Author Topic: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?  (Read 4808 times)

Dos Equis

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Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« on: October 25, 2006, 12:52:47 PM »
New Jersey court recognizes right to same-sex unions
POSTED: 3:49 p.m. EDT, October 25, 2006

TRENTON, New Jersey (AP) -- New Jersey's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that same-sex couples are entitled to the same rights as heterosexual couples.

But the court left it to the Legislature to determine whether the state will honor gay marriage or some other form of civil union.

Advocates on both sides of the issue believed the state posed the best chance for gay marriage to win approval since Massachusetts became the only state to do so in 2003 because the New Jersey Supreme Court has a history of extending civil rights protections.

Instead, the high court stopped short of fully approving gay marriage and gave lawmakers 180 days to rewrite marriage laws to either include gay couples or create new civil unions. (Opinion -- pdf)

"The issue is not about the transformation of the traditional definition of marriage, but about the unequal dispensation of benefits and privileges to one of two similarly situated classes of people," the court said in its 4-3 ruling.

New Jersey lawmakers voted to allow domestic partnerships in 2004, but they have been reluctant to delve into the sensitive issue of marriage.

Under domestic partnerships, gay couples have some benefits of marriage, such as the right to inherit possessions if there is no will and healthcare coverage for state workers.

The case was brought by seven gay couples who say the state constitution allows them to marry.

New Jersey is one of only five U.S. states with neither a law nor a state constitutional amendment blocking same-sex marriage. As a result, the state is more likely than others to allow gays to wed, said advocacy groups on both sides.

Only Massachusetts -- by virtue of a 2003 ruling from that state's top court -- allows gay marriages.

Proponents and opponents from across the country are watching the case closely.

"New Jersey is a stepping stone," said Matt Daniels, president of the Virginia-based Alliance for Marriage, a group pushing for an amendment to the federal Constitution to outlaw same-sex marriage. "It's not about New Jersey."

From a practical standpoint, the Massachusetts court decision made little impact nationally because the state has a law barring out-of-state couples from wedding there if their marriages would not be recognized in their home states.

New Jersey has no such law.

People on both sides of the issue expect a victory for same-sex unions would make New Jersey a destination for gay couples from around the country who want to get married. Some of those couples could return home and sue to have their marriages recognized.

Daniels said gay-rights advocates are already looking ahead to such lawsuits. "Their game, of course, is they figure all they need to do is execute this maneuver in a half-dozen states and they'll have the momentum," he said.

David S. Buckel, the Lambda Legal lawyer who argued on behalf of the seven New Jersey couples, said he expects some couples would travel to the New Jersey to get married if his suit is successful. But, he said, "it won't be tidal."

Buckel said that there have been relatively few such lawsuits filed in the U.S. by couples who went to Canada to exchange vows.

And, he said, while many same-sex couples would prefer to be married, they are getting more legal protections for their relationships. Several states, including New Jersey, offer domestic partnerships or civil unions with some of the benefits of marriage. A growing number of employers are treating same-sex couples the same way they treat married couples.

Cases similar to New Jersey's are pending in California, Connecticut, Iowa and Maryland.

Conservatives watching the cases believe the best chance for gay marriage to be allowed would be in New Jersey, where the state Supreme Court has a history of extending civil rights protections.

Gay marriage supporters have had a two-year losing streak, striking out in state courts in New York and Washington state and in ballot boxes in 15 states where constitutions have been amended to ban same-sex unions.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/10/25/jersey.samesex.ap/index.html

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #1 on: October 25, 2006, 12:56:13 PM »
GEt used to it.  It will happen more and more as time goes on   :(

Dos Equis

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #2 on: October 25, 2006, 01:30:08 PM »
I'm not so sure.  The public has uniformly rejected gay marriage in every state where it has come up for a vote.  The country doesn't want this.

Sort of ironic this happened in New Jersey where former governor McGreevey disgraced his office.   

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #3 on: October 25, 2006, 01:31:36 PM »
It’s so silly that people are even debating this. People have predicted the end of the world/civilization if

• we free the slaves
• if the state recognizes black marriages (blacks were always encouraged to have sex (breed more slaves) but black marriages were not recognized by the state for decades.
• if we allow interracial marriage
• if a Catholic is elected President of the US.
• if Jews are allowed in the Ivy League
• blah blah blah blah blah...

Now people think civilization will fall if gays and lesbians are accorded equal treatment under law (a radical idea!) and allowed to marry.  Is allowing G&L to marry trivializing marriage?  No.  Here’s a news flash: heterosexuals have trivialized marriage, made a mockery of it, and even laughed about it.  Celebrities (and even average people) divorce and remarry multiple times and society embraces them.  They have open relationships and become swingers and still hold their heads up... and lecture others about the sanctity of marriage. LOL

I don’t really care what other people do with their marriages, but I do care that all people are treated equally.  That’s what the courts are there to ensure public opinion (bigotry) be damned.

Mr. Intenseone

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #4 on: October 25, 2006, 01:44:35 PM »
New Jersey court recognizes right to same-sex unions
POSTED: 3:49 p.m. EDT, October 25, 2006

TRENTON, New Jersey (AP) -- New Jersey's Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that same-sex couples are entitled to the same rights as heterosexual couples.

But the court left it to the Legislature to determine whether the state will honor gay marriage or some other form of civil union.

Advocates on both sides of the issue believed the state posed the best chance for gay marriage to win approval since Massachusetts became the only state to do so in 2003 because the New Jersey Supreme Court has a history of extending civil rights protections.

Instead, the high court stopped short of fully approving gay marriage and gave lawmakers 180 days to rewrite marriage laws to either include gay couples or create new civil unions. (Opinion -- pdf)

"The issue is not about the transformation of the traditional definition of marriage, but about the unequal dispensation of benefits and privileges to one of two similarly situated classes of people," the court said in its 4-3 ruling.

New Jersey lawmakers voted to allow domestic partnerships in 2004, but they have been reluctant to delve into the sensitive issue of marriage.

Under domestic partnerships, gay couples have some benefits of marriage, such as the right to inherit possessions if there is no will and healthcare coverage for state workers.

The case was brought by seven gay couples who say the state constitution allows them to marry.

New Jersey is one of only five U.S. states with neither a law nor a state constitutional amendment blocking same-sex marriage. As a result, the state is more likely than others to allow gays to wed, said advocacy groups on both sides.

Only Massachusetts -- by virtue of a 2003 ruling from that state's top court -- allows gay marriages.

Proponents and opponents from across the country are watching the case closely.

"New Jersey is a stepping stone," said Matt Daniels, president of the Virginia-based Alliance for Marriage, a group pushing for an amendment to the federal Constitution to outlaw same-sex marriage. "It's not about New Jersey."

From a practical standpoint, the Massachusetts court decision made little impact nationally because the state has a law barring out-of-state couples from wedding there if their marriages would not be recognized in their home states.

New Jersey has no such law.

People on both sides of the issue expect a victory for same-sex unions would make New Jersey a destination for gay couples from around the country who want to get married. Some of those couples could return home and sue to have their marriages recognized.

Daniels said gay-rights advocates are already looking ahead to such lawsuits. "Their game, of course, is they figure all they need to do is execute this maneuver in a half-dozen states and they'll have the momentum," he said.

David S. Buckel, the Lambda Legal lawyer who argued on behalf of the seven New Jersey couples, said he expects some couples would travel to the New Jersey to get married if his suit is successful. But, he said, "it won't be tidal."

Buckel said that there have been relatively few such lawsuits filed in the U.S. by couples who went to Canada to exchange vows.

And, he said, while many same-sex couples would prefer to be married, they are getting more legal protections for their relationships. Several states, including New Jersey, offer domestic partnerships or civil unions with some of the benefits of marriage. A growing number of employers are treating same-sex couples the same way they treat married couples.

Cases similar to New Jersey's are pending in California, Connecticut, Iowa and Maryland.

Conservatives watching the cases believe the best chance for gay marriage to be allowed would be in New Jersey, where the state Supreme Court has a history of extending civil rights protections.

Gay marriage supporters have had a two-year losing streak, striking out in state courts in New York and Washington state and in ballot boxes in 15 states where constitutions have been amended to ban same-sex unions.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/10/25/jersey.samesex.ap/index.html

LOL...that's nothing......yesterday the Philadelphia Public School system celebrated some kind of gay appriciation day or week or something like that. I'm trying to find the artical!

Dos Equis

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #5 on: October 25, 2006, 01:57:47 PM »
It’s so silly that people are even debating this. People have predicted the end of the world/civilization if

• we free the slaves
• if the state recognizes black marriages (blacks were always encouraged to have sex (breed more slaves) but black marriages were not recognized by the state for decades.
• if we allow interracial marriage
• if a Catholic is elected President of the US.
• if Jews are allowed in the Ivy League
• blah blah blah blah blah...

Now people think civilization will fall if gays and lesbians are accorded equal treatment under law (a radical idea!) and allowed to marry.  Is allowing G&L to marry trivializing marriage?  No.  Here’s a news flash: heterosexuals have trivialized marriage, made a mockery of it, and even laughed about it.  Celebrities (and even average people) divorce and remarry multiple times and society embraces them.  They have open relationships and become swingers and still hold their heads up... and lecture others about the sanctity of marriage. LOL

I don’t really care what other people do with their marriages, but I do care that all people are treated equally.  That’s what the courts are there to ensure public opinion (bigotry) be damned.

 
It's not silly at all to debate something that the overwhelming majority of the country does not want.  It's a legitimate debate. 

The major difference between gay marriage, and homosexuality in general, and the items you listed is we're talking about lifestyle choices.  Slavery and racism were based on innate qualities (race) and were always immoral.  In addition, religious freedom is one of the bedrocks of our country.

On the other hand, homosexuality, a lifestyle choice (see Heche, Anne), is what many consider abnormal behavior and what many religions expressly condemn.  You cannot sweep those issues under the rug.

There is a legitimate debate about whether the government can discriminate against certain lifestyle choices.  This isn't "bigotry."  Courts have repeatedly rejected attempts to view homosexuality in the same light as race, religion, and national origin.     

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #6 on: October 25, 2006, 02:26:58 PM »
LOL...that's nothing......yesterday the Philadelphia Public School system celebrated some kind of gay appriciation day or week or something like that. I'm trying to find the artical!
It was printed on a calendar... No celebration...

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #7 on: October 25, 2006, 03:53:35 PM »
i have nothing against gays or them getting married, but in the eyes of "GOD", i don't think you can call it a "REAL" union! God made marriage for "ADAM & EVE", not "ADAM & STEVE". agreed?

Mr. Intenseone

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #8 on: October 25, 2006, 03:59:16 PM »
i have nothing against gays or them getting married, but in the eyes of "GOD", i don't think you can call it a "REAL" union! God made marriage for "ADAM & EVE", not "ADAM & STEVE". agreed?

Yes...agreed!

Diesel1

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #9 on: October 25, 2006, 04:10:41 PM »
from gay marriages I have seen on the news and such. I have often noticed that one groom will wear a blue dickybow tie and the other groom (for want of a better word) a pink one. from this, I think we can safely deduce what roles each will take in said marriage, i.e who will be pitching and who catching

Slippedisc

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #10 on: October 25, 2006, 04:16:41 PM »
there's some hawt gay doods out there



give me a bottle of rye and


well let's just say....






i'll be pickin out curtains by the end of the week
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Mr. Intenseone

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #11 on: October 25, 2006, 04:18:24 PM »
there's some hawt gay doods out there



give me a bottle of rye and


well let's just say....






i'll be pickin out curtains by the end of the week

 :-\!

Slippedisc

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #12 on: October 25, 2006, 04:19:48 PM »
c'mon, joe


you know you fantsize about all those hawt southern cali beach boys out there ;)



that whole lori thing is just a front, ain't it, ya dog
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Mr. Intenseone

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #13 on: October 25, 2006, 04:26:09 PM »
c'mon, joe


you know you fantsize about all those hawt southern cali beach boys out there ;)



that whole lori thing is just a front, ain't it, ya dog

Nope, Lori keeps in check frequently 8) ;D!!

Colossus_500

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #14 on: October 26, 2006, 08:18:46 AM »
It’s so silly that people are even debating this. People have predicted the end of the world/civilization if

• we free the slaves
• if the state recognizes black marriages (blacks were always encouraged to have sex (breed more slaves) but black marriages were not recognized by the state for decades.
• if we allow interracial marriage
• if a Catholic is elected President of the US.
• if Jews are allowed in the Ivy League
• blah blah blah blah blah...

Now people think civilization will fall if gays and lesbians are accorded equal treatment under law (a radical idea!) and allowed to marry.  Is allowing G&L to marry trivializing marriage?  No.  Here’s a news flash: heterosexuals have trivialized marriage, made a mockery of it, and even laughed about it.  Celebrities (and even average people) divorce and remarry multiple times and society embraces them.  They have open relationships and become swingers and still hold their heads up... and lecture others about the sanctity of marriage. LOL

I don’t really care what other people do with their marriages, but I do care that all people are treated equally.  That’s what the courts are there to ensure public opinion (bigotry) be damned.

being gay is not a civil issue, so don't try to compare to what blacks, women, or other ethnic minorities have gone through.  there's no evidence whatsoever to prove that you are born gay.  so don't even attempt to link your choice of lifestyle with setbacks i have because of my color.  see? this is where the democratic party is going to lose black votes along with the hispanic vote.

Colossus_500

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #15 on: October 26, 2006, 08:21:01 AM »
 
It's not silly at all to debate something that the overwhelming majority of the country does not want.  It's a legitimate debate. 

The major difference between gay marriage, and homosexuality in general, and the items you listed is we're talking about lifestyle choices.  Slavery and racism were based on innate qualities (race) and were always immoral.  In addition, religious freedom is one of the bedrocks of our country.

On the other hand, homosexuality, a lifestyle choice (see Heche, Anne), is what many consider abnormal behavior and what many religions expressly condemn.  You cannot sweep those issues under the rug.

There is a legitimate debate about whether the government can discriminate against certain lifestyle choices.  This isn't "bigotry."  Courts have repeatedly rejected attempts to view homosexuality in the same light as race, religion, and national origin.     

well said!!!

newmom

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #16 on: October 26, 2006, 08:45:45 AM »
In the scheme of things does it really matter if gays or lesbians marry..they should be entitled to everything straights have..I hope the nj legislature passes marrying..but nj is mostly conservative..lets just hope..i think its just fucking nonsense that you cant marry who u want just because they are the same sex

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #17 on: October 26, 2006, 08:52:11 AM »
In the scheme of things does it really matter if gays or lesbians marry..

Exactly!  I laugh at the amount of time and energy people waste on this pointless non-issue.  Who gives a shit what the fags do?  It doesn't effect me one way or the other.
Ron: "I am lazy."

drkaje

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #18 on: October 26, 2006, 08:53:41 AM »
It’s so silly that people are even debating this. People have predicted the end of the world/civilization if

• we free the slaves
• if the state recognizes black marriages (blacks were always encouraged to have sex (breed more slaves) but black marriages were not recognized by the state for decades.
• if we allow interracial marriage
• if a Catholic is elected President of the US.
• if Jews are allowed in the Ivy League
• blah blah blah blah blah...

Now people think civilization will fall if gays and lesbians are accorded equal treatment under law (a radical idea!) and allowed to marry.  Is allowing G&L to marry trivializing marriage?  No.  Here’s a news flash: heterosexuals have trivialized marriage, made a mockery of it, and even laughed about it.  Celebrities (and even average people) divorce and remarry multiple times and society embraces them.  They have open relationships and become swingers and still hold their heads up... and lecture others about the sanctity of marriage. LOL

I don’t really care what other people do with their marriages, but I do care that all people are treated equally.  That’s what the courts are there to ensure public opinion (bigotry) be damned.


Gays are not a seperate race, those are all bullshit arguments. :)

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #19 on: October 26, 2006, 08:58:11 AM »
i have nothing against gays or them getting married, but in the eyes of "GOD", i don't think you can call it a "REAL" union! God made marriage for "ADAM & EVE", not "ADAM & STEVE". agreed?

We are talking about legal marriange, not religous marriage.  Homosexuals have health benefits, which was something only given to straight couples.  It really doesnt matter if you are gay or straight.  if they love each other go for it.  It doesnt effect straights at all.  Besides if thye live as a couple and make it work, then they should have the same rights as anyone.  I know several gay couples that have been together for a long time.  There relationship is as heallthy or healthier than most straight marriages.  I think the whole religoin and law thing should be seperate and all the tight ass (no oun intended) people need to ease up

drkaje

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #20 on: October 26, 2006, 09:12:33 AM »
We are talking about legal marriange, not religous marriage.  Homosexuals have health benefits, which was something only given to straight couples.  It really doesnt matter if you are gay or straight.  if they love each other go for it.  It doesnt effect straights at all.  Besides if thye live as a couple and make it work, then they should have the same rights as anyone.  I know several gay couples that have been together for a long time.  There relationship is as heallthy or healthier than most straight marriages.  I think the whole religoin and law thing should be seperate and all the tight ass (no oun intended) people need to ease up

That would, in effect, create a state religion. Get it? Or should I give you my convoluted explanation? LOL!

rccs

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #21 on: October 26, 2006, 09:13:13 AM »
I have the right to go on the street and not being forced to see two man kissing, or whatever!!! Or only the fucking fags have rights! I think it is a bada example for children, it is "anti-nature"!!! And the gay parades??? Like the muzzies parades and shit!!! If I go out to the street shouting that I am proud in being white and heterosexual, people will call fascist!!! Stupid liberal fuckers!!!!! >:(
S

Mr. Intenseone

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #22 on: October 26, 2006, 10:24:40 AM »
Exactly!  I laugh at the amount of time and energy people waste on this pointless non-issue.  Who gives a shit what the fags do?  It doesn't effect me one way or the other.

It's not pointless, what doesn't effect you might effect your kids, I personally give a shit at the moral outcome and how it effects society in our country!

Dos Equis

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #23 on: October 26, 2006, 10:31:46 AM »
Plus it isn't just about what consenting adults do in their private lives (which I don't care about it), it's about forcing the government to legitimize conduct that the overwhelming majority of the country finds objectionable. 

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Re: Gay Marriage in New Jersey?
« Reply #24 on: October 26, 2006, 10:36:43 AM »
Who gives a flying schit if two gay dudes or two lesbians want to get married?

I don't know about any of you but I have bigger things in my life to worry about than this issue. It effects me in no way so why would I or anyone else care?

If you have time to focus on what two day dudes that you don't even know are doing when it doesn't have any effect on you then you need to get a life.  ::)