Queerguru’s Ris Fatah reviews FLAMINGO CAMP : documents the thriving golden days of a queer and trans community on the fringe of society

Slab City is an off-grid alternative lifestyle community in the California desert, about 90 miles southeast of Palm Springs. Formerly a US military base, the abandoned site has, since the mid-1980s, become a seasonal home to up to 4000 nomadic people of all ages. There are many different kinds of resident–van lifers, alternative thinkers, people on the run from normal life, the law or anything, travellers, tourists, and so on. It’s largely self-governing, with minimal state or federal input, and with a limited water supply. It’s almost unlivable in the scorching summer desert heat, when the population dwindles to a couple of hundred hard-core dwellers. Many of the residents live in named camps – groups of trucks, caravans, RVs, and tents housing like-minded individuals in the vein of the Burning Man festival.

Flamingo Camp, home to a group of young queer and trans campmates is one such camp. It’s the subject of Flamingo Camp, a new documentary by director Chris Coats. Founded by nomadic Canadian traveller Nova, we follow her and her campmates as they navigate a couple of years in the harsh desert. We meet Poe/Legion, Cecil, Emmit, Thistle, Opal, Lola, Lurp, Knives and many more. Life isn’t easy for these young queers but many of them have escaped homophobic or transphobic mid-West home towns and the ability to live their truest lives without the need for a rent check more than makes up for their harsh living circumstances. Nova doesn’t particularly want to be a leader but many of the campers are very young and often quite vulnerable, making her guidance and leadership both necessary and welcome.

The vibe at Flamingo Camp is fairly optimistic the first winter we join the campers. We listen in as the camp defines its clothing option rules, and follow their preparations for a drag fashion show. Another campmate plans to set up a gender reassignment clinic on site, and receives their first shipment of 10g of estrogen. Not everyone contributes equally and many real-world problems resurface on camp. Nova, however, has a calming influence and has integrated the camp into Slab City life, even with the local white supremacists.

Matters change, however, a few months later, as spring turns to summer and Nova escapes the camp for the season to travel south to Mexico. The relentless summer heat causes friction amongst the few remaining Slab City residents, and then something truly awful happens, permanently affecting the vibe at Flamingo Camp.

Coats has made full use of the unrestricted access he was given to Flamingo Camp and his documentary gives equal attention to life on the camp pre and post the major incident. It’s good to see that queer nomadic life off-grid without a landlord in the USA is still possible, but he makes it quite clear that there is a different price to pay for living in such primitive conditions. He shows that community and neighbour issues are similar wherever you are, but that your chosen family can help you overcome any issues. Coats’ gentle fly-on-the-wall filming allows the campmates to relax and freely share their thoughts and ideas. Queer voices that might not otherwise be heard. The resulting conversations are interesting and heartfelt, revealing the complexity at the heart of the human condition. Flamingo Camp is beautifully shot and full of light and colour, reflecting the glorious spectrum of its campers. Recommended viewing.

Queerguru’s Contributing Editor Ris Fatah is a successful fashion/luxury business consultant  (when he can be bothered) who divides and wastes his time between London and Ibiza. He is a lover of all things queer, feminist, and human rights in general. @ris.fatah