A Christian summer camp in Colorado has secured an exemption from the state’s transgender accommodation rules following a legal settlement with state officials.
Camp IdRaHaJe, a nonprofit in Bailey that serves up to 3,000 children each year, filed a federal lawsuit in May claiming state licensing rules conflicted with its Christian beliefs.
The camp, which name stands for I’d Rather Have Jesus, was represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), who argued the government had no right to force faith-based camps to allow biological males to use female facilities.
ADF legal counsel Andrea Dill welcomed the outcome, saying in a statement: “State officials must respect religious ministries and their beliefs about human sexuality; they can't force a Christian summer camp to violate its convictions.”
Colorado’s Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) clarified the law now explicitly exempts religious camps.
Its executive director, Dr Lisa Roy, said the state never intended to close the camp and is “glad to support Camp IdRaHaJe’s understanding of their ability to provide a religious camp experience to kids.”
The camp’s mission is to “win souls to Jesus Christ through the spreading of the Gospel".