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Jersey Rejects Marriage, Lambda to Sue


NJ MARRIAGE FAILS X390 (SCOTT MCPHERSON) | ADVOCATE.COM

In a vote held Thursday afternoon, the New Jersey senate failed to gather enough votes to advance a same-sex marriage bill, effectively killing chances for gay nuptials in the state for the next few years. The measure failed 14 to 20.

The state's legislature was under the gun to hold a vote on the matter. Governor-elect Chris Christie, who has vowed to veto any gay marriage legislation, takes office on January 19, while sitting governor John Corzine had promised to do the opposite.

Now, for another marriage equality bill to advance legislatively, New Jersey's senate and assembly need enough votes to override Christie's veto, which seems highly unlikely. But officials with Garden State Equality, the state's gay rights organization, said they with Lambda Legal will likely return to court in an effort to bring marriage equality to New Jersey.

The group issued the following statement: "We are not waiting out the term of any new Administration to bring equality to same-sex couples in our state. With today’s vote in the state senate, the New Jersey legislature defaulted on its constitutional obligation to provide same-sex couples in New Jersey equal protection, as unanimously mandated by the New Jersey Supreme Court in 2006. That’s why we at Garden State Equality are here with our partner Lambda Legal, which has an extraordinary track record of advancing LGBT civil rights in the courts. Now our organizations will announce major news. Our side is going back to court to win marriage equality. We’ll hear from Lambda Legal in a moment. Let’s be clear about what this news means. We are not waiting out the term of any new Administration to bring equality to same-sex couples in our state. In 2006, the New Jersey Supreme Court told the legislature it could enact marriage or another structure that provides the equal protection of marriage. But the civil union law failed to do that."

The group's statement also included a quote from civil rights leader Cesar Chavez: "You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the people who feel pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore.  We have seen the future, and the future is ours." 

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Reader Comments
  • Name: GayElephant
    Date posted: 1/11/2010 12:40:46 AM
    Hometown: Phoenix, AZ

    Comment:

    "Like I said before, you can't get through a comment without nasty name-calling and sterotyping. Quite the opposite of the above mentioned icons." -- Oh Slave stop trying to make yourself look good. You have no idea what these men stood for. Every comment you have made is in complete contradiction of Gipper and Goldwater. You are ignorant and blind to the vitriol, and hatred that is actually coming from your side, every day, every single breath is hate from the left. well you can attack me all you want, doesn't change anything for me: stick and stones might break my --- well you know.

  • Name: GayElephant
    Date posted: 1/11/2010 12:35:23 AM
    Hometown: Phoenix, AZ

    Comment:

    "please name me one congressman from the northeast. Just one. Waiting. You can't because there aren't any" What the hell are you talking about slave boy? I was referring to Repubilcans in general. Well Olympia Snowe is one. But then you're a smart ass and will say she is a Senator (I think that the Senate is also part of Congress.) Are you telling me that there is no one single republican in the North? So you are saying that every US Senate Seat (Unless Olympia Snowe doesn't count to you) every state senate seat, state house seat, mayor, council members is a democrat? And that there are no single republican voters left? I thought HRC blamed question 1 on republicans... Please re-think what I was trying to say before you try to make needless points to make yourself look good. BTW that democratic congressperson that won that District in NY that you are salivating over, well she is oppose to SSM, just to let you know.

  • Name: Michael
    Date posted: 1/9/2010 4:41:34 PM
    Hometown: Wilton Manors, FL

    Comment:

    GayElephant wrote "What you don't realize is that the North is still pretty much republican"----okay Uncle Tom, please name me one congressman from the northeast. Just one. Waiting. You can't because there aren't any. Hell the republicans even lost in the special election in NY-23. Yes, the north is pretty republican.

  • Name: Michael
    Date posted: 1/9/2010 4:36:17 PM
    Hometown: Wilton Manors, FL

    Comment:

    Gay Elephant: Self loathing Uncle Tom. You will fit in great with all the other hate filled groups at CPAC that don't want you there. ---The sad thing is that real conservative icons like Goldwater, Reagan, the Buckleys would be horrified at the vitriol you spew. Like I said before, you can't get through a comment without nasty name-calling and sterotyping. Quite the opposite of the above mentioned icons. So when you call people, idiots, drones, slave boy, you completely fit the racist, hate-filled model of todays conservative. So keep calling names. You are a self-loathing, racist.

  • Name: GayElephant
    Date posted: 1/8/2010 7:25:52 PM
    Hometown: Phoenix, AZ

    Comment:

    "Nothing progressive is coming out of my native south. Again, the name calling "drone, hate history" is just so very childish. Very Glenn Beck of you Maggie...." I thought the south was seeing job growth as the major auto factories have moved there (thanks to the liberals and unions in Michigan) I guess you have more right to have animosity towards your own friends and neighbors and heck even your own family for being southerners. And yes name calling is pretty childish, but since most of you refuse to engage in adult conservation and start calling me names (Maggie Nazi etc) then one must assume that I am speaking to a child and hence I will treat you as such, Slave Boy.

  • Name: GayElephant
    Date posted: 1/8/2010 7:20:15 PM
    Hometown: Phoenix, AZ

    Comment:

    "So the old racists of the south are now the current day republicans most consistent voting block." -- What stupid logic Slave Boy, the civil rights act was signed fifty years ago. So are you saying that all of those old racists are still alive and voting? LOL. What you don't realize is that the North is still pretty much republican, and the south still has a strong Democrat influence, ei Alabama , where the dems have increased power in the legislature since the last election.

  • Name: GayElephant
    Date posted: 1/8/2010 7:12:22 PM
    Hometown: Phoenix, AZ

    Comment:

    "Gay Republicans are like black KKK members. What's the matter with you people? " Wow what a dumb thing to say. I thought liberals were all for "Tolerance" I guess only if your agree with them on Higher taxes, cap and trade, green fraud economy, open borders etc. Everyday I witness the blatant intolerance from the left. They don't just disagree, they HATE conservatives. And Black KKK? That is funny but maybe offensive to some blacks. I think it is vulgar to use such childish analogy to prove weak political points. In fact were there actually any black KKK members? I don't seem to recall. I know Dave Chapell played one in his comedy show. It was ridiculous funny much like your rant.

  • Name: Michael
    Date posted: 1/8/2010 6:28:09 PM
    Hometown: Wilton Manors, FL

    Comment:

    GayElephant wrote "Uh, just to clarify one thing, I know you are a drone and you hate history, but it was the democrats that were in favor of slavery."----You got something right. yes it was old southern democrats that were in favor of slavery. After Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, the southern states became republican. So the old racists of the south are now the current day republicans most consistent voting block. Nothing progressive is coming out of my native south. Again, the name calling "drone, hate history" is just so very childish. Very Glenn Beck of you Maggie....

  • Name: Jon
    Date posted: 1/8/2010 12:59:17 PM
    Hometown: Toronto

    Comment:

    Wow lots of comments. Okay first of all to those getting into the Democrat-Republican crap a Republican voted in favor of same-sex marriage, Sen. Bill Baroni. 6 Democrats voted against same-sex marriage, and 3 abstained (which is incredibly cowardly). Daniel S - Spain, Canada, Portugal, all more than 50% Catholic, all have same-sex marriage your agrument is very flawed. Also people want marriage because they see people in other countries passing them by. GayElephant - You are right in that people should vote for who represents them the best. Clearly there are Republicans who support equal rights for Queers and Democrats who don't. You are wrong in thinking you are not a second class citizen. By not having the same rights and priviledges as other citizens because you are gay this by definition makes you a second class citizen, sorry to burst your bubble. Also going back over 100 years to show the Republicans

  • Name: João Carlos Nogueira
    Date posted: 1/8/2010 9:38:00 AM
    Hometown: Lisbon, Portugal

    Comment:

    Bad luck for New Jersey... Congratulations for Portugal! The portuguese Parliament in Lisbon, just aproved a few minutes ago a gay marriage bill allowing couples of the same sex to get married! Portugal becomes the sixth country in Europe (along with Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Norway and Sweden) to reach that civilizational goal on human rights.

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