LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
The Way I See It |
by Steve Elkins, Editor |
With summer behind us, we come to the most beautiful time of year in Rehoboth. Of course, it could have something to do with the fact that my work load gets a little lighter after Labor Day weekendthen again it is hard to resist the gorgeous weather and bluest of blue skies that fill our post-season days. Speaking of Labor Day, the SUNDANCE 98 benefit was a huge success with a total of $120,000 after all expenses. Not too bad for a small beach town! On page 18, Murray gives a wrap-up of this years two-day event, reminding us just how many people we have to thank for their incredible help and support in making SUNDANCE 98 successful. On Sunday, September 6, the headline on the front page of the Wilmington News Journal proclaimed, "Gays divided over Rehoboth's image." The accompanying article was sparked by a police raid earlier in the summer on Wild Hearts, a shop on Baltimore Avenue which, allegedly, was selling sex toys without the proper license. (The State of Delaware requires a business to purchase a special license in order to sell adult merchandise, and Wild Hearts did not have one.) For the record, CAMP Rehoboth did not make a moral judgment as to whether or not a properly licensed store should be allowed to sell sex toys. Rather, our concern in this and other such matters is to determine if persons in the gay and lesbian community are being afforded the same rights and fair treatment by law enforcement agencies and the justice system. It was not gays against straights in the minds of city officials. They saw a violation of code and set out to correct it. Of this I am certain, the police in Rehoboth would have sought the same authority for a raid on any shopstraight or gaypeddling sex toys. However, such issues in our community are not nearly as black and white as the News Journal reporteror the police would have us believe. Yes, we have different opinions. Were individual beings, arent we? Theres as much diversity among gays and lesbiansour thinking, our politics, our religions, our lifestylesas you find in the rest of society. As the gay and lesbian community in Rehoboth continues to grow and mature, the diversity within our community will continue to grow as well, and thats cause for celebration. Were no longer relegated to living in gay ghettos. We have worked hard to insure gays and lesbians are included in all aspects of the larger community. Our success in achieving this inclusiveness means that we must accept part of the responsibility of building a Rehoboth thats a good, safe place for families...families of all types. And by the way, no matter what the Journal article alleges that I said something about a "tacky boardwalk"I said it all with a great deal of affection! Tacky or not, that mile long boardwalk is one of the many reasons I am proud to call Rehoboth "home." With the passage of the summer, the seasonal beach crowd is packing up to go home. But thanks to Tom Minnuto, you can keep up with the beachhouse scene all winter at www.beachhousenetwork.com. Find out about summer shares, happenings at the beach, and plans for the winter Beach Rush Party in D.C. Finally, the high season may be behind us, but were just getting started. Come for the Sidewalk Sale, Oct. 2-4; and the Rehoboth Jazz Festival, Oct. 15-19; and Sea Witch Festival, Oct. 24-25. Then come again for the newest event, the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival. Its grand debut is Nov. 12-15, and with Barry Becker as the Film Fests first director, you wont want to miss it! |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 8, No. 13, September 18, 1998. |