Camping Equipment

Gay Camp in Michigan under fire for issuing genital requirements

Camp Boomerang. Via YouTube

Camp Boomerang, the new gay men-oriented camp near Orleans, Michigan, has come under fire for discrimination…and it hasn’t even opened yet. Owners of the camp declared on social media that transgender men will not be allowed on the campground.

“Camp Boomerang is a private, membership-only RV park/campground that allows only ‘guys,’” said Bryan Quinn, owner of Camp Boomerang in a Facebook post, according to PrideSource. “A ‘guy,’ in terms of this discussion, is defined as a person with a penis, [who] presents himself as male and has a state-issued ID that says ‘male.’”

“We understand this statement, unfortunately, may not make everyone happy, but feel it needs to be clarified,” Quinn continued. “It is our hope that everyone who visits Camp Boomerang enjoys a comfortable, safe, non-confrontational environment going forward. Being a ‘private membership only’ entity allows us the ability to build a like-minded atmosphere. We don’t mean for this to come off as a ‘like it or leave it’ attitude, but we feel it’s necessary for everyone to know exactly what our vision is for Camp Boomerang.”

Related: RuPaul Blasted For Transphobia By The Advocate; Not Everyone Agrees

Needless to say, the odd declaration invited immediate online backlash, prompting more comments from Quinn.

“Let’s be real here,” Quinn added in one comment. “If we let women that act like men in, and they go naked at the pool, that’s when it’s obvious that there’s no penis. Sorry to put it bluntly. But if you don’t like the rules, quietly leave.”

Quinn’s comments have not placated angry campers, who interpret the Camp Boomering policy as transphobic.

“Any type of policy that would require someone to prove their gender identity is counterproductive to advancing LGBTQ rights and divides our community,” Executive Director Brayden Misiolek of Transcend The Binary said of the ID policies. “As someone who lives with dysphoria, this news is very dehumanizing. Any kind of discriminatory policies like this erase us as a community. It invalidates our lived experiences and perpetuates narratives of illegitimacy, which can and does lead to harm for trans and non-binary people.”

At the time of this writing, it appears the Facebook pages for Camp Boomerang have been taken offline. The campground has also received negative reviews on Google, awarding it only 2.1 stars.

In 2018, a London bathhouse came under similar scrutiny for not allowing transgender men to use their facilities.

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