A new chapter begins for Camp Starlight in 2025
Since 1999, Camp Starlight has had one goal: to provide a safe and fun camp experience for kids infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, and in that time, we have served hundreds of families from all over Oregon and Washington. However, as our campers have aged out of the program, we have not seen an equal influx of new families. In recent years, we have seen a decline in the number of young people experiencing the stigma of HIV/AIDS – great news in the fight against the disease, and a signal that our organization needs to make a change.
We are expanding our prioritized population to serve more families and to keep Camp Starlight running at its best.
Camp Starlight was built around the needs of families living with HIV/AIDS, and we will always be here to serve them, but we are now looking to serve an additional community that often faces social and cultural stigma. In 2025, in addition to kids affected by HIV/AIDS, Camp Starlight will begin welcoming LGBTQIA+ youth, as well as the children of LGBTQIA+ adults.
“We are still absolutely committed to serving families affected by HIV/AIDS, and that remains at the heart of what we do,” said Dr. Tom Meyer, a Camp Starlight founder and board member, and director of our mental health team. “However, as campers have aged out of our program, we have not seen an equal influx of new families because new HIV cases are not emerging as rapidly as they were in the ’90s. This is spectacular, and it also means that we have new opportunities to use our resources and expertise to serve families affected by stigma.”
Camp Starlight has long been affiliated with the queer community. Many of our volunteers identify as LGBTQIA+, as do a lot of the parents and guardians in our camp family, and a growing number of our campers. Serving this group with our extensive camp expertise feels like a natural progression for an organization seeking to shelter kids from stigma.
”Stigma impacts children — socially, emotionally, physically,” Meyer said. “They deserve a camp they can call their own. It’s vital to their health and well-being.”
The research is clear on this.
The Trevor Project’s 2023 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Young People found more than half (53%) said they were verbally harassed at school because people thought they were LGBTQ.
A 2022 survey of adults by the Center for American Progress found “LGBTQI+ individuals continue to experience significantly higher rates of discrimination than non-LGBTQI+ individuals, a trend that holds true in virtually every setting surveyed — including health care, employment, housing, and public spaces.”
When the Trevor Project asked LGBTQ young people what topics would be helpful for the people in their lives to know more about, they said that they “want the people in their lives to learn more about how to support them and the basics of LGBTQ identities.”
The core philosophy of Camp Starlight will remain unchanged – to provide a safe, fun camp experience. At this time, there will be no major changes to the staff or leadership of Camp Starlight, our programming will remain mostly unchanged, we will continue to gather at the same campground, and we will have just as much fun as ever.
”We often talk about the ‘magic’ of Camp Starlight,” said Camp Director Spike Huntingon-Klein, “and I think the magic comes from the way we create a space where everyone feels not only accepted, but also loved for exactly who they are. We are absolutely ready to open our hearts to the LGBTQIA+ community.”
Founded in 1999 by a small group of volunteers, Camp Starlight has served hundreds of families over the years. Our weeklong camp remains volunteer-run, and our costs are covered entirely by donations. The Camp Starlight volunteer corps includes mental health and medical teams, as well as trained volunteers who lead activities and serve as cabin counselors. There is no cost to families, and we supply campers’ needs for the week and beyond, such as clothing, shoes, towels and bedding. All campers go home with a backpack full of school supplies for the coming year.
We are excited to be guiding Camp Starlight through this evolution, and we look forward to seeing how Camp Starlight continues to grow in the coming years.