Colorado Exempts Religious Camps from New Gender Identity Regulations

Colorado has officially agreed to exempt religious children’s camps from the state’s transgender accommodation licensing requirements following a federal lawsuit from a Christian camp.

In a recent settlement shared with media outlets, the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) announced it would not require Camp Idrahaje or similar faith-based camps to adopt gender identity regulations to keep their state licenses.

Earlier this year, Colorado updated its licensing regulations to include provisions from the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA). These changes classified child resident camps as “public accommodations,” mandating that they provide access to sleeping and dressing facilities based on campers’ gender identities. The state had already set gender identity guidelines for bathrooms back in 2018.

Camp Idrahaje, named after the Christian hymn “I have Jesus,” serves children aged 6 to 17 and has been operating in Colorado since 1948.

Last year, Camp Idrahaje filed a lawsuit after its request for a religious exemption was denied, claiming that the new gender rules conflicted with its religious beliefs.

As part of the agreement reached last week, Colorado clarified that religious institutions like churches and mosques would not be included in the gender identity regulations since they are not considered “public accommodations.”

CDEC confirmed they would not take enforcement action against camps like Idrahaje for non-compliance with the new gender regulations, which many felt imposed on their religious freedoms.

Ryan Tucker, a senior adviser for the Alliance Defending Freedom, described the settlement as a significant victory for Camp Idrahaje. He expressed relief that the agreement shields religious camps from state policies perceived as conflicting with deeply held beliefs.

Tucker suggested that this settlement could provide some comfort to other religious camps facing similar challenges in the state.

While it was unfortunate that legal action was necessary, Camp Idrahaje looks forward to moving past this and focusing on its mission. The department’s updated guidelines, released in June, explicitly state that religious camps are exempt from the gender regulations.

The memo from CDEC reinforces that unless a facility qualifies as a “place of public accommodation,” the licensing rules will not necessitate compliance with CADA.

The CDEC emphasized that it has not enforced any actions against Camp Idrahaje under the contested licensing regulations, and the Alliance Defending Freedom voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit recently.