This year, and for the past three years, the Hotline Team has seen a sharp increase in the number of calls regarding the issues of inclusion and accommodation of people who identify as trans, transgender, gender non-conforming, gender-variant, or those in the process of reassigning their gender. These calls were regarding both staff and campers. In fact, six percent of all of our calls touched on this issue in some regard. Some were about parent complaints regarding employment (See Case Study 4 on Page 19), some were about mental health concerns, and others were about how to protect the privacy of individuals. In all cases, the callers wanted to “do the right thing” and were worried that they might make a legal or emotional mistake and inadvertently offend staff, campers, and/or parents. The American Camp Association has worked with experts to collect and disseminate the best available resources. Find them online:
- Anti-Discrimination Laws — Cities and Counties with Non-Discrimination Ordinances that Include Gender Identity. Human Rights Campaign www.hrc.org/resources/entry/cities-and-counties-with-non-discrimination-ordinances-that-include-gender
- Anti-Discrimination Laws — Map by State, Transgender Law Centertransgenderlawcenter.org/equalitymap
- Talking Transgender at Camp Recorded Webinar
- Transgender Staff and Anti-Discrimination – The CampLine Article
- Transgender Youth — The Role Camps Might Play
- Transgender Staff at Camp - Recorded Webinar