate New York, a retreat
center owned by the Episcopal Church. By 'fictionalized' I mean that the
participants are all made-up by the author, likely based on parts of real
participants, parts of the author's own psyche, and characters that would
work in this context. The staff, however, are based on the real staff
of the Workshop on Sexuality, including the use of their real names.
Sex Camp takes us through the week
of the workshop, from registration to staff debriefing at the end. We
get to experience the week through the eyes of nearly all of the characters
at one point or another, their joys and their sorrows, as well as their
interpersonal experiences with each other. In this way it reads somewhat
like a screenplay. As fiction the book is entertaining and engaging. I
laughed, I cried, I read it in two sittings.
The author, however, is not just out to
entertain us. He has an agenda! This book is propaganda at its finest.
It happens to be propaganda for things like freedom, truth, compassion,
liberation, and many other qualities admired by peaceful progressive people,
so I'm for it!
The story of the characters is essentially
a ruse by which McNaught takes us through the material taught at the workshop.
We get to vicariously react through the characters as they are amused,
offended, appalled, challenged, cared for, allowed to grow and process,
and ultimately to discover that the spectrum of human sexuality is diverse
and beautiful. They are even challenged to love themselves as they experience
their own epiphanies.
Im sure anyone reading this book will find
material to identify with when characters are telling their personal stories,
or coming up against a fear or a repressed feeling. Those of us not fortunate
enough to attend the Thornfield workshop get to do it internally. There's
lots of good information in the book, as well as valuable references for
anyone interested in learning more.
There is a strong Christian theme throughout
the book. McNaught is a Catholic, the workshop is held at an Episcopal
retreat center, and many of the characters are clergy or religious in
some capacity, as well as being a diverse group racially, by age, gender,
gender identity, sexual orientation, level of ability... gee did I miss
anything? I hope not.
The only things missing were a Witch and
a Faerie, but with the clearly Christian bent to the setting that may
be an omission the author chose deliberately. Something he definitely
did deliberately is to use the characters' religious backgrounds to challenge
the Judeo-Christian doctrine-based condemnation of gays and lesbians.
As he does in his live presentations and in his other books, McNaught
takes great pains to address the specific scriptural interpretations used
by the religious right to oppress queer people. It's well done too.
The odds are that people who really
need to read this book won't, but it can provide any of us with good material
to use when confronted by homophobia, racism, sexism, heterosexism, etc.
As someone who teaches Human Sexuality in the context of college-level
psychology, I'd love to use this book as one of my texts. There is an
emphasis on homosexuality and transgender issues, but I have found that
in order to really open up to accept the spectrum of sexual orientations
it is critical to address the "pink elephants," i.e., queerness
in its many forms. Sex Camp does that well.
Lest you think this will be a chewy read,
take my word for it, it reads more like a soap opera than a textbook.
There are a few areas that are slightly tedious and preachy, but out of
446 pages maybe 20 of them are like that.
Anyone who knows me will be wondering by
now, "Where's the biting criticism??" I don't have any. I do
have a few pet peeves with the book. He keeps referring to Sex in
the City when the show is actually called Sex and the City.
There is some conflict-avoidance by the author, particularly when one
lesbian is expressing some of her anger at men but makes it clear that
of course she isn't angry at any of the men present... why not? She started
out pissed at one guy but then kind of talked herself out of it. The thing
I found most annoying in the book is Brian's relationship with workshop
fellow-facilitator Carol. They snipe at each other "affectionately"
throughout the book. Halfway through I wanted to tell them to just fuck
and get it over with already. If I'd been on staff with them I would probably
ask them what was under all that "good-natured" sarcasm. Other
than those relatively minor criticisms, I really enjoyed Sex Camp.
I think you will too!
Walter I. Zeichner is a witch, permaculturist, and activist currently
traveling across Canada. You can read his blog at www.walterzeichner.com/Blog/index.html