Garden State Equality Leader Arrest

By: Paul Goldberg, Senior Editor | JRL CHARTS – LGBT Politics

ASBURY PARK, NJ — (December 21, 2025) — What did they know, and when did they know it? That question is now hanging over the board of Garden State Equality following revelations that its executive director, Christian Fuscarino, was arrested last month and charged with abusing his foster child.

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Fuscarino allegedly kept the charges out of public view for nearly a month. He resigned from Garden State Equality on Tuesday—just hours after the first media report surfaced—raising concerns over whether board members were aware of the arrest earlier and failed to act before the issue became a public scandal.

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This is not a small or obscure organization. Garden State Equality has received at least $2.5 million in New Jersey state funding in the current budget alone, with millions more awarded in prior years. Fuscarino was also deeply embedded in state Democratic politics. His social media accounts show him posing alongside prominent figures including Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill, outgoing Governor Phil Murphy, Attorney General Matt Platkin, and numerous state legislators.

According to court documents, police allege that video footage from Fuscarino’s Neptune City home shows him pulling a small child from a bed, striking them multiple times across the face, and pushing either the child or another person against a bedroom wall. Fuscarino reportedly told a resource worker there had been “an episode of physical contact” between him and the child.

Authorities say the alleged incident occurred on November 9. Fuscarino was arrested on November 21. However, the public did not learn of the charges until December 16, when NJ Advance Media first reported the case.

Garden State Equality issued a statement later that afternoon saying, “When we learned about the charge against Mr. Fuscarino, we immediately placed him on leave.” Roughly three hours later—after former leaders of the organization publicly called for his termination—Fuscarino announced his resignation.

Fuscarino is entitled to due process and will have the opportunity to respond to the allegations in court. Still, serious questions remain about the organization’s handling of the situation, including when board members first learned of the arrest and why administrative leave, rather than immediate termination, was initially chosen.

Repeated requests by JRL CHARTS for comment from board members went unanswered.

At a time when President Donald Trump is aggressively targeting transgender rights and LGBTQ protections nationwide, New Jersey’s queer community needs a transparent, accountable advocacy organization focused on defending civil rights—not one distracted by damage control at the top.

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