LGBTQ teenagers step out of COVID-19 isolation to reconnect at summer camp in St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG – Alvon Griffin began to play slowly, pounding the beat with purple drumsticks on the bottom of a True Value paint bucket.

Bum, clink, clink, clink, clink, clink, clink, boom, clink, boom …

A group of teenagers watched in a church shrine with proud flags hanging on the walls. Some had short, dyed hair and black denim jackets. Some wore pins, pride bracelets, or flower crowns. Many had played instruments before, maybe ukulele or kazoo.

But that was new, like so much of what they experienced at the Metro Inclusive Health 2021 LGBTQ + Youth Summer Camp. The 22 campers aged 13-17 got to know each other, still hesitantly.

Reportedly the only camp in the Tampa Bay area created for LGBTQ teenagers, the week-long session brings together those who have shared experiences. They can build confidence in a place where they don’t have to worry about explaining the pronouns they use every time they meet someone, said Margot Ash, camp director.

And it’s a way to open up and overcome last year’s isolation spent at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“You can safely connect with each other and find people like her,” said Ash.

She brought Griffin in to assist with the process. But at that point, at the beginning of the camp, the teenagers didn’t know that.

Alvon Griffin leads a bucket drum session at Metro Inclusive Health 2021 LGBTQ + Youth Summer Camp. [ ARIELLE BADER | Times ]

Dreads streamed down his back from under a back cap, Griffin wrote a 16-beat pattern on a whiteboard and showed how to count it. Hit the center of the drum on beats one, eight, and 10 for a loud bass sound. Hit the outer edge hard on beats five and 13 for an accent. Hit the outer edge on every other hit, the normal hits.

His audience sat slumped at first, their empty faces seemed to ask: “What are we doing anyway?”

Then Griffin started playing faster, with more energy. He hopped at his own pace.

Boom, sound, sound, sound …

The teenagers straightened up like rockets, their eyes busy. They began to dance very easily in their chairs as Griffin pounded faster and faster.

Now they all wanted their own drum. Griffin had a pyramid of buckets outside the room and passed one to each camper.

“Everything you do matters because it adds to that sound,” he told them.

Alyssa Dawson, 14, was among the first to grab a bucket. She played nervously, slowly.

Bang, clink, clink …

Alyssa is transgender. She started her transition in November and was in virtual school all final year, but every time she left the house, Alyssa and her mother Jennifer discussed which bathroom to use.

Many campers have similar concerns. Some said they are worried about someone following them or they fear the judgment of others.

Max Gastelum, 17, welcomed the opportunity to attend a camp in St. Petersburg for LGBTQ teenagers. “It’s nice not to be afraid,” said Gastelum.
[ ARIELLE BADER | Times ]

Max Gastelum, 17, who is also transgender, said he usually text family members while they are on the bathroom so they know he is fine.

Here at camp he doesn’t have to worry. There is one bathroom for all genders.

“It’s nice not to be afraid,” said Gastelum. “I don’t want to be hateful about my bladder.”

Metro Inclusive Health conducts the week-long sessions at Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg. Metro Inclusive Health is a St. Petersburg non-profit organization providing health and wellness services to the LGBTQ community. Allendale is a church built on acceptance by all, at a time when some churches are citing religious reasons for rejecting people in the LGBTQ community.

“Your silence is violence” is written on a banner in front of the sanctuary. “Speak for black lives”, it says in another.

Teens attending an LGBTQ camp had the run of their host, the Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg. [ ARIELLE BADER | Times ]

Now in its sixth summer and the first with Ash as director, the camp was launched to expand Metro Inclusive Health’s youth programs beyond the weekly nightly sessions. The hope was that with more time together, friendships would be formed.

Activities and guest actors help keep the camp energized.

Campers had their own 30-minute conversation about respect and boundaries, Ash said. Their goal was to build trust and strength for life outside the church walls.

Camper Cupid, 15, dressed all in pink, said he spent a day learning martial arts, how to use elbows in defense and dodge a blow. They began not looking for a black belt, but how to defend themselves against a world that may not always accept them.

Gastelum found the camp through a therapist from Metro Inclusive Health. He said it was nice to hang out with people without fear of being labeled an insult. Many campers had never met other LGBTQ people their age before.

Cupid, 15, dressed all in pink, said he spent a day learning martial arts. It wasn’t so much the beginning of a search for a black belt as learning skills to defend yourself against a world that may not always accept it. [ ARIELLE BADER | Times ]

The excitement has grown among campers of enjoying simple human interaction again, in an accepting place.

But in some cases, like Alyssa’s mom, Jennifer Dawson, loved ones are still nervous.

“It’s a little scary for me as her parents,” said Dawson. “But she is fearless.”

clink …

Alyssa stopped drumming. She got it wrong. Griffin asked her if she wanted to try again. She didn’t.

The drums just weren’t for her. She had already found something else interesting, sitting in a circle and drawing in her notebook. This is her passion.

She drew a story about Chester, a part-cyborg character that she created. Chester’s world will have spiders, dragons, and demogorgons.

She proudly showed her drawings to the other campers.

In the meantime, Scottie Brittain, 17, changed drums.

“Don’t look at me,” Brittain said to everyone.

Griffin dutifully turned away.

Bum, clink, clink, clink, clink, clink, clink, boom, clink, boom, clink …

Scottie had it under control, as smooth as Griffin.

“It’s good I didn’t see that,” Griffin said with a laugh, turning around.

He handed out more buckets. One by one, each camper appeared to applause. Some helped each other.

Teenagers slowly disappeared into the lobby to draw or relax. Some didn’t like the loud sound.

With just a handful left, Griffin let them play together as a team. The 16-beat rhythm echoed in perfect sync from the high ceiling of the church.

“Oh oh,” he yelled, “we have musicians in the house.”

Teens take part in an energetic bucket drum session, a way they can work together during a week-long camp at Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg.

[ ARIELLE BADER | Times ]

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