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Camp Trans is an annual counter-demonstration outside the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival by transsexual womyn and their allies, to protest the Festival's exclusive policy of only allowing "womyn-born-womyn" to attend.
The Festival has its roots in lesbian-feminist and lesbian-seperatist analysis of patriarchy, and is intended to provide a week-long safe space for attendees to enjoy music created exclusively by womyn, immerse themselves in womyn's culture and celebrate their womonhood in a safe environment without domination, oppression or interference by men. Its primary organizers adhere to a belief that a defining quality of womonhood comes from being born in a female body in this society and that the presence of anyone who has experienced otherwise is inappropriate for maintaining the festival's safe space.
Opponents of the policy argue for a less deterministic understanding of gender and insist, as a popular slogan says, that "womyn's space is for all womyn". They view the policy as transphobic.
Many confrontations over this policy have occurred over the years. Stories abound about womyn being thrown off the land upon questioning about their transgendered status. In the early 90's the ousted womyn and their allies began regular demonstrations outside the gate during every festival, and this tradition has since evolved into an annual event known as Camp Trans.
Camp Trans has, in recent years, become somewhat of a mecca for the nationwide queer community, and has spurred the careers of a few famous queer celebrities and academics such as Riki Ann Wilchins. They now rent a large swath of national park land down the road from the festival and attract close to 200 people each year. Attendees participate in direct actions and outreach to the festival-goers (or "festies") as well as workshops, games, dances and performances. They mostly spend the week living out of tents in the woods and eating communal meals by the campfire, as lesbian folk music echoes in the forest.
(NOTE: in articles related to Camp Trans and the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival, the words womyn and its singular, womon, are used as an alternative to the commonplace women and woman. This usage is an integral part of the communities described, and is not a typo, nor should it be written off as a POV, for it accurately represents the debates and controversies among them. To "correct" these spellings would be an offense.)
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