In Brief

When Letters went to press on the issue before this one, the Delaware House of Delegates was in the midst of deliberating the fate of HB 99, the bill to add the words "sexual orientation" to the existing Delaware anti-discrimination bill.

The bill made it on the agenda for Wednesday, June 25 after a day of last minute lobbying on Tuesday, with frantic phone calls and general scrambling for information. Would it be on the agenda or not? The answer changed hourly.

It was reported that prime sponsor Rep. William Oberle did not want the bill to come to a vote unless he had the 21 votes (a simple majority) to get it passed. He and co-sponsor Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf worked diligently all week to expand and conserve the "yes" votes.

While the bill was on the agenda for Wednesday, it was removed at the last minute when one of the "yea" votes had to leave the chamber because of illness.

When the bill was finally on the floor the next afternoon, the House passed HB 99 by a vote of 21-18 with two abstentions.

According to those in the chamber, it was technically only one abstention, as there was

another lawmaker actually on site, but who chose to step away from his desk to avoid having to vote.

That tally made the numbers for passage of the bill slightly better than last session when the vote was 21-20.

The outcome in the house speaks to the hard work of pro-HB 99 delegates, who managed to garner the needed support despite the loss, in the last election, of two of its major proponents, Shirley Price and John Schroeder.

The vote was not without drama, however, as a couple of amendments which would have seriously compromised the protections within the bill were defeated.

Representative Joe Booth of Lewes/ Georgetown and Representative Gerald Hocker of Bethany both voted to defeat the bill, while Representative Pete Schwartzkopf of Rehoboth/Lewes voted in favor of it.

Gov. Ruth Ann Minner held a rally last May to announce her continued support for the bill. Support came from many state organizations. On June 18, the Delaware State Bar Association voted to endorse HB 99. Other supporters/ endorsers include Delaware Coalition for Human Rights; American Association of University Women; AIDS Delaware; ARC of Delaware; Children and Families First; Delaware ACLU; Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence; Delaware Commission for Women; Delaware Human Relations Commission; Independent Resources; League of Women Voters; Lutheran Office on Public Policy; Wilmington Mayor James Baker; Mental Health Association of Delaware; Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League; Del. NAACP; National Association of Social Workers; National Conference for Community and Justice; the YWCA of New Castle County; Delaware State Bar Association’s Women and the Law Section; Delaware Stonewall Democratic Club; 82 Delaware clergy signatories of the Spiritual Leaders’ Statement; and according to Hickman-Brown Public Opinion Research, 69% of Delawareans.

What’s next for HB 99?

While the bill passed in the House, the session concluded on June 30 without the bill going to the Senate floor. Since this is a two-year session, the bill can come to the Senate in January and can continue on its path.

In January, Senate President Pro Tem Thurman Adams will assign the bill to a committee. He has given assurances to several people that it will not go to the Small Business Committee, chaired by Senator Venebles. The bill failed to be released from that committee in the last legislative session.

Adams has given assurances that he will not allow the bill to be bottled up in the Senate this session. He expects to have a hearing and vote in early 2004.

However, there will be a special Senate session as soon as this fall, and the Governor has suggested to Senate leadership the possibility of having HB 99 voted on at that session.

Readers wishing to lobby their legislators or take other actions to encourage passage of the bill may reference the Action Alert on the Delaware Stonewall Democratic Club website at www.destonewalldems.org. The site offers specific lobbying suggestions directed toward individual senate members.

*This report based on information from Doug and Corey Marshall-Steele, Delaware ACLU, and others.

Area Chamber of Commerce Speaks Out on HB 99

Rehoboth Beach City Commissioner Mark Aguirre requested that the subject of HB 99 be placed on the May 15 agenda of the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors meeting. He was cautioned that, because of a lengthy program, addressing the issue would most likely be postponed until the June meeting. Prior to the meeting nearly a dozen board members were contacted to encourage their support for the legislation.

Opinions on the subject ranged from quick statements of unqualified support to lengthy discussions concerning potential effects on businesses. Unfortunately, as expected discussion was rescheduled for the June meeting.

At the June 26 meeting after much debate and on the motion of Board member Kay Wheatley of the Whayland Company, seconded by Wendy Baker of Ocean Atlantic, the Board unanimously endorsed the following position:

"HB 99 has been presented as a discrimination issue. The Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce, being a business organization, has in place a policy of non-discrimination, and encourages our membership to be non-discriminatory. As a business organization we are not planning further action."

The Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce Equal Employment Opportunity policy has been in effect for over two years and is as follows:

"It is the policy of the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce to grant equal opportunity to all qualified persons. It is the intent and desire of the Chamber that equal opportunity is provided in hiring, wages, promotions, benefits and all other privileges, terms and conditions of employment, regardless of race, religion, creed, color or sexual orientation."

The Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce is the largest local chamber of commerce in the state of Delaware. It is a powerful voice responding to issues of legislation at all levels. The organization organizes programs that benefit businesses, the community, and visitors. In addition, they answer thousands of mail and telephone inquiries about the resort area, and act as a referral service. The Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce can be contacted at rehoboth@beach-fun.com.

Dignity/Washington Returns for Annual Pilgrimage to Rehoboth

Dignity/Washington is returning to Rehoboth for its annual beach weekend. About 100 Dignity members from Washington, DC, along with Dignity members from Northern Virginia, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New Jersey, will descend on Rehoboth from July 18–20, 2003. Dignity/Washington, a community of GLBT Catholics, has sponsored Rehoboth Beach weekends for several decades. The Rehoboth Beach Weekend is one of Dignity’s most popular social events of the year.

Dignity/Washington is celebrating 31 years of service to the GLBT community of greater Washington, DC. Dignity’s tradition of service also extends to the annual Rehoboth visits. The CAMP Rehoboth Community Center once again will be the local beneficiary of Dignity’s weekend fundraising activities.

A full weekend agenda is planned, including a Friday night "Hawaiian Luau" opening reception and Saturday morning continental breakfast at the conference center of The Breakers Hotel and Suites; a Friday evening "bar night" at the Double L, sponsored by Dignity’s Defenders LLC; a full Saturday on the beach (Poodle Beach, naturally), with a gourmet boxed lunch served, and snacks and beverages, and activities, throughout the day (look for our tent and stop by to say hello and pick up information on Dignity); an early Saturday evening of Dignity Bingo Madness (how very Catholic); a late Saturday evening of partying and dancing at Rehoboth’s clubs; a scrumptious Sunday morning brunch at the Our Place Restaurant and Garden Patio; followed by a celebration of the Mass, at 1:00 p.m., in the sanctuary of the Epworth United Methodist Church (beach block of Baltimore Avenue), to end our weekend of celebration and relaxation. All are invited to join Dignity at Mass on Sunday.

Dignity/Washington, the largest Dignity Chapter in the nation, sponsors a Mass every Sunday, at 6:00 p.m., at St. Margaret’s Church, 1820 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC (Dupont Circle Metro). For more information on Dignity, check their website at www.dignitywashington.org. You can also reach them at Dignity/Washington, P.O. Box 53001, Washington, DC 20009, or by calling 202-546-2235.

If you would like more information, or would like to find out how to participate in the planned Rehoboth Beach Weekend activities, contact Bill Hunt, at wmhunt@starpower.net, or at 301-982-0111.

US Rep. Barney Frank Headlines Fundraiser for Stonewall Democrats

The Delaware Stonewall Democratic Club announced that The Honorable Barney Frank will headline its July 19 fundraising event. Frank, a 20-year member of Congress from Massachusetts, is the nation’s best known gay politician and one of the Democratic Party’s intellectual and political leaders.

Joining Frank at the fundraiser and lending their support to the Delaware Stonewall Democrats, one of the state’s newest Democratic organizations, is an all-star lineup of Delaware Democrats: Governor Ruth Ann Minner, State Treasurer Jack Markell, Democratic Party Chairman Rick Bayard, and 14th District Representative Pete Schwartzkopf.

"The turnout is great," said Delaware Stonewall President Tim Spies. "We’re very pleased with the warm welcome we’ve received from Delaware’s Democratic Party, and we look forward to working with Party officials and Democrats statewide to build a strong, inclusive Democratic Party."

The all star lineup isn’t limited to the politicians. Delaware Stonewall Democrats are proud to recognize and thank the following Delaware businesses for their generous contributions of food and beverage: Beautiful Foods, Blue Moon, Cloud 9, Dogfish Brewing & Eats, Nassau Valley Vineyards, and Queenz Quizine.

The fundraiser will be held Saturday, July 19 from 6-8 p.m. at the home of Dr. Jim D’Orta at 123 Silver Lake Drive, Rehoboth Beach. Tickets: $35 may be purchased in advance or at the door. Check or cash only please.

Contact Tim Spies at 302-227-4307 or DEStonewall@aol.com for reservations

Go Fish! Is Back In Business

After months of renovation, Go Fish!, on Rehoboth Avenue, is once again open for business. Alison and Gary invite you to come over and take a look at their recently renovated space. Besides their ever popular "to go" window, they now have 45 seats where you can dine in comfort.

Enjoy the expanded menu which includes seafood dishes as well as appetizers, desserts, a children’s menu and fabulous chip shop favorites. Go Fish! serves lunch from 11 a.m.- 4 p.m., and dinner from 4-10:30 p.m. The take out window is open from 11 a.m. Go Fish! is located at 24 Rehoboth Avenue, in the southside ocean block. For information, call 302-226-1044.