LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
The Way I See It |
by Steve Elkins, Editor |
To say that it was hot over the 4th of July weekend would certainly be the understatement of the year. How hot was it? It was so hot that Murray even took off his vest for a few days. It was so hot that the LOVE 99 bartenders estimated that each person at the dance had nine bottles of Pure Pride Water, (though I would say from looking at the place after the dance ended, at least half of those nine bottles ended up on the floor). It was so hot I felt like I belonged in a Tennessee Williams play. I wonder what the next "scene" will be? After all, the summer is still young. Thinking about what comes next has been much on our minds here at CAMP Rehoboth this summer. In several issues of Letters weve talked about future directions and the need for creating a vision. Specifically, weve been talking about a vision for CAMP Rehoboth but I cant help but think that we need to look further. Many groups are organizing and trying to define a vision, but sometimes differences within our own community make it hard for us to come together. A prime example is the controversial plan for the Millennium March on Washingtonsome say it is time for us to be united in another big extravaganza, while others feel the energy and money could be spent in more direct, grassroots ways. One of the first lessons that Murray and I learned when we started CAMP Rehoboth was that it is impossible to make everyone happy all of the time. Its even difficult to make some people happy any of the time. However, a vision is necessary in order to keep from getting sidetracked. Thats why we have mission statements, of course, but I believe our vision needs to be more than that. The potential within the gay and lesbian community is awesome, if we can get past our differencesor at least learn to celebrate them. It is important that we create a vision that allows us to find ways of focusing the gay and lesbian community without sacrificing any of its uniqueness. All of this may sound a lot more like Murray than it does me, and rightly so. Ive been listening to him these last couple of months (plus the nearly twenty-one years prior to that) as he worked on his art show, Awakening. He has sometimes accused me of not listening when he is expounding on the meaning of a particular painting or poem, but I hear more than is sometimes apparent. This show, which can be seen at the Blue Moon through the month of July, is about the emergence of a gay spirita gay soulthat seems to me to have a great deal to do with the vision about which I was speaking. The greatest thing about living in a resort town is the fluid shape of the community. The town changes with the seasons. We are made up of full time residents, weekend residents, seasonal visitors, and those who come just for an occasional week or two. We are one of the places where Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and visitors from across the country, come together to play and enjoy the summerand where many of those same people eventually retire. That is why Rehoboth and the surrounding beach towns have long been such good places to make friends and lifelong connections. The roots of Rehoboth, of course, go back to its beginnings as a Methodist Church Campgroundand it has always delighted us that our own gay CAMP fits so nicely into that picture. Rehoboth is a place where people come to get away from the stress of their livesand in the process become a little more open to one another. I like it that I can live in this little "CAMP" town, and that eventually the world comes to us. CAMP Rehoboth is, and always has been, about the community. Whether you see us only once a year or all year long, we encourage you to write or email us and let us hear your CAMP thoughts and ideas. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 9, No. 9, July 16, 1999 |