Asbury Park, New Jersey

Asbury Park is a city located in Monmouth County, New Jersey. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 16,930. The City of Asbury Park is governed under the 1923 Municipal Manager Law.

Gay Asbury Park

Today Asbury Park has become a major Gay resort, drawing large Gay crowds from New York City and its surroundings. There are many Gay clubs in Asbury Park including "Paradise Nightclub," "Anybody's," "Georgies," "Cruisin'," and "The Circuit." Gay or gay friendly restaurants include Taka, Bistro Ole, Chat and Nibble,the Harrison, and several others. See GayAsburyPark.com for up-to-date information. See also "The Empress Hotel."

Related Topics:
Paradise Nightclub - The Empress Hotel

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New Jersey's first same sex marriage occurred in 2004.

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Highlights of the summer season include "Jersey Gay Pride" in June and the "Roadtrip Weekend" in August.

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A gay community existed in Asbury Park as far back as the 1940s during World War II. It flourished discretely even during the Mcarthy era in the fifties. Gay life became more open during the sixties and seventies with such bars as The Blue Note, the Chez-Elle, Danny's, the M&K bar (at two locations on Cookman Avenue), Archies, PJ's, the El Moroccan Room, the Albion Hotel, the Hudson Hotel, Boots, the Atlantis, Teddy's, the Bond Street, and the Owl and the Pussycat. Although the oldest gay bar on the east coast is reputed to be the A-House in Provincetown, Asbury Park's M&K

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was the first in NJ to offer a "disco dance" venue during the 70s, complete with dj booth.

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In 1967 the New Jersey Supreme Court issued a precedent-setting decision asserting that the state liquor commission was no longer justified in forbidding bars from serving gay men and lesbians.

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The Den went to court and helped to change the course of history for the gay community in New Jersey. On Nov. 6, 1967, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that the State Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control was not justified in suspending or revoking liquor licenses because ?apparent homosexuals? were permitted to congregate at the bar. The ABC?s regulations stated that a bar was a public nuisance if it permitted ?apparent homosexuals? to congregate. This was automatically labeled ?offensive to common decency and public morals.?

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Three bars had been threatened with suspension or loss of their licenses after an ABC hearing on the issue. The bars took their case to the courts, and eventually to the state Supreme Court. One of these bars was Manny?s Den in New Brunswick, later known as The Den. (The other two: The Chez-Elle in Asbury Park, operated by Margaret Hogan, and Val?s in Atlantic City.)

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At the ABC hearing for The Den, one of the state agents testified that the bar was full of ?what appeared to be homosexuals, also commonly known as fags and fruits.? He further testified that these ?apparent homosexuals or fags and fruits? immediately attracted his attention because of the odd and different clothes they wore. He stated that they wore things such as tight jeans, turtleneck sweaters, gaily printed shirts, very casual wear, sneakers, moccasins and boots. He added that some wore sandals and a few wore shirts and ties. He continued that some of these ?fruits? were drinking tall drinks through straws, and even bought drinks for each other. This, of course, helped him to determine that these customers were indeed, ?apparent homosexuals.?

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(The case is One Eleven Wines & Liquors, Inc. v. Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, 235 A.2d 12.)

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Sex between consenting adults has been legal in New Jersey since the early eigthies, even before similar ordinances were passed in New York City. Domestic Partnerships are also legal in New Jersey.

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