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A Christian summer camp in Colorado will remain free to operate according to its beliefs after a settlement exempted it from state rules on “gender identity,” Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) reported.
Camp IdRaHaJe, named after the hymn “I’d Rather Have Jesus,” has operated in Bailey, Colorado, since 1948. Each year, the camp hosts several thousand children ages 6-17 and offers a range of outdoor activities. According to ADF, the Christian camp is open to children from all backgrounds, and parents are required to agree to its stated policies during registration.
The June 24 resolution comes one month after ADF filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of the camp, objecting to a recent mandate from the Colorado Department of Early Childhood, ADF reported.
The department had updated licensing requirements to demand that resident camps allow campers to use private spaces — such as restrooms and sleeping areas — based on “gender identity” rather than biological sex.
When Camp IdRaHaJe sought an exemption in line with its Christian beliefs, the state denied the request, prompting legal action filed by ADF May 12.
The agreement now allows the camp to maintain sex-specific spaces and retain its license without altering its long-standing practices. Colorado also updated its public guidance to clarify that religious organizations are not subject to the contested regulation.
“Government officials should never put a dangerous ideology ahead of kids,” ADF Legal Counsel Andrea Dill said. “State officials must respect religious ministries and their beliefs about human sexuality; they can’t force a Christian summer camp to violate its convictions.”
As part of the settlement, state authorities affirmed that facilities “principally used for religious purposes” — including churches and faith-based camps — fall outside the policy’s enforcement scope. Following the agreement, ADF filed to dismiss the lawsuit.
