Campers at Camp Outright Credit: Courtesy of Dana Kaplan

Outright Vermont, a statewide nonprofit that supports young LGBTQ+ people, announced on Thursday that it has acquired Camp Sunrise, a 146-acre lakefront property in Addison and Rutland counties previously owned by the Green Mountain Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

“This is a historic moment for LGBTQ+ youth,” said Dana Kaplan, executive director of Outright Vermont. “We can now say that LGTBQ+ youth have a place where they belong, and we are here to celebrate them in perpetuity.”

Starting in 2026, Outright will host its beloved Camp Outright — a “summer camp with a queer twist” — on the former Camp Sunrise property, which is on Sunset Lake.

Demand for Camp Outright has been strong, with a waiting list of hundreds for the past few years. It’s been run on rented property in Starksboro. Outright Vermont has had to grapple with limited availability, which constrained its programming.

The overnight camp is one of only a handful in the country specifically serving LGBTQ+ youth. This past spring more than 100 campers, many from out of state, were told the camp couldn’t accommodate them.

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When Kaplan learned that the Boy Scout camp was for sale, he jumped at the opportunity. Kaplan envisions extending the camp’s operating weeks and introducing sessions designed for youths under 12 and their families.

Elsewhere, Boy Scouts of America chapters have been selling off land to cover $2.46 billion in settlements linked to a lawsuit concerning the alleged sexual abuse of more than 80,000 former scouts.

Outright purchased the $1.4 million property with the help of a $1.3 million grant from the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board and the Vermont Land Trust, as well as donations from foundations and individuals. The majority of the land — about 118 acres — will be put into a conservation easement.

Outright plans to work with youths and families to decide what changes will be made to the property. Kaplan is excited to have youths on the campus for “dreaming and visioning.”

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Many in the community are glad, too. Residents have long had access to Sunset Lake through the shoreline of Camp Sunrise, and some worried that a private sale would mean they could no longer enjoy their beloved beachfront. Last year, community members mobilized against the land’s redevelopment, organizing a petition.

Outright has affirmed to community members that it plans to allow residents to access Sunset Lake. That’s a relief to members of the Sunrise-Sunset Lakes, Perch Pond Association.

“We are committed to continuing to offer local community members access and, of course, to the safety of young people who are on-site for programming,” Kaplan said.

Kaplan hopes that the purchase will unlock opportunities for LGBTQ+ youths in Vermont. In the meantime, Outright will start a capital campaign to raise the funds necessary to make the space as “accessible and joyful for LGBTQ+ youth as possible,” Kaplan said.

“I am so thrilled for the day that we can bring young people to the site so they can just breathe it in and be there,” Kaplan said. “They deserve beautiful things and healing spaces.”

Rachel Hellman was a staff writer at Seven Days, covering Vermont’s small towns. She was also a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Her story about transgender newcomers in Vermont...