All the details!

Sign up here! https://www.weareoutintheopen.org/registration

Great question! We’ll gather in the morning have a morning and afternoon session, lunch, and a closing circle together.

Topics at past Summits have ranged from things like tofu making to alternatives to policing to cross class conversations to building intentional kink dynamics and much more.

Summits are co-created by all of us who are there alongside and including Out in the Open staff and volunteers. It’s a participatory gathering for all of us to explore experiences of rural LGBTQ+ life, identity, and culture; to build connections and relationships; to talk through questions, challenges, and joys; and to share some hands-on skills together.

We hope to continue breaking down the power dynamic that sometimes exists at gatherings like this among “experts”/"presenters” and “attendees.” We all have knowledge to share and we all have things to learn! We’re all here as rural or small town LGBTQ+ people sharing this space together. <3

And the draft schedule is below these questions, too, if you scroll alllll the way down!

As always, Summit sessions are evolving as we get closer to the event. More detailed descriptions are on the way, and more sessions will be added (including those that you want to host!). AND so far we have:

• Correspondence Course - a space dedicated to analog writing, card-making, stationary creation and more

• Session with VT/NH Jewish Voice for Peace organizers

• Queer Community Singing - Come enjoy all-ages, all-voices harmony singing. We'll learn some warm-ups and rounds and other songs that are quick to pick up, including songs written by LGBTQIA songwriters. Word sheets will be provided for those who want them. The pace of learning will be for those who are learning by ear but there might be a piece of sheet music or two for those who like to read music.

• mindfulness practices that face feelings that come up in response to climate catastrophe, elections, and related shit

• community safety strategy session

• Rope 101

• art making time with offered supplies (cyanotype, gelli prints, embroidery materials, collage, and more!)

We started offering Field Trips during the Summit in 2018 and are excited to bring them back this year! Field Trips are a way for people to get to know people in smaller groups, spend more than 90 minutes really getting into something, and support other amazing organizations and projects in our local area.

We aim to have a mix of activities so hopefully you can find one that feels right for you! Some are no-cost and others have a cost, details on the registration page.

We may add additional Field Trips over the next few weeks and will let you know when we do!

Registration for the Summit is sliding scale $0-30. Coupon codes (no questions asked, no volunteer requirements) for the sliding scale are available on the registration page. We're aiming for a range of $$ accessibility within the Field Trips offered, as well. Some are no-cost and others have a cost to cover materials.

As always, we work hard for money to not be a barrier to joining (as much as we can under capitalism!). We want you to be here! We offer a sliding scale, childcare stipends, and free meals throughout the day.

Great question! Let us know what you’re thinking about on your registration form or by email. There will also be a few “Open Topic” spaces for attendees to offer a session you’ve just come up with in the moment. You can mention your interest in holding a session when you register, and we welcome folks to hold space for conversations that emerge during the day at the Summit.

If you’re thinking about hosting a session, let us know and we can send you a couple of guides & resources we’ve created to support great sessions!

And/or reach out to HB (HB@weareoutintheopen.org) if you want to chat about your summit session idea!

This gathering is outside. Anyone is welcome and supported to wear a mask and distance while outside if that’s what works for you. Everyone, please bring a mask so that for instance, if/when you use the portapotty you can wear it there, or for when someone you’re in a session with needs masks worn, you have one to wear.

We ask that all attendees please take a rapid antigen covid test on Friday 10/4 and in the morning before you arrive to the Summit on Sunday 10/6. We also ask that Summit attendees wear a mask when in public indoor spaces the week before attending the Summit (9/29-10/5). Any rapid test you’ve taken as part of this requested prep for the event, we will have available at Summit for you to take home with you!

We’ll have kn95 masks on-hand as well if you forget (hand sanitizer & hand washing will also be available). Out in the Open is providing free serial antigen tests for every attendee to take after the event and let us know if you test positive so we can communicate with others.

We are encouraging normalizing wearing masks outside and distancing if people choose to although do not plan on requiring masks at this time.

These plans may need to shift as we get closer to the Summit. We’ll do our best to proactively communicate!

Please reach out if you have any questions about accessing tests or masks.

Please stay home and/or do not attend this gathering. Some members of our staff and community are at an increased risk for negative outcomes from COVID so please keep that in mind. We will have more gatherings in the near future so if you have to miss this one, know there will be more soon!

Yes! We’ll have open sided tents for everyone as well as our new wooden open-air pavilion.

Seating something we’re working towards on the land right now. Please bring your own favorite camp chairs, folding chairs, outside blankets, or other seating for you to be comfortable throughout the day. If you don’t have access to a chair that works for you, please let us know and we will borrow additional seating.

After years of receiving feedback about on-site childcare, we have decided to make a change this year in childcare at the Summit. Infants in arms are welcome to be with you throughout. Childcare for other children will not be offered on-site this year, however, childcare stipends are available to support payment of a care provider that you coordinate.

Please let us know on the registration form if this is something you need. Questions about childcare support? Email Jas: jas@WeAreOutintheOpen.org.

We are just starting to learn this land and will not be offering camping or Summit housing this year.

We hope to be able to offer camping and other event housing on-site in the near future! But for now, trying to stretch slowly and safely :)

As much as we personally love dogs, please leave them at home (or some other safe place!) during this gathering. Service dogs who are needed as support for a disability and are trained to do supportive work or a supportive task are welcome! There is also often a bear in the area around this time of year so, reducing the amount of other animals in the neighborhood is helpful. Let us know if you have questions.

Yes! We will email all registered attendees the West Brattleboro, VT address about two weeks (with a reminder closer to the event) before the Summit.

There is parking for about 15 cars right now at our land. Carpooling and Park & Riding is encouraged! We will send registered attendees a carpool coordination link after you sign up. For people who are up for a 0.1 mile walk, there is parking for an additional 10 cars.

You can park along our side of the road as well. And we will be coordinating a Park & Ride from the Academy Elementary School parking lot on Sunday as well.

We are about 2.5 miles from the Brattleboro Farmers' Market location. Biking is also encouraged!

We’ll send a parking map ahead of time!

There will be coffee and light breakfast available Sunday morning.

We’ll be offering lunch on Sunday for everyone (including vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and omnivore/meat options). We will also have hearty snacks, water, and other non-alcoholic beverages available throughout the day.

If you have more specific dietary/food needs that will not be met by what we’ve described above, let us know! We can likely offer you a food stipend if what we’re offering doesn’t meet your needs. Just email HB (hb@WeAreOutintheOpen.org).

The Summit will happen rain or shine! There are tents for rain and sun cover, natural shade, and a new permanent pavilion on-site that we will use to gather under. If there is severe weather, we may need to cancel or postpone some parts. Organizers will update participants with information about next steps and plans if severe weather is forecasted. If there are location changes, we will communicate this clearly via email and with signage.

While we do not anticipate any safety concerns arising the day-of (and are not aware of any specific threats), we will have staff members on-site available for de-escalation if needed. And there are other trusted Brattleboro area neighbors who will be on-call if needed.

Additionally, some members of our community are stealth in their non-Summit lives, others aren’t out in parts of their lives, others have other safety-related needs around attending LGBTQ+ community gatherings. While we cannot guarantee confidentiality, we’re asking everyone to be mindful of people who may have confidentiality-related needs around pieces of their identities & experiences when sharing about this event both before, during, and after.

In our experience, cell phone coverage is reliable especially on the lower portion of our land, especially for Verizon phones. There are areas of the property that are in the upper portion is likely to have less reliable service.

What a great opportunity to practice consent! :) If you want to take pictures, please ask those in the picture before taking it. People have many different reasons for not wanting to be in pictures! If anyone doesn’t want to be in pictures (even in the background), please respect their wants and needs.

There is not yet running water on our land. We will have a foot pump sink for hand washing available and portapotties available as restrooms. One will be an accessible portapotty that accommodates a wheelchair.

We will have designated smoking areas available with signage directing folks to where it is.

If you are not registered for this event, please do not join us this time! In order to support being able to meet the needs of the group and of individuals at the gathering, we ask people to register (payment is sliding scale $0-30, no volunteer requirements or questions for anywhere on the scale) in advance. We’ll be checking people in as you arrive. Registration will remain open until September 27 or until it’s full, which ever is sooner.

OMG we hope you do still come! But, of course, that is totally up to you. For some people this might be the first large gathering they’ve been to in a long time. For others it might be the first time they’re in an all-LGBTQ+ space or in a rural LGBTQ+-focused space. For all these reasons and more, let’s all try to be gentle with each other at this gathering. And know we can help support each other in community through this shared experience.

Good question! Out in the Open a multiracial, mostly working class, grassroots movement building organization based in Wabanaki territory, with staff based in Vermont and Maine. We’ve held nine Summits since 2015, including three in Waldo County, Maine and seven in Windham County, Vermont. Learn more about our current staff members and our board on our About Us page.

Donations to support the Summit are accepted any time here on our website and we’ll have a jar out the day-of for cash/checks as well. We’ll also share here that 5% of the budget for this gathering will been sent as a donation to our friends at Niweskok, who we consistently donate to when we are hosting large events that folks pay to attend. More about them and their work here.

Reach out to HB at HB@WeAreOutintheOpen.org any time and we’ll do our best to answer your questions!

Sure thing! Our Listeners are volunteer Summit attendees who are available to leave their session/lunch/etc. in order to chat with and listen to another attendee. Listeners are not professionals (though often they may have some amount of training from elsewhere in their lives!) and are not here to "fix" anything—mostly available to offer a space for someone to vent, process, reflect, cry, laugh, verbally release with if a one to one moment would be supportive! You'll have a designated arm band (gold lamé or pink flannel or something like that!) so that people can find you while you're on your volunteer shift.