Youth pastor apologizes for banning bikinis at Christian summer camp

A Christian pastor has apologized for banning girls at his youth summer camps from wearing bikinis, admitting that it was wrong to lay ‘the weight of purity’ on the girls but not hold boys responsibly for being ‘gross.’ 

Bryce Brewer, 42, from Spokane Valley, Washington issued an apology on Facebook on July 11, explaining how he came to realize how unfair it was to teach girls that their bodies are things that ‘need to be covered’ while boys’ bodies are OK to be seen. 

Father-of-two Bryce’s post — and his plea for other youth pastors to ‘stop being chauvinist’ — has gone viral, earning over 40,000 shares and thousands of comments.

Sorry! Bryce Brewer from Spokane Valley, Washington has been a leader at Christian youth camps for 20 years and promoted a ‘one-piece swimsuit only’ rule for girls (stock image)

New outlook: He recently realized the rule was unfair. He said girls should not be responsible for 'men's actual sin of lust,' and boys should be responsible 'to not be gross'

New outlook: He recently realized the rule was unfair. He said girls should not be responsible for ‘men’s actual sin of lust,’ and boys should be responsible ‘to not be gross’

‘So I need to issue an apology,’ Bryce, who has a 20-year-old son, 13-year-old daughter, and two stepchildren, began his post. ‘I have been a youth pastor on and off for over 20 years, and I have issued the ridiculous ultimatum to my female students at summer camp “ONE-PIECE SWIMSUITS ONLY.” First of all I am sorry.’

He went on to list specifics, explaining just why he now realizes this wasn’t right. 

First, he wrote, he is ‘sorry that I didn’t teach boys to control themselves.’

‘I am sorry I laid the weight of purity on a girl’s swimsuit while she was swimming, and not on the boys’ responsibility to not be gross,’ he continued.

‘I am sorry to all the girls that frantically searched for an appropriate one-piece so that some male youth pastor could deem them appropriate,’ he went on. 

This particular note is something he came to understand recently while accompanying his fiancée and her 10-year-old daughter on a shopping trip, where they ‘desperately looked for a cute one-piece that would be appropriate for camp.’ 

‘It was hard and it sucked,’ he admitted.

‘I am sorry that we have deemed a young woman’s body as something that “needs to be covered” and let young men’s bodies be OK to be seen,’ he said.

Finally, he wrote: ‘I am sorry I ever let this be an item of discussion, usually lead by men, at any youth leader meeting… this must have been awful for my female leaders and students to be part of.’

Bryce said he still likes what he calls the ‘No Produce Rule’ — that ‘buns, bananas, and breasts’ should be covered up. 

Growth: In a viral Facebook post, he apologized for deeming 'a young woman's body as something that "needs to be covered" and let young men’s bodies be OK to be seen'

Growth: In a viral Facebook post, he apologized for deeming ‘a young woman’s body as something that “needs to be covered” and let young men’s bodies be OK to be seen’

‘But why are stomachs overtly sexual? Why is a little cleavage sinful? Why are women meant to feel they are responsible for men’s actual sin of lust?’ he asked.

‘So I am sorry to all the students, especially female, that we subjugated to our rules. I am sorry to my female students as they desperately tried to search for a swimsuit in the days leading up to camp.  

‘I am sorry if you felt sexualized by us telling you to cover up. I am sorry I didn’t teach boys to be men, and laid that responsibility on young women.’

He concluded with encouragements for readers.

‘Female students — Wear a swimsuit that lets you have fun,’ he wrote. Male students — stop being disgusting and control yourself.

‘Youth pastors (male especially) — stop being chauvinist and making female students feel bad for having breasts.

And finally: ‘Christians — live like Jesus.’ 

Speaking to Today, Bryce explained how his epiphany came about during his swimsuit shopping trip with his fiancée and her 10-year-old daughter.

Bryce has a 20-year-old son and a 13-year-old daughter of his own, but this particularly frustrating shopping trip for a cute one-piece suit produced an aha moment.  

‘I wondered, how many young ladies did I subject to this event over 20 years of ministry? Times when, because of me, they were desperately searching for a one-piece bathing suit and couldn’t find one?’ he said

Message: He told other youth pastors, especially males, to 'stop being chauvinist and making female students feel bad for having breasts'

Message: He told other youth pastors, especially males, to ‘stop being chauvinist and making female students feel bad for having breasts’

‘Women are all shaped differently and for a male to come in and say what a female should wear? That’s the most ridiculous thing in my head now,’ he continued.

‘Those conversations and meetings? It breaks my heart that I said some of the things I did. I was totally missing the point.’

Bryce went on to say that he hopes that other church leaders can also embrace this mindset — and be willing to learn and change their opinions.

‘The number one thing I hope comes from this is that we as leaders, especially in the church, would walk in humility and stop pretending we are the ones that have the answers,’ he said.

‘While my heart may have been in the right place, I missed the boat in this area.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk