LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
The Way I See It |
by Steve Elkins, Editor |
I know I have said this before, but October is my favorite time of the year. Rehoboth is still livelyespecially on weekendsand the weather is perfect. Around the CAMP Rehoboth office we are trying to catch up on all the things that got put on hold during the busy summer months. That's made a little easier by the fact that we are now on our once-a-month, shoulder season publishing schedule for this magazine. In fact, we've only got one more issue after this one before the end of the 2000 seasonwhich also happens to be the end of the first decade of CAMP Rehoboth. It is with a new sense of expectation that we approach this ending, and a feeling that we are, indeed, in the process of creating community. The CAMP Rehoboth Community Center Project, CAMPsafe, The Women's Project of CAMP Rehoboth, Letter's from CAMP Rehoboth, SUNDANCE, and our support groups for men and women, have us poised on a new thresholdand a new decade. To get involved with the exciting work of that new decade, don't miss the first fall CAMP Rehoboth Project Advisory Committee meeting, Saturday, November 4 from 9:00 a.m. until noon at Epworth United Methodist Church, 20 Baltimore Avenue. The meeting is open to all and includes lunch. To make a reservation for lunch, please call Kathy at the CAMP office, 227-5620. Two more reasons for this being my favorite time of the year are the Rehoboth Beach Autumn Jazz Festival (Oct. 19-22) and the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival (Nov. 8-12). Information on the Autumn Jazz Festival is on page 10. Don't miss Glen Bowman's preview of films of special interest to the gay community on page 20. CAMP Rehoboth is proud to be a major sponsor of the festival again this year. As part of that, we are hosting all three showings of actor/writer David Drake's one-man show, The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me. David will be joining us at the festival as well. In addition, the Saturday night showing of Urbania is being sponsored by CAMPsafe, our AIDS education and prevention program. I hope to see you at the movies. December 1 is World AIDS Day. Our local version of the day's observance involves a very moving Candlelight Walk down Rehoboth Avenue, followed by a Service of Remembrance and Hope at Epworth United Methodist Church on Baltimore Avenue. The next planning session for this year's event will be Wednesday, October 25 at 6 p.m. at the SCAC office, 107 South Street in Rehoboth. During our lifetime we have seen many changes and much progress has been made in the area of human rightsbut much work remains to be done. Some of that work is a simple matter of pointing out what is offensive, of being sensitive to the many different people who make up our world. Sometimes being "politically correct" sounds idiotic, but it makes us stop and think about our languageabout the words we use and how we use them. Last week, while Murray was working on plans for World AIDS Day, he called the World Health Organization to get the theme for this year's event, and was told it was "All MenMake A Difference." All men? What about women? Sure it's a little thing, but it should be (and will be for us), "all people make a difference." A couple of other things happened last week that also made me want to stop and say, "Hey, wait a minute." First, we received a letter seeking funds for the Kiwanis Boy Scout House. Oversight? Maybe, and yes, it's not a big dealeven kind of funny in a waybut it doesn't change the fact that gay people are not welcome to participate in the Scouting program. I assume that means paying for it as well. Second, we received a letter asking CAMP Rehoboth to participate in the local blood drive. Blood drive? The last time I checked, gay men were still prohibited from donating blood due to the risk of HIV transmission. Sure, we all stick our foot in our mouths from time to time, even when we mean well. This shows us there's still a lot of "sensitivity" work to be done. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 10, No. 14, Oct. 20, 2000. |