LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Letters to LETTERS |
Dear CAMP Rehoboth,
We would like to thank everyone who participated in the BEST PET AT THE BEACH contest. Although every pet deserved to win we could only choose three. It was a very close race with first place going to Cloak and Dagger (owned by Gene and Paul), second place to Eugene (owned by Tricia Massella), and third place to Niki (owned by Dee Hammer). Thanks, also, for helping us publicize the BEST PET contest in LETTERS. It was a great success! Sincerely, David George and staff Atlantic Color Lab Dear Editor, National Coming Out Day (NCOD) is celebrated every October 11th. Nineteen-ninety-eight marks a decade of NCOD, and we at the National Coming Out Project are hoping that this tenth anniversary year will be its most successful ever. The aim of National Coming Out Day specifically and the National Coming Out Project in general is to encourage queer and queer supportive people to come out, be visible, and educate those around them. We accomplish this goal by coordinating NCOD events in all fifty states, providing coming out resources including the Resource Guide to Coming Out (also available in Spanish), conducting educational and outreach campaigns in the queer and non-queer press, and acting as a resource for all people at various stages of coming out. There are over thirty million gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered individuals, as well as countless allies across the United States. Yet, most Americans believe that they do not know anyone who is gay, and as a result, many people find it difficult to relate to our concerns. Needless to say, this invisibility is enormously damaging. The increased use of anti-gay rhetoric at all levels of government, discrimination in employment and in the military, and the continual attempts to pass anti-gay ballot measures are just a few examples of invisibilitys harmful effects. For these reasons, coming out as queer or as a queer ally is extremely important. This is even more true in 1998an election year when bills such as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and the Hate Crimes Prevention Act are being fiercely debated in Congress. We cannot achieve equality from the closet. Open participation is critical to our own empowerment, safety, and well-being as well as the establishment of a fair and healthy society. In Pride, Candace Gingrich To the Editor: Thanks, Steve Elkins, for mentioning in your August 17 column, "The Way I See It," an article I wrote in the Washington Blade about a police related matter in Rehoboth Beach. My article, and your column, talked about Rehoboth Police Chief Creig Doyles policy of publicly disclosing the names of people arrested in the town on certain charges, including charges of public sex. Although your overall reference to my article is correct, I would like to clarify one point. You said in your column, "In the article... Lou stated that the policy does not seem to be aimed at the gays and lesbians, and I agree." In fact, I made no such assertion. What I wrote was that Chief Doyle, in a telephone interview, asserted that the policy is not aimed at gays and lesbians. "Everybody is treated the same," I quoted the chief as saying. Its important to make this distinction because the Blade strives to serve the community as an independent newspaper that restricts opinions to its commentary section and does not interject them in its news articles. Sincerely, Lou Chibbaro Jr. Dear Steve, As the Producer of Novembers Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival, I just wanted to publicly thank you for all the support you and CAMP Rehoboth have given this amazing venture so far. Ive produced five other film festivals prior to this, but I have never worked with such community-wide energy, commitment and support for an event in my life. It is only through the combined talents and help of many that the festival has taken on the life it has, and you are a key part of that network. In the weeks ahead, we will continue to book films that will appeal to the broadest diversity of our community here. Thank you for being a Sponsor of the festival, and for your key role in continuing to Create A More Positive Rehoboth. Barry Becker, Producer Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 8, No. 12, August 28, 1998. |