Religious Summer Camp Refuses to Notify Parents if Children Identify as Transgender
A summer camp in Washington State is under fire after stating that it will not inform parents if their child identifies as transgender.
Camp Solomon Schechter, a Jewish summer camp for children based in Seattle, has published an “inclusivity and mental health” section on their website that details how the camp’s policies toward transgender members. In the camp’s inclusivity statement, it states that if staff members are made aware that a child decides to transition while attending the camp, the camp will not disclose that information to their parents.
“All individuals at Camp Solomon Schechter possess the right to discuss their gender identity openly, whenever the person desires and with whomever they desire. If a camper or staff chooses to identify differently from how they do at home, whether that be using a different name or pronouns, if they decide to transition at camp, or if they choose to disclose their identity to a member of staff, this does not authorize Camp Solomon Schechter to share this information with their parents or guardians.”
Camp Solomon Schechter Inclusivity Statement
If that wasn’t bad enough, the camp’s housing policy states that children will be assigned to sleep in cabins that correlate with their gender identity, not their biological sex. This policy will be implemented even if the child has not undergone any hormonal or surgical transition.
“At Camp Solomon Schechter, we bunk campers in cabins based on gender and grade. To support our campers’ development, cabin assignments can be made based on gender identity, rather than a camper’s sex assigned at birth.“
Camp Solomon Schechter Inclusivity Statement
Camp Solomon Schechter claims to have built a “vibrant community rooted deeply in Jewish values,” but its policies regarding transgender-identifying children completely contradict the Jewish faith. The camp states that it recognizes that “gender exists on a spectrum and may change at any point during a person’s life.”
The camp’s decision to hide from parents the beliefs of their children is part of a large movement taking place in Washington State. Recently, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed a law that allows shelters to not disclose they are housing runaway children if that child left home for sex change procedures against their parent’s wishes.
