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N.J. Group Ends Giving to Political Parties


NEW JERSEY MARRIAGE EQUALITY PROTEST X390 (GETTY) | ADVOCATE.COM

Garden State Equality, which suffered a heartbreaking marriage equality defeat in the New Jersey state legislature last month, announced that it would stop making financial contributions to political parties and urged its individual members to do the same.

According to a news release from Garden State Equality, the 85-member board of directors of the state’s largest civil rights group voted unanimously for the new bylaws provision, which precludes the organization from giving financial contributions to political parties and their affiliated committees. Under the new policy, the group will contribute only to individual candidates and to pro-LGBT nonparty organizations.

Garden State Equality urged its 65,000 members to follow the policy in their individual giving.

“No political party has a record good enough on LGBT civil rights that it can rightfully claim to be entitled to our money on a party-wide basis,” said Steven Goldstein, chair of Garden State Equality, in the news release. “No longer will we let any political party take our money and volunteers with one hand, and slap us in the face with the other when we seek full equality.”

The new bylaws provision says that Garden State Equality sends “two unmistakable signals to our political parties” with the resolution: “That none should take the support of the LGBT community and its allies for granted, and that none should write off the potential to earn the support of the LGBT community and its allies.”

New Jersey, which offers some of the country’s strongest gay rights protections including civil unions, appeared on track to pass marriage equality legislation until Gov. Jon Corzine lost his bid for reelection in November. The new governor, Chris Christie, has vowed to veto any marriage equality bill passed during his term.

Garden State Equality plans to take the marriage equality battle back to court.

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Reader Comments
  • Name: Dan
    Date posted: 2/8/2010 5:53:02 PM
    Hometown: Pittsfield

    Comment:

    Way to go, Jersey. Money has always spoken.

  • Name: Matt
    Date posted: 2/8/2010 3:03:30 PM
    Hometown: Galloway Township, NJ

    Comment:

    It is about time that we in New Jersey got wise to what is going on around us. I have stopped making donations to groups that refuse to count us all as equals or vote for us to have equal rights, including the DNC.

  • Name: mike
    Date posted: 2/8/2010 12:54:49 PM
    Hometown: cincinnati

    Comment:

    This is about time and long overdue. The heterosexual population needs to realize that we are entitled to the same rights that they enjoy. We are citizens of this country and pay taxes. I guess politicians will be looking to the large corporations for money if the gays stop giving. We need to send messages to large companies who support discrimination that their businesses will not be patronized by gays.

  • Name: Joe
    Date posted: 2/8/2010 11:56:06 AM
    Hometown: Fort Worth

    Comment:

    Garden State Equality is taking the correct approach. My question is, if we do send money to pro-gay candidates, what's to stop them from letting an anti-gay colleague borrow money for their own campaigns?

  • Name: Brian
    Date posted: 2/8/2010 11:40:11 AM
    Hometown: St. Louis

    Comment:

    Well finally gay people in NJ have seen the light, and are no longer the Stepford Wives of the morally corrupt Democratic Party. They have stabbed us in the back so many times, there's no room for another knife. Here's a suggestion I use when they send me a fund raising letter. Take a black marker, and write on the letter "When you pass marriage equality, DADT repeal, and end DOMA, send me another letter, until then I will give only to candidates with a proven track record regardless of party. Send the marked letter back to them in the pre stamped envelope they provide" Money (or lack of it) talks, and don't ever forget it. They think you'll never do this, and they need to have their attitude changed.



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