Houston Bears Relocate Bear Camp over Trans Exclusion Policy at Grizzly Pines

In a move that both reflects the organization’s commitment to inclusivity and underscores tensions around trans visibility in LGBTQIA+ spaces, the Houston Bears have relocated their 2025 Bear Camp event from Grizzly Pines in Navasota, Texas, to Rainbow Ranch in Groesbeck, Texas. The decision was prompted by Grizzly Pines’ policy limiting entry to cisgender men, and it reflects a broader reckoning within queer communities about what it truly means to be inclusive.

“We consider transgender men to be an integral part of our community,” says Joe Jefferson Jr., President of the Board of Directors of the Houston Bears. “We want them as members, just as any other man would like to be a member, and we want them to be at our events.”

Grizzly Pines came under scrutiny following comments the campground made on March 31, 2025, which was also the annual Trans Day of Visibility. In a widely circulated social media post authored by the organization, they made it abundantly clear that the campground’s policy excludes trans men. While the Grizzly Pines previously hosted Houston Bears events, the Houston Bears’ Board quickly rallied and voted to cancel their 2025 Bear Camp booking with the venue.

“There was nothing on their website that specifically said ‘no trans men,’” Jefferson explains. “That hasn’t been a stated policy.” He indicated that the Houston Bears now sees that this policy was, at best, an unwritten rule of Grizzly Pines.

Upon having the trans exclusive policy brought to their attention, the Houston Bears Board reached out to Grizzly Pines for clarification. After confirming the policy, they requested an exemption for their May event. The campground declined. The Houston Bears were especially frustrated because Grizzly Pines has made exceptions to its cis-male-only policy in the past by allowing cisgender women on the property during select weekends.

“We did ask them for an exemption,” Jefferson explains. “There are weekends throughout the year where they allow women onto their property. There’s an event that takes place in September or October where anyone and everyone is welcome. We said, ‘Hey, could you make a similar exception for us?’ But they said that wasn’t possible, that it’s something they prepare for weeks or months in advance.”

“When they said that wasn’t possible, it pretty much made it impossible for us to consider the continuation of having the event there,” Jefferson says. “We didn’t want a situation where someone paid for lodging and food, showed up, and then was kicked out because we hadn’t asked about their gender assigned at birth.”

The decision to move Bear Camp to Rainbow Ranch, a queer-friendly campground that explicitly welcomes all LGBTQIA+ individuals that is farther from the Houston metroplex than Grizzly Pines, was not made lightly.

“This decision wasn’t to make a statement,” declares Jorge Olivares, the organization’s Communications Director. “We took the decision because we had to. It’s about our members,” he emphasizes. “But now that we’re here, and this is giving us visibility, we want everybody to know that everybody’s welcome. If you’re transgender, nonbinary, come join us. You won’t regret it.”

Bear Camp will now take place May 16–18, 2025, at Rainbow Ranch. Tickets and event details can be found at www.BearCamp.org​.

While Houston Bears’ leadership acknowledged that some members expressed concerns about the new location’s distance from Houston, the overwhelming response has been positive.

“It was overwhelmingly positive,” Olivares says. “It was people thanking us for taking the steps. It actually felt really good. Very heartwarming. They had our backs.”

Still, the Houston Bears are not calling for a boycott of Grizzly Pines. “We told all of our members at our general membership meeting: If you still have your reservations out there, enjoy yourself,” Jefferson states. “We are not going to treat [anyone] differently because they made a personal decision.”

Despite some social media commentary attempting to paint the campground as villains, both Jefferson and Olivares reject that characterization.

“We personally, and the organization, have no ill will toward Grizzly Pines. They’re not the bad guys, in my opinion,” says Jefferson. “The bottom line is they have a policy we don’t agree with, so we decided to move it. We hope they can grow and potentially change the policy.”

Olivares adds, “They’re free to have their opinion, but they could do better, too. If they change and they show us it’s a real change, not just a paper change, that would be important.”

Grizzly Pines was contacted multiple times via email, phone, and by text messages for comments on their policy and the Houston Bears’ departure. As of publication, Grizzly Pines has not responded to any of these inquiries.

For the Houston Bears, the incident has been a powerful learning moment. “We’ve learned not to make broad assumptions. Just because a space is declared safe for gay men, doesn’t mean it’s safe for all gay men,” Jefferson reflects. “We’re going to ask the right questions going forward. We take full responsibility for not doing that before.”

The organization’s renewed commitment to inclusion is not just reactive but deeply personal.

“Bottom line, it’s just the right thing to do,” Jefferson says. “The transgender community is under attack on many different fronts right now, and we believe it’s important for them to have allies and to know they’re not going through the world alone.”

“We want them to be with us. And we want to be good allies,” echoes Olivares. “We still have to learn, and we want to listen and grow. It’s all of us. Together.”

“Anyone who wants to participate in our events or wants to become a member is absolutely welcome to do so,” declares Jefferson. “You belong here.”

What: Bear Camp 2025 BearCamp.org
When: May 16–18, 2025
Where: Rainbow Ranch
Info: HoustonBears.org