Ocean Grove United’s Dinner and Fashion Show
THANKS ALL WHO PACKED "SEA GRASS" OGU NIGHT
NEWS ITEM 12/29/08: NJ Division on Civil Rights
Rules in Favor of Lesbian Couple
NEW! OGU Video Clips on YouTube
Tea and Fashion with OGU at the Lillagaard Tea Room
Surrounded by Victorian charm, supporters of Ocean Grove United
enjoyed a sumptuous afternoon tea at the Lillagaard Tea Room on
Sunday, April 25. Beautifully decorated trays contained a savory selection of
finger sandwiches, sweet treats and fresh fruits. Although it was a dreary afternoon
outside, the atmosphere in the tea room was warm and welcoming.
Along with the locals, there was a group of women from towns outside of Ocean
Grove. Dressed in fancy Victorian hats, they sipped their tea, munched on goodies
and had a wonderful time.
To enhance the event and further support local businesses, there were fashion
accessories from Seasons on Main Avenue available for sale.
In addition, participants brought bags of food items that will be donated to
the Monmouth County Food Bank.
If you have never attended an afternoon tea at the Lillagaard,
you are missing a very enjoyable experience.
Raises Funds for OG Fire Department and Shore Red Cross
It seemed that spring had already arrived as the models from the Emporium on
Main Avenue in Ocean Grove paraded through the dining room in their light linen
suits, with colorful jewelry and extravagant straw hats. The children were decked
out in swimming gear and even the dog (a stuffed one, of course) was sporting
a spring sweater. This was the scene at Bia restaurant in the Majestic Hotel
on Friday, March 26, as Ocean Grove United continued its series of events to
support local businesses in the winter season. About 60 Ocean Grove friends
and neighbors gathered to enjoy an elegant dinner, indulge in decadent chocolate
cake, and make contributions to the Ocean Grove Fire Department and the Jersey
Shore Chapter of the American Red Cross, in honor of their heroic efforts in
the recent Ocean Grove fire. Two Rivers Theater Company in Red Bank also donated
two tickets to their next production, which were raffled to benefit Ocean Grove
Beautification Committee. Non-perishable food was collected to be donated to
the Monmouth Ocean Food Bank. OGU’s next event will be a Sunday afternoon
tea at the Lillagaard Tea Room on April 25 at 1:00 pm.
OGU in Trenton
The Struggle for Marriage Equality - By Kim Byham 2/14/2010
In December and January the New Jersey State Legislature considered and ultimately
rejected marriage equality. Members of the Ocean Grove United Board were active
participants in the energetic but unsuccessful lobbying effort in support of
the proposed legislation, which effort was organized by Garden State Equality.
The OGU members joined hundreds of others from all parts of New Jersey at the
state capitol complex. There were rallies at the capitol portico, televised
on numerous New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia stations; hearings and legislative
sessions on subjects other than marriage equality, where the presence of scores
of blue Garden State Equality T-shirts emblazoned with “Equality! The
American Dream” was hoped to be influential; one-on-one conversations
with legislators; and then there was the six-hour Senate Judiciary Committee
hearing and the debate and vote on the Senate floor.
The chief litigants in the Ocean Grove Pavilion controversy and OGU Board members,
Harriet Bernstein and Luisa Paster, were introduced at one of the rallies by
Steven Goldstein and spoke to the crowd. Kim Byham, Joan Caputo and Diane Davis
were also present at most of the sessions and actively participated.
Although unsuccessful, the effort in Trenton did provide abundant opportunities
for networking and sharing the story about what has happened in Ocean Grove.
It was also a lesson in how legislation is made, even if it is not finally enacted.
An amendment was added to the original legislation at the behest of Mercer County
Republican Senator Bill Baroni which would have provided that even had marriage
equality been approved, the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association could have
permitted opposite-sex only marriages in the Boardwalk Pavilion. The bill’s
original sponsor, Loretta Weinberg, Bergen County Senator and Governor Corzine’s
running mate last year, agreed to this, obviously in return for Baroni’s
vote, though it apparently did not persuade any other Republicans to vote for
the bill.
No OGU people testified at the committee hearing but those selected by Garden
State Equality were excellent spokespeople about a variety of shortfalls in
the current Civil Union legislation. Interestingly, the tactic used by most
of the marriage equality opponents was that civil unions are fine, that it simply
a question of the public becoming familiar with the law. The spokesman for the
New Jersey Roman Catholic dioceses said that his church supports civil unions
and wants to see them strengthened – a reversal of its position when that
law was originally proposed.
The most surprising thing that happened during the floor debate was the speech
of Ocean Grove’s Senator, Sean Kean. Senator Kean began by talking about
how many gay and lesbian folks there were in his district – “the
gayest district in the state” – and how “they” had contributed
greatly to the renewal of Asbury Park and Ocean Grove. He even said that he
had his victory party at a “gay-owned restaurant in Ocean Grove.”
Then the tone of his remarks turned from loopy to dark when he gave a few platitudes
about traditional marriage and announced he would proudly vote “No.”
While this turn surprised some listeners, those who knew the Senator were not
surprised, though no one was able to discern a clear logic underlying the speech.
It has led many in his district to pay attention to his representation of them,
many for the first time.
The defeat by the Senate is not the end of marriage equality in New Jersey.
It will happen, it is merely a question of when. Garden State Equality, in conjunction
with Lambda Legal Defense, announced immediately after the defeat in Trenton
that they will return to the courts which, it is hoped, will recognize the inherent
inequality of civil unions.
We sold-out our fabulous dinner event at Sea Grass on January 15th, and just
added another night there for April!!!... Many thanks to Janine & Kim for
a great menu & all of you who joined us & brought items for the Monmouth
FoodBank. Watch our Events page for more upcoming chances to
support OG businesses. We'll soon update you on our crushing Marriage Equality
loss in Trenton with OGU's take on it, as well as State Senator Sean Kean's
patronizing "speech" before his "no" vote - despite his
own district's diverse LGBT makeup... stay tuned... please also take a look
at some Essential Reading (re: recent Ocean Grove-related issues.)
For now the link is added to the left "menu," as we work to "streamline"
and update the website a bit... hang in there!
Today the NJ Division on Civil Rights has endorsed the validity of a complaint
filed against the Camp Meeting Association by Harriet Bernstein and Luisa Paster,
an Ocean Grove lesbian couple who were denied use of the boardwalk pavilion
for their civil union ceremony in the spring of 2007.
Ocean Grove United appreciates that the DCR has viewed the
issue in the same way that we do and has confirmed that the pavilion is not
religious in nature but a public accommodation and therefore subject to the
NJ Law Against Discrimination. We note that this decision should in no way be
considered a precedent for requiring any religious group to endorse, perform,
or participate in civil unions, only that a public accommodation must be open
for equal use by all, regardless of sexual orientation. We now look forward
to the Camp Meeting Association lifting its ban on the use of the pavilion and
allowing both marriage and civil union ceremonies to take place there on an
equal basis.
Ocean Grove United would like to thank the entire community
of Ocean Grove, the Human Rights Campaign, Garden State Equality, and the American
Civil Liberties Union for their strong support and encouragement during this
campaign. The unexpected results of this painful incident have been a renewed
sense of community and energy in Ocean Grove, evidenced by the flying of hundreds
of equality flags, and the participation in OGU sponsored fund
raising events, porch parties, and special events in support of local businesses.
Ocean Grove United has also been happy to work with the Camp
Meeting Association on events such as a memorial program for Dr. George Fey
Stoll and the 4th of July parade, and with the Ocean Grove Chamber of Commerce
on local events.
As stated here on our web page, Ocean Grove United is a group
of Ocean Grove residents and business owners committed to guaranteeing the civil
rights of all members of the community, and to promoting the participation of
all toward the enhancement of Ocean Grove as a diverse and harmonious community.
from "Labor Day Camp Meeting Sit-In 2007"
For more footage on YouTube>Click
Here!
NJ Division of Civil Rights Complainants Interviewed on NPR
Later that day, the Pavilion controversy was discussed again during NPR's 'Talk
of the Nation' segment: Listen
Here.
Who
Needs A Pavilion Anyway?
OGU supporters Rev. Julie Parker, Harriet Bernstein, Luisa Paster, Rev.
Bill Crawford, Jan Moore, Emily Sonnessa and Rev. David Parker at the pavilion.
The Boardwalk Pavilion Controversy
The Ocean Grove boardwalk pavilion has been used as
a public space for decades. Bands play there. Children skateboard through it.
Tourists enjoy the shade. It's even been used for debates and Civil War re-enactments.
Yet this widely-used open space is now closed to same-sex couples wishing to
hold civil union ceremonies there.
The group making this determination is the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association
(OGCMA), a Methodist organization that owns all of the property in Ocean Grove.
The organization maintains that its discretion to disallow civil unions within
Methodist churches extends to the boardwalk pavilion in Ocean Grove. In other
words, the OGCMA considers the public pavilion part of its church.
The OGCMA's decision is in direct defiance of recent New Jersey state legislation
and a New Jersey Supreme Court ruling recognizing same-sex couples and granting
legal status to civil unions. Further, given the multiple civic and religious
uses of the pavilion, the space is considered a place of public accommodation
under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination. In accordance with the law,
same-sex couples are entitled to use the pavilion for civil union ceremonies.
A group of concerned Ocean Grove citizens — both gay and straight —
have formed Ocean Grove United, in light of these events, to ensure the civil
rights of all members of the Ocean Grove community.
Join Our Email List:
