Beetle Tries New Pronouns

Season 3 of kin•dom campfire chats features campers from our partner camp at Zephyr Point on Lake Tahoe in Nevada. Our host, DJ, interviews campers about their experience at camp. Special thanks to our Season 3 producer, Josh Clapp, for putting each episode together.

Find out more about us by visiting our website, kindomcommunity.org. There you can find information about kin•dom camp and consider supporting our work with a one-time or recurring donation. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram @kindomcommunity to keep up with all the important information. 

Transcript

music  0:00  

[Andy strumming guitar & Baylee's voice singing: "Oh let's build, let's build a place we can go”] 

Josh  0:09  

Thank you for tuning into kin•dom campfire chats, a podcast of kin•dom community. This podcast features the voices of LGBTQIA+ youth who attended kin•dom camp at Zephyr Point in the summer of 2025. We asked the campers about their experience at camp and as a queer youth navigating the world around them. In these short interviews, the campers tell their stories of the highs and lows of everyday life as an LGBTQIA+ youth. We invite you to listen with an open mind and an open heart.

music  0:50  

[Andy strumming guitar & Baylee's voice singing: "This is the place”]

DJ  0:53  

Hi everybody, DJ Torres here again with the fireside chat for Kin•dom Camp. We're here at Zephyr Point, overlooking beautiful Lake Tahoe, with my latest camper. We are quite literally sitting on a really nice table bench situation directly over the lake. So, for the listener, you may hear some people in the background, you may hear some jet skis go by. Just know that that's all part of the vibe here at Zephyr. So, we're excited to spend this time with you. I am going to turn it over to our latest camper. Camper, introduce yourself.

Speaker 1  1:29  

Hi, my name is Beetle. I'm a camper right now at Kin•dom Camp, Zephyr Point.

DJ  1:34  

Thank you, Beetle. How is it going? You, I guess we'll start off by talking about you're a returner, what made you come to Zephyr Point, Kin•dom Camp in the first place, and more importantly, what brought you back this year?

speaker 2  1:49  

Um, well, when I first heard about it, my parents pitched it to me as, "Hey, you're going to gay camp!" So I was like "Oh my gosh, are they sending me to a conversion-"

DJ  2:00  

No! No! Oh No!"

speaker 2  2:00  

Then I looked into it, and I started to get really, really excited. I saw a lot of the photos and whatnot. I dunno it's just always great to have a queer space. I came here last year, and of course, I returned. I made really good friends last year, and I was also really excited to do a lot of activities again.

DJ  2:19  

That's good. Not to start off by being too serious, but talk about that feeling when you thought it was a conversion therapy camp.

speaker 2  2:27  

Um, well, my parents are pretty open to queerness. Um, I just... I don't know, it-it was kind of... I don't know I've always been afraid of conversion camp. I've heard a lot of horror stories about it, like it is a terrible thing, but-

DJ  2:42  

Yeah, I agree, and you know, quite frankly, I would venture to guess some of the volunteers, and I actually know some of the volunteers and staffers here have had to experience something like conversion camp, and so I'm really thankful, and I'm actually really glad you named that, and I'm thankful that this is not that 

speaker 2  3:00  

Yes. 

DJ  3:01  

So say a little bit more about the year between the two camps, like you mentioned you have friends that you made over the last year, like talk a little bit about that.

speaker 2  3:11  

Well, of course, when I first, not to get too deep into it, but the first time I came here, I had just gotten out of spending an entire year in mental health residency, so my social skills were very, very rusty, but like I came here and immediately clicked with like a group of friends, and just doing like the planning of the schedule, if you could plan to do things all day with people, and it was just really fun, and I know the camp sets it up, so it's really easy to bond with people.

DJ  3:44  

I love that. I love that. And you know, thanks for your transparency, too. Right? I continue to hear and think about who the listeners might be, and you might be resonating very specifically with some kiddo who's out there who may have a similar background. So, thanks for your honesty about that.

speaker 2  4:01  

Yeah, thank you.

DJ  4:02  

So, I just have to know, like, did you talk to your friends in between camps? Did you maintain any connections over the year with folks you met here?

speaker 2  4:10  

Um, actually, no, I'm not gonna lie, I only messaged one person once, and it was them double-checking that I was going to be here again this year.

DJ  4:21  

I love that. Yeah, that's very good. Okay, good. So, so far, let's talk about it. Like, how has camp been so far again for the listener? We're only really technically in day two, and so we still have a few experiences ahead of us, but so far, how's it going?

speaker 2  4:36  

Um, it's actually been really fun that I have different roommates this year too. It's always just really great getting to know people all over again, and of course, I love all the activities.

DJ  4:48  

Um, so your favorite, what's what's an activity that you have enjoyed so far?

speaker 2  4:52  

Um, well, let's see, what was it? I really love playing Q.

DJ  4:58  

Oh! 

speaker 2  4:58  

It's fun.

DJ  4:59  

Describe that to someone who might not know,

speaker 2  5:01  

Q is a weird mix of quidditch, badminton, and wait, no, not badminton, lacrosse, and rugby.

DJ  5:09  

Okay! sounds fun.

speaker 2  5:11  

How they described it, I believe.

DJ  5:13  

Cool.

speaker 2  5:13  

You run around throwing balls into other people's hoops, it's really fun,

DJ  5:17  

And that's something that we have done here. I believe we did it last year as well. Is that true?

speaker 2  5:22  

Yeah, it was like one of the things I looked forward to.

DJ  5:25  

Oh, so great. I'm glad we were able to do that again for you this year. Great. And then I don't know if you have a sense of the calendar or even some of the theme nights. Are you looking forward to any of those theme nights?

speaker 2  5:35  

Oh, well, tonight's gay rodeo, which I'm of course excited about. But Friday is our Pride night.

DJ  5:42  

Yes!

speaker 2  5:43  

And there's drag queens coming in, helping with makeup and whatnot. I'm stoked about that.

DJ  5:49  

Do you plan to dress up?

speaker 2  5:50  

Yes. I have a whole outfit ready. I'm excited.

DJ  5:54  

Describe it. What's your outfit gonna look like?

speaker 2  5:56  

So I usually dress very masculine, so for this one I'm gonna go with a crop top, and just like a pair of pants, but extravagant makeup.

DJ  6:07  

That sounds so fun, and that's the fun of drag, right? You get to try on different, totally different identities.

speaker 2  6:13  

Yeah, it'll be rad.

DJ  6:14  

Awesome. Okay, so we talked about drag nights, we talked a little bit about the activities, tell us why, tell us not why. Excuse me, tell us a little bit about, like, what are some of those more, you know, deeper connections you may have made with some of the adults, either last year or this year. Have you had any of those kinds of connections with some of the facilitators of the space?

speaker 2  6:35  

With a lot of the counselors here, it almost feels like they're our fellow campers, they just get along with us so well. I dunno it's just like inbetween activities, walking around with them. They easily fit into the conversations and talk with us. They're like as good of a friend as my fellow campers.

DJ  6:54  

I love that.

speaker 2  6:55  

Yeah.

DJ  6:56  

Have you had any kind of like special connection with any of them? Like any time they've joined in a conversation that you have appreciated, or is it just their general presence that you tend to like?

speaker 2  7:07  

Um, there's.. oh my gosh, I'm trying to think of it.. uh, frog counselor.. um, I don't know, I just always feel like they're like especially fun to talk to, and they like seek people out to talk to them. It's fun.

DJ  7:21  

I love that.

speaker 2  7:22  

Yeah.

DJ  7:22  

Good. I'm glad you feel seen in those moments too. That's great. Um, okay. So, why don't we talk a little bit about home life? You don't feel like you have to say where you're from or anything like that, but is how is camp similar to your home life? Are you as extravagant at home as you might be here. What is that like?

speaker 2  7:44  

My family is very accepting at- Just always feels like you get a chance to be more extravagant at camp. Try out new things without it impacting anything. Like, I dunno I tried out a couple different pronouns when I first got here, and it just felt like a really safe place to change that around. At home, I feel like that would be a little bit different with family dynamics and whatnot, like they'd be open to it, but it'd be difficult.

DJ  8:14  

That's great. I'm glad, I'm glad that you get to experiment. That's sort of the point, right? You get to experiment in a, in a safe, and we say brave space as well, where you get to be a little bit safe, of course, but the safety creates a sense of bravery for you to do exactly what you're saying, trying something new.

speaker 2  8:31  

Yeah.

DJ  8:31  

Yeah. And, I love that. So, what are your pronouns this week?

speaker 2  8:35  

My pronouns are he and him.

DJ  8:37  

Great.

speaker 2  8:38  

Yeah.

DJ  8:38  

What were some of the pronouns you tried on last year?

speaker 2  8:41  

Last year, I was like trying out with they/them, and whatnot. It/Its and whatnot. I was still relatively playing around with my identity, trying to figure out which one fit best, and like even now I'm not fully sure, it could change, but, yeah.

DJ  9:04  

I think that's sort of the joy of camp is, and at least the environment that I have seen being created here is you don't have to pick one, right? I think that's a really special part of this, yeah, and we ask, I am at, I'm asking this for a listener who may not know, the young people, the campers are highly encouraged to really take advantage of the space to try on pronouns that might resonate with them, and we welcome that they would change daily. We offer them stickers, we offer them opportunities to change their stickers and their names, and the adults around really try to honor that. So, for those who may wonder, why, why is DJ asking about their pronouns, and, and asking, and assuming they may have changed? That's the joy of the camp, is that we really encourage the young people to keep exploring until they find what fits them best, and recognizing that that could change at any minute. 

speaker 2  9:56  

Yeah. 

DJ  9:56  

Yeah. Love that. Okay, great, so. What else? What about are you out at school? Do you feel like you have a supportive environment? Do you go to school? A lot of students here are also homeschooled, so you may not go to a traditional school.

speaker 2  10:10  

I go, it's not very traditional. I go to, like, a high school on a college campus. 

DJ  10:16  

Oh, wow!

speaker 2  10:17  

I'm getting an associate's degree in college while I'm in high school.

DJ  10:21  

That's great. What's your associates? If you want to share.

speaker 2  10:25  

I'm still trying to figure out if I'm gonna go, because they have two options, either Maths or what's it called? Like Environmental Science.

DJ  10:37  

Great, that's very cool.

speaker 2  10:39  

So that is fun.

DJ  10:40  

So, are your classes also intermixed with college students?

speaker 2  10:43  

Some of them, yeah.

DJ  10:44  

Wow, what a unique experience.

speaker 2  10:47  

Yeah.

DJ  10:48  

Do you enjoy that?

speaker 2  10:49  

Yes, it's really fun. Most of the teachers are really accepting.

DJ  10:53  

That's great. What grade are you in?

speaker 2  10:54  

Oh, I'm going into 10th grade.

DJ  10:56  

Oh, great.

speaker 2  10:57  

Yeah.

DJ  10:57  

Great. So that's another big-I feel like 10th grade is such a big year. It's a. it's a year where you're really starting to put your flags into the ground around who you want to be, what your future careers might be. I love that. Do you have any kind of clubs on campus where you can express any of your identities? Is there that kind of environment present where you go?

speaker 2  11:18  

We have a GSA. Okay, it's nice. I did leave this year due to some people I didn't like that much.

DJ  11:25  

Sure, some politics involved.

speaker 2  11:27  

Yes.

DJ  11:27  

Yes, that happens.

speaker 2  11:28  

With different views, being rude.

DJ  11:31  

Okay, sorry to hear that.

speaker 2  11:32  

It's all right, but there was also fashion and dance club, which also had a lot of queer people in them, and I dunno it was just always a really nice environment.

DJ  11:41  

That's really great.

music  11:42  

Yeah.

DJ  11:42  

And as I'm sitting here looking at Beetle, Beetle is not afraid to try out different hairstyles and not afraid to try out collars and jerseys, and Beetle really does really express themselves-himself. Excuse me. In this environment, I really love to see the looks. A lot of the campers here, listeners, are various colors of hair and various layers of clothing, and it's really fun to observe how they take that freedom very seriously. I really appreciate that. Yeah, so say more about, say more about your experiences here at camp. What are you looking forward to? What do you hope happens in the next few days here at camp?

speaker 2  12:23  

Oh, well, I haven't gone swimming yet in the lake. I am really excited to.. it's.. I don't know, the water's so clear here, it's so nice.

DJ  12:32  

Yeah, describe, describe what we're looking at right now.

speaker 2  12:35  

Okay, right now I am looking at over some rocks, a really, really, really big lake, just completely surrounded by mountains. Like, I feel like the lake is in a little bowl.

DJ  12:49  

That's beautiful. That's a great description. So, do you find the water is too cold, or do you tough it out anyway?

speaker 2  12:54  

Oh, no, it's absolutely perfect. I'm someone who runs very warm, so-

DJ  12:58  

Good. Yeah, the weather here has actually been pretty great. Normally, it's pretty, pretty, pretty up there, so we're getting some good weather this week too.

speaker 2  13:08  

Yeah.

DJ  13:09  

Okay. So, one question I ask everybody is, tell us a little bit about what brings you joy, and that can be deep, it can be lighthearted, it can be a video game, it can be deeply sentimental. You can pick any path. What's something that brings you joy right now?

speaker 2  13:25  

Something that brings me joy.

DJ  13:27  

And feel free to think on it too.

speaker 2  13:33  

When a joke I make makes a lot of people laugh.

DJ  13:36  

Love that.

speaker 2  13:36  

Yeah.

DJ  13:37  

That's a great vibe. So you also like to be, you like to be silly too. It sounds like?

speaker 2  13:44  

Comedic, really.

DJ  13:46  

That's great. I love that. Okay. And then one final question. When you look back at your week here again, especially as a returner, what do you hope you will have gotten out of your time at camp this year?

speaker 2  14:01  

This year I'm hoping- I honestly just hope to have as much fun as possible. It's a week meant for queer joy. It's amazing.

DJ  14:11  

God, what a beautiful answer to end on. Thank you so much, Beetle. Really appreciate your time. Thank you for spending your time with us here on the podcast as well.

music  14:30  

[Andy strumming guitar & Baylee's voice singing: "I know a place”]

music  14:30  

Hi y'all, it's Baylee. I'm the Creative Director of kin•dom community. I’d like to talk a little bit more about kin•dom camp and how you can get involved. kin•dom camp is an opportunity for LGBTQIA+ youth ages 12 to 17 to feel safe and free to show up as their full selves. Campers will have the chance to experience traditional camp activities and recreation, plus some specialized programming to incorporate LGBTQIA+ history and culture. More information can be found on our website kindomcommunity.org/camp. If you have any questions you can't find the answers to, you can email us at kindomcamp@gmail.com. Thanks for listening to kin•dom campfire chats. We are proud to be a safe space for these campers, and we are even more proud of them for sharing their stories. We hope you'll keep gathering around the campfire with us as we celebrate all of the stories that make us this kin•dom community.

music  14:30  

[Andy strumming guitar & Baylee's voice singing: "This is the place”]