Every year I start off the first issue of Letters from CAMP Rehoboth with some kind of comment about how fast the previous year has passed and how I can’t believe a new one is already here. I promised myself I wouldn’t do that again this year—that I wouldn’t repeat those tired old phrases about how “time flies” or how we’ve gotten back to the same place all over again. Right! I’m not going to do that again; instead, how about a simple “Welcome to 2011!” and a reminder that this is the first issue of the twenty-first volume of Letters from CAMP Rehoboth.
Since we published our last issue of Letters, Don’t Ask, Son’t Tell (DADT) was repealed—and just in time to make it feel like a really good Christmas present! Just because the repeal act was passed and signed by President Obama, doesn’t mean that DADT no longer exists. The terms of the law require that the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff must review the Pentagon’s report on DADT and agree that the implementation of it “is consistent with the standards of military readiness, military effectiveness, unit cohesion, and recruiting and retention of the Armed Forces.” After that, there will be a 60-day waiting period before DADT officially becomes history.
For the last decade, a loosely knit group of individuals representing a variety of Delaware organizations has functioned as an equal rights coalition in the state. The group’s biggest success was the passage of SB121 in the summer of 2009. Now that group has officially become a non-profit organization called Equality Delaware. As a representative of CAMP Rehoboth, I’ve been a part of this group from the beginning, and I will continue by serving on the Board of Directors of the new group. On page 40, Chris Beagle writes about Equality Delaware and the work it will be doing. On February 19, at 3 p.m., Equality Delaware will host a Town Hall Meeting at the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center. All are welcome; please come out and join us.
On February 19 and 20, the Rehoboth Beach Film Society and CAMP Rehoboth will present our mini-LGBT film series, Another Take. The two films featured at the winter 2010 Another Take are Violet Tendencies and You Should Meet My Son. Both films will be screened in the upstairs viewing room at the Movies at Midway. For a description of the films see page 8. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased online at rehobothfilm.com, or by calling the Rehoboth Beach Film Society at 302-645-9095.
The 11th anniversary of the CAMP Rehoboth women’s event, now known as Women’s FEST 2011, promises four fantastic days of workshops, activities, parties, and fun. Entertainment for the weekend includes comic Jennie McNulty, the one-woman show Red Hot Patriot—the Kick-Ass Wit of Molly Ivins, and a Ladies 2000 Tea Dance at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center. With book signings, brunches, happy hours, and many new and popular “feminars” to choose from, the 2011 FEST Committee promises me that it will be the top women’s event in the mid-Atlantic region. For information or to reserve tickets for the weekend, call the CAMP Rehoboth office.
As we start this new year, i’d like to say a quick word of thanks to the many people who give of their time, talents, and money to ensure the continuing success of CAMP Rehoboth and all our programs, activities, events, and facilities. CAMP Rehoboth could not exist without the combined efforts of our Board of Directors, our Leadership Council, our many members, volunteers, and donors. To get involved with the work of CAMP Rehoboth visit our website and fill out the volunteer form and read about how to sign-up for a CAMP membership and/or a Business Partnership.