World
CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
The Press of Atlantic City offers a revealing look into the dynamics of the ground war building around marriage equality in New Jersey, where volunteers called Marriage Minutemen are fighting prospective same-sex marriage legislation through church-based volunteer activities aligned with antigay advocacy organizations.
New Jersey legislators are widely expected to consider a same-sex marriage bill in a lame duck session after the November gubernatorial election and before the January swearing-in ceremony.
In advance of the likely vote, the Marriage Minutemen have built a significant presence at the Chestnut Assembly of God, a Pentecostal church in Vineland, in the southern part of the state. The church is led by the Reverend Ralph Snook and his wife, Marilyn, who believe that gay people can be "cured."
Chestnut Assembly of God was instrumental in asking the Vineland City Council to pass a resolution against same-sex marriage in 2008, following the city of Elizabeth, in northern New Jersey. The church works closely with the New Jersey Family Policy Council, a group that opposes marriage equality and coined the term Marriage Minutemen.
Some 10% of the state's 1,400 Marriage Minutemen are believed to live and volunteer in Vineland. Their phone and letter writing campaign has not escaped marriage equality advocates, who are devoting time, attention, and resources to the area.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
21+ steamy photos of Scotland’s finest gay men in Elska Glasgow
February 01 2024 10:07 PM
More Than 50 of Our Favorite LGBTQ+ Moms
May 12 2024 11:44 AM
Conjoined twins Lori Schappell and trans man George Schappell dead at 62
April 27 2024 6:13 PM
Latest Stories
Kamala Harris rides wave of Democratic energy at kickoff event in Wisconsin
July 23 2024 3:36 PM
'Devastated:' A six-week abortion ban will go into effect in Iowa next week
July 23 2024 2:28 PM
Four hours, 44,000 Black women, and one Zoom call
July 23 2024 2:17 PM
Record 1.2 million people show out for Cologne’s Pride parade
July 23 2024 10:51 AM
Here's how far-right activist Leonard Leo helped fund Bud Light boycott
July 23 2024 10:27 AM
Elon Musk’s comments about his trans daughter prove why she doesn’t speak to him
July 23 2024 9:16 AM
Nancy Pelosi endorses Kamala Harris for president
July 22 2024 4:07 PM
Charli XCX declares Kamala Harris IS brat & our next President's campaign agrees
July 22 2024 3:08 PM