Carper continues his support for CAMP Rehoboth
Sen. Tom Carper may have announced his upcoming retirement, but he’s still out meeting with constituents on a regular basis.
Coinciding with Pride Month, one of those meetings was a June 9 visit to CAMP Rehoboth. CAMP board members and staff joined the senator for a roundtable discussion on how things are going since his last visit and how he can work on their behalf before his January 2025 retirement.
When Carper visited last year, CAMP officials were concerned about losing their right to marriage following the U.S. Supreme Court overturning of long-standing abortion-rights case Roe v. Wade. About six months later, the Senate passed the bipartisan Respect for Marriage Act, which repeals the Defense of Marriage Act passed in 1996 and preserves the right to federal recognition of marriage for same-sex and interracial couples.
CAMP Rehoboth Board Vice President Leslie Ledogar began the recent visit by thanking Carper for his support of the legislation. CAMP Rehoboth Board President Wes Combs said he appreciates Carper stopping by and also that Delaware is a state that protects LGBTQ+ people at a time when others don’t. Anything that could be done at the national level to stop or reverse the tide in other states would be helpful, he said.
CAMP Rehoboth Board Treasurer Jenn Harpel said the Cape Henlopen School District has been a supportive environment, but there’s still trepidation because of violent rhetoric from other sources. It’s tiresome and worrying to hear that hateful rhetoric on a daily basis, she said.
