Safety, freedom and no misgendering: inside the Texas summer camp for trans kids

At Color Splash Out, LGBTQ+ kids can play, create and connect without judgment, especially in a state that passed seven anti-trans bills last year

• Color Splash Out summer camp - in pictures

For the first time in his life, 17-year-old Alastair Mendoza didn't think twice about jumping in the water. He kayaked through tangles of reeds, taking in the schools of minnows beneath him and the hawks overhead. He splashed around with friends he had made only days prior.

I actually felt comfortable," Mendoza said of swimming in public, something trans kids like him often struggle with. But at Color Splash Out, a four-day summer camp open to queer and trans youth in Texas, Mendoza swam whenever he could. There was less fear of judgment and anxiety knowing that you were safe around these people," he said.