Ocean Grove United – a spring of renewal
BREAKING NEWS 12/29/08: NJ Division on Civil Rights
Rules in Favor of Lesbian Couple OGU Events Newly Listed for 2009! NEW! OGU Video Clips on YouTube
All of us are familiar with the rhythms of life at the shore–
the joyous anticipation of spring, the fun-filled days of summer on the beach,
the mellow fall, and the calm of winter when there is a tendency to retreat
to the comforts of home. So during the quiet of this winter season, Ocean Grove
United sponsored community dinners at our wonderful Ocean Grove restaurants
and cafes, both to support these local businesses in their off-season and to
gather together with friends and neighbors. With the enthusiastic cooperation
of our hosts, we organized a dinner at Bia, a dinner event at Sea Grass with
a selection of cheeses provided by Cheese on Main, brunch at The Starving Artist,
and tea at the Lillagaard – all well attended and boisterous events, with
the laughter of friends reconnecting over delicious meals.
Now, with spring flowers in bloom, Ocean Grove United is focused on renewal.
We are in the process of structural reorganization, with a new emphasis on connecting
with the residents of Ocean Grove. We are looking for fresh ideas on how to
bring our diverse population together to enhance the life of the community.
We will have a new website to launch with an easier way to become involved in
our activities and we will be holding a community meeting to reintroduce ourselves,
meet old friends and new neighbors, and discuss topics of interest. Watch for
announcements of all these activities as spring unfolds.
Our renewal is based on four core values – fairness, empathy, unity, and
optimism. We all share in the life of the town, as full time residents, part
timers, home owners, renters, people of all religions, or no religious affiliation,
gay and straight, young and old, from all racial and ethnic backgrounds. We
value these differences and strive to ensure fairness for all, through an open
and empathetic outlook. By working together with all the Ocean Grove civic and
religious groups, Ocean Grove United can both help maintain our lovely unique
traditions and bring about some inevitable changes. This is the meaning of renewal
and we are joyfully looking forward to bringing it to fruition.
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.
Click"events" link = OGU nights in Jan, Feb, March...
from "Labor Day 2007" 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:
