Gay Rights Activists, Congressman Celebrate Anniversary Of Marriage Equality Ruling In Ridgewood

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Gay rights leaders, local officials and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) met in the village today to celebrate marriage equality in the United States and discuss the fact that more work needs to be done end bullying.

It was two years ago to the day that the U.S. Supreme Court decided 5-4 that same-sex couples have the fundamental right to marriage.

"Nationwide marriage equality, while a massive leap forward, didn’t end the discrimination that the LGBT community still faces across the nation, even here in New Jersey,” said Gottheimer, who attended the event with Assemblyman Tim Eustace (District 38), who is openly gay, and Jane Clementi, who co-founded the Tyler Clementi Foundation. Christian Fuscarino, executive director of Garden State Equality, a nonprofit that advocates for LGBT rights. The foundation is named in honor of a former gay Ridgewood resident who killed himself after he was outed online by his college roommate

According to Gottheimer, 68 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered youth say they have heard "negative and hurtful things" from elected leaders and their community, and 25 percent say their biggest concern in life is that their families will not accept them.

"We’ll never be successful if we leave pockets of our community out in the cold, if we, in essence, have signs on our banks that say ‘gay people need not apply,'" Gottheimer said. "Especially now, when we need broad based growth more than ever. We can’t tell hungry entrepreneurs that the American Dream just isn’t available to them. Or that a family can’t move into their new home."

Gottheimer co-sponsored the Equality Act, a bipartisan bill that would amend existing civil rights laws, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act and others to include non-discrimination protections for members of the LGBT community."

"There’s a reason that these bills are bipartisan. Ending discrimination is not a Republican or Democratic issue — it’s a good for America issue," said Gottheimer, who is in his first year in Congress. "It’s a good for the economy issue. And here in our state, it’s a Jersey values issue."

RELATED: Gay Pride Flag Will Be Flown At Ridgewood High School

Ridgewood High School is the first high school in Bergen County to fly a gay pride flag in recognition of Gay Pride Month. Another gay pride flag flies at Van Neste Square, where the meeting was held. The township hoisted the flag there after weeks of controversy.

"While we aren’t at the promise land just yet, we are making critical progress and there is plenty of light shining down on us today," Gottheimer said. "I can see that rainbow through the clouds."

Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Email daniel.hubbard@patch.com. Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here.