The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, an organization involved in the administrative affairs of Ocean Grove, New Jersey, has banned same-sex couples from having civil-union ceremonies at the public boardwalk pavilion.  Legal experts believe the ban violates the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination because the property is public -- a "public accommodation" by virtue of having been used by the public for many years. 

The ban is hitting the LGBTI community particularly hard.  Ocean Grove has one of the largest LGBTI populations of any community in New Jersey, and even the nation, in terms of percentage.  The LGBTI community, including residents and tourists, has worked hard to help revitalize the town, making it a beloved destination for LGBTI people to live and vacation.

Please write to the Association here, asking it to lift the ban.

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I write to you as a New Jersey resident deeply concerned that the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association is now banning same-sex couples from using the boardwalk pavilion, a public accommodation, for their civil union ceremonies. I respectfully ask the Association to reconsider its position, and most immediately to meet with officials and community leaders who are offering to help resolve this situation. There have been published reports that the Association has not been willing to meet.

Ocean Grove has a rich history as both a community founded by the Camp Meeting Association and as a community with a sizeable lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population. This decades-long coexistence, producing a diversity that reflects the best of our state and nation, has added to Ocean Grove's beauty.

In fact, Ocean Grove's traditional acceptance of all people is a major reason why visitors, tourists and new residents, straight and LGBT alike, come to Ocean Grove and have helped to lead the community's significant economic renaissance.

You don't have to be LGBT to appreciate, as I and thousands of others do, that the community has played a significant role in the rebirth of Ocean Grove as a vibrant and beautiful seaside town. The LGBT community has rehabilitated homes and businesses, has attended and funded events continually, and has participated in the Ocean Grove Historical Society and Home Owners Association. The community invests its time, money, energy and love into Ocean Grove, just as the Camp Meeting Association does.

The Camp Meeting Association's ban of civil unions at the boardwalk pavilion is especially upsetting because the pavilion, through its long historic use, is a public accommodation. It would be one thing if the property in question had for years been for exclusively religious purposes. But the opposite has been the case. For years and years, the boardwalk pavilion has been open to the public and used by the public everyday without restriction.

I understand a formal legal complaint against the Camp Meeting Association?s ban has now been filed with the state. If authorities deem that the ban violates the state's Law Against Discrimination, it could hurt Ocean Grove's reputation across the state and country. None of us wants that for a community we all care about so much.

There has to be a better way than the path of conflict this situation seems to be on.

As a member of Garden State Equality and as someone who cares about Ocean Grove, I ask the Camp Meeting Association to lift the ban. I also ask you to meet with officials and community leaders who have offered to help resolve this situation - widely respected public servants like state Public Advocate Ron Chen, state Director of Civil Rights J. Frank Vespa-Papaleo, and Neptune Township Committee member Randy Bishop.

Otherwise the Camp Meeting Association would be sending a unfortunate signal that it prefers conflict over potential harmony through discussion that Ocean Grove's residents would no doubt prefer, particularly before the annual Camp Meeting.

Please get back to me at your earliest convenience. I thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
June 20, 2007