Help finding a lgbt friendly party hall to hold an event nj shore....

[mykell]

Help finding a party hall to hold an event....SO there is no event and i didnt think it went in the events section, but if im wrong i apologize.
figure we need accommodations for 200, would need a kitchen, church, firehouse, establishment?

been online all day looking for a place on the LGBT travel and wedding sites but things are cost prohibitive.
also looked at the LGBT hotels in the asbury area but most are B&Bs so no luck there....
any info would be appreciated......

[DeeArel]

It has been a while since I inhabited your area of the planet. If memory serves me correctly, many volunteer fire departments have halls that they are willing to rent out.

[Lexi Moralas]

I hear there is a great place in Asbury Park I forget the name though
But it's right up the street from the stone pony

[mykell]

i checked that first....not a volunteer squad in the best past of town and parking there would be not be easy....

[Krisi]

I would try "normal" facilities, not "lgbt" facilities. Fire halls, VFW, American Legion, Moose or Eagles clubs, hotels, etc. I don't think a commercial enterprise could refuse a rental because the participants might be homosexual.

That said, once you find a place for your party, you might want to mention the lgbt thing just to avoid any surprises.

[Adriana Moretti]

without knowing too much info on your event and going by the details you gave. How about you held your event in say a bar, resturant or club ? I know one of the gals who throws events here on long island looks specifically for these kinds of places that NEED the business, places that are starving for some patrons. Just an idea that I've seen work. And they would cost you nothing ( as long as the space was a cash bar)....also hotels have ballrooms...they cost to rent out, but that is a cost you can transver over to ticket prices , sell enough tickets you cover costs...sell even more...and its bling in your pocketbook...not to mention the gals have a place to change at a hotel, and sleep off a few drinks xoxo

[Sarah V]

I don't want to seem discouraging, but I do feel that you should be informed of possible less positive outcomes in dealing with some of the small organizations you are thinking about booking your event with. I wish I knew of place I could direct you to. I think your best bet might be a church, if it is GLBT friendly. Any Unitarian Church have a hall in your area??

Knowing what I do about fire departments esp. those located on the east coast, and even to some extent certain private membership civic/charity orgs, I would caution you going to one of them to rent their hall. You might get lucky and be o.k., but you may very likely find that a number of them are not going to be GLBT friendly, unfortunately.

Contrary to what was said above, many volunteer fire departments/first aid squads esp. smaller departments in the Northeast, are still privately held/owned by the membership organizations, who are only accountable to their members, and most, departments again, esp. in the northeast are still very, very macho/male/hetero centered whose memberships are not that all LGBT enlightened. Remember many of these departments go back for 100+ yrs, and who have traditions /views that do not die easily. Also there are well known civic charity organizations that are very conservative in their membership demographics, views, beliefs, and practices. Again, even though they do and sponsor good works all the time, these organizations still at the end of the day are historically male/hetero and remain private membership based organizations who are accountable to no one besides for their members.

Unless your state/local community has laws on the books barring discrimination against LGBT individuals, or unless these organizations have opened up their halls for other LGBT events in the past, then you might not find you are welcome, and expect to hear "No Thanks. We Do Not Need Your Business". Remember in the US, it is still legal everywhere to discriminate against a person(s) based upon ones sexuality or perceived gender, unless barred by local & state, law, or federal edict/executive order (which can certainly be rescinded by the next elected President). At the moment US Federal GLBT anti-discrimination law is limited at this time to only applying to homosexuals in the area of marriage, spousal & federal benefits, and federal employment.

Again, good luck with your hunt, but wanted to at least give you another perspective so you are at least forewarned when dealing with these smaller local community based organizations, who's membership generally tends to reflect the local community held values these orgs are located in.

[JosieH]

Definitely try places in Asbury Park. There is a large gay community there and I think they'd be more receptive than, perhaps, other towns on the shore.
Some suggestions;
The Berkeley-Carteret hotel.
The Paradise hotel.
The Tides Hotel, though I'm not sure they could accommodate 200.
And, too, there are a ton of restaurants in town which might be able to accommodate.
GOOD LUCK!

[heatherdress]

If this is a private, non-recurring event, you should not have problems renting for a "private party". You simply need to look at public rental halls or facilities within your price range. Volunteer fire departments with rental halls have rental agreements and are only interested on raising revenue for costs. Organizations like veterans' groups, Elks, K of C are similar. Restaurants with function rooms usually do not ask for attendee attire details. As long as fees are paid and rental agreements followed, there should be no problems.

[Barbara Jo]

Also, all major (chain) motels have big halls that they rent out for large events,
They are in the business of making money and as long as you are not doing anything illegal or bothering other guests, they do not care what the group is.
It could be a group of gay tuba players who like to howel at the moon while standing on one leg for all they care. :)

In fact fact, years ago I used to belong to a TRi- ESS group in N jersey and we met at a Howard Johnson.
We even rented a room (for changing) directly across from the hall we rented. :)

[gokatiegirl]

Asbury Park is the only lgbt area along the shore unless you go to AC. I like to go to the Empress, a very friendly place for people in our community. They have Friday night drag events in their club. I have been there many times. If they can't accommodate you, I'm sure they would steer you in the right direction.

[Dr.Susan]

The Holiday Inn in Tom's River used to have Tgirl events a few years back. I would give the a call.