Finding fellowship with Rainbow RV

Nestled along the Pacific Ocean at the beautiful Chula Vista RV Camp, hundreds of decorated rigs – from pink flamingo patio sets, to rainbow string lights – gather as one. Rainbow RV is in town, and its members aren’t afraid to show it; especially not club owners Tim Vasquez and his partner Gregory O’Connor, whose 26 feet tall Priscilla: Queen of the Desert high-heel replica sits atop their personal RV.

“I welded it myself,” explains Greg, “after Tim came up with the idea.” And since then, their rig and its shoe have become somewhat of a staple not only within their club, but at Pride celebrations across the nation. Which of course, provides Greg and Tim with their own feelings of pride.

The couple of 26 years were spending their days as landscapers in Temecula when they happened upon Rainbow RV. They had recently left their community church after feelings of judgment had arisen, and they were searching for like-minded people. The club had appealed to them because it was made up of gay and lesbian couples just like them – monogamous, committed couples and their families.

“Most gay groups are sexual. We thought, ‘are we going to a sex club?’ But Rainbow RV wasn’t about that,” explains Tim.

To which Greg agrees, “We finally found fellowship.”

Rainbow RV had been around since 1997, but in 2009 it was in desperate need of new leadership.

“At first, I didn’t want to buy the club,” said Tim. “I knew that if we did, I would have to be the social one, the one to organize events, and I was really very agoraphobic at the time. I didn’t want to do it!”

But he did it! And so did Greg. The two men purchased the club and took the lead. And according to Mark, a long-time member, “It was a Godsend!” After which Tim came out of his shell and into his own and Greg followed suit.

For prospective members of Rainbow RV, one might wonder – how do you socialize with other couples? How do you meet friends and get that feeling of fellowship? With the enormity of today’s rigs, it is easy to disappear inside your portable world and cut yourself off. Something Greg and Tim have worked carefully to avoid.

According to the couple, they provide members with three chances to meet each day during the trip. First, they do coffee and bagels in the morning. They rent a second RV lot next to their own and put up a giant tent, complete with tables and folding chairs and set up shop; breakfast Rainbow-style. Then, either in the afternoon or evening they host a specific event. Everything from doggie drag shows, to rig decorating contests, to mini-golf has all been known to take place.

Lastly, “We break bread,” says Greg. He speaks highly of the tradition, explaining that everyone cooks and brings a dish in traditional potluck fashion. Afterward, the men used to host a campfire, but quickly found that having only one campfire often led to groups feeling left out and returning to their campsites. Now, several campfire gatherings occur throughout the camp, and you can mix and mingle wherever you like!

Another way Rainbow RV brings people together is through their ambassador program. For instance, if you are a first-timer and you’re from Milwaukee, Greg and Tim will find you another member from Milwaukee to be your ambassador; they will meet you at the camp and show you the ropes.

For such a positive, community-focused club, it’s almost hard to believe all the hate mail that started pouring in once Greg and Tim took over the reins. Shocked, they had to come to terms with the fact that they inadvertently had become a face for homosexuality, and their lifestyle was now out there for everyone to see.

“As a landscaper I put on my business face, my professional persona,” says Tim. He had grown accustomed to keeping his home life private, but now that he and Greg were owners of a popular gay and lesbian RV club, anonymity was no longer an option.

Both Greg and Tim claim that prior to owning Rainbow RV, they had never really been activists when gay rights came into question. But with the hate mail, that changed all of that. Now, the men have learned to embrace their responsibility as community leaders.

“At an event in Palm Springs, tons of people gathered to see our shoe,” says Tim, regarding of course the super-tall, symbolic rig-piece. It proved to be a hit, and everyone was curious about Rainbow RV.

The following day, it was revealed that several citizens of Palm Springs complained about Rainbow’s temporary tenancy at the RV camp. Tim and Greg had never experienced such hate; especially toward a group whose main focus is bonding and togetherness through familial camping.

But then, to their surprise, four cars of older straight couples followed them to the camp just to let them know they were welcome and to ignore those other people.

“That really meant a lot,” Greg admitted.

Since taking over the club in 2009, Rainbow RV has grown in popularity. The group now boasts 7,000 members, 22 of which are (get this!) straight! And with couples and families comprising 95 percent of that, it really does seem to be a like-minded group of people. Though, at the core of it, “We love everybody,” Tim assures.

When looking for a place to belong, Tim and Greg struck gold with Rainbow RV. Not only does it provide members with a fun, giant group of camping partners, plenty of rig-seeing opportunities (many ‘mansions’ exist within the group), and good ol’ fashioned potlucks – but it really does provide that feeling of fellowship.

“When there’s no longer a need for Rainbow RV, when all families, gay and straight regularly camp together … that’ll be the best news,” Greg and Tim explain.

To which one can’t help but think what on Earth would they do with that shoe?