New Jersey: Same-Sex Marriage a Priority for Democrats

While denigrating and marginalizing LGBT citizens is the sport of choice among most of the GOP presidential candidate field, in New Jersey the Democrats have a very different agenda in 2012: passing a same sex marriage bill. With neighboring New York having passed such legislation last year, the pressure has been ramped up for its neighbor across the Hudson. Not that such legislation is assured much success - especially since any bill that clears the legislature would face possible veto by New Jersey's Republican governor Chris Christie. Nonetheless, it seems that the New Jersey Democrats will give the measure a try. The New York Times looks at the issue and the likely developments. Here are some excerpts:

Democratic leaders in New Jersey are planning to make a bill allowing same-sex marriage the centerpiece of their agenda for 2012, reflecting a key change from two years ago, when a leading Senate Democrat abstained from a vote on the issue.

While Democrats control the Legislature, they will need votes from Republicans to override any veto. And while they identify some Republicans who they hope will support the legislation, the Democrats acknowledge that overriding a veto is a long shot.

New York, critically, has a Democratic governor who himself led the fight for the legislation. But Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, a Democrat of Mercer County who has been a longtime leader in the effort in New Jersey, argued on Sunday that the push in New York succeeded because rich donors prevailed upon Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, and said that he believed that influential Republican donors could sway Mr. Christie.

“I’m not counting out the governor,” he said. “There are a lot of Republican money people in New Jersey who will privately or publicly tell you that they are counseling the governor to let it happen.”

The State Supreme Court in 2006 ordered lawmakers to allow same-sex couples the same rights as others, but did not insist that such unions be called marriage. The Legislature responded that year by approving a measure legalizing civil unions; it was signed by Mr. Corzine.

Yet a gay-rights group has sued, saying that the law falls short of equality because it leaves gay couples open to discrimination in matters like obtaining health insurance or visiting their partners in hospitals.

It will be interesting to watch how things develop. Meanwhile, here in Virginia it is safe to assume that LGBT Virginians will remain 4th class citizens for the foreseeable future - sort of the modern day version of blacks under Virginia's Jim Crow laws. Citizens yes, equal, not at all.