When a door closes, a window opens. Or that’s the hope when it comes to same-sex marriage. Despite a judge throwing out the federal DOMA challenge Smelt v. United States, there is some good news on the marriage front. And it comes from, of all places, New Jersey.
It’s there that a lame duck legislative session beginning Nov. 3 will be used to debate a long overdue marriage equality bill. Back in 2006, you’ll recall, legislators passed civil unions after the State Supreme Court declared gay couples deserve the same rights. But there was no M-word.
Equality advocates like Garden State Equality are hoping to change that. And it looks like public support is on their side; nearly half of Jersey residents think gays should be able to get married.
Moreover, it’s fantastic to hear a whole new breed of activists are joining the cause. Folks like Louise Walpin and Marsha Shapiro “who … never thought of themselves as activists … have been talking with legislators about why they believe the state should recognize them as a married couple.”
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Walpin and Shapiro have been a couple for 20 years and were married by a rabbi 17 years ago. Walpin said she believed that when they joined in a legally recognized civil union in 2007, they would get the same legal benefit as married couples.
The key issue for them was health insurance. Two of the couple’s four children — a son who died at 20 last year — had serious and costly disabilities.
Walpin, a nurse, said that when she was looking for a job, she found that some employers, apparently flouting the law, would not offer insurance to employees’ partners.
“If I were to take a position without health benefits, essentially, I’m being paid less than my heterosexually married colleague,” she said.
She said she believes companies would respect their relationship if it were called marriage.
Well no crap — even New Jersey’s own Civil Union Review Commission found civil unions weren’t good enough.
But while Walpin and Shapiro look to their own kin as a reason why marriage equality needs to come to the Garden State (home to fantastic sports), there are others using the same reasoning to argue against it.
The Marriage Minutement, a group organized by the New Jersey Family Policy Council, is holding meetings in conservative churches, mostly in legislative districts where lawmakers are believed to be on the fence on the issue, to tell volunteers how they can help.
Last week, Pat Mannion and about 140 others came to Vineland’s cavernous modern Chestnut Assembly of God for one of the meetings.
Mannion, a widow, said she would regret it if she didn’t try to stop gay marriage from being allowed in her state. “This is what I want to leave my grandchildren,” she said. “Not only is money an inheritance, lifestyle is an inheritance.”
Like others, she fears that allowing gay marriage would validate homosexuality in law and culture and undermine her values.
But maybe there’s less to be worried about, because Jersey is a state of flip-floppers. Three years ago, Gov. Jon Corzine was backing opposite marriage only, damning gays to second-class status. Now he says he’ll sign a gay marriage law if one hits his desk.
Giddy up.
The Gay Numbers
Why is this coming up now? Just curious because is the legislature even going to take up the issue this year considering it is an election year? Seems like a right wing ploy to control the narrative now that the GOP candidate has had a few bad weeks.
dgz
i wouldn’t be shocked if this was an economic scheme to get upper-class gay dollars from NYC. not that i’m counting this gift-horse’s teeth.
AlwaysGay
This won’t happen if Jon Corzine isn’t reelected. Although I know they are sending out these messages to get gay people to donate money to and vote for Corzine (and other democrats) I think he actually would sign a marriage equality bill if it reaches his desk.
Alexa
It doesn’t look like he will be re-elected, he’s still behind in the polls (ten points in the latest one I saw).
And Queerty, NJ “of all places”? We’re one of the more progressive states in the nation, not some bible thumping redneck state, we SHOULD be one of the first to have marriage equality.
Qjersey
@Alexa:
NYC hack writers love to trash NJ, while forgetting that NYC is an oasis in the backwater that is the rest of NY State…which is why NY State has made almost NO progress on LGBT statewide legislation… unlike New Jersey which has LGBT and Trans job protections, same sex parent adoptions, civil unions…
If Hudson/Bergen/Essex counties had mass transit like the MTA, people would leave NYC in droves… which is why a 100 years ago NYC politicians paid off railroad companies NOT to build a subway system in North Jersey…
Alex72
June 11, 2009 at 7:11 amMattIs the spike in overtime games a recent phenomenon? ,
Stinky35
If you are rude to me or anyone in my circle, ditto. ,