The Summer Camp Straight From Hell

Do you have fond memories of summer camp from your childhood? Playing outside? Making new friends? Learning new skills? 

Do you remember during summer camp when grown men would dress in tutus and dance in your face? Or the time when the unicorn staff welcomed you to camp with rainbows and song? 

You don’t? You must’ve never gone to Camp Brave Trails then. 

Started in 2015, Camp Brave Trails is a summer camp specifically targeted to minors, ages 12-17 who aspire to be the next generation of LGBTQ+ leaders. The camp’s mission is to, “create a supportive space where campers can connect with like-minded peers, explore their identities, and pursue their passions.” 

Co-Founder, Jessica, has a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University. The irony in the idea that a summer camp created for minors to embrace a disease by someone who is put in place to cure them of said disease is stifling. 

As minors are welcomed into Camp Brave Trails by the “unicorn staff”, they’re also encouraged to dress however they see fit, with no “gender-segregated spaces”. Activities include drag, fashion and dress up, gayming (yes, you read that right), puppetry, and a mix of classic summer camp activities as well. 

One of the most note-worthy facts regarding this demonic summer camp is the fact that newcomers to the camp must send in an application video. The website describes the video process as a way to, “find campers who are ready to join this transformative leadership experience.” After the minor sends in their application video, a group of grown adults from the “camper selection committee” watches the video and makes their decision on who they deem worthy. 

Another notable tidbit is one of the rules that Camp Brave Trails has for the minors entering their camp. As grown men parade around in tutus and as conversation about sexuality is held at whim, the minors aren’t allowed to have their phones as a way to, “encourage campers to unplug and create more friendships and memories.” 

The minors who enter Camp Brave Trails will carry memories with them; memories of half-naked adults entitling themselves as “unicorns”.