Rehoboth Beach has been one of the East Coast’s most beloved LGBTQ+ beach towns for decades. Now, for the first time, the Delaware resort city will have an openly gay mayor.
Susan Stewart won Rehoboth Beach’s mayoral election on August 8, receiving 61 percent of the vote in a four-person race. When she takes office on September 18, Stewart will become both the city’s first openly gay mayor and its first woman mayor in decades.
For a town with such a rich queer history, the milestone feels both significant and surprisingly overdue.
Rehoboth Has Been a Queer Beach Town for Generations
Rehoboth may be known for its boardwalk, beaches and classic summer-town charm, but LGBTQ+ people have helped shape the city for nearly a century.
Queer people were gathering in Rehoboth as early as the 1930s, often finding the freedom to be themselves at private parties and beach homes. By the 1970s and 1980s, more LGBTQ+ travelers, residents and business owners were making Rehoboth their own. Its proximity to Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia helped turn the small Delaware town into an easy coastal escape with a growing queer community.
That growth was not always welcomed. LGBTQ+ bars and restaurants faced attempts to restrict their businesses, while queer residents and visitors experienced harassment. In the late 1980s, bumper stickers reading “Keep Rehoboth a Family Town” began appearing around the city, suggesting that queer people did not belong in that definition of family.
The backlash helped inspire the creation of CAMP Rehoboth in 1991. Its name stands for “Creating A More Positive Rehoboth,” and the organization set out to build a stronger, more inclusive community for LGBTQ+ people and their neighbors.
More than 35 years later, CAMP Rehoboth remains at the heart of queer life in Southern Delaware, offering everything from health programs and social gatherings to arts events and advocacy.
The Rehoboth We Know Today
Today, Rehoboth is the kind of beach town where rainbow flags feel like part of the landscape. LGBTQ+-owned businesses, queer events, drag shows, nightlife and community organizations have made it a longtime favorite for travelers who want a beach vacation with a little more family around.
The city also has its own queer beach traditions. Poodle Beach has historically been popular with gay men, while the North Shores area has long attracted lesbian and queer women. Rehoboth is more mixed than those unofficial labels might suggest, but knowing where to go can make finding your people a little easier.
If you’re planning a visit, our LGBTQ+ guide to Rehoboth Beach covers the queer beaches, gay bars, restaurants and places worth adding to your weekend.
A New Chapter for Rehoboth
Before running for mayor, Stewart served on the Rehoboth Beach Board of Commissioners and the city’s Planning Commission. Her professional background includes law and financial services, and much of her campaign focused on preserving the character of Rehoboth while addressing development, transportation, housing and the pressures that come with being a popular tourist destination.
Her election is especially meaningful at a moment when LGBTQ+ rights and visibility are being challenged across the country. Having an openly gay mayor does not mean that every queer or trans person will automatically feel safe or represented. It does, however, say something powerful about who residents trust to lead one of the country’s best-known LGBTQ+ beach towns.
Rehoboth has been shaped by generations of queer people who visited, opened businesses, built organizations, formed families and decided to stay. Now, for the first time, an openly gay person will lead the city they helped create.
