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

In a settlement agreement announced June 25 by Alliance Defending Freedom, the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) said it will not force Camp IdRaHaJe or other faith-based children’s resident camps to adopt new gender identity rules in order to maintain a state license. 

The CDEC amended its state licensing rules in February to incorporate the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act. Under the new rules, children’s resident camps in the state that are considered “places of public accommodation” must allow campers access to showers, sleeping and dressing facilities that align with the campers’ gender identity. The department previously implemented gender identity rules regarding bathrooms in 2018.

Camp IdRaHaJe, which derives its name from the hymn “I’d Rather Have Jesus,” has served children in Bailey, Colorado, since 1948 and has maintained a resident camp license in the state since 1995.

Recently, the department that issues resident camp licenses amended its regulations, requiring children’s camps to allow campers to access bathing, dressing, and sleeping facilities designated for the opposite sex. When the camp requested to operate consistently with its religious beliefs, the department denied the request, forcing the camp to choose between upholding its beliefs about biological sex and risking losing its license or abandoning its beliefs and mission to minister to children. The camp filed suit in May.

“Government officials should never put a dangerous ideology ahead of kids,” said ADF Legal Counsel Andrea Dill. “State officials must respect religious ministries and their beliefs about human sexuality; they can’t force a Christian summer camp to violate its convictions. 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 serves children ages six to 17 and offers off-site backpacking and camping trips along with numerous on-site activities. Each year, 2,500 to 3,000 students attend, and the camp’s mission is to “win souls to Jesus Christ through the spreading of the Gospel.” The camp is open to children of all backgrounds and beliefs, and parents are asked to agree to the camp’s policies when registering.

Last week, Colorado agreed to update the language in its licensing regulations, clarifying that “churches, synagogues, mosques or any other place that is principally used for religious purposes” are not considered “places of public accommodation” and are thus not beholden to the gender identity rules.

It also agreed not to “cite, suspend its license, revoke its license or otherwise take enforcement action” against Camp IdRaHaJe based on alleged noncompliance with these regulations.

“This is a great victory for Camp IdRaHaJe, which is now protected from state action that would force it to comply with radical gender ideology policies that violate its deeply held religious beliefs,” ADF senior counsel Ryan Tucker told Fox News Digital.

“Thankfully, Colorado has also rightfully clarified that organizations principally used for religious purposes are now exempt from the new gender ideology rules,” he said.

In light of the settlement, ADF attorneys filed a voluntary notice of dismissal in Camp IdRaHaJe Association v. Roy on June 24.

Photo: Alliance Defending Freedom