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
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.
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