‘All rights are important’: Groups share information, support, promote advocacy for LGBTQIA+ community – Ocean City Sentinel
OCEAN CITY — A wide array of organizations came out to support the We Belong Cape May County OC Pride Fest on Saturday, wanting members of the LGBTQIA+ community to know that they do indeed belong.
After speakers and a Saturday morning march on the Ocean City Boardwalk, the Pride Fest moved to the Ocean City Civic Center where bands played outside and advocacy organizations, groups and businesses set up tables to show their support, hand out information and provide activities for everyone who ventured inside.
A large group from Holy Trinity Episcopal Church of Ocean City was there to represent the Episcopal Church “that’s very supportive of the LGBTQ+ community,” according to the pastor, the Very Rev. Jay Angerer.
“It’s good to be out in the community letting people know that all rights are important, that everybody in society has a right to be who they are,” the pastor said.
St. Peter’s United Methodist Church of Ocean City was next door to Holy Trinity’s table.
“One of the ways we express who we are is saying that everyone belongs,” Assistant Pastor Kathleen Crockford said.
“I think it’s important that we show that God loves everyone and that’s why we’re here,” added congregant Brittany Pursel, “so that we can create a safe space for people.”
Garden State Equality was promoting its services including health equity and wellness, trans resiliency, education and youth development, according to the youth advisory board’s Hime Thomas.
“We want to meet people where they’re at in the community because we service the whole state of New Jersey,” Thomas said, adding the group has been at events in Cape May County before. (Learn more at GSEquality on Instagram.)
A group of parents whose now-grown children have transitioned have a group called TRUE – Transgender Rights, Understanding and Education.”
“We’re here to spread awareness about transgender rights, understanding and education,” member Danielle Giannascoli said.
“And to provide support for gender-affirming care,” added Tom Richards, who was with his wife, Shelly Richards. They are backing a piece of legislation before the New Jersey Legislature — Assembly bill 4656 or Senate bill 3491.
Shelly Richards said they have support from about 21 senators and 25 members of the Assembly for the bill. She noted Gov. Phil Murphy has an executive order on gender-affirming care, but with his term finishing this year they want to see that enshrined into law.
“We’re pushing very hard for the bills to go through. It’s not only gender-affirming care it’s reproductive health and IVF, so it affects all people, not just transgender people,” Shelly Richards said.
She noted the four families came together to form the group because their children needed support, as they did “because it’s a transition of the entire family.”
The trio said they want to educate the public because there is a lot of misleading information about trans people, “especially in the government right now.” (True2bu.org.)
A contingent from AtlantiCare took part in the march on the boardwalk and had a booth at the Civic Center.
“It was really important for us to take part of this. This is our community,” said Missy Trafton, director of professional development at AtlantiCare.
“You know, we want to take care of our community, and we want to show that we’re supporting the LGBTQ community. We have an LGBTQ primary care office in Atlantic City catering specifically to that community, and we just want to make sure that they know we’re here to support them,” Trafton added.
The Upper Township Democratic Club was providing non-partisan “Hate Has No Home Here” signs and making sure vulnerable communities are represented in an area where there are fewer Democrats, according to club Vice President Jocelyn Payne.
“We’re basically here to let everyone know there are like-minded folks who are working hard to make sure our state stays blue,” Payne said. “The governor’s race is coming up and we want to let everyone know they’re welcome and we support everyone regardless of politics.”
The group is helping form a Young Dems of Cape May County group for people between the ages of 14 and 40. The group meets at 7 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month in room N111 at the Ocean City Free Public Library.
“We’re trying to support the LGBT community and want people to know there are Democrats in Upper Township,” club President Janet Yunghans said. “Our organization has actually more than doubled in the past five months.” (See upperdems.com.)
Michael Dattilo was representing the Ocean City Democratic Club to bring more visibility to the club and support the LGBTQIA+ community.
“We like to do community events in general to get our name out there to make people aware that we are around and are organized … so we thought it was a good spot for us,” Dattilo said of being at the Pride Fest. He said the club “absolutely” supports the community.
A group of local women, among them Lisa Labbree, Lisa Shapiro and Sheree Kachnic, of West Wildwood, Marlton and Galloway, were giving out “mom hugs.”
“We offer free mom hugs,” Labbree said. “There are a lot of kids out there who aren’t supported by their families, so we go to different activities to give out free hugs for anyone who needs one and just show our support.”
Guy Forcone, a resource parent recruiter from the state Department of Children and Families (njfoster.org), was looking for potential foster parents.
“I look for people interested in being foster parents or adoptive parents for abused or neglected children,” Forcone said. “When kids are abused or neglected, they’re not safe and we have to remove them from their home and we need good, safe, loving, nurturing homes for to them to go to,” he explained.
They go to family-oriented events, Forcone added, which is why he was at the Pride Fest because some families in the LGBTQIA+ community “are not always able to have children of their own, and sometimes they’re more apt to become foster parents or adoptive parents.”
The Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office was promoting a number of its initiatives in the county, including its Safe Place program and reporting of bias crimes, according to Danielle Mitchell.
The Safe Place program has businesses put a placard in their window to let people know that they are safe spaces and are encouraged to report hate crimes. Mitchell said the office also wants to encourage the reporting of bias and hate crimes. She said law enforcement agencies across New Jersey are well trained in taking the reports and take them very seriously.
The Coalition Against Rape and Abuse was represented at the Pride Fest to tell festival-goers about its confidential services that include counseling, support and advocacy for victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. (cara-cmc.org.)
Those services are available whether they are women, men or any population, according to Corinne DeNapoli, who noted it was “absolutely wonderful seeing the turnout for the festival.
“I love being able to participate in events like this because of the more awareness we are able to show with our community the resources we have, the more people feel a little more connected and know where they need to go in the event they need some assistance.”
DeNapoli said the hotline (609-522-6489) is always staffed and callers will never get an answering machine.
Cape Assist, a nonprofit serving Cape May County, offered materials on substance abuse, prevention and treatment and to promote its quit center that isn’t just for cigarette smokers, according to Sarah Florence. (capeassist.org.)
“We really just try to help people. Whatever they need, we try to get it to them,” Florence said. “We have a lot of community programs — prevention, education, mental health. We also have a recovery center to help people get into recovery.”
Christine Stanford and Jenna Smith, the president and vice president, respectively, of We Belong Cape May County, were “absolutely” pleased with the turnout for the Pride Fest.
“We were afraid the weather was going to keep people away, but it does not look like it has, so we’re very happy with today’s turnout,” Smith said, adding the importance of the event “is really just visibility. We want people to see that there’s lots and lots of people out there who love and support everyone, regardless of who they love.”
“We were concerned with the weather a bit and then it just all kind of faded away into a beautiful day, and we’re happy so many people came out,” Stanford said.
She agreed that having a march on the boardwalk followed by the Pride Fest is about visibility and “just to show love and support for the community.”
Referring to those who are antagonistic toward the LGBTQIA+ community, Stanford said, “The loud voices don’t represent the majority of people.”
Alexia French, who grew up in the area and attended Ocean City High School, was among the colorfully attired attendees at the Pride Fest. She was standing in the doorway of the Civic Center, listening to the band Tryptophan perform.
“I’m here for me because I am a part of the LGBTQ community and I have some people in my life that are very important to me that are also a part of the LGBTQ community,” French said.
She was happy to see the Pride Fest taking place in Ocean City because most of the attention goes to similar festivals in places such as Philadelphia and New York.
“I think it’s great for such a small community to experience it firsthand because there’s so much going on in the news right now. It’s great to be able to have something that people can come to and check out on their own and experience it for themselves,” French said.
– STORY and PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
At top, representatives of the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office.
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