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A new cross-shaped pier is set to open in Ocean Grove on Saturday, April 15.
Ahead of the ribbon cutting, some residents have voiced concerns that the pier’s T-shaped design resembles a Christian cross. Public officials and members of the LGBTQ+ community say that the use of religious imagery should not be permitted on the public beach.
Other New Jersey residents who are not religious or come from different faith backgrounds share that they have no qualms about the cross shape, and that the design does not conflict with their desire to use the pier.
Speculation about the intentionality of the cross shape began after the design was unveiled in July 2022.
The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, a Methodist community that has been living in Ocean Grove for over 150 years, privately funded the reconstruction project. They originally settled in Ocean Grove for tent-revival meetings in the summer months on the Jersey Shore. Today, the Camp Meeting Association owns Ocean Grove’s land, beach and new boardwalk.
The Camp Meeting Association has been embroiled in legal trouble on several occasions, including a 2007 lawsuit for refusing to allow LGBTQ+ couples use of a pavilion for civil union ceremonies; though in the subsequent years, some members of both the Camp Meeting Association and the LGBTQ+ community have sought restoration and understanding.
Still, some New Jersey residents worry that the pier represents a renewed effort toward religious coercion.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the end of a 10-month-long reconstruction project to restore the Ocean Grove pier to its historic 500 feet, since it was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Despite its religious implications, many beach-goers are looking forward to a sunny season in Ocean Grove, viewing the finished pier as a symbol of perseverance and a blessing to the Jersey Shore.
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