Because of the Supreme court’s ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), this has been a summer that the LGBT community will not soon forget—especially here in Delaware where we also passed the Marriage Equality Act and the Prohibiting Gender Identity Discrimination Bill. I’ve been asked so many times already, “Did you believe that it would happen so fast?” Truthfully, no, I suppose I didn’t, but I am overjoyed at the progress we’ve made. That said, there is still a large chunk of the American population who are not supportive, and a portion of those who are rabidly anti-gay. Sometimes our victories make our opponents even more vocal in their protestations, but for now we continue to ride a wave of forward progression. Again, thank you to everyone who has worked to make marriage equality a reality in Delaware.
There are a lot of questions that have come up in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling on DOMA and Delaware’s new marriage laws, and CAMP Rehoboth continues to look for ways to make that information available. On July 21, PNC Wealth Management will present a brunch and a panel discussion at CAMP Rehoboth with PNC Senior Wealth Planners Leanna Johannes, and Marianna Batie, and Buck Smith from Smith Feinberg McCartney & Berl—(to attend please RSVP by July 15 to Melinda Hill at 302-645-6010.) Specifically regarding the Delaware Marriage Law, there is a very good “frequently asked questions” sheet available from Lambda Legal and Equality Delaware. A PDF of that sheet is available on the CAMP Rehoboth website.
Labor Day weekend, we will celebrate Sundance 2013: Rainbow XXV! — Circus of the Summer Sun at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center. This two night extravaganza includes the Sundance Auction and Cocktail Party on Saturday, August 31, and the Sundance on Sunday, September 1. From its inception 26 years ago, Sundance has been made possible by the generous support of its many Sponsors, Supporters, and Hosts, and the push is now on to sign folks up for this year’s event. Sundance supports the work of CAMP Rehoboth which includes: HIV prevention and education, the advocacy work we do in the state, the space we provide with our community center, and the many programs and services we offer to the community. Please consider signing up to be a Sponsor, Supporter or Host of this year’s Sundance. All levels, plus tickets to the event, are available on the CAMP Rehoboth website.
Due to popular demand, plans for the inaugural CAMP Rehoboth cruise have changed: the cruise will now take place in January of 2015 instead of the original 2014. The change occurred because so many folks who wanted to join us had already made their winter 2014 travel plans. An unexpected benefit of the change is a reduction in price. The 14 day “around the Cape with CAMP Rehoboth” cruise begins in Valparaiso, Chile, and travels around Cape Horn and back up to Montevideo and Buenos Aires, Argentina. For information about the cruise contact Annette Stellhorn at Accent on Travel (302-703-6154), or check the online cruise brochure.
Every nonprofit organization appreciates its donors, and here at CAMP Rehoboth we celebrate all of them for they are the ones who make everything possible. This summer we are especially thankful for the support coming from Bruce Pfeufer and Jeffrey Kiley, the producers—and underwriters—of Abbamania on July 27 at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center. Because of their generosity CAMP Rehoboth has no overhead on this event, so every ticket sold, in its entirety, will go toward supporting our organization. Though the $100 front table seats are sold out, there are still $75, $50, and $35 tickets available. Mamma Mia! Thank you Bruce and Jeff!