I'll have one of those big things...

This, I believe, is a gay-hosted camp.

Sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll

As anywhere at Burning Man, the bar may dispense alcohol or juices, makes no difference. No charge. Just be kind and friendly in return - help someone with their tent, say hello, fix a bike tire, offer some ice, hand him/her a cookie, etc.

BRC is dotted with cocktail lounges, varying from as small as a two-person bar to really quite large (organized, plenty of seating, dancing, bands, pole dancers). Commercialization is not allowed. The booze flows both freely and freely.

There is plenty of drinking and on occasion a whiff of weed. If a burner acts illegally an observing officer will take action, but careful burners get along fine. Burning Man is not exempt from state and local laws and there are far more officials (BLM, state police, etc.) then in 2003.

In two Burning Man trips I have never seen a fight break out or heard an angry voice. Nor, with one exception, have I encountered an obnoxious drunk. Impressive for a gathering of almost 50,000 people, mostly young, partying heavily. (Okay, this place is big and we are not major partiers, so some bad stuff surely did happen.)

Sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll: the sex part

The part you were waiting for.

I don’t think serious sexual harassment would be tolerated here, and the enforcers would likely be friends of the offender or perhaps the roving Black Rock Rangers. Even so, things go on that would not in Roseville, or most any other community. (Okay, so San Francisco may be another exception, under certain conditions.)

People at Burning Man can express themselves as they wish and not feel judged, probably because of the anonymity factor lacking in their home communities. For most this is through imaginative costumes, body decoration, fanciful transportation, and theme camps. For many this is through nudity, near nudity, or erotic attire. It is also through language and the free discussion of things not discussed at home.

Freeman and I noted that Burning Man attracts a number of incredibly good looking women. Many of these go topless but maybe because of the commonness it seems very pleasant but not particularly erotic. Marcia and I concluded there are more naked men than naked women, but far more topless women than naked men. Although tats and piercings are common, they seem more common in the Roseville young crowd. (Yes, I realize this is supposition and a lot of guessing about both groups.)

Nobody acts particularly sexual, even when wearing erotic outfits. But there are hints of S&M, such as camps offering bare-butt paddling by members of the opposite sex.

There are obvious gay couples, and obvious trans-gender people. I’m still taken aback by the sight of males (judged by body build and beard growth) with nice looking naked boobs.

This Burning Man seems less blatantly sexual than the one my brother and I attended five years ago, but maybe we are less adventuresome this time accompanied by our wives. Or so Marcia suspects.