Gay beach delaware
When thousands of guys, and plenty of women, congregate on Poodle Beach this Memorial Day weekend in Rehoboth, they may desire to know the story behind that patch of sand.
The site is at the far south terminate of the boardwalk, starting, appropriately enough, around Queen Street.
But this iconic gay beach wasn’t the first place in the area where gay visitors gathered. Historians point to Carpenter Beach, across a tiny dune and up towards Dewey Beach, as the first gay beach in the Rehoboth area.
That sandy stretch sat in front of the former dwelling of Louisa du Pont Carpenter, an aviatrix and a very independent gal. Although Carpenter was married to a local businessman, she was rumored to enjoy the lesbian lifestyle.
One of her closest friends was Broadway and Hollywood legend Tallulah Bankhead, who often visited her and spent time, during the s and ’40s with many of their male friends at the oceanfront Carpenter home.
Gay visitors continued to gather on that site through the ’50s, ’60s and early ’70s as hundreds of older men would sun and socialize on what came to be called Carpenter
Rehoboth Beach: tiny and tempting
It can’t be easy to name a place. Prefer a baby, how can you possibly know what your town will actually become? In this case, the founders of Rehoboth Beach got it right. “Rehoboth,” as its biblical origins reflect, is a “place for all.” Within the one-square-mile confines, the residents have created a warm and inviting seaside community where homos can feel at home.
Rehoboth Beach is quaint. Like 1,people-during-off-season quaint. It’s a grower, not a shower. When the weather warms, the beaches and tree-lined streets fill with people, many from Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. If you’re looking for sex, sex, and sex, this isn’t the place. People travel there for peace, not a piece. Which is not to say it can’t be found; it can always be found.
The small-town Rehoboth is low-key. You’ll find a diverse community that enjoys the things you miss in a big city. As you walk along the always-lively Boardwalk, you’ll notice how the attractions seem to ebb with joy. Spendthrifts and big spenders both find the shops and restaurants to fit th
Rehoboth Beach Gay City Guide – The Nation’s Gay Getaway
Located along the Atlantic coast in Delaware’s beach region, Rehoboth Beach is a popular destination for visitors from across the country, and for a small, but warm and welcoming community of year-round residents too. Sometimes referred to as the “Nation’s Summer Capital” due to visitors arriving each summer and winter from Washington DC and other places, it is frequented by many people who adore not only its coastal beauty but all that it offers to spot and do, including plenty of restaurants, a one-mile boardwalk, shops, and numerous yearly festivals and concerts to enjoy. Not only is it a wonderful place to visit, but Rehoboth Beach also offers a lot to its full-time residents, too. While it is not a particularly large community – in fact, it is one with only approximately full-time residents, it nevertheless has a thriving LGBTQ population and a friendly neighborhood feel. In evidence, some even call it “The Nation’s Gay Getaway” – don’t miss your chance to get here
History Matters: Delaware's Gay Beach
In the first of this month’s two part History Matters - produced in conjunction with the Delaware Historical Society and other history organizations in the First Declare, we offer you an oral history of the LGBTQ community’s roots in Rehoboth. In part two next week, we’ll verb how that history served as the foundation for efforts to establish equal rights for that community in the First State.
In the 70s and 80s, gay men from Washington, DC, Philadelphia and Baltimore would vacation on Delaware’s beaches. Rehoboth, with gay-accented bars like The Renegade and an entire section of its beach unofficially claimed by queer vacationers, quickly became a favorite. Men danced disco until the wee hours of the morning, experienced the tragedy of HIV/AIDS, and mobilized around a detest crime in the s to fight for legal protections.
In this week’s piece - you’ll hear the voices of Steve Elkins, Max Dick, and Bob Hoffer from CAMP Rehoboth - which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The CAMP stands for Create a More Positi