Why should Santa be white or cis? The camp where anyone can learn to be Father Christmas

Why should Santa be white or cis? The camp where anyone can learn to be Father Christmas

‘It looked so fun and ridiculous’ … the New England Santa Academy in New Hampshire.
‘It looked so fun and ridiculous’ … the New England Santa Academy in New Hampshire. Photograph: John Tully

An Australian film-maker has followed three new Santas – one trans, one black and one disabled – as they learn the ropes, while their fellow Father Christmases adapt to the times

What do you call a fear of Santa Claus? Claus-tro-phobia. I can’t take credit for that corker – it’s from a SpongeBob SquarePants episode, and it’s also delivered by Alexann in the new HBO Max documentary, Santa Camp. Alexann is a kid who’s turned up to a church in Chicago to meet “Trans Santa”. Unfortunately, so have a handful of Proud Boys and other protesters, who hold “SAVE SANTA” signs while shouting that Trans Santa is “destroying America”.

“The Bible that I read says this is a sin,” says one guy, wearing Proud Boys merch. As the disembodied voice of Santa Camp director Nick Sweeney points out, “Santa’s not in the Bible.”

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