'Pro-Morality' Protest Planned At County Library In Lakewood

LAKEWOOD, NJ — A New York rabbi who called for a protest against the Lakewood BlueClaws over the team's Pride Night is calling for another protest over Pride Month celebrations — this time at the Lakewood branch of the Ocean County Library.

The protest is scheduled for 8 p.m. at the library, 301 Lexington Ave., Lakewood.

Rabbi Yehuda Levin has again urged both members of the Hasidic community and those who are not Jewish to join in the protest over the county library system's celebration of Pride Month, which this year also marked the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village, where people fought back in response to arrests and harassment of gays at a nightclub.

The Greater Lakewood website said one man is pushing the protest locally at Levin's behest, though Patch received emails from a different man promoting the event, which he described as "pro morality."

Levin, an outspoken rabbi who once ran for mayor of New York City, has been critical of the county library system over the Pride Month celebration, which has amounted to little more than highlighting a few books by LGBTQ+ authors, some rainbow flags and a few events over the course the month.

The celebration has been going on for 20 years, according to the resolution passed June 18 by the Ocean County Freeholders officially recognizing Pride Month. The resolution, which passed 4-0 (Freeholder Gary Quinn was absent from the meeting) was historic, because it came 14 years after the freeholder board drew a national spotlight on Ocean County by refusing to allow Detective Laurel Hester of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office to will her pension to her partner, Stacy Andree, even though the two were united in a civil union — New Jersey's only provision for LGBTQ+ couples to become legally partners at the time.

Levin, who gained attention for his outspoken anti-LGBTQ and anti-abortion views in the 1980s, posted again on social media this week, encouraging the community to come out for a silent protest at the library.

Levin called it a rally for decency.

"The library is like a living room not a bedroom," Levin said. "Any sort of bedroom behavior or misbehavior is not appropriate to celebrate in our children's section of the library."

"The library should cater to the community standards," he said.

He accused those who support Pride Month of being "heterophobes" and "Biblical value-phobes" and urged the community to "stand up" to it.

On June 6, the Levin-led protest against the BlueClaws' Pride Night (held on Saturday, June 8) drew roughly 50 people and was mostly ignored by the BlueClaws. About 200 people showed up to protest against Levin's protest. Though vocal, the protests remained calm.

Social media postings have indicated protesters are planning to show up Thursday night to oppose the Levin protest again.

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