Camp unites transgender kids on outskirts
There are few places transgender youth feel accepted. Camp Aranu'tiq was created to change that.
By Bella English | GLOBE STAFF
SEPTEMBER 02, 2012http://bostonglobe.com/arts/2012/09/01/camp-for-transgender-kids-builds-trust/7ziUvJtS6gAjKnSAiycKYJ/story.html
PHOTO: WENDY MAEDA/GLOBE STAFF
Kids headed to the pool at Camp Aranu'tiq in Connecticut.Camp Aranu'tiq seemed like a traditional New England camp, complete with requisite lake, rustic cabins, and 65 shrieking campers.
Only when you see tags around campers' necks, with the words "(HE)" or "(SHE)" under their names, do you realize something's different here. It is the only camp of its kind in the country, a camp for transgender kids, where idle chatter on sports, music, school, and teenage crushes blends right in with talk about "coming out," "transitioning," puberty blockers — and bullying.
Campers, parents, and staff are required to sign a confidentiality contract, and the exact location is not revealed until the child is enrolled. "They know it's a safety issue," said founder and director Nick Teich.
Aranu'tiq, he said, strives to remove the fear and isolation that transgender children experience back home.
This year, in July, Teich opened a branch in California; 36 kids enrolled. At both camps, he sees joy in the campers' faces and hears relief in their parents' refrain: "I never thought my kid would be able to go to camp."
"It saves kids' lives," says Tori Gabriel, who is now on the board of directors of Aranu'tiq. "It's the one place on this Earth that he can relax and be just like any other kid — to romp and play without judgment or ridicule."
