Rehoboth Beach
Rehoboth B&B manager fears retaliation from man arrested for desecrating rainbow flag
Defiant suspect posted mug shot, photo of gun on Facebook
The manager of the gay-owned Rehoboth Beach Guest House has expressed alarm that a 23-year-old Rehoboth man who was arrested on Feb. 2 on misdemeanor charges and released the same day for allegedly pulling down a Rainbow Pride flag from the guest house porch might return to the popular LGBTQ B&B and commit an act of violence against him or one of his guests.
Tom Kelch, the property manager in charge of the day-to-day operations of the Rehoboth Guest House, told the Washington Blade he sent email messages to the Rehoboth mayor, City Commission members, and the police chief informing them that Jordan Reed, who was arrested for what Kelch calls the “desecration” of his Rainbow flag, appears to be defiantly bragging about what he did in Facebook postings this week.
Among other things, Reed posted on his Facebook page the Rehoboth police mug shot photo of him that was taken at the time of his arrest as his profile photo. A short time later, he posted as his profile photo a screenshot of a local TV news station’s story about his arrest.
Kelch said he was further alarmed when he discovered that Reed’s Facebook page includes photos of a handgun and comments suggesting he will not show up for his required court appearance for the arrest linked to the rainbow flag incident.
“He suggests violence toward our government,” Kelch told the Rehoboth city officials in describing Reed’s Facebook postings. “He proudly shares pictures of his guns, drugs, and cash,” Kelch said.
“He lives locally in West Rehoboth, and he continues to present a danger to us, our business, and our customers,” Kelch said in his message to the officials. “He targeted us for our beliefs listed on our Pride flag.”
The revelations of Reed’s Facebook postings surfaced two days after the Rehoboth Guest House and the LGBTQ group CAMP Rehoboth released a joint statement praising Rehoboth police for making a quick arrest in the flag incident but expressing strong disagreement with the initial decision by police not to classify the incident as a hate crime.
In response to an inquiry from the Blade seeking an explanation for why police chose not to list the incident as a hate crime, Rehoboth police spokesperson Lt. Jaime Riddle sent the Blade a short statement on Wednesday.
“The Rehoboth Police Department is currently working with the Delaware Department of Justice, Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust, to determine if the acts committed by Jordan Reed on February 1st, 2022, meet the criteria of a hate crime based on current Delaware legislation,” the statement says.
In a message sent to Kelch earlier this week, Rehoboth Police Chief Keith Banks said, “At the time of Mr. Reed’s apprehension, we did not feel we had enough probable cause to charge him with the elements contained in a hate crime statute.” Banks added that the police were working with the state Attorney General’s Office “to see if they determine if the case warrants any additional charges being added.”
A Feb. 3 Rehoboth Police press release announcing Reed’s arrest in connection with the flag incident does not identify the flag as a Rainbow Pride flag or that it was removed from a gay guest house.
“On Tuesday, February 1st, 2022, at around 2:30 pm, Rehoboth Beach Police were called to the second block of Maryland Avenue for a disorderly subject who entered onto a residential property, removed a flag from the front porch and buried it in the snow,” the release says.
“While on the scene at the residence, at around 3:15 pm, the responding officer was contacted by a separate victim who reported that the tire to his trailer had been slashed,” the release says, adding that the trailer was parked on the same block as the “residential property” where the flag was removed.
The release says that after interviewing witnesses and viewing video surveillance footage that Kelch said the Rehoboth Guest House gave to police, police investigators identified Reed as a suspect in the incident. It says that on Feb. 2 police observed Reed walking along Rehoboth Avenue and apprehended him without incident.
Reed was arrested and charged with 1 count of criminal mischief under $1,000, 1 count of third-degree criminal trespass, and 1 count of disorderly conduct, the police press release says. It says Reed was released on $1,500 unsecured bail.
Records from the Sussex County, Del., Court of Common Pleas, where the case was filed, show that Reed is scheduled to return to court on May 16 for an arraignment hearing.
Court records also show that Reed has at least four other misdemeanor cases pending against him on charges that include attempted arson, criminal trespass, theft, and burglary. The records show that in the burglary case, for which Reed was arrested on Sept. 9, 2021, he failed to appear for a Sept. 30 arraignment.
The records do not show what, if any, action police or prosecutors may have taken in response to his failure to show up for the arraignment.
Kelch, meanwhile, told the Blade and the Rehoboth City officials he wrote to that he believes the video footage showing Reed pulling down his Rainbow Pride flag constitutes clear evidence that the incident was a hate crime.
“I went back inside to review the cameras and found that he had ripped the Pride flag off the house, threw it on the ground, stomped on it, kicked it over to a snow pile, began to bury it, sat on it, spit into his hands and rubbed them onto the flag, finished burying it under the snow bank, stood up and walked away out of camera view,” Kelch said in his email to the Rehoboth officials.
“After calling police, we found that he immediately slashed a tire on our street right after attacking and desecrating our Pride flag,” Kelch wrote. “A clear expression of hatred and an act of violence to encourage fear,” Kelch continued.
“Thank God I didn’t go out to confront him and waited till he left before I investigated,” he said. “The police report belittled what happened by saying he just took a flag down and put it in the snow. This was very upsetting for it to be so minimized in the public report.”
Rehoboth Beach
Rehoboth Beach’s Clear Space Theatre summer 2025 season preview
Main stage musicals include ‘Hairspray’ and ‘Rent’
The Clear Space Theatre Company summer season in Rehoboth Beach kicks off in a few short weeks. This year’s mainstage musicals include “Hairspray,” “Beautiful: the Carole King Musical,” and “Rent.”
“Hairspray” will run from June 24-Aug. 30, with “Beautiful” from June 27-Aug. 28 and “Rent” from July 2-Aug. 26. Clear Space is a repertory theater, meaning that a cast of rotating artists will appear in all of these musicals. Tickets can be purchased at clearspacetheatre.org.
Clear Space was founded in 2004 and is considered Delaware’s second-largest professional non-profit theater and the state’s most prolific producer of professional theater. The “clear space” name refers to a “focus on the process, knowledge, and humanity of arts performance: the idea that we find ourselves in what appears on the stage,” according to its website.
Joe Gfaller, managing director of Clear Space, said the theater has a responsibility to produce work for everyone in the region, which gives them the creative space to do more than just one thing.
“That’s what makes everything at Clear Space so joyful and inventive,” Gfaller told the Washington Blade. “We know that this community that we’re a part of includes all kinds of people, all backgrounds, all experiences, and it’s critical for us to present a variety of work that’s going to move each of those people.”
In addition to the three main stage musicals, Clear Space offers Saturday morning children’s theater productions and Sunday cabarets, which will feature Tony and Emmy nominated artists, a “RuPaul’s Drag Race” star, and other popular entertainers this year.
“What we’re always looking to do as we create our full season, including the summer, is to produce work that’s going to delight and excite and engage the audiences that are here in Rehoboth Beach and coastal Delaware,” Gfaller said. “There’s always a mix of old and new, of plays and of musicals. There’s really something for everyone across our season for each year.”
Summer flex passes are available for purchase as well, which allows patrons to see three or more productions in the summer repertory season and save 15% off the price of single tickets. Passes can be used for the three main stage musicals and for cabaret shows.
Gfaller said the musical “Rent” “speaks to what musical theater is capable of doing” and is a piece that is “deeply grounded” in the experiences of the LGBTQ community.
“There’s always going to be a piece of that in the work that we do because we know that the community that we serve here in Rehoboth Beach and beyond has a lot of folks who are connected meaningfully to the queer community,” he said.
Another facet of the company, the Clear Space Arts Institute offers voice, dancing, and acting classes during the summer. This year, many are at capacity and a waitlist is being offered.
The Rebecca Luker Theatrical Partnership was developed within the last few years to honor the life and career of Luker, a Broadway star, after she passed away in 2020. The partnership aims to create professional leadership opportunities in the theater for individuals from underserved communities.
“Through the Rebecca Luker Theatrical Partnership, CSTC is paving a path forward to create a more inclusive space for future arts leaders of color while honoring the company’s mission and Ms. Luker’s commitment to racial justice,” a press release from Clear Space said.
Clear Space has been growing, according to Gfaller. Over the last 21 productions, 17 have sold out all performances. Though the theater seats just 170, it saw more than 24,000 attendees over the course of one year. Gfaller is excited that there’s been so much growing enthusiasm and wants patrons to feel joyful and connected to each other after watching the shows.
“We want people to fall in love with seeing great live theater … in an intimate space. You can see amazing things on Broadway, and you might need to bring your opera glasses to see what’s going on,” Gfaller said. “What’s wonderful at Clear Space is you are no more than three to six rows from the stage anywhere you sit in the theater, and there is something so much more magnetic and dynamic and inspirational about seeing theater in that context, because you feel that you’re there in the room with the artists, while the artists are making it happen. And there’s really nothing that compares to that.”
The city of Rehoboth Beach in Delaware will host a public ceremony to commemorate the beginning of Pride month.
The event includes a proclamation and flag-raising ceremony outside of city hall at 12 p.m. on Sunday, June 1. The LGBTQ Pride flag will be flown during the month of June.
Rehoboth Beach is known for being an LGBTQ-friendly resort town. The year-round population of about 1,500 residents swells in the summer months, reaching more than 25,000, according to Travel US News.
“Rehoboth Beach is home to a vibrant LGBTQ+ community, which greatly contributes to the social and economic vitality as well as the character of our city,” Mayor Stan Mills said in a press release. “The City of Rehoboth Beach strives to foster diversity among its residents and visitors and to be a welcoming community to all.”
Rehoboth Beach Pride is scheduled for July 16-20.
Rehoboth Beach
Ashley Biden to speak at Blade’s Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach
May 16 event to honor Beau Biden, feature speech from Gov. Matt Meyer
The Washington Blade’s 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party is scheduled for today in Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Ashley Biden, daughter of President Joe Biden, has joined the list of speakers, the Blade announced on Friday. She will accept an award on behalf of her brother Beau Biden for his LGBTQ advocacy work as Delaware attorney general.
Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer has also joined the list of speakers.
The event, held at the Blue Moon (35 Rehoboth Ave.) from 5-7 p.m., is a fundraiser for the Blade Foundation’s Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which funds a summer position reporting on LGBTQ news in Delaware. This year’s recipient will be introduced at the event.
The event will also feature remarks from state Sen. Russ Huxtable, who recently introduced a state constitutional amendment to codify the right of same-sex couples to marry. CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey and Blade editor Kevin Naff will also speak. The event is generously sponsored by Realtor Justin Noble, The Avenue Inn & Spa, and Blue Moon.
A suggested donation of $20 is partially tax deductible and includes drink tickets and light appetizers. Tickets are available in advance at bladefoundation.org/rehoboth or at the door.
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