Jersey Pride in Asbury Park bigger than ever, with Dreamland concert, LGBTQ parade

ASBURY PARK - Pride Month in the city will kick off with the LGBTQ+ festival known as Dreamland on Friday, May 31 and the Pride parade on June 2.

Jersey Pride Inc., the nonprofit organization that produces the Garden State's annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Pride Celebration in Asbury Park the first Sunday in each June, launched its annual parade and festival in 1992, and has remained a constant for New Jersey's LGBTQ+ residents and their allies.

Laura Pople, president of Jersey Pride said that "in every metric" this year's Pride event is bigger than it has been in the past.

"People want to be able to have this kind of event where they can feel that sense of community, demonstrate that visibility in bigger numbers," Pople said. "There are about 50 little Pride events across the state of New Jersey. Our numbers aren't growing because we are the only game in town; our numbers are growing in addition to growing across the state."

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This year's Pride event is focused on voting because "it is apparent how important our vote is and you see it at every level of government.

"We get to vote. By we, I mean everybody. We get to vote for who is the school board and those people are making decisions on whether to ban books that have positive portrayals of LGBTQ families or individuals. We get to have a say," Pople said.

There were 494 legislative measures described by the American Civil Liberties Union as anti-LGBTQ that were introduced in state legislatures across the country last year alone. Those include bills in New Jersey that would, for instance, prevent trans students from participating in sports, or censor in-school discussions of LGBTQ people and issues.

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"If our elected officials are antagonistic toward the LGBTQ community … they could pass laws that curtail our rights and that really harm us," Pople said. "So we felt it was important that having this forum this year. We use it to educate around this very issue and why the act of voting is important.

"And we are bringing people together in Asbury Park, and we do have a giant rally stage," Pople said. "It is really about trying to serve that diverse community that Jersey Pride represents."

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At noon on Sunday, June 2, the Asbury Park Pride parade begins at Asbury Park City Hall and heads south on Main Street. Then it will proceed left on Cookman Avenue toward the ocean, then left on Grand Avenue. The parade will continue north on Grand to Sunset Avenue, where it turns right and ends at the Rally/Festival Grounds.

Dashaun Wesley will emcee the rally with a lineup of over a dozen performers from noon to 6 p.m.

"Dreamland: Pride in Asbury Park" will take place from 6 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, May 31, at the Stone Pony Summer Stage on Ocean Avenue and will feature a headlining performance by the Grammy Award-winning DJ known as Purple Disco Machine.

"What really makes Dreamland special is the focus on experience," promoter Jake Resnicow said. "Everything from the over-the-top dancers and performances, and surprises to the really high-end thematic immersion."

Through Dreamland Gives Back, a dollar from every ticket sold will benefit Garden State Equality, New Jersey’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy and education organization. Its mission is to provide quality, innovative community programs, educate and train service providers, and pass pro-equality policies.

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"A core principle of Dreamland is our focus on inclusivity. It is all about providing a welcoming space for people all backgrounds, orientations and identities," Resnicow said. "There are so many people in small towns and different countries that don't necessarily have friends or family that accept them, and they come to Dreamland and they leave home with new friends and family."

Dreamland is part of a series of events Garden State Equality has planned during its 20th anniversary celebration, which kicks off the same evening at the Equality Ball, just up the street at The Asbury Hotel.

Garden State Equality Executive Director Christian Fuscarino said "with LGBTQ+ rights under attack across the country and even here in the Garden State, there could be no better way to kick off Jersey Pride Weekend than with this musical celebration of queer joy and unity."

Tickets are available at DreamlandPride.com.

Deputy Mayor Amy Quinn, who along with her wife Heather Jensen were among the first same-sex couples to be married in the state in October 2013, said "the dedicated Pride Festival volunteers, who spend months putting the festival together every year for 32 years, set the foundation for Asbury Park to grow and thrive as a welcoming community."

"Asbury Park continues to be a safe place for members of the LGBTQIA+ community, no matter what happens on the state or national level. We earned a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index and we pride ourselves on being an inclusive community," Quinn said.

Charles Daye is the metro reporter for Asbury Park and Neptune, with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. @CharlesDayeAPP Contact him: CDaye@gannettnj.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jersey Pride Dreamland concert, parade kick off LGBTQ Asbury Park events