By MICHAEL SYMONS • GANNETT STATE BUREAU • viaDailyrecord.com January 5, 2010
TRENTON — A vote has been scheduled for Thursday in the state Senate on a bill allowing gay couples to marry in New Jersey, state Senate President Richard J. Codey announced Tuesday afternoon.
A Senate vote had been expected in mid-December but was postponed when it was apparent the measure didn’t have the 21 votes needed to pass. It’s still not clear whether the bill will pass, but Codey said the bill will be considered.
“Given the intensely personal nature of this issue, I think the people of this state deserve the right to a formal debate on the Senate floor,” said Codey, D-Essex. “”I’d like to commend both sides of this issue for their passionate advocacy thus far and the heartfelt testimony that we have heard.”
Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts Jr., D-Camden, announced last week that the Assembly Judiciary Committee would not hold a hearing on the bill, as had been expected. But he said he would send the bill to the Assembly floor for a vote, bypassing a hearing, if the Senate approves the bill.
The Senate has 22 Democrats — one short now that former Sen. Dana Redd has become Camden’s mayor — and 17 Republicans. Just one Republican senator, Bill Baroni Jr. of Mercer County, in expected to support the bill. But a handful of Democrats also oppose.
URGENT: The Assembly has announced there will not be an Assembly Judiciary Committee hearing on the marriage equality bill, as had been anticipated, this Monday, January 4, 2010. Unacceptable. Time for legislative action is winding down and it is urgent, to say the least, that we keep up the pressure.
This Monday, January 4, 2010 at 10:00 am, Garden State Equality and our partner organizations are holding an urgent rally and lobby day for marriage equality at the State House. Meet Monday at 10:00 am in front of Garden State Equality’s Trenton office across from the State House – our Trenton office is at 110 West State Street. Park at the nearby Trenton Marriott garage, 1 West Lafayette Street.
If you were planning to testify at the hearing, come to our rally and speak your heart out. We need a massive turnout on Monday. Key to that, dear members, is forwarding this email instantly, right now if you can, to every New Jerseyan you know, even if you can’t join us Monday.
Please forward this email right now to your relatives, your friends, other members of your organization, brother and sister congregants at your house of worship, and every list serv of which you are a member and every blog on which you write. To everyone as soon as possible. If you have any questions, contact Garden State Equality’s co-field director Dani Bernstein at Bernstein@GardenStateEquality.org.
Same-sex couples may get a nice holiday greeting from Asbury Park, N.J., with the city council set to endorse marriage equality, possibly on the morning of Christmas Eve.
Asbury Park city council members said Wednesday they plan to approve a resolution supporting marriage equality and may do so at a special meeting scheduled for December 24 to discuss an unrelated issue.
While granting marriage rights is up to the state — and New Jersey legislators are considering a marriage equality bill — the Jersey Shore resort town can send state lawmakers an important message, observers said.
“It’s very exciting,” Steven Goldstein, chair of gay group Garden State Equality, told the Asbury Park Press. “The expected passage of a resolution by Asbury Park for marriage equality really encapsulates all that New Jersey has to gain economically.” Because of the money that stands to be spent on weddings and tourism, marriage equality is not only morally right but “will be an engine of economic progress for all people,” Goldstein added.
District of Columbia Council member David Catania (Photo Credit: On Top Magazine)
City leaders in the District of Columbia are expected to approve a gay marriage bill when they meet on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s vote is the last stop on a long journey to legal gay marriage in the District that began last spring with passage of a gay-marriage recognition law. The bill’s long incubation period has thoroughly aired out detractors’ grievances, leaving little room for surprises.
Still, backers are preparing a large rally on Monday.
The show of support is being organized by the Campaign for All DC Families, DC Clergy United and the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest advocate for gay rights. Supporters are expected to gather at 7PM for two hours at the Kennedy Recreation Center.
Whether city leaders approve Council member David Catania’s gay marriage bill is not up for debate; it will. At a December 1 first reading of the bill, only 2 councilors opposed the legislation: Yvette Alexander and Marion Barry, the District’s former mayor. The remaining 11 members voted in favor of the bill.
Yet, obstacles remain. The most immediate is whether Congress – which has final say on laws approved in the District – will move against the bill. Lawmakers have 30 days to respond.
Longtime community activist Bob King believes Congress should act against the bill. He told media sources last week that at least 6 members of Congress have agreed to speak with him on the issue. King appears to be targeting pro-gay rights lawmakers, including Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont and New Mexico Representative Martin Heinrich. Both men have publicly announced their support for gay marriage.
King is also a member of Stand4Marriage.com, the conservative Christian group founded in the spring by Bishop Harry Jackson, minister at the Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Maryland.
Jackson has become the face of the anti-gay marriage movement in the District. His group is suing to get a question prohibiting gay marriage on the ballot after the city’s Ethics Board ruled such a measure would violate the city’s Human Rights Act that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation.
The gay marriage bill is also opposed by the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. While the bill would not require religious organizations to perform gay weddings, the church has threatened to shut off programs serving the poor and homeless if the city does not include an exclusion that would allow individuals, including private business owners, to refuse to provide goods and services related to the nuptials of gay couples. Gay activists accused the church of trying to “blackmail the city.” Lawmakers, however, say they are open to a compromise that would keep the archdiocese’s Catholic Charities as a city contractor.
Should Congress decide to ignore the issue, gay couples in the District might be reserving wedding chapels as early as January 15.
Even in the midst of the most intense civil rights battle ever waged in New Jersey, there are junctures to pause, reflect and express gratitude. Today, at the end of an historic week, is one such juncture. This week, we made in history and you made it happen. If I could reach out through the computer screen to give you a hug of appreciation right now, I would.
For the first time in New Jersey, a legislative body – the Senate Judiciary Committee – passed a marriage equality bill. The bill now moves forward in the legislature. More than 4,000 pro-marriage equality activists from Garden State Equality and other organizations came to the State House in the last two weeks. That includes more than 1,300 of us who were there last Monday, the day of the Judiciary Committee vote. It’s the culmination of perhaps the most meteoric growth any organization in New Jersey has ever experienced.
One year ago, Garden State Equality had 14,000 core members. Today we have more than 55,000 core members as measured by a very high standard – those of you who have taken two actions in the last six months for equality.Our numbers and our passion have spun legislators’ heads. Several told us they’d never seen a show of force like ours collectively – and that it made all the difference in the world. They’re right. Look at the external obstacles, not of our doing, we’ve had to overcome in the last month: Governor Corzine, whose administration is working hard for equality and deserves our deepest gratitude, unfortunately lost his election. That gave marriage equality opponents a phony pretext with some legislators.No one in his or her right mind believes November’s election had anything to do with marriage equality. With this economy, it was an impossible year for incumbents everywhere.
Parenthetically, if you add up the votes for the gubernatorial candidates who favored marriage equality versus those who didn’t, we won a majority.Then last week, there was the New York loss, another factor our opponents threw in our face. Heck, I grew up in New York. The Hudson River might as well be a thousand miles wide. On LGBT rights, New Jersey is a leader.Any other state’s equality movement might have shriveled after that one-two punch. Many of the pundits speculated that a committee wouldn’t even hear our bill. But like the true New Jerseyans we are, we got up off the mat, summoned our strength, got that Committee hearing and won it. So much about living and thriving, whether for an individual, organization or entire community, is not whether you avoid the punches life brings you.
It’s about whether you get up from the mat and never stop trying to do what’s right. Resilience is everything, and our community, which has faced discrimination in hospitals and from employers at the hands of the civil union law, and must also deal with rejection from society – sometimes even from our own families – is the most resilient in the world. We’re still standing and we will win marriage equality.Standing at the front of the line for equality are many people and organizations besides Garden State Equality who richly deserve recognition. We’ll recognize all our heroes soon enough. But for now, let’s not let another day pass without expressing our love to the prime Senate sponsors of the marriage equality bill, Loretta Weinberg and Raymond Lesniak, who have gotten the bill this far.
Loretta, of course, is our guardian angel – the greatest champion of equality New Jersey has ever seen. I can’t even begin to tell you how hard she’s worked for this legislation. Her place in our hearts is irreplaceable. Raymond has the courage of his convictions like few others we’ve worked with: When he decides something is the correct thing to do to make our society a kinder, fairer place, nothing stops him. And let’s not forget Senator Bill Baroni, the Republican who voted for the bill in the Senate Judiciary Committee. At the committee, as he announced “I am the first legislator in state history to say, ‘On the issue of marriage equality, I vote yes,’” chills went down our spines and our feet rose in ovation.
I’d like to thank one organization among many – I’ll get to the others in the coming days – for being our tireless partners for equality. Blue Jersey, the blog of the state’s progressive activist community, has been the unwavering, pure and passionate voice for marriage equality on the web. If you don’t regularly visit Blue Jersey – it’s at www.BlueJersey.com – you must. There you will find some of the most effective champions of marriage equality anywhere in America. Special thanks go to all the Blue Jersey front-pagers, including Blue Jersey’s editorial director Rosi Efthim.
Now if I may digress. In the heat of a campaign, people on both sides get, well, heated. This week, activists protested in front of legislators’ homes and at personal events – yes, those on the other side did it too. That’s a no-no for everyone. People who give their lives to public service, whether they agree with us or not, are entitled to zones of privacy. It so happened that some protesters in front of homes wore Garden State Equality shirts or buttons. As I wrote in an apology to one legislator: “I don’t care how important an issue is to any one individual, organization or greater community.
Garden State Equality will never tolerate that kind of invasion of personal privacy. “From recent Garden State Equality events, more than 10,000 people now have our Equality buttons and more than 4,000 people have our Equality t-shirts. As one newspaper reported today, I had emailed some not to hold a vigil at a legislator’s house when I found out about it, and they went forth anyway – wearing Garden State Equality shirts and making it look like we endorsed the protest. Here’s the interesting thing about civil rights organizations in America: When an organization becomes so big and fulfills its founder’s dreams, it grows out of the founder’s control.
That’s the way it should be. A successful organization evolves into a movement where thousands of flowers bloom on their own, changing from a top-down structure to an true grassroots phenomenon. I wish I personally knew all of our 55,000 members. I knew each of our members by name and face for the first couple of years. But now, by God, we’re not just an organization anymore. We’re a movement – the most passionate and active civil rights movement New Jersey has seen in the lifetimes of many of us. With that comes a responsibility for smart activism that goes up to the line but never crosses it.
We must always hold ourselves to a higher standard.Passion for our cause and respect for one another, even for our opponents and for those on the fence, are not mutually exclusive. That combination has been a hallmark of Garden State Equality’s success. Since our organization’s founding in 2004, New Jersey has enacted 210 LGBT civil rights laws at the state, county and local levels – a national record.Thus dear members, New Jersey owes its leadership in LGBT civil rights to each of you.
On behalf of all of us on Garden State Equality’s board of directors, I wish you and yours a happy holiday season, including with the start of Chanukah tonight. Chag urim sameach, Eid Mubarak, Happy Kwanzaa and Merry Christmas!
With love and appreciation,
Steven Goldstein, Chair and CEO Garden State Equality”
URGENT: The New Jersey Senate is deferring tomorrow (Thursday’s) vote on the marriage equality bill at the request of bill sponsors Senators Loretta Weinberg and Raymond Lesniak. Garden State Equality SUPPORTS this development.
MEMBERS:
As planned, we are still meeting in Trenton tomorrow at 9:308:00 am for what will now be a lobby day. Please join us. Again, that’s tomorrow, Thursday, December 10th at 9:30 am at our Trenton office, 110 West State Street. Please forward this email to all your friends, list servs and Facebook groups.
Senators Weinberg and Lesniak want to give the Assembly a chance to weigh in, beginning with an Assembly hearing. Senators Weinberg and Lesniak also believe, correctly so, that the more than 150 people who wanted to testify at this past Monday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, but could not because the hearing ran eight hours long, should have a chance to testify before the legislature.
Below is the statement from the prime sponsor of the marriage equality bill, Senator Loretta Weinberg:
“This afternoon, Senator Ray Lesniak and I requested that Senate President Richard J. Codey hold Senate Bill 1967. We also requested that Speaker Joseph Roberts schedule a meeting for the Assembly Judiciary Committee on A2978, popularly known as the Freedom of Religion and Equality in Civil Marriage Act.
“In light of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s historic passage of S1967, Senator Lesniak and I believe that the public needs another opportunity to engage legislators on this issue. Moreover, the Senate committee has substantially amended its version to include sweeping, additional protections for religious institutions. We believe that members of the public need to be afforded an additional opportunity to debate this new provision as well.
“Tuesday’s Senate hearing was extraordinary. Hundreds of citizens lined up outside the committee chambers to offer testimony on behalf of, and in opposition to, the proposed legislation. Under the leadership of Chairman Sarlo, who conducted one of the most thoughtful and fair-minded hearings in which either of us has ever participated, the committee spent seven hours hearing from scores of New Jerseyans. We had to turn away another 150 witnesses for want of time.
“In addition to the committee hearing, thousands of citizens, and dozens of religious and secular organizations, have engaged our members in a thoughtful and productive dialogue on marriage equality.
“Accordingly, as sponsors of S1967, we asked Senator Codey to postpone full Senate consideration of the Marriage Equality Act until the Assembly Speaker has an opportunity to review scheduling the Assembly Judiciary Committee for a hearing.
“We thank Senator Codey for his leadership. Marriage equality is a difficult and challenging question for members from both sides of the aisle. Throughout this debate, he has been balanced and evenhanded in his treatment of all Senators. For this, he has our deepest gratitude.”
ANNOUNCING GARDEN STATE EQUALITY’S PLANS FOR THIS THURSDAY’S FULL SENATE VOTE ON MARRIAGE EQUALITY – PLEASE IMMEDIATELY SPREAD THIS E-MAIL EVERYWHERE TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS, LIST SERVS, ORGANIZATIONAL AND CONGREGATIONAL MEMBERS, FACEBOOK GROUPS:
MEET US THURSDAY 9:30 AM DIRECTLY AT GARDEN STATE EQUALITY’S TRENTON OFFICE, 110 WEST STATE STREET, ACROSS FROM THE STATE HOUSE.
WEAR YOUR DARK BLUE “EQUALITY: THE AMERICAN DREAM” T-SHIRTS – WE HAVE ONLY A SHORT SUPPLY REMAINING, SO PLEASE WEAR THEM.
PARK AT THE TRENTON MARRIOTT, 1 WEST LAFAYETTE STREET AT THE CORNER OF WEST LAFAYETTE STREET AND SOUTH WARREN STREET; OR THE LIBERTY COMMONS GARAGE AT 16 EAST FRONT STREET AND NEW WARREN STREET.
FOR WALKING DIRECTIONS FROM EITHER GARAGE TO GARDEN STATE EQUALITY’S OFFICE AT 110 WEST STATE STREET, VISIT www.MapQuest.com/Directions
In a mostly polite yet impassioned series of testimonies yesterday, hundreds of people on both sides of the issue pleaded their cases to the committee members hoping for a ruling in their favor. The chamber was packed for the hearing on SB 1967, “The Freedom of Religion and Equality in Civil Marriage” bill.
We listened to the entire hearing and posted real-time updates and highlights via Twitter and Facebook and were pleased to receive so many messages of thanks for it. Many expressed that they had no or limited access and that our updates were their only connection to the events as they occurred.
Senator Paul A. Sarlo, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who said from the start that he’d vote against the bill, had very clear rules on the protocol for this hearing. He admonished all the members, Senators, activists and others that the session was to be held to the highest standard of civility and compassion on all sides.
Bill sponsor, Lorettta Weinberg, spoke of her understanding of what gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens of the state were seeking. “They just want to have the same kind of marriage as my husband and I had”, referring to her forty year long marriage to her late husband, Irwin.
“Losing him was the hardest adversity I’ve ever faced,” Weinberg said. “But what we’re voting on today is the right of every citizen to have what Irwin and I had: the right to live with the person you love in full peace and security.”
The positions of those on both sides of the matter were passionately expressed and the committee members were, in most every case, polite, dignified and compassionate. One member intimated that Thomas Hoff Prol, an associate with the law firm Scarinci Hollenbeck, was a poor liar when asked: “Can you say with a straight face that the review commission was unbiased?” The speaker replied “yes” and the Senator responded by saying “You’re not lying very well”.
In response to the contentious baiting, Senator Nia H. Gill (D – New Jersey 34th Legislative District) politely apologized for the insult saying “We do not believe you’re a liar and I would like to apologize for all of us as Senators for the remark,” which drew supportive applause.
There were a mother and son that testified. John Otto, a 16 year old gay male lamented that he was taunted brutally because of his sexuality. “I became the target of bullying based on my orientation…like an animal being stoned to death.” He went on to say “I just want to have the same rights that heterosexual people have.”
After his testimony, Sen Cardinale replied: “We all sympathize with the plight of [John]. That has nothing to do with marriage. His issue is with bullies.”
Also providing input were Rabbis, Ministers, Reverends, Pastors, Bishops and other religious leaders including Quakers. One Minister stated “If you get any guff for voting for this, tell them the Constitution made me do it”, referring to the Flip Wilson Show and his frequent line, “the Devil made me do it”.
A long visible and active married, lesbian couple shared their circumstances. The Rev. Alicia Heath-Toby said “My wife & I were faced with the reality that our marriage is not equal.” In their joint testimony her wife, Sandra Toby-Heath added, “I’d like to be able to retire with dignity and to depend on my wife’s benefits. It’s a life altering thing for many couples in NJ.”
While this bill passed out of committee last night in a seven to 6 vote, it must now go before the entire Senate and then the State Assembly before making its way to Governor Corzine. The lame-duck Governor has clearly stated that he will sign the bill when it reaches his desk.
SARLO POSTS MARRIAGE EQUALITY BILL BUT WILL VOTE NO
TRENTON – Senator Paul A. Sarlo, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today posted S-1967, the Marriage Equality Act, on the Judiciary Committee’s December 7th agenda, keeping a pledge he made to supporters of the act, but reiterated that he does not support the legislation and will vote against it.
Senator Sarlo reiterated his strong belief that same sex-couples deserve legal protections and stated that he supported legislation that allowed same sex couples to enter into civil unions and domestic partnerships. Although he will be voting against the bill, Senator Sarlo believes that his committee will narrowly pass the bill with support from both Democrats and Republicans on the Committee.
“I don’t support this legislation,” said Senator Sarlo, D-Wood-Ridge. “However, in a democracy, I do not believe that one person should prevent any piece of legislation from having a fair hearing and an open vote in public.
“By posting the bill, I am keeping the pledge that I made to the bill’s sponsors, Senator Loretta Weinberg and Senator Ray Lesniak,” said Senator Sarlo. “I am also keeping my word to Senator Bill Baroni and Garden State Equality President Steve Goldstein who came to my Senate office to personally lobby me to post the bill.”
“IF YOU’RE COMING TO THE NEW JERSEY SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE HEARING MONDAY, PLEASE WEAR YOUR EQUALITY T-SHIRTS IF YOU HAVE THEM FROM OUR LOBBY DAYS. IF YOU DON’T HAVE ONE, WE’LL GIVE YOU ONE FREE ON MONDAY.
This Monday, when the New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee holds its hearing and votes on the marriage equality bill, please everything possible to join Garden State Equality at 9:00 am at the Trenton Marriott, 1 West Lafayette Street in Trenton. You can park at the Trenton Marriott.
Several reasons why you should come as extremely early as you can on Monday – joining us at 9:00 am at the Trenton Marriott – rather than wait until the hearing starts at the State House at 1:00 pm.
1. The entire world will be there to see this piece of history on Monday – you simply have to arrive very early, as if you this were the event of a lifetime for which you’re willing to camp out.
2. We’ll feed you free breakfast Monday morning at the Marriott.
3. We’ll brief you Monday morning at the Marriott – that’s key.
4. If you’re might want to testify on Monday, we’ll have a special briefing – that’s really key.
5. Be with your extended LGBT and progressive allies family. We’re all in this together.
6. We’ll walk from the Marriott to the State House together to show our presence to the press.
Please forward this email right now to every one of your friends, family, work colleagues, organizational members, congregational members and list serv members. We need the biggest turnout of our lives on Monday.
Thank you so much – we love you all for helping to bring us this far. Happy holidays.”
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