Lesbian Couple Wins NJ Discrimination Suit

Last year a lesbian couple sued after a church group in Ocean Grove, New Jersey refused to let them hold their wedding at a beach pavilion that they had regularly been renting to the public. The case is routinely trumpeted by the Christianist right as an example of how same-sex marriage will trample religious freedom. Today the women won their case.

The New Jersey Division on Civl Rights ruled today that gay couples will be allowed to hold civil union ceremonies at the public boardwalk pavilion in Ocean Grove, N.J., according to Garden State Equality. Harriet Bernstein and Luisa Paster sued the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association for refusing to allow them to hold their civil union ceremony at the pavilion.

The Division ruled that the couple has “probable cause” to claim that the ban violates New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination. The couple was represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey. "Though we're not home free yet, today's decision by the Corzine Administration is a significant victory for liberty and justice for all in Ocean Grove," said Steven Goldstein, chair of Garden State Equality. "The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association has only itself to blame for pursuing a lawsuit that will cost it hundreds of thousands of dollars – and potentially millions of dollars in potential tourism to Ocean Grove, known across the country as a leading LGBT-friendly destination."

Expect the wingnut blogs to light up all over again on this.