DENVER — A Christian summer camp may continue to house campers based on sex instead of gender identity after reaching an agreement with Colorado officials on the state’s anti-discrimination regulations.
Camp IdRaHaJe, which stands for “I’d rather have Jesus,” agreed to drop its federal lawsuit against the Colorado Department of Early Childhood after state officials said they will clarify that the Christian camp is exempt from the department’s newly revised rules on gender identity.
“We are glad to support Camp Id-Ra-Ha-Je’s understanding of their ability to provide a Christian camp experience to kids,” Lisa Roy, the department’s executive director, said Tuesday in a statement. “The CDEC did not take any enforcement action against Camp Id-Ra-Ha-Je related to any of the licensing regulations raised in the lawsuit and the camp was never under a threat of closure.”
The department’s “Rules Regulating Children’s Summer Camps” issued in February require residential camps to provide accommodations to children based on gender identity, including allowing biological boys who identify as girls to bunk, shower and dress with female campers.
In its lawsuit, Camp IdRaHaJe said it was denied a religious exemption from the gender-identity requirement, but the resolution agreement filed Wednesday specifies that the camp qualifies for an exemption under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act.
The department also agreed to add an information memo to its website saying that “churches, synagogues, mosques, or any other place that is principally used for religious purposes are not ‘places of public accommodation.’”
If an overnight camp is not a “place of public accommodation,” then the “Gender Identity Rules,” including those involving restrooms, bathing facilities, sleeping areas, changing rooms, and camping, “do not apply to them,” the memo said.
Founded in 1948, Camp IdRaHaJe has hosted untold thousands of children ages 6 to 17 at its woodsy Rocky Mountain campsite in the town of Bailey, about an hour from Denver.
The camp known for its Christian ministry offers overnight programs for children ranging in age from 6 to 17. For the older campers, the activities include hiking, swimming, horseback riding, whitewater rafting, ziplining, and rappelling.
VICTORY: A Christian summer camp in Colorado will not be forced to let boys into girls’ showers or dorms.
ADF helped Camp IdRaHaJe settle its lawsuit—protecting its right to operate according to its faith and common sense.
“Government officials should never put a dangerous… pic.twitter.com/uKQoTtdpdY
— Alliance Defending Freedom (@ADFLegal) June 25, 2025
“Government officials should never put a dangerous ideology ahead of kids,” said Andrea Dill, legal counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom legal counsel, which represents the camp. “State officials must respect religious ministries and their beliefs about human sexuality; they can’t force a Christian summer camp to violate its convictions.”
She said the agreement will allow Camp IdRaHaJe 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.”
The camp opened for the season on June 8, about a month after the lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.
“Camp Id-Ra-Ha-Je opened at the beginning of the 2025 summer season and the CDEC is not aware of any reason the regulations cited in the Complaint would have prevented the Camp from opening or continuing to operate this summer,” the department said in its statement.
