Campers on Sunrise Lake in Orwell could soon be donning rainbow patches instead of merit badges.
Outright Vermont, a statewide nonprofit that supports young LGBTQ+ people, announced earlier this week that it is pursuing the purchase of Camp Sunrise, a 146-acre lakefront property in Addison and Rutland counties currently owned by the Green Mountain Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
Outright has signed a purchase and sale agreement, and a closing date has been scheduled for the end of January. Outright is applying for grant funds that would make the purchase possible.
Outright has not been able to accommodate everyone who wants to attend its Camp Outright — a “summer camp with a queer twist” — and has had waiting lists in the hundreds for the past few years. Outright has been running the camp at a rented property in Starksboro, which has limited availability, hindering the organization’s programming.
The overnight camp is one of only a handful in the country specifically serving LGBTQ+ youth. This past spring more than 100 families, many from out of state, were told the camp had no room for them. – https://www.sevendaysvt.com/news/outright-plans-to-purchase-a-boy-scout-camp-in-orwell-39670686