A gay, all-male campground in Texas is suffering the effects of a longstanding policy barring trans men from its facility.

Grizzly Pines, a clothing-optional campground in Navasota, Texas, northeast of Houston, is now embroiled in controversy after the Houston Bears canceled their annual Bear Camp at the facility, citing the campground’s “MEN ONLY” policy. The campground defines that as excluding trans men.

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In a statement explaining the cancellation, the Houston Bears said, “A community member recently inquired if they could attend Bear Camp at Grizzly Pines because the member thought that Grizzly Pines had a policy of not allowing transgender men to stay at their facilities.”

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“The Houston Bears Board was not aware of such a policy being in effect and, frankly, thought it might be an outdated policy from the previous owners,” the statement read. “We decided to ask Grizzly Pines for clarification. They have confirmed that it is their policy to only allow cisgender men to stay at their facilities.”

With that, the Houston Bears announced they would move their event to a different venue.

“The idea of having an event where we would be forced to tell some of our members ‘not you’ is incompatible with our values,” they wrote.

Asked by the Houston group if Grizzly Pines would suspend the policy for their event, the campground declined — and then doubled down on their trans men ban.

“It is unfortunate that the Houston Bears have chosen to cancel their schedule event with us this year knowing full well of our policy regarding trans-men well in advance of their organization booking their dates,” Grizzly Pines said in a statement posted to Facebook. “This policy has been in place for more than ten years and it has never been hidden or kept from the public.”

“At Grizzly Pines, our mission has always been to provide a safe, affirming and liberating space exclusively for cis gender men – a place where community is built around shared lived experiences, comfort and connection,” the statement read.

“We’re not anti-trans; we’re just focused on preserving this unique sub cultural dynamic.”

Particularly galling to many was the campground’s characterization of the Houston Bears’ support for trans men as new-found.

“We would also like to apologize for any misunderstanding or confusion their new stronger support for the trans community has caused anyone,” the campground said.

After fierce backlash online, Grizzly Pines deleted the post, along with a raft of negative comments and reviews on other sites.

“I think their statement was passive-aggressive,” John Anderson, the founder of Gay Camping Friends, told The Advocate. “It had a lot of read-between-the-lines messaging.”

Anderson reposted Grizzly Pines statement back to Facebook, adding, “Grizzly Pines, a male only gay campground in Texas, tries to justify their ban on trans men while mocking Houston Bears support for trans people. Posted on Trans Day of Visibility. Not a good look.”

“They said the Houston Bears had a ‘newfound support’ for trans people—and that sounded like mockery to me. There’s irony in saying you’re preserving a male experience while excluding trans men, who are men,” Anderson said.

A second Texas bear organization, RGV Bears in the Rio Grande Valley, expressed support for the Houston Bears’ decision and followed suit, canceling their own event booked for Grizzly Pines.

“To our RGV Teddy Bear trans members, we will create events that we can continue to enjoy together in siblinghood (bearhood),” the group wrote.

The controversy highlights simmering divisions among segments of the LGBTQ+ community, as the current presidential administration seeks to erase transgender identity from American society while appealing to what they call the “normal gays.”

Grizzly Pines’ policy is in service to that transphobic agenda, Brad Pritchett, interim CEO of Equality Texas, said in a statement.

“In a political climate where Texas lawmakers are emboldened to file over 200 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills, most of which specifically target trans people, we must remain committed to our community—the whole community,” Pritchett wrote.

“Transphobic policies should not be tolerated and should be costly,” he said. “Let’s show every business in Texas, whether gay-owned or not, that it is expensive to hate your neighbors.”

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