Sprawled out across a desolate lakebed in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert “burners” of all walks of life set up camp August 30-September 6 for a nonstop week of art, music, radical self expression, and, yes, mind-altering substances. Not surprisingly, the come-as-you-are festival draws a healthy-sized queer contingency. While welcome anywhere , many choose to stay with or attend events at gay-themed camps. There’s even a gay pride parade which gets flack from burners not for its promotion of gay rights, but because some feel it isn’t isn’t “original enough.”

Here’s the short list of gay resources:

Gay camps (locations noted in parentheses where available–if they make no sense, they will once you’re there):

Moonbow Camp (3:00 & Athens)

Pink Heart Camp (9:00 & Esplanade)

Gender Blender, Camp Beaverton (Women/trans only)

Comfort and Joy (7:30 & Detroit)

Camp Rainbow, Astropups

Celestial Bodies (7:30 & Detroit)

Paradise Motel (7:30 & Edinburgh)

Camp Stella (7:30 & Detroit; drug & alcohol free)

Mudskipper Cafe (7:30 & Detroit)

Gay pride parade: Friday, Sept. 3, 2010. Meet at the Man at 2:00pm and march through Black Rock City, ending at a reception at Moonbow Camp.

Other resources: Friday dance party with SF’s Honey Soundsystem, Complete 2010 gay-themed events breakdown, Gay Burning Man community site, First-timer’s guide to Burning Man

Photos by MadeIn1953

Need a place to stay in the closest big city, before or after Burning Man? Check out our brand new guide to Reno.