I can’t believe it’s been over a month since I returned home from Woodhull’s Sexual Freedom Summit. It seems like just yesterday I was anxiously trying to bide my time at the airport because, as usual, I had arrived way too early. I had been bubbling over with excitement and anticipation for months, and finally the day had come – I was about to fly to Washington, D.C. to meet my blogger friends, the people I had known for over a year but had yet to meet in person.
It is overwhelming to try to put my experience with the Blogsquad into words. It feels almost impossible to describe what it was like to spend time with this brilliant and talented group of people, and I will inevitably leave things out, but here goes!
Wednesday
I arrived in Alexandria on Wednesday evening after a quick flight from North Carolina. I lived in Virginia for 21 years before moving to my current city last year, and seeing familiar landmarks on my way in felt a bit like coming home. After wandering around the airport for a bit waiting for Polly and Lilith to pick me up, I heard a tiny chorus of voices behind me shouting my name: they were here! My friends! Actually in front of me, where I can hug them, and not in my computer screen! (I had this reaction countless times throughout the conference. It’s a cool feeling.)
On our way back up to our rooms, we ran into Epiphora in the lobby. When I introduced myself, she said, “Oh, I know who you are – I recognize you from your lipstick!” (Which is the ultimate #FemmeGoal, let’s be real.) A bit later, we made our way to Mary and Harry‘s room for my first big group blogger hang, complete with wine, tons of laughs, and hilarious stories. I thrive best in one-on-one or small group interactions, so I was a bit nervous about how the night would go in a larger group, but I had no need to worry: I quickly felt at ease with my blogger friends. I think this tweet from Piph sums up the evening excellently:
Favorite moment of last night: @FemmeReviews' story of a very upset tattooed man at the airport who yelled "I JUST WANT MY SKIN BACK" #SFS16
— Epiphora (@Epiphora) August 4, 2016
Thursday
I woke up early on Thursday for a very exciting reason: to welcome my dear friend Kate to our Room-o-Femmes! We instantly bonded as we showed other our potential outfits for the weekend ahead. I knew I was in for a fantastic roommate situation with this femme by my side. As Kate settled in for a nap, I made my way downstairs to pick up my name badge and check out Tantus’s Blogger Lounge.
The next few hours were filled with exciting introductions, a plethora of hugs, and an abundance of good feels all around. As bloggers arrived, they slowly started to trickle into the Blogger Lounge to greet those of us who had flown or drove in on Wednesday. I was thrilled to meet everyone in person: Lilly with her Jar of Horrors in tow, Lunabelle with her suitcase full of fantastic dildos, Sarah with a bag full of candy curated specially for the Blogger Lounge… it was surreal to be in the same room as my blogger pals for the first time ever. And, of course, I almost exploded with anticipation waiting to greet my best friend Sugarcunt.
Later in the day, a group of us visited Lunabelle’s room to check out her magnificent dildo garden. The rumors are true: it was a glorious sight to behold. In the evening, we hung out with Tina Horn (!) in the Room-o-Femmes (and our third rooomate, Artemisia, arrived), went to Bedpost Confessions, and had our first anxiety group parking lot rendezvous, where I felt like a Very Cool Grrrl Gang member.
Friday
After a day and a half spent talking, laughing, and hanging out with my blogger friends, it was time for the educational sessions to begin! In addition to spending time with the Blogsquad, I was also delighted to spend a weekend learning from some of the greatest minds in the sexuality field. Woodhull was filled with brilliant educators, activists, and writers, and I couldn’t wait to soak up as much information as possible like the little sex geek sponge I am. Before I jumped into a full day of sessions, I snagged a selfie with Sugarcunt, my sweet and smart blogger bestie.
Then, during our lunch break, we convened in the Blogger Lounge and did what bloggers do best. Yep, I was definitely with my people.
https://twitter.com/FemmeReviews/status/761611933409800194
After Friday’s sessions, Lunabelle told us she had brought a large box of misfit dildos for the Blogsquad to pick through and select what they’d like to take home. These toys were free to good homes, but Luna did accept donations to support Woodull if people were able to give, which was a fantastic idea. While we ooh-ed and ahh-ed over Luna’s collection, she broke out her rolling bar and offered us all drinks. Luna was kind enough to add Midori and pineapple juice to the rolling bar this year so I could make my signature Melon Balls! This small gesture meant so much to me – the Blogsquad is caring, accommodating, and generous at every turn. A large group of us spent the next couple of hours chatting, drinking, and selecting new dildos to welcome into our homes.
On Friday night, we all made our way to SheVibe’s Blogger Pajama Party. Clad in our PJ finery, bloggers were greeted with snacks, drinks, and extravagant swag bags courtesy of SheVibe, an ethical, feminist company that believes in bloggers and does all they can to support us. Part of the PJ Party was a poetry slam, where we were blessed with the poetic stylings of a number of talented bloggers, and where Girl On The Net performed this unbelievably hilarious and brilliant piece. I’m pretty sure that even if hotel guests were on the top floor, they could hear our uproarious laughter.
Saturday
Saturday promised even more educational sessions and blogger hangouts, but it also brought an overwhelming feeling of sadness. The next morning, I would be on my way back home. While some of us were making plans to see each other again soon, I also knew I wouldn’t see the majority of these folks again until next August’s conference. I knew I wanted to make the most of my last day with the Blogsquad.
Saturday evening was the perfect end to an amazing Woodhull experience. After the day’s sessions finished, Kate, Artemisia, Caitlin, Suz, Sarah, and I convened in the Room-o-Femmes to order room service and prepare for the evening’s gala, where we were later joined by Luna (and happily gifted her crème brûlée). Thrilled with the roll selection we were given with dinner, I professed my deep love for bread and asked the room what would happen if I changed the name of my blog to “Bread” and started reviewing bread instead of sex toys. Then, this happened:
A blog that reviews both dildos and bread: DILDOUGH
— Kate Sloan (she/her) (@Girly_Juice) August 6, 2016
Now, if you ever see bloggers respond to each other on Twitter with a bread emoji, you’ll know why. It’s kind of a thing. Thanks, Room-o-Femmes.
After spending a bit of time at the gala, most of us made our way to the Retreat area of the conference hotel, where the rest of the bloggers were hanging out. We spent hours talking, drinking, and just simply enjoying each other’s company – we knew we were all going our separate ways very soon, and wanted to spend as much time together as possible before starting our long journeys home the next day. We also took a big Blogsquad group picture (minus a couple of people who were still at the gala) thanks to my selfie stick, which is a photo I’ll always treasure. Whenever I’m feeling down or lonely, I look at that picture and am reminded of Woodhull and the incredible people I have in my life.
Sunday
Sunday morning was filled with emotional goodbyes and a few inside jokes. It was excruciatingly hard to walk away from my friends and get on the shuttle to the airport, but I did it knowing that I could already start counting down to next year’s Sexual Freedom Summit, as well as plan other meet-ups throughout the coming year.
As I was winding down for bed on Sunday evening, I scrolled through my Twitter feed and put an episode of Frasier on for some background noise. Nothing really out of the ordinary here – this is my typical nighttime routine. But something was out of the ordinary: I had just returned from a conference where I felt really, truly seen for the first time in a long, long time. I have never felt so comfortable with a group of people as I do with the Blogsquad. Bloggers support each other unconditionally when we’re together in person and when we’re apart and only able to communicate virtually. It’s a beautiful community that I am thankful to be a part of.
Woodhull provides attendees with a revolutionary space for us affirm sexual freedom as a human right. The Blogsquad provides me with a revolutionary space for me to truly be myself. Thank you for four days of joy.
If you want to support my future travels to conferences like Woodull’s Sexual Freedom Summit, email me! I am currently raising money to get to Eroticon in London in March, where I’ll be speaking about Sex Blogging as Feminism and Social Justice.