Summer season is open!

Summer season is open!

The Queer Care Community

A place for earth-loving queers to care together

Summer season is closed

This Summer’s program we will expand on the theme of “community resilience” and how we can put our collective skills into practice together.

Our next Autumn season opens up again in September. Join the waitlist below to receive a notification when our next season opens!

Waitlist 💛

About the community

The Queer Care Community is an intimate on- and offline space for earth-loving queers to be together. It is an ever evolving ecosystem of care that has grown into a deeply rooted community and chosen family.

This is so much more than an online membership - it is a learning space for radical hope, where we come together to build a real & supportive community that can hold us through life’s ups and downs.

If you have been longing to feel like you belong and to be loved by a bunch of sweet, quirky and deeply caring queers, this is the place is for you.

More about our upcoming season’s program can be found below.

Community reviews

  • It is so beautiful how from the first moment I felt part of this magical place, even when non-verbal. How weirdness is embraced, how we are collectively dreaming, how needs are met & made priority. Building something long-lasting together. I feel safe here with these silly nerds.

    - Elfie

  • It has been life changing. A group of weirdos that are all extremely cute and loving and caring. The care sessions are always soft and nurturing. The workshops bring me hope and joy. I learn so much from everyone in the community. Thank you mother Toyah!!

    - Anne-Fleur

  • I absolutely loved it. I am very grateful for Garden of Queerdom and the community they nurture and grow. In the times of fascist politics and capitalist exhaustion, having caring, slow and tender spaces to come together and share personal-political experiences, interests, knowledges, desires, challenges, etc is an inmense gift of radical hope and collective resistance.

    - Carmen

  • As someone that's been bed-ridden and home-bound, the online community has been a life saver. It's been wonderful to have something so sweet to look forward to every week. The kind of activities we did in the sessions reminded me of how simple life really can be and how together we can create an experience much richer than we can on our own. In times when the world is scary, community like this is what takes you back to the roots.

    - S.

  • This online community is simply amazing. The atmosphere that Toyah creates feels so safe and gives you a lot of energy. This is such a beautiful way to still be connected to a community online if for whatever reason you can't do it in another way. Thank you for this Toyah, I hope this community will only grow but I have all the faith that it will because the world needs this and the founders of this community are beautiful souls. <3

    - Wolf

  • The online community felt much more close to me than I ever thought it would. It was really nice to meet up every Friday with like-minded people. It reminded me to take care of myself, as well as provided a space for play and experiment with new things all from the comfort of my own home, alongside a supportive group of people. It gave me a safe space to explore from.

    - Lisa

  • It has been a really big theme this year to be a part of this community! I gained so much feeling of belonging and really found my people it seems. There’s such a strong feeling of everyone wanting to build something beautiful together. Toyah is an amazing host and constant throughout everything. She brought us together, created an environment where everyone can be honest and fragile, but also share joy and foolishness. Grateful to have met these people who became part of my daily life 🤎

    - Elske

  • This is a wonderful and welcoming community. It became like a big family where people take care of each other. The best community I have been in :)

    - Sofia

  • This community is like a big queer group hug. A place to share in joy and hope and to find support when needed. Also these gays are funny.

    -AF

  • To be an autistic little nerd about it and quote Shakespeare : I were but little happy if I could say how much. I joined on a whim, but I'm so so so endlessly grateful life took me here. I feel seen and loved. I feel that we are slowly becoming a mycelial network of care <3

    -Jonathan/Melissa

  • Lovely! Such a nice community and also the skill share and book club sessions are very nice.

    -A.

  • For a long time I was searching for my kind of queer community and people. And now I found it! I ‘m so gratefull for that. I went to some events and enjoyed the online care sessions. It just feels so warm and cozy. You can come as you are ✨🩷

    -Lieke

What’s included

ONLINE
Weekly live zoom sessions, every Friday from 11 AM - 12PM (CEST), including:

  • Monthly themed workshops & community skill shares

  • Bi-weekly queer care sessions

  • A monthly slow book club

  • Replays of all the live sessions

  • A Whatsapp community to connect anytime, where we share life’s ups and downs and support each other

  • A Discord channel where we meet up for body doubling sessions, video calls and silent hangouts.

IN PERSON MEETUPS
On top of our online sessions, we also come together for real life meetups such as; seasonal celebrations, small get-togethers, camping trips & nature hikes. These are all community organized events, that mostly take place within the Netherlands.

Note: none of the on- and offline events are “mandatory”, you can decide for yourself how/how often you want to participate in the sessions.

Our Summer season start on:
Friday the 19th of June from 11AM - 12PM (CEST)

Our seasons only open up every three months. Register before Friday 11 AM to join this season

More info on the program of the Summer season can be found below.

This Summer season

Through this upcoming season’s program we will expand on the theme of “community resilience” and how we can put our collective skills into practice together.

This Summer season we will experiment with community making through our slow book club read; “Picnicking Matters”. We will explore the “social change ecosystem map” framework in a workshop on building healthy ecosystems of care hosted by Toyah, and we will have two skill-shares led by community members. And as always, we will slow down and care together during our bi-weekly care sessions.

Extra program:
This season we have an extra multisession workshop “The Resilience Toolkit” which will hosted by embodiment facilitator Misha

More info on each session can be found below

Queer Care Sessions

  • During the Queer Care Sessions we collectively make room to care for ourselves and each other; read that book you’ve been meaning to read for so long, go for a walk, create, cook, sing, dance or just witness your community in care.

    The care sessions start with a check-in and from there on out we work on something caring for ourselves and witness each other do the same. In the chat there is room to check in further and share with the community.

  • There are two care sessions held every month. The care sessions take place every other Friday on Zoom, between 11AM and 12PM (CET). Replays are available on the community page.

Workshops & Skill-shares

  • This season, we will focus on “community resilience” as our main theme.

    Workshops

    “Building an ecosystem of care”
    Guided workshop on finding your role in the ecosystem, hosted by Toyah

    “The Resilience Toolkit”
    A community workshop on building resilient collective nervous systems, Hosted by Misha

    Skill-shares:

    • “Neurodivergent Lifehacks” hosted by Marin

    • “Mapping your needs & Values”
      Hosted by Sofia

  • Workshops are hosted live on Zoom once a month, on Friday’s between 11AM and 12PM (CET). Replays are available on the community page.

The Slow Book Club

  • The Slow Book Club is a seasonal book club, where we discuss our favorite and important writings on queer care & earth justice.

    Every season will be accompanied by one book, which we will discuss over the course of three months.

    This Summer season we will be reading:

    Picnicking Matters: Big questions and tiny revelations around care and healing ecologies

    https://mouriescollective.org/picniking-matters/

  • There will be one live book club session held monthly on Zoom, on Friday’s between 11AM and 12PM (CET). Replay’s are available through the community page.

Online Community Channels

  • Discord community channel
    This channel is a private space where you can connect with each other outside of the live sessions through video calls and text.

    Community members host body doubling sessions here, play games or just hang out together on/off camera for fun.

    Members WhatsApp
    We also have a dedicated community group on WhatsApp for all members, where you can connect with each other on a daily basis.

  • The Discord channel and Whatsapp Group are always open and available to every member, forever!

Meetups & Events

  • Besides our online sessions, we also come together for real life meetups such as; seasonal celebrations, small get-togethers, camping trips & nature hikes. These are all community organized events, that mostly take place within the Netherlands.

  • In person meetups and events are organised by community members throughout the seasons.

    They mostly take place within The Netherlands.

Join the waitlist 💛

Pricing & payment

The queer care community membership is offered through monthly sliding scale pricing: €25 (community care price) €35 (regular price) and €40 (solidarity price). There are financial hardship spaces available. If you cannot afford the lowest end of the price scale - please contact us through email to find a suitable solution for you.

The membership fees are paid monthly. After each month the membership automatically renews or can be cancelled before the end of the billing period.

For more information on pricing and transparency on the time, energy and care that is put into this online community, scroll to the “price transparency” section below.

Payment options
You can pay your monthly subscription through all major creditcards.

If you don’t own a creditcard:
Bunq bank (among others) offers a pre-paid online “credit” card that you can use to pay by IDEAL with your bank account, PayPal or Apple Wallet - the online Bunq card can be used to make payments just like a regular credit card, but without the credit.

ASN Bank also offers a debit based “credit card”.

If you need help with setting up your payment, contact us at:
gardenofqueerdom@gmail.com

This community is for you, if you…

  • believe that nature is inherently queer and that we are nature

  • are looking for a place to slow down and celebrate the seasons, including respecting ourselves as cyclical beings - despite what capitalism is trying to “teach” us.

  • love to create, craft, frolic, potter, wander around and just be

  • are longing for a space to truly be yourself and grow into your own queerness

  • have been craving community, but aren’t sure how to build it or where to find it

  • are looking for a community to build on and dream about the future with

  • are looking for a space to feel deeply supported and loved for who you are

  • are chronically ill, disabled or homebound but still want to connect to your community in a very real way

  • are neurodivergent and want to feel seen and heard in your lived experiences

  • like a forest or a garden, think that thriving can only happen together

  • believe that you are soil and soil is you :)

Join the waitlist 💛

About your host

Toyah (she/they) Is a neuroqueer artist, community facilitator, organizer & the founder of Garden of Queerdom. They feel a deep connection to the more-than-human world and believe that we are nature and that nature is inherently queer. It’s their life’s work to bring joy and purpose to queer people’s lives through connection to community and our earthly kin.

Toyah has facilitated and hosted dozens of workshops and queer events over the years and their strength lies in making people feel validated and seen by creating a warm and inviting atmosphere, hosted from a space of vulnerability and kindness.

FAQs

  • No, this space welcomes all sexualities/genders/beings. It is however a “queer centered” space, meaning that it centers the experiences of queer people through the topics and discussions we engage in.

    Anybody that is an ally and respects this space is welcome to join and learn/participate.

  • Yes, very much so. Both Toyah (adhd) and Mandy (audhd) are neurodivergent - as well as a large part of our community members - we have a lot experience navigating the neurodivergent experience.

    This space is also designed to honor the needs of people who are chronically ill and/or have (other) physical or mental disabilities.


    If you are looking for a more specific neurodiverngent focussed space, we are opening up neuroqueer support sessions soon. Visit the Neuroqueer Care page for more info

  • Nope! It’s totally up to you which sessions you join or don’t join.
    The workshops and book club are part of a seasonal series, but designed to also be enjoyed on their own.

    You can also watch the replays of previous sessions if you like.

  • The Seasonal membership offers a three month series of sessions (workshops, book club, care sessions) which opens up every new season and runs for three months.

    The membership is billed and can be cancelled monthly.

  • Yes! The replays from each session can be found through the separate “replay” page in the membership area.

  • No! It is totally up to you in which way you participate in the sessions and workshops. You can be on- or offscreen, type in the chat or just be with us.

  • You can pay your monthly subscription through all major creditcards.

    If you don’t own a creditcard:
    Bunq Bank (among others) offers a pre-paid online “credit” card that you can use to link to your bank account through IDEAL, PayPal or Apple Wallet - Online “credit” card such as Bunq can be used to make payments just like a regular credit card, but without the credit.

    ASN also offers a debit/credit card without a loan.

    Visit the link below:
    https://www.bunq.com/nl-nl/personal-account/banking-features/credit-card

    If you need help organising your payment, please contact us through email.

  • There are financial hardship passes available for the membership. Please contact us through gardenofqueerdom@gmail.com for the possibilities.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please reach out to us through email: gardenofqueerdom@gmail.com

Price & labor transparency

It has always been our goal to make Garden of Queerdom as accessible as possible to our community. We never want money to stand in the way of much needed community and queer care, and would never send people away for this reason.

However, it is also important for us to recognize that we, as queer and neurodivergent artists, should also receive a fair wage for our labor. A lot of time, care and energy is poured into this community and without the proper care for ourselves and our livelihood, we can not uphold the work that we do in a sustainable way.

We want to be as transparent as possible about how our time is spent and the pricing that has come from that. We feel that this creates more room for other queer entrepreneurs and creatives to also receive a fair wage for their labor, therefor creating more financial safety for all of us.

Below you will find a rough overview of the minimum amount of hours that are spent by one person, every month on managing the Queer Care Community alone.

Price transparency

Percentage of membership fees that go towards GOQ. Example: from a €35 membership, €25 goes to GOQ. This amount excludes web hosting costs and other monthly business expenses that we have to keep the platform & GOQ running.

Time transparency chart

Rough estimate of hours spent each month on managing the community space.