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Every year I reach this point in the summer when time seems to have
accordioned in upon itself and I can’t believe that the season has come
and gone so swiftly. This is the Labor Day issue of Letters from CAMP
Rehoboth and is, of course, the last one of the summer season. That really
doesn’t bother me too much, I must confess, because September is usually
one of the most beautiful times to be in Rehoboth. In fact, the whole
autumn season is a wonderful time to be here. The shops and restaurants
are still open, the weather is gorgeous, and everything is a just a little
less hectic. Now is the time to look ahead and make plans to be here for
the Jazz Festival, The Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival,
Halloween, and New Year’s Eve.
Recently, the News Journal quoted me in an article about gay marriage
and ran an accompanying photograph taken in the CAMP Rehoboth office. A
week later, an anonymous letter arrived at the CAMP office addressed to
me. Scrawled beside the photograph was a message that condemned both me
and my "partner" as "absolutely disgusting and
reprehensible! Repent your sins," it read, "and ask God to
forgive you—then change your life and be a happy person." I found
it ironic that the photograph shows me standing in front of a print of
Murray’s 1996 Sundance painting which contains a picture of the world
with the word "love" written in a red ribbon. This year’s
Sundance painting is also about love, it’s called Heartbeats, and
contains 25 hearts. It’s underlying theme comes from the 25 happy years
we’ve spent together. How do you explain that to someone so determined
to hate?
Fighting hate and promoting tolerance is the goal of tolerance.org.
Using its online resources, print materials, outreach efforts and
downloadable public service announcements the organization is dedicated to
ending bigotry and creating communities that value diversity. This summer,
a new program, Tolerance USA is profiling a different group from each
state, and recently featured CAMP Rehoboth as the organization from
Delaware. To read about CAMP Rehoboth and other organizations across the
country visit Tolerance.org and browse their News Archives.
From the gayest Tony Awards show ever seen on national TV, to the
landmark Supreme Court decision on sodomy, the election of an openly gay
Episcopal Bishop, the legalization of same sex marriage in Canada, and the
success of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, life in gay America has
received a lot of attention these last few months. Sometimes that means a
backlash will follow, but even if it does we seem to be moving in a
generally positive direction. In a thought provoking letter in the August
8 issue of the Cape Gazette, Doug and Corey Marshall-Steele compared
racism of the past with the homophobia of today. "Since legalized
racism was eventually discarded," they wrote, "we can work in
hope that legalized homophobia also soon will be trashed."
Though the last days of summer are upon us, there’s still much to
enjoy. Labor Day Weekend is always jam-packed with things to do. Sundance
2003 is, of course, the biggest, and sells out early every year—especially
the Auction—so make your reservations now. See page 8 for more about
this year’s Sundance and Auction, and page 6 for a list of all the
Sponsors, Supporters, and Hosts who make it all possible. Another Labor
Day Rehoboth tradition is Drag Volleyball. On page 16, Fay Jacobs takes a
look at the game and what makes it such an attraction.
At CAMP Rehoboth, plans for the community center continue full swing.
Earlier in the summer we passed the halfway point in our capital campaign
to raise a million dollars. In October we will host an open house at CAMP
Rehoboth to give everyone the chance to hear about all the plans, and as
an opportunity to have a little more input into the project. I hope to see
you all this fall.
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