Here's Monday's Hero: Camp Outright in Vermont

You might think getting a bunch of queer kids together would result in immediate bonding. I used to naively believe that would be the case. So I signed JJ up for two trans camps in one summer. The first one, Camp Outright, was MAGIC for JJ. They came back a changed person: more confident, more assured, educated on all matters trans, possessed of the newfound knowledge they are not alone.

When the second trans camp I’d enrolled JJ in came around, I was psyched, convinced it would be the same experience.

It was not, it turned out, a very well-run camp. I’ll spare you the litany of complaints JJ lavished upon us once we settled inside the car.

Camp Outright is amazing on so many levels. My kid came back happier, more confident, smiling ear to ear. They hugged their friends good-bye. (JJ is not typically a physically affectionate person.) They mentioned to me on the drive back to Maine that they felt differently abut these new friends from camp than their friends from school. How so? I asked.

“I think I love them more,” JJ responded.

Thank you, Camp Outright.