SUMMIT INFO + FAQ

What are we doing about COVID?

This gathering is primarily outside. Out in the Open is providing free LAMP tests (PCR-level accuracy with results in 30 minutes) for every attendee and will be requiring everyone to receive a negative result when they arrive before joining for the day. If you receive a positive result, we will ask you to head home.

When you arrive, look for signage for testing. We’ll have a test for you using a nasal swab and will have results in 30 minutes. Please plan to arrive Saturday morning between 8:30 & 9:30AM so we can have your results before starting around 10:00AM.

We are encouraging normalizing wearing masks outside and distancing if people choose to although do not plan on requiring masks outside at this time. We will be asking people to mask when inside public/shared spaces indoors, including in restrooms (when not showering).

If you are staying overnight inside, please bring your vaccine card to show OITO staff when arriving.

We will have hand sanitizer and extra masks on-hand as well.

These plans may need to shift depending on COVID spread as we get closer to the gathering. We’ll do our best to proactively communicate!

If you have other COVID-related questions we haven’t answered here, please reach out!

What should I do if I am feeling sick or if I had a recent exposure?

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 are hoping/planning to have more of these gatherings in the near future so if you have to miss this one, know there will be more soon!

What about M.pox/hMPXV (The virus formerly known as Monkeypox)?

Again, if you have symptoms, please stay home. If you want more information about M.pox/hMPXV, go here. We’ll do our best to sanitize shared surfaces throughout the day and make supplies to do so available.

What is the day going to be like? What will we be doing?

Great question! Here is a link to a draft and evolving agenda. There will be open time to connect, eat, and enjoy the space as well as planned sessions, and space for open topics that come up for attendees during the weekend. This space is co-created by all of us who are there alongside and including Out in the Open staff and volunteers who are part of the planning team. 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 here as rural or small town LGBTQ+ people sharing this space together. <3

Will there be shade/rain cover?

Yes! We’ll have open sided canopies/tents (with the ability to roll down sides as well) for everyone.

Will there be seating?

Yes! There are 30 chairs available on site (as well as ample areas to sit/lay/curl up, etc. on the ground if you wish). Please feel free to bring your own favorite camp chairs, folding chairs, or other seating, too.

Will there be childcare?

Yes! We’ll have free childcare available on-site. Care providers are paid by Out in the Open and will be available from about 8:30AM-5:30PM on Saturday and from 8-10AM Sunday. We can offer care during the daytime portions of this gathering but not overnight. If you are bringing kids along who will be staying overnight with you on-site, let’s talk!

Can I bring my dog?

As much as we personally love dogs, please leave them at home (or some other safe place!) during this gathering. Trained service dogs who are needed as support for a disability and are trained to do supportive work or a supportive task (not including Emotional Support Animals) are allowed! Let us know if you have questions.

Will GPS get me to the Summit?

We will send out directions to the Summit site to all attendees the week before the gathering. For your planning purposes, we’ll be in Halifax, Vermont at Venture Out Project’s Basecamp at Beaver Falls.

Parking?

Parking will be on-site. If you need accessible parking, let us know and we can reserve space close to the gathering areas. 

What about food?

There will be breakfast Saturday and Sunday available in the mornings, after you receive your negative COVID test result. We are also offering lunch and dinner on Saturday, and snacks available throughout. 

Meals will offer vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and omnivore options. The kitchen will be nut- and shellfish-free. There may be coconut and sesame seeds present. 

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 Summits Co-Coordinators Hana Saydek, who also goes by H, (HSaydek@WeAreOutintheOpen.org), and Grace Johnston-Fennell (Grace@WeAreOutintheOpen.org)

Safety & confidentiality

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 (those described above or others!) around pieces of their identities & experiences when sharing about this event both before, during, and after.

Can I take pictures?

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.

Is there cell phone coverage?

Cell phone coverage is spotty at the location. Some carriers have coverage, others do not. The folks at the venus say that ATT coverage is best on-site. If you need to be able to communicate with people during the day, let us know. There is some wifi/internet coverage close to the buildings and we can share the info with you.

Bathrooms?

There are 6 indoor flushable toilets on site, and 3 outdoor showers. The bathroom in the main building has a 34 inch entrance. People using wheelchairs may need assistance with opening and closing doors to these facilities, as the venue is not yet ADA accessible. If the existing bathrooms at the space are a barrier to access for any Summit attendees, please let us know and OITO will provide an ADA accessible portapotty to meet this need. 

Can I smoke/vape at the Summit?

We will have a designated smoking/vaping area available with signage directing folks to where it is. 

What if I’m not registered?

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, the land/space, and of individuals at the gathering, we ask people to register in advance. We’ll be checking people in as you arrive. If you would like to be added to the waitlist, please email us.

I’m nervous/anxious/having some other related experience about this! Should I still come?

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.

Also! We’ll have a “calm area” with some activities (coloring, embroidery, writing, zine making, drawing, just sitting, etc.) if you need a break from noise, talking, and/or people during the day. See some of you there! :)

Who is organizing this gathering? Are the organizers connected to this area?

Good question! Out in the Open is based on Abenaki land in the town and state of Brattleboro, Vermont. We’ve held six Summits since 2016 (five in this area and one in central Maine). Read more about our staff on our website.

I have other questions/curiosities/concerns! Who can I talk to?

Reach out to our Summits Co-Coordinators, Hana Saydek (HSaydek@WeAreOutintheOpen.org), and Grace Johnston-Fennell (Grace@WeAreOutintheOpen.org) any time and we’ll do our best to answer your questions!