LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Speak Out |
On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Sussex County AIDS Committee, and the many we serve, I wish to thank you for the very generous gift of $90,000 from Sundance 2000. Wow! As I have told so many in these past couple of weeks, SCAC has the most caring, committed, and compassionate supporters of any non-profit organization with which I have ever been associated. Sundance, with its countless volunteers, sponsors, and participants, is one shining example of that. Clearly, SCAC could not provide our current level and scope of services and outreach without the strong support of CAMP Rehoboth and all those involved with Sundance. Although it will be here before we know, it, I can't wait 'til next year's Sundance 2001! Again, thank you for this gift and the continued support of CAMP Rehoboth. I look forward to great things ahead. Steven N. Twilley, Executive Director Sussex County AIDS Committee I am the new Statewide Coordinator for the ACLU-DE Lesbian & Gay Civil Rights Project. I live in Wilmington and have one spoiled rotten cat, Caliban. In my regular, full-time job, I work in higher education and will be joining the staff of Wesley College in Dover in December. Prior to being elected to the Statewide Coordinator position, I was New Castle County Coordinator for a year and have also been serving as the Project's representative to the Federation of State-wide LGBT Advocacy Organizations, a national consortium of civil rights groups from all over the United States. I currently serve on the Federation's executive committee as the representative for the Mid-Atlantic region (DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY). I am excited and honored to serve as Statewide Coordinator for the Project. The Project has achieved a great deal in four short years. Sexual orientation was added to Delaware's hate crimes protections, our employment non-discrimination bill was debated and voted on in the state House of Representatives two years ago (losing narrowly), and we have developed and maintained strong relationships with many state legislators, agencies and the governor's office. This spring, we will see the introduction of a comprehensive civil rights bill that would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in the areas of employment, housing, public accommodations and insurance. I truly believe that it is not a question of if comprehensive civil rights legislation can pass in Delaware's legislature, but a question of when that legislation will be passed. And it can only be passed if our community works together in a concerted effort to send a message to Dover that we want our equal rights to be secured now. It is imperative that more people get actively involved with the Project. You may think that there is a big crowd of people who make all this happen. That is simply not the case. The New Castle and Sussex groups only had three people each in attendance at their recent meetings...just three. We need people to organize and volunteer at fundraising events, create press releases, do outreach with other community groups, as well as a variety of other tasks. So, I am issuing a challenge and calling it "The 1 and 10 Challenge." This title is based on the widely held premise that approximately 1 in 10 people are gay or lesbian. The challenge is that each person should get 1 new person or household to sign up as a Project member and make one $10 donation. If we can accomplish this, we can double our ability to impact the legislators in Dover and cover the expenses for our annual Lobby Day at Legislative Hall (coming up in April 2001). Talk to your friends, family, co-workersanybody who believes in equalityand encourage them to join the Project. For more information, or to become a member, contact the ACLU of Delaware at 302-654-3966 or delaclu@aol.com. Peter Medwick, ACLU-DE Lesbian & Gay Civil Rights Project. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 10, No. 15, Nov. 22, 2000. |