A Letter in Support of QT Camp
We Stand with QT Camp and LGBTQ+ Youth
AFFA is proud to join organizations across South Carolina in standing behind QT Camp and the young people it serves. Our partners — organizations such as ACLU-SC, We Are Family, Charleston Pride, Lowcountry In Transition, and multiple PFLAG chapters — have come together in our community's moment of need.
After a recent online targeting by a prominent political figure, the organizers of QT Camp’s Creepy QT Halloween Party have faced fear and misinformation. But rather than responding with anger, our community is responding with love. We're standing united for the safety, joy, and belonging of queer and trans kids.
QT Camp exists to create affirming spaces where LGBTQ+ youth can learn, grow, and simply be themselves. The program’s impact is clear: it has changed — and even saved — young LBGTQ+ lives. That’s why we’re proud to add our name to a collective sign-on letter in support of QT Camp, its volunteers, and the children it uplifts.
You can read the full letter and see the complete list of partners below.
In Support of QT Camp and Our LGBTQ+ Youth
QT Camp’s upcoming event, the Creepy QT Halloween Party, was created to be a place of joy and belonging. The event is in recognition of QT Camp’s second full summer of outdoor camps for queer and trans kids, and to connect campers and their families to vital community resources in the South Carolina Lowcountry. The event was sadly targeted by a prominent political figure, causing fear and concern for children’s safety in our community.
The purpose of QT Camp, like many other LGBTQ+ youth-focused camps across the country, is to provide an affirming space for children to learn, grow, and know they have a community that welcomes them. Camp activities focus on education, empowerment, and self-advocacy, crucial topics for any child today. Every program QT Camp offers is provided free of charge, thanks to dedicated volunteers, generous donors, and committed community partners.
The impact of QT Camp speaks for itself. Parents tell us it has changed — and even saved — their kids’ lives. That’s what this work is about: creating spaces that affirm young people for exactly who they are, and remind them they are valued no matter their sexual orientation or gender identity. Using queer and trans youth as political pawns is deeply harmful and unacceptable.
Politicians have used our community as political pawns for decades. We refuse to let their exploitation of hate and misinformation define us or distract us from what truly matters: the joy and safety of children. This community has always met fear with compassion, and we will continue to do so in light of these events. We stand together to protect and uplift our youngest community members.
We’re calling on our neighbors and community members to join us: to celebrate, to volunteer, to donate, to safeguard LGBTQ+ youth. Together, we can make sure every child feels loved, supported, and free to be themselves.
Signed,
ACLU of South Carolina
Alliance for Full Acceptance
AFFA Action
Campaign for Southern Equality
Charleston Pride
PFLAG Charleston
Lowcountry in Transition
We Are Family
South Carolina Pride
Harriet Hancock Center
T-Time Transgender Support
South Carolina Equality
Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry
Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network
PFLAG Aiken
PFLAG Anderson
PFLAG Greenville
PFLAG Pawleys Island
PFLAG Spartanburg
PFLAG Rock Hill
PFLAG Savannah
Join us in supporting QT Camp:
Donate directly to QT Camp → https://www.qtcamp.org/donate
Help AFFA Support Affirming Youth Spaces → https://www.affa-sc.org/donate
Share This Letter
Love and community will always outshine hate. Together, we protect our kids — and the future they deserve.
In solidarity,
The AFFA Team
