The entrance to Camp IdRaHaJe. (Courtesy of the Alliance Defending Freedom)
A Christian summer camp in the foothills near Bailey has dropped a lawsuit that it filed against the state after receiving assurances it will not be shut down for its gender policy.
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 its May 12 lawsuit.
That lawsuit warned that the camp faced an imminent threat of closure from the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, which licenses educational camps and which recently decided that camps must separate campers by their gender identity rather than their sex.
The agency pushed back on the closure claim after it generated buzz among conservatives.
“The Colorado Department of Early Childhood has not planned for or taken any enforcement action against Camp IdRaHaJe related to the licensing regulations raised in the complaint,” the department said in a May 20 statement. “Further, the department is currently unaware of any reason that would prevent the camp from opening to campers this summer.”
On Tuesday, the two sides reached a settlement and the case was closed. Whether that settlement constituted a change or a continuation of the status quo depends who you ask.
“We’re pleased that Camp IdRaHaJe is again free to operate as it has for more than 75 years: as a Christian summer camp that accepts all campers without fear of being punished for its beliefs,” Camp IdRaHaJe attorney Andrea Dill wrote in a press release this week.
In its own press release, the CDEC said that none of its “gender identity regulations have ever applied to or been enforced against” religious schools and camps. As the agency sees it, this week’s settlement agreement with Camp IdRaHaJe merely reiterates state law.
“We are glad to support Camp IdRaHaJe’s understanding of their ability to provide a Christian camp experience to kids,” CDEC Executive Director Lisa Roy said Tuesday. “The CDEC did not take any enforcement action against Camp IdRaHaJe related to any of the licensing regulations raised in the lawsuit and the camp was never under a threat of closure.”
The entrance to Camp IdRaHaJe. (Courtesy of the Alliance Defending Freedom)
A Christian summer camp in the foothills near Bailey has dropped a lawsuit that it filed against the state after receiving assurances it will not be shut down for its gender policy.
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 its May 12 lawsuit.
That lawsuit warned that the camp faced an imminent threat of closure from the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, which licenses educational camps and which recently decided that camps must separate campers by their gender identity rather than their sex.
The agency pushed back on the closure claim after it generated buzz among conservatives.
“The Colorado Department of Early Childhood has not planned for or taken any enforcement action against Camp IdRaHaJe related to the licensing regulations raised in the complaint,” the department said in a May 20 statement. “Further, the department is currently unaware of any reason that would prevent the camp from opening to campers this summer.”
On Tuesday, the two sides reached a settlement and the case was closed. Whether that settlement constituted a change or a continuation of the status quo depends who you ask.
“We’re pleased that Camp IdRaHaJe is again free to operate as it has for more than 75 years: as a Christian summer camp that accepts all campers without fear of being punished for its beliefs,” Camp IdRaHaJe attorney Andrea Dill wrote in a press release this week.
In its own press release, the CDEC said that none of its “gender identity regulations have ever applied to or been enforced against” religious schools and camps. As the agency sees it, this week’s settlement agreement with Camp IdRaHaJe merely reiterates state law.
“We are glad to support Camp IdRaHaJe’s understanding of their ability to provide a Christian camp experience to kids,” CDEC Executive Director Lisa Roy said Tuesday. “The CDEC did not take any enforcement action against Camp IdRaHaJe related to any of the licensing regulations raised in the lawsuit and the camp was never under a threat of closure.”
