OCEAN CITY — The fourth annual Ocean City Pride Fest brought out a host of organizations to the Ocean City Civic Center on Saturday to show support for the area’s LGBTQ+ community.
There were giveaways, games and a DJ creating a festive environment. Unlike past years, there were no speakers and a march on the boardwalk to kick things off because of a transition with the sponsoring group, We Belong Cape May County.
According to We Belong President Michelle Mangam, the organization was founded originally more than four years ago after concerns arose about the wellbeing of LGBTQ+ students. We Belong has now joined with Beautiful Minds, an organization that provides mental health care.
“We Belong got started when things weren’t so great for some of our students at Ocean City High School,” Mangam said. “A bunch of parents got together and said, ‘This isn’t right and we’re going to make sure that (students) know you are loved and accepted.’”
We Belong has changed hands this year, she added, “from one president mom to another president mom.” (Learn more at webelongcmc.com.)
Mangam said the transition has been going well and this year’s Pride Fest was “absolutely wonderful.” Although there wasn’t a speaker and march this year, there will be next year. For now, they are putting We Belong under the same umbrella as Beautiful Minds and throughout the year are providing support to families.
“The organizations have very similar missions and visions and we would like to offer more inclusive services and connectivity to our youth and families,” said Jeffrey Cox of Beautiful Minds.
“Beautiful Minds offers health services to all. We offer in-home outpatient services in an office and tele-health.”
It operates in 17 counties in New Jersey and in Pennsylvania and Florida. The home office is in Sicklerville, but the organization also has offices in Linwood and Cape May Court House.
“I think this event had a great turnout,” Cox said of the Pride Fest. “It was our first being connected and combined.” (Learn more at beautiful minds.org.)
Many organizations
were represented
The Civic Center was filled Saturday with tables featuring local and regional groups from Free Mom Hugs, Queer Headed and Garden State Equality to local libraries and Cape Assist.
Cape Assist came out to support the community, according to Patricia Bubcich, “whether that’s for people who are dealing with substance misuse or trying to prevent substance misuse, we are an organization that supports everybody.”
She explained the group has various outreach, including a family support group that meets at 3:30 p.m. Saturdays in Ocean City for family members of people going through active addiction, and a monthly youth resiliency group starting at 4 p.m. Friday, June 5, at the Ocean City Free Public Library. (Learn more at capeassist.org.)
Queer Headed runs queer sober social events such as nature walks, camping, bowling, roller skating and arcade nights, according to Executive Director Claire Brower.
“It’s just to provide a space for people who want to meet with a queer community that is not centered around alcohol or other substances,” she said.
Brower added the group came to the Pride Fest “to show people there are spaces they can go, especially if they are sober or in recovery, or just don’t like to drink, where they can meet people in the queer community. They can be surrounded by community and not feel the pressure to drink or do other substances. (Learn more at queerheaded.org.)
Garden State Equality is a nonprofit LGBTQ+ organization that focuses on education and advocacy throughout New Jersey, said Layla Orlando, director of health equity and wellness.
“We have programs ranging from coffee socials with trans and gender-diverse people to a recovery conference, to mental health conferences, to our summer camp for youth, and then to our legal name change and our expungement clinics that we do in our office as well,” Orlando said. “Kind of an array of things.”
She added it is important for the group to attend things such as the Pride Fest.
“We recognize that Ocean City or South Jersey just doesn’t have a lot of resources for our LGBTQ+ community, whether that’s health care, whether that’s programming, support groups, kind of everything and anything,” Orlando said. “We’re making sure that we’re present, that people know that we’re around, people know that we have awesome resources … and that we show up for our community.” (Learn more at gardenstateequality.org.)
Julie Howard and other staff members from the Ocean City Free Public Library were manning a table at the Pride Fest for the fourth consecutive year.
“We just want to encourage everyone to feel welcome at the library,” Howard said. “We want people to know we have programs for all ages — children, teens, adults. We’re here to do some outreach and let people know we’re here for the whole family.”
Queer and Trans People of Color at Stockton University was represented by students Daniela Contreras and Alice Cruz.
“We’re just a small organization at Stockton University that is focused on uplifting queer and trans people of color voices on the campus community,” Contreras said.
“This is our first time at OC Pride and we just love coming out to the community and reaching out to new members that are like not necessarily at Stockton or Atlantic County, and reaching out to different organizations,” she said. “We’re just here getting a little word out and spreading more love and joy into our community that we love so much.”
They had a good experience at the Pride Fest.
“We love going out off campus because everyone is super sweet and super kind,” she said.
“Everyone loves getting our little trinkets and talking to us about their experiences,” Contreras said, and how many of the people they talk to don’t have organizations in their schools or communities. “People of color are having an especially tough time right now with everything that’s going on politically in our environment,” she said.
Katie Kelly, New Jersey state leader for Free Mom Hugs, which has chapters in all 50 states, grew up in Ocean City.
“I never imagined that Ocean City would have a Pride event, let alone this being their fourth year,” Kelly said. “Small-town communities are where it matters the most, because it allows the LGBTQ community that may not feel like they’re seen or heard to actually be seen. So I think it’s great.”
Free Mom Hugs, a non-profit, literally does just that, providing hugs to LGBTQ+ people who may feel unloved or without their parents’ support.
But it has grown to do so much more.
“We’re just here to give love and support to anyone who may not have it in their home and may not feel safe, loved and supported,” Kelly said. “We never say that we’re replacing any parents, but we’re here until they come around.”
Free Mom Hugs members go to businesses to show how they can be better allies, they have volunteers who are ordained ministers who officiate at weddings, they send out care packages and greeting cards with little notes of affirmation.
“We go to LGBTQ+ proms and graduations. Some people have found lifelong friends and families,” Kelly said. “My one volunteer, she met this one person that their parents had just kicked them out of the house and they just stayed connected. My volunteer went to their graduation, their college graduation, attended their engagement party and my volunteer’s husband walked the person down the aisle.
“We’re really here to provide support and love any way that we can.” (Learn more at freemomhugs.org.)