32 February 7 • 2019
jn

California Jewish Camp
To Try Out All-Gender 
Cabins This Summer

A

fter attending a few LGBTQ 
family weekends at Camp 
Tawonga, Jonathan Brunn 
felt ready to attend sleepaway camp 
there. But Jonathan’
s mom, Nancy, 
was nervous.
Jonathan, 10, has identified as 
nonbinary — a gender identity that 
falls somewhere outside the catego-
ry of male or female — since age 3. 
Because of that, the San Francisco 
child has been subjected to bullying 
at school.
But it didn’
t happen at Camp 
Tawonga, which has been ahead of 
the curve in welcoming nonbinary 
and LGBTQ campers and staff.
It turns out that Jonathan isn’
t the 
first nonbinary camper to attend 
the Jewish camp near Yosemite 
National Park and certainly won’
t 
be the last. To accommodate the 
increasing number of kids like 
Jonathan among its campers, for 
the first time Tawonga will have 
two all-gender cabins this summer.
While the move is pioneering, it 

isn’
t precedent setting: According 
to the Foundation for Jewish Camp, 
Habonim Dror’
s Camp Moshava 
in Maryland has offered all-gender 
cabins since 2017, and the foun-
dation itself offered the option 
to camp counselors attending its 
Cornerstone Seminar last year.
Jonathan first attended A Taste 
of Camp, a five-night session for 
younger campers going to sleep-
away camp for the first time, in the 
summer of 2016. While Jonathan’
s 
mom and camp staff had decided 
beforehand to place Jonathan in a 
girls’
 bunkhouse, the cabin-mates 
took it upon themselves to call the 
bunkhouse “all-gender” to make it 
more inclusive.
The decision to officially create 
two such cabins came about organ-
ically, according to camp director 
Becca Meyer. In the previous sev-
eral years, Tawonga had added 
all-gender restrooms and started 
a “beyond the binary” campfire in 
addition to separate girls’
 and boys’
 

COURTESY OF CAMP TAWONGA

ALIX WALL JTA.ORG 

Camp Tawonga, a Jewish 

overnight camp in Northern 

California, has been ahead 

of the curve in welcoming 

nonbinary and LGBTQ 

campers and staffers. 

continued on page 34

A-Days, Optionals and Punch & Cookies? The smell of
fried chicken wafting over the tether-ball court? 

then it's time to go back to camp!

We're celebrating our 60TH SUMMER with
an all- inclusive and all- included
Alumni Reunion

Friday, August 30 - Monday September 2 (LABOR DAY WKND)
on the gorgeous grounds of Camp Walden, Cheboygan, MI.

Join us over three Walden Days and Walden Nights,

for an extraordinary gathering of campers and counselors

from the '60s to the '00s.

Early registration discount through April 1

Visit www.campwaldenmi.com/alumni to register.
Questions? reunion60@campwaldenmi.com

Do you have a camper who might be a Walden Alum some day? 
Visit our Website or contact us directly for details about this 

summer’s 2-week to 7-week sessions,

beginning June 23. 248-225-1256

There's Nothing to do Back in the City! 

Hey, WaLden AlumnI!

DO YOU still MISs...

YEARS OF SUMMER
60

60

C