LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
The Way I See It |
by Steve Elkins, Editor |
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 youthen 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 yearespecially the Auctionso 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. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 13, No. 12, August 22, 2003 |