A Christian summer camp in the foothills near Bailey expects to be shut down by state regulators in the coming months unless a federal judge decides that it can legally separate campers by sex rather than by their gender identity.
Camp IdRaHaJe, a portmanteau for “I’d rather have Jesus,” was founded in 1948 and operates week-long summer programs for children ages six to 17 on its 262 acres. The camp expects to host 2,500 to 3,000 youngsters this summer, according to a May 12 lawsuit.
It also expects that a licensing specialist will arrive in June or July to determine whether the camp is in compliance with state regulations. He or she will learn then that it is not.
Last year, the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, which licenses camps, adopted new rules requiring licensees to let campers use bathrooms, showers and bedrooms that align with their gender identity. Camp IdRaHaJe says that it requested an exemption on religious grounds, which was not granted, and that it will not comply with those rules.
The camp’s doctrinal statement, which is an exhibit to its lawsuit, teaches that “God has immutably created each person as either male or female in His image” and “the differentiation of the sexes, male and female, is part of the divine image in the human race.”
“The government has no place telling religious summer camps that it is ‘lights out’ for upholding their religious beliefs about human sexuality,” Andrea Dill, an attorney for the camp with the conservative group Alliance Defending Freedom, said in a press release.
The camp says that it welcomes non-Christians and, in 2021, even accepted a camper who was experiencing gender dysphoria, after explaining to the child and their mother that the camper must use the facilities associated with their biological sex, according to the lawsuit.
“Camp IdRaHaJe exists to present the truth of the Gospel to children who are building character and lifelong memories,” Dill explained. “But the Colorado government is putting its dangerous agenda — that is losing popularity across the globe — ahead of its kids.”
Dill and Camp IdRaHaJe are asking U.S. Magistrate Judge Reid Neureiter to grant it an exception from the Colorado Department of Early Childhood’s rules on gender.
“This matter concerns pending litigation and CDEC will address it through the appropriate legal channels,” that agency said in a statement. “We have no further comment at this time.”
Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter.
