Toms River, Ocean Freeholders Declare Pride Month Support

TOMS RIVER, NJ — When the Toms River Pride Festival kicks off Saturday, it will do so with a Pride flag waving over the township and with public support for the LGBT community from the Ocean County Board of Freeholders.

The freeholders passed a resolution Wednesday naming June Pride Month in Ocean County, saying the board has "a zero tolerance for those with an agenda of hate ... discrimination in any form is intolerable." On Thursday, Toms River Mayor Thomas Kelaher and members of the Township Council raised a Pride flag outside Town Hall, following up on the council's June 11 resolution supporting Pride Month.

The public support of Pride Month is an about-face for the freeholder board, which in 2005 made national headlines and was later the subject of the movie, "Freeheld," with its refusal to allow then Ocean County Detective Lt. Laurel Hester to will her pension to her domestic partner, Stacie Andree. The freeholder board in January 2006 finally agreed to allow Hester, a 25-year employee of the county, to will her pension to Andree.

The Toms River Pride Festival, which kicks off at noon Saturday, will honor Hester, Andree and the late Cheryl Spector, a Toms River native and LGBT+ activist, as the inaugural grand marshals of the historic event.

"The Ocean County Chosen Board of Freeholders agrees that when we are educated about our differences, we become more knowledgeable and accepting of our diversity as a community," the resolution, which was approved by a 4-0 vote (Freeholder Gary Quinn was absent) reads. Freeholder Director Virginia Haines is scheduled to appear at the festival, the Asbury Park Press reported.

Saturday's festival, which runs from noon to 8 p.m. downtown and includes a number of activities, from family-friendly events and live performances during the day to a drag show in the evening that carries a notice of "adult discretion advised."

The Pride flag raised in Toms River was a gift from Exit 82 Theatre Company, organizers and theatre company founders Billy Cardone and Keely Davenport said in a news release. The company also presented flags to the freeholders and to Toms River High School South for graduation day.

Saturday's Pride Festival is scheduled to include presentation of a Congressional Certificate from representatives of Rep. Andy Kim.

"The (Pride Festival) marks a historical moment in the Jersey Shore town’s identity," the news release said, as Toms River, which is marking 252 years since its founding, will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising in New York City’s Greenwich Village.

"As Toms River natives, we’re proud of our heritage and the progress that’s been made to spark the creation of our first-ever Pride celebration," Cardone and Davenport said. "No action is too small and visibility is often the first step toward a more inclusive society."

"Theatre and the arts have an extraordinary way of opening minds and bringing people together from all walks of life," they said. "For over a decade, Exit 82 has helped foster a cultural revival not just downtown but in the surrounding areas. We’re proud to be a safe space for artists, art enthusiasts and the LGBT+ community, and to be leading the effort along with the Toms River Township Council to host our first-ever Pride."

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