Christian overnight camp says it will be shut down under Colorado's gender identity rules
DENVER (KDVR) — A Christian youth camp is claiming in a federal lawsuit that it will be forced to shut down if Colorado's new rules that allow children to use facilities based on gender identity are enforced.
Camp IdRaHaJe, named for the hymn 'I'd Rather Have Jesus,' filed a lawsuit last week that seeks to 'uphold its religious and commonsense beliefs about biological sex,' after Colorado changed rules allowing children to use bathrooms, sleep and dress in facilities assigned to their gender identity.
Lyft asks Gov. Polis to veto rideshare safety bill as companies threaten to leave Colorado
IdRaHaJe said it requested to run the camp in line with its beliefs — i.e., requiring campers to use facilities determined by their biological sex.
Those regulations are made by the Colorado Department of Early Education. The camp says that it will be inspected for compliance in June or July, and will not 'violate its religious beliefs and exercise and will thus face revocation or suspension of its license and fines in June.'
The rules that the camp is taking issue with were adopted in December 2024 and became effective in February this year. The rule discusses the facilities that are to be provided at licensed camps and how they are treated. For example, the rule discusses separate staff and children's toilet facilities and further says that 'school-age children must be allowed to use the toilet facilities that correspond with their gender identity.'
IdRaHaJe has partnered with the Alliance Defending Freedom to bring this case. ADF lawyers were also involved in arguing a case involving Colorado-based web designer Lorie Smith, in a free speech case after she said she didn't want to create messages for LGBTQ couples; as well as a lawsuit involving a Christian baker from near Denver who refused to bake a cake for a transgender woman.
'The government has no place telling religious summer camps that it's 'lights out' for upholding their religious beliefs about human sexuality,' said ADF Legal Counsel Andrea Dill in a press release concerning the lawsuit.
She said that IdRaHaJe seeks to minister the Bible's message to thousands of children each year as they build character and lifelong memories at the overnight camp.
'But the Colorado government is putting its dangerous agenda—that is losing popularity across the globe—ahead of its kids,' Dill continued. 'We are urging the court to allow IdRaHaJe to operate as it has for over 75 years: as a Christian summer camp that accepts all campers without fear of being punished for its beliefs.'
Kelly Loving Act signed into Colorado law
The camp is located in Bailey and says it has maintained a resident camp license since 1995, but has been in operation since 1948. In its lawsuit, the camp says that 'children who struggle with gender dysphoria are welcome to attend IdRaHaJe's summer camps so long as the child's parents or guardians agree that the child will follow the Camp's policies like all other campers and everyone agrees that attending camp will be a positive experience for the child.'
The camp is also arguing, through the ADF legal team, that it has received exemptions for certain requirements, such as the requirement that playground equipment not exceed six feet.
'IdRaHaJe has requested a religious exemption from the resident camp regulations that require camps to allow campers to use shower, dressing, and sleeping facilities based on chosen gender identity,' the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit said that the department denied the request and told the camp that a special school or class in religious instruction exemption would not apply to IdRaHaJe.
The camp is asking the court to grant an exemption from the Colorado Department of Early Childhood's rules on gender and facilities.
FOX31 reached out to the Colorado Department of Early Education for comment on the lawsuit and received a brief statement in return.
'This matter concerns pending litigation, and CDEC will address it through the appropriate legal channels. We have no further comment at this time,' the agency stated.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Zohran Mamdani urges boycott of Cornell school with ties to Israel
Far-left mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has said Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island should be boycotted because of its partnership with an Israel-based school — a stance blasted as 'blatant antisemitism.'' 'There are ways to make what seems to be an international battle into a local one,' the Democratic socialist said on a 'Talking Palestine' podcast with Sumaya Awad shortly after getting elected to the state assembly in 2020. 'If you were to look at the lens of BDS [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions] and how it applies here in New York City, you would say that Cornell-Technion is something you would be talking about,' Mamdani said of the Roosevelt Island college, which is partnered with Technion University in Israel and is also referred to as the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute. Advertisement 3 Far-left mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has said Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island should be boycotted because of its partnership with an Israel-based school. Adalah Justice Project 'Technion University is an Israeli University that has helped to develop a lot of weapons technology used by the IDF [Israel Defense Force],' said Mamdani, as he voiced support for economic boycotts against Israel. Mamdani — who also recounted how he co-founded the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at Bowdoin College when he attended the school — said a boycott campaign would scrutinize any government funds that Cornell-Technion received. 'I'm sure that if we look close enough, there are either municipal subsidies or state subsidies granted to a project such as this on Roosevelt Island,' Mamdani said. Advertisement The Roosevelt venture is a pet project of former Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who conducted a worldwide competitive bidding process to operate the sciences and engineering campus. Cornell won the bid and opened the joint campus in September 2017, paving the way for such things as shared programs and professors. 3 Mamdani said a boycott campaign would scrutinize any government funds that Cornell-Technion received. picture alliance via Getty Images Advertisement A former Bloomberg staffer told The Post it's outrageous that Mamdani would push going after Cornell's partnership with Technion. 'Zohran Mamdani spends his days attacking Donald Trump, but it seems he's really a fanboy,' said Mark Botnick, former City Hall aide during Bloomberg's mayoralty. 'His call to defund Cornell Tech over its ties to the Technion is a page straight out of the Trump playbook,' said Botnick — as the president targets Harvard and other universities over policies he opposes. Advertisement 'If Mamdani is so eager to sever connections with Israeli institutions, is he also planning to boycott and deny New Yorkers' access to the myriad of lifesaving treatments and technologies developed by Israeli institutions?' the former Bloomberg aide said. 'Given his blatant antisemitism, he just might.' Other boosters of Cornell Tech also rapped Mamdani's targeting of the campus for a boycott. 'It is frightening to think that a mayoral candidate could be either so naive or so bigoted that they would question public funding for a school that has contributed so much to the growth of our city's technology sector because it is a partnership with the legendary Technion Institute of Israel,' said Kathryn Wylde, CEO of the Partnership for New York City. Wylde served on the advisory committee that helped bring the Cornell Tech campus to Roosevelt Island. 3 'Technion University is an Israeli University that has helped to develop a lot of weapons technology used by the IDF [Israel Defense Force],' said Mamdani. Getty Images Mamdani, 33, who is running second in the Democratic mayoral primary to ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, is a Palestinian rights activist and a staunch foe of Israel. Last week, during and after a mayoral debate, he refused to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. Advertisement A Mamdani campaign rep did not dispute the candidate's comments eyeing a boycott of Cornell over its Israel ties. 'Zohran has been clear and consistent: his focus is lowering the cost of living and delivering a safer city for every single New Yorker. That's what this campaign has been about and it is how he will govern as mayor,' the Mamdani spokesman Told the Post. Early voting for the June 24 mayoral primary begins this Saturday, June 14.
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
'Not just a party:' World Pride celebrations end with defiant politics on display
Washington — After the raucous rainbow-hued festivities of Saturday's parade, the final day of World Pride 2025 in the nation's capital kicked off on a more downbeat note. More than a thousand people gathered under grey skies Sunday morning at the Lincoln Memorial for a rally that will lead into a protest march, as the community gathers its strength for a looming fight under President Donald Trump's second administration.
Associated Press
2 hours ago
- Associated Press
'Not just a party:' World Pride celebrations end with defiant politics on display
Washington (AP) — After the raucous rainbow-hued festivities of Saturday's parade, the final day of World Pride 2025 in the nation's capital kicked off on a more downbeat note. More than a thousand people gathered under grey skies Sunday morning at the Lincoln Memorial for a rally that will lead into a protest march, as the community gathers its strength for a looming fight under President Donald Trump's second administration. 'This is not just a party,' Ashley Smith, board president of Capital Pride Alliance. 'This is a rally for our lives.' Smith acknowledged that international attendance numbers for the bi-annual World Pride were measurably down, with many potential attendees avoiding travel to the U.S. due to either fear of harassment or in protest of Trump's policies. 'That should disturb us and mobilize us,' Smith said. Over a thousand people cheered on LGBTQ+ activists taking the stage while waving both traditional Pride flags and flags representing transgender, bisexual, intersex and other communities. Many had rainbow glitter and rhinestones adorning their faces. They held signs declaring 'Fight back,' 'Gay is good,' 'Ban bombs not bathrooms' and 'We will not be erased.' Trump's campaign against transgender protections and oft-stated antipathy for drag shows have set the community on edge, with some hoping to see a renewed wave of street politics in response. 'Trans people just want to be loved. Everybody wants to live their own lives and I don't understand the problem with it all,' said Tyler Cargill, who came wearing an elaborate costume with a hat topped by a replica of the U.S. Capitol building. Wes Kincaid drove roughly 6 hours from Charlotte, North Carolina to attend this year. Sitting on a park bench near the reflecting pond, Kincaid said he made a point of attending this year, 'because it's more important than ever to show up for our community.' Reminders of the cuts to federal government programs were on full display, Sunday. One attendee waved a massive rainbow flag affixed on the same staff as a large USAID flag; another held a 'Proud gay federal worker' sign; and a third held an umbrella with the logos of various federal program facing cuts — including the PBS logo. Trump's anti-trans rhetoric had fueled fears of violence or protests targeting World Pride participants; at one point earlier this spring, rumors circulated that the Proud Boys were planning to disrupt this weekend's celebrations. Those concerns prompted organizers to install security fencing around the entire two-day street party on a multi-block stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue. But so far, the only clear act of aggression has been the vandalizing of a queer bar last week. Late Saturday night, there was a pair of violent incidents near Dupont Circle — one of the epicenters of the World Pride celebrations. Two juveniles were stabbed and a man was shot in the foot in separate incidents. The Metropolitan Police Department says it is not clear if either incident was directly related to World Pride.
