Rehoboth Beach, Del. — CAMP Rehoboth hosted their annual block party on October 18, celebrating the organization’s 35th year in Rehoboth Beach. The yearly event celebrated the unity and inclusion of Southern Delaware’s LGBTQ+ community. Rainbow and progress flags adorned Baltimore Avenue as it was lined with vendors, local businesses, family-friendly activities, and musical entertainment. As a midterm election looms in the coming weeks, maintaining progress in a hostile national political climate was a hot topic of discussion at this year’s festival.
CAMP began its mission in 1991 to “Create A More Positive environment that is inclusive of all sexual orientations and gender identities.” Letters from CAMP Rehoboth, which is a magazine published monthly and distributed for free, and the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center are focal points of Southern Delaware’s LGBTQ+ community. CAMP continues to provide stability for the community by providing resources, visibility, and networking opportunities.
Despite its decades-long reputation for providing stability, CAMP Rehoboth’s Communications Manager Matty Brown admitted the organization has needed to “evolve” with the changing political landscape. Brown says the Center has recently seen a large increase in requests for mental health services for LGBTQ+ youth. He also says a growing concern in programming is the loss of access to LGBTQ+ affirming and welcoming healthcare.
In spite of the recent hardship, Brown pointed to new programs and community partnerships, such as a LGBTQ+ Youth Empowerment Support Group, to illustrate that CAMP remains resilient in the face of pressure. Many of the community partners and programs had their own tables at the event or provided information at CAMP’s display table.
Along with the Center’s ingenuity, community support also helps maintain CAMP’s reputation of reliability in Southern Delaware. Brown said that a robust membership program and local businesses help keep CAMP financially stable as funding sources face cuts.
“Coming together at events like the Block Party, we do this every day,” Brown said. “As our rights keep getting stripped back, we come together to support each other.”
Others at the event agreed with the sentiment that Southern Delaware’s LGBTQ+ community was only getting stronger and more resilient in the face of increasing adversity. As she greeted constituents at the event, State Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall told the Call that the community’s resilience was proven by the fact that LGBTQ+ people were still moving to Southern Delaware, making it “a quickly growing area” even as they flee other parts of the country for safety. “People take care of each other down here,” she said.