Happy Campers Come Out

(Charlotte, North Carolina – July 14, 2008) – Are you a “Happy Camper?” This Saturday, July 19 to
Thursday, July 24, Campus Pride kicks off its second
annual summer leadership camp at Towson University in
Towson, Md. The camp is the only one in the nation for
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and ally
college students and sold out last week with 60 young
adults attending from nearly 50 colleges and
universities this year.

Referred to as “Happy
Campers,” this camp is definitely like no other. The
five-day camp experience blends traditional camp
activities with a core curriculum of skill building in
leadership development, social justice and civic
involvement. The end goal is to equip campers with the
knowledge and tools for grassroots change and to enact
LGBT-inclusive policies, programs and practices on
campus. Campers will also share in a range of social
activities including premier movie nights and
coffeehouse entertainment, as well as a planned day trip
to Washington, D.C., to meet with leaders of national
LGBT and ally organizations and other social justice
groups. Still at the heart of the camp experience is the
traditional kind of bonding opportunities and lifetime
networks that only can be found at camp.

“Camp
was an amazing, life-changing experience for me. The
things I learned and the people I met have inspired me
this past year and helped me to make my student
organization the best it’s ever been,” said Shane
Medina, a 2007 Happy Camper and current student leader
at Old Dominion University in Norfolk,Va. “I have never
spent a better week in my life.”

Keynote
highlights this year include Donna Rose, national civil
rights leader and transgender advocate, Christian
DeLaHuerta, best-selling author of Coming Out
Spiritually, Vernon Wall, noted author and social
justice advocate, Reverend Mother Meredith Moise,
national human rights advocate, and author Jessica
Pettitt from I Am… Social Justice. Various artists and
entertainers are slated to perform each night of camp
including the world’s foremost drag king D.R.E.D,
national slam master and author Emanuel Xavier, Midwest
drag sensation Miss P, international recording artists
Jason and DeMarco, and acclaimed singer/songwriter Randi
Driscoll among others.

“Camps are a long-held
ritual in American culture. Campus Pride is proud to
sponsor the only national camp like this,” said Shane
Windmeyer, Campus Pride Executive Director and Camp
founder. “The lessons learned and lifelong friendships
developed at camp are the most valuable way to invest in
the future of our movement – to educate, empower and
enlighten young adult leaders.”

For over six
months, Campus Pride has coordinated a team of higher
education professionals and experts to plan and
implement the camp. In addition, various sponsoring
national organizations were also invited to conduct
skill-specific workshops including the Gay and Lesbian
Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), Soulforce Q for
Young Adults, Out for Work and the Human Rights
Campaign. Other camp sponsors include Cargill, Ernst
& Young, LLC, Chartwells, the Matthew Shepard
Foundation, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force,
Towson University Honors College, Campus Life, Center
for Student Diversity and LGBT Student Development
Program, OUTmedia, Tyvola Design, Dick Walker Memorial
Trust and Marc Walters, Consortium of Higher Education
LGBT Resource Professionals, Point Foundation, National
Lesbian & Gay Law Association, The Trevor Project
and Public Identity.


This press release was originally issued by Campus Pride on July 14, 2008.