One day after the nation celebrated its freedom, a crowd gathered along the Asbury Park Boardwalk to bear witness to Garden State Equality’s formal endorsement of Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Phil Murphy.

“It’s always important to have the future governor come to Asbury Park,” Mayor John Moor said with assuredness for the November election outcome. “He’s been here several times in the past and today was a great endorsement that he deserved and it shows the state moving forward.”

The state’s largest LGBT support organization moved its headquarters to Main Street last year. It’s Executive Director Christian Fuscarino said the choice has never been clearer.

“In a time when the ACA is at risk of being repealed; in a time when the White House refuses to acknowledge our community and continues to put viciously anti-LGBT people in leadership positions; in a time when Trans folks are denied basic dignity and respect from our state government, it is time for a Governor who has our back and his name is Phil Murphy,” Fuscarino said.

Over 100 people gathered on the boardwalk, outside of Convention Hall, in support of the organization and Ambassador Murphy, according to a written statement. Also in attendance were member of the Garden State Equality Board, Jonathan Lucas of Hudson Pride in Jersey City, former assembly hopeful Sue Fulton, and Babs Siperstein – the first openly transgender member of the DNC.

“In a post marriage equality world, we cannot lose sight of the many issues that must still be addressed,” GSE Board Member Chris Donnelly said. “Homelessness and drug use among the LGBT youth is rampant. Understanding and acceptance of our trans brothers and sisters is lacking and perhaps most of all a partner in the state house has been missing.”

Luanne Peterpaul, a 10-year long board member [and contributor to Sun-affiliate the triCity News] said the organization had a surge during the fight for marriage equality but that numbers decreased when people believed “once we achieved marriage equality all problems would go away. Well we know that is not the case. There is much more work to be done, we must continue to act.”

Peterpaul said the ranks are again on the upswing and that the organization found a tremendous new leader in Fuscarino.

“Our focus has expanded to achieving equality for transgender and gender nonconforming people in New Jersey; putting an end to the evil of conversion therapy; assisting our seniors and homeless’ and passing the most comprehensive bullying law in the country,” she said. “We couldn’t have accomplished all of this without our collaborative partners in the nonprofit corporate and political world.”

Murphy, who likened his support or the LGBT community to a marriage rather than a wedding [which lasts for one day] said the fight for equality cannot stop.

“We will all be stronger if each and every one of us is strong in the rights that we deserve,” Murphy said. “We will have to join together, push back and fight back. I think history will suggest when we look back x-number of years from now that governors would have never mattered more; whether it’s for LGBT rights generally, transgender rights, whether it’s bullying. We will need leadership with a steel backbone, leadership that will appoint an attorney general who sees things the same way we see them.”

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The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper.