In the face of so much vitriol aimed at the trans community, there is Rabbi Daniel Bogard and a group of dedicated advocates with Camp Indigo Point. This is a residential summer camp specifically for LGBTQ youth, founded for the purpose of providing LGBTQ young people the opportunity to experience a community of peers in a fun, affirming environment. During a recent chat with the rabbi, it became apparent how necessary a place like Camp Indigo Point is for queer youth in this country.
When his testimony at the Missouri State Capitol went viral, Rabbi Bogard’s call for solidarity with the LGBTQ community reverberated across multiple social media channels. During his impassioned plea to the Missouri lawmakers, Rabbi Bogard spoke about the importance of acknowledging transgender individuals and his concern as a parent of a trans person.
@ravbogard this was my 6th time this session driving 4+ hours to have 2 minutes to beg my Government to stop persecuting my child and my family. #ProtectTransKids #MOLeg #Lgbt ♬ original sound – Rabbi Daniel Bogard
“Because the first thing you learn when you love a trans kid in the state of Missouri is that you have to protect them from their government,” Rabbi Bogard says during his testimony.
So far, in the state of Missouri, a total of 15 bills have been introduced, many of them targeting rights for transgender youth. All of these bills are advancing and are part of a much larger sweep of anti-LGBTQ legislation which is currently proposed in Missouri.
With so much going on politically, more and more young people are expressing sentiments of feeling unsafe in this country. Camp Indigo Point welcomes youth entering grades 2-11 and is located outside of St. Louis, Mo. With expressed values of equity, community, and affirmation, Camp Indigo Point and its volunteer staff seek to bring some light to the lives of LGBTQ youth in the height of all of the anti-LGBTQ sentiment in this country. Camp Indigo Point provides kids the chance to forget about all that and simply exist as kids.
Since its inaugural year, Camp Indigo Point has brought together 97 kids from 27 states for a week of tag, arts and crafts, s’mores, and sing-a-longs around the campfire. This time spent amongst people who walk the same walk and talk the same talk resulted in the formation of lasting friendships. Camp Indigo Point empowers queer youth to share their stories, hopes, and fears and to build bridges.
Rabbi Bogard stresses that this is otherwise a traditional summer camp, and no gender-affirming therapies occur at the camp. However, he says that the fact that the camp already has a waiting list in its second year of operation speaks volumes about how necessary something like this is, and the success and popularity of this camp is a testament to its true core value: Intergenerational queer culture can intermingle and attain visibility.
Featured image credit Charlotte Piper
