Jun 29, 2007   | COMMENTS     

Whether you’re visiting or living in Rehoboth Beach, Steve Elkins is one of the town’s go-to guys for gay local life.

He is executive director of CAMP Rehoboth, a gay, community-driven organization — the acronym stands for Create A More Positive Rehoboth — and he also edits Letters from CAMP Rehoboth, a local gay magazine. Elkins moved to the beach town with his partner of 29 years, Murray Archibald, in 1991 from Manhattan after years of traveling to the area from various East Coast locations. In the ’70s, Elkins worked as an assistant administrator at the White House in Jimmy Carter’s administration. It was there that he met Archibald one autumn day, and he “fell in love that night,” adding that “good things do happen in the White House.”

The pair live next door to the CAMP Rehoboth center on Baltimore Avenue. 

How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell? 
I’ve been out since I was 21 (a long, long time ago). The hardest person to tell was myself.
 

Who’s your gay hero? 
My partner, Murray Archibald, who had the vision to start CAMP Rehoboth and help make Rehoboth Beach a town with room for all.
 

 
What is Rehoboth’s best nightspot, past or present? 
The Strand, a New York style dance club, which was located in the heart of downtown Rehoboth Beach.
 

 
If gay marriage were legal, would you tie the knot? 
It depends on whether Murray said “yes” or “no” to my proposal.

 
What non-gay issue are you most passionate about? 
Ending a war that should never have been fought and then focusing on the real threat of terrorism.
 

 
What historical outcome
would you change? 
The opportunities George W. Bush has had to change the face of the Supreme Court.
 

 
What has been the most memorable
pop culture moment of your lifetime? 
Remember, I go way back. It would have to be when the “Boys from Liverpool” first stepped onto American soil.
 

 
On what reality TV show would you fare best? 
Is there a “Senior Idol”?
 

 
What item of clothing has been in your closet since high school? 
Various parts of my Boy Scout uniform, which have found their way into our costume box.

 
If your life were a book, what would the title be? 
“Camp and Carry On.”
 

 
If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do? 
Call several of my straight friends so that they could make an appointment.

 
What do you believe in
beyond the physical world? 
A God who loves me just as I am.
 

 
What would you order for your last meal? 
Barbecue from Big Bob Gibson’s in
Decatur, Alabama.
 

 
What would you walk
across hot coals for? 
Barbecue from Big Bob Gibson’s in
Decatur, Alabama.
 

 
What gay stereotype annoys you most? 
That we’re only interested in partying.
 

 
What is the best gay film ever made? 
“Longtime Companion,” directed by Norman René. It put a human face on the AIDS epidemic.
 

 
What is the most overrated
social custom? 
Whenever I have to put on a coat
and tie at the beach.
 

 
What trophy or prize
do you most covet? 
The Golden Barbie from the CAMP
Rehoboth Follies.
 

 
What’s your advice for gay teens? 
Look to the past for guidance and to the future for inspiration.
 

 
Why Rehoboth? 
No matter where we lived in the past 25 years, all roads seemed to lead back to Rehoboth.