For the past three years, a camp for transgender children as young as four has been taking place in the San Francisco Bay Area city of El Cerrito.
According to the Associated Press, the Rainbow Day Camp now has approximately 60 campers between the ages of four and 12 who attend the camp as a “safe space” to express their chosen gender identities. The camp allows participants, who come from as far away as Africa, to experiment with their gender identities by wearing nametags with pronouns they can change daily to see “what feels right.”
The camp has been so successful the founders are reportedly considering opening up other programs in Colorado, and they have received interest from parents all across the country. The Associated Press reports the growth of interest in the Rainbow Day Camp reflects the increasing number of transgender children coming out at early ages.
Founder Sandra Collins told the Associated Press, “A decade ago, this camp wouldn't have existed. Eventually, I do believe, it won't be so innovative."
Collins, who was inspired by her own transgender daughter, said, “I didn't know you could be transgender at a very young age. But my daughter knew for sure at 2.”
Collins’ child told the Associated Press, “I feel comfortable for being who I am and who I want to be.”
A parent of a camp participant, Molly Maxwell, said her child, who transitioned from a boy into a girl, has been identifying as a girl ever since the child could talk.
Maxwell said, “Once she could talk, I don't remember a time when she didn't say, 'I'm a girl.’”
“Then it grew in intensity: 'I'm a sister. I'm a daughter. I'm a princess,'" Maxwell added. "We would argue with her. She was confused. We were confused.”
But now, according to the Associated Press’s write-up, the child is six and was dancing along to Miley Cyrus at “Crazy Hair Day.”
Camp director Andrew Kramer, who is one of the camp's transgender staffers, told the Associated Press, "I want to show these kids what a confident, happy, successful trans person looks like."
"We teach them they are normal, deserving of love, and not alone,” Kramer added.
A participant who came all the way from Africa reportedly gave his counselors a note reading, “Thank you, for making me feel so happy."
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