Still, even for those who felt accepted at Camp Tawonga, the pressures of the outside world were never far away. One camper, who lives in a politically conservative area of California, said his parents did not allow him to be photographed or identified because they did not want their friends to know they have a transgender son.

But at camp, there was a true sense of safety and freedom.

“The kids are really able to open themselves up without fear and just be silly,” said Kirby Woolley, 24, a nonbinary counselor assigned to AG-6. The diversity of identities helped the campers forge close friendships rooted in respect for differences, said Mx. Woolley, who uses a gender-neutral courtesy title.

The AG-6 campers, who are between the fifth and seventh grades, forged lasting bonds and made lifetime memories: shrieking in terror at the sight of bats swooping under the cabin porch’s roof; brushing the camp’s resident goats, named X-Box and Pippi; giddily racing to break the cabin’s record of 23 hugs in one minute (after asking for consent), as Mx. Woolley kept time with a watch.