The comments weren't all bad. Some seemed more knowledgeable than your typical kneejerk "THIS IS CHILD ABUSE/THESE EVIL PARENTS MUST BE TRYIN' TO TURN THEIR BOYS SISSY" nonsense. Because I'm not crediting the authors of these 3 comments I'll only quote a highlight of each. This is a discussion I'd heard before, right here at BCTS...

One woman had a basically feminist take on the tg kid's camp, commenting on its seeming emphasis on girly stereotypes:
"People should be able to identify as whatever gender they wish in my opinion- but what this camp portrays IS NOT what the female gender is. Good lord!"

Someone else countered:
"Look at the pictures. The fashion show is just one event. They're playing with clothes they never get to play with; which apparently include tie dyed shirts and capri pants. Of course they're going to play..."

But the one I really like what a third person said:
"Being a woman is not just wearing make up and dresses, but that doesn't mean it's not a part of it for some women ...... I'm not for applying stereotypes, but I think it's also wrong to treat people who fall into stereotypes, trans or not, as problematic by virtue of the fact."

I like that one, it says what I've always wanted to whenever the question of presentation and what's authentic and what's artifice or sexist programming etc etc gets debated in queer and/or transgender circles.
--Hugs, Veronica

By the way, I should have added that this camp is open to both FTM and MTF TG kids, and is a week long camp that has an East Coast and a West Coast location. The location is kept private, and parents learn of it after signing a non-disclosure document, for the kids mutual protection.

I think its great that these places are starting to exist.

Hugs,

Kristy