Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
A Christian summer camp in Bailey, Colorado, sought to retain single-sex facilities despite a state law mandates licensed resident camps to allow boys pretending to be girls to use girls’ restrooms and changing rooms.
The camp believes what the Bible teaches about sexuality: God made male and female, and homosexuality is a sin. The camp asked for a religious exemption to a law that not only violates the owners’ and attendees’ religious beliefs, but also the modesty and privacy of the girls — and undermines their safety.
You can guess what happened. State officials refused to grant an exemption, leaving the camp little choice but to file a lawsuit.
Alliance Defending Freedom (AFL), which represents the camp, announced that the parties have settled the lawsuit. State officials will leave the camp alone. The state also clarified that places like the camp, “principally used for religious purposes,” are exempt from the law.
From AFL:
Camp IdRaHaJe serves children ages 6 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.
“State officials must respect religious ministries and their beliefs about human sexuality; they can’t force a Christian summer camp to violate its convictions,” said Andrea Dill, a lawyer for ADF.
Photo credit: Alliance Defending Freedom
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