Gay campground bans trans men ‘to build a like-minded atmosphere’. The backlash was swift
(Envato Elements)
A gay campground in Michigan, has issued a ban on trans men to “build a like-minded atmosphere”.
Camp Boomerang RV Park and Campground has yet to open its site in Orleans, Michigan, but is already in hot water after co-owner Bryan Quinn announced a set of transphobic campground rules on its Facebook page.
Quinn wrote: “Camp Boomerang is a private, membership-only RV park/campground that allows only ‘guys’.
“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 said it is his hope that visitors to Camp Boomerang enjoy a “comfortable, safe, non-confrontational environment going forward”.
He added that being a membership-only campground “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,” he continued.
Camp Boomerang boycotted before it’s even opened over transphobic ban
A member of the campground’s page asked if “penis checks will be conducted prior to entry” to the park grounds.
Quinn responded: “We never said anything about ‘penis checks’, but let’s be real here.
“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 not a penis.
“Sorry to put it bluntly, but if you don’t like the rules, quietly leave.”
The backlash to the ban was swift. One person posted the campground’s anti-trans policy on Twitter, calling on “gays in the Michigan and Midwest area” to not visit Camp Boomerang.
Since I seem to have a good platform on here, wanted to bring this to attention to gays in the Michigan and Midwest area about a campground opening up here next year.
Do not go there. The owner will not allow trans men in as I finally got it in written proof of the rules. pic.twitter.com/2cM9LGo1hR
— Jay Steele (@jaysteelexxx) February 17, 2021
Another person wrote on Twitter that any gay men in Michigan that support Camp Boomerang can “kindly f**k right off”.
Any Michigan gays that support Camp Boomerang can kindly fuck right off.— Eddie De Luca (@EddieDeLucaXXX) February 17, 2021
One person shared Camp Boomerang’s policy update on Facebook, calling it “super transphobic“. They added that as a gay-owned business, Camp Boomerang should “know better than to exclude the people that fought for our rights to begin with”.
“Without the trans community, we wouldn’t have any of the rights that we have now,” they added. “Trans men are men. Trans women are women. No debate. No discussion.”
In the days since the announcement, Camp Boomerang – which hasn’t even opened yet – has received a slew of one-star reviews on Google. One person wrote in the reviews that they left the poor rating because of the campground’s “discrimination and transphobia”.
