POLITICS
New Jersey Solidifi es Marriage Equality
State moves to protect queer rights against conservative-leaning SCOTUS
BY MATT TRACY
Governor Phil Murphy
of New Jersey signed a
bill codifying marriage
equality in the state after
lawmakers scrambled to pass
the law as a safeguard against any
future legal challenges at the federal
level.
“Despite the progress we have
made as a country, there is still
much work to be done to protect
the LGBTQ+ community from intolerance
and injustice,” Murphy
said after signing the bill on January
10. “New Jersey is stronger and
fairer when every member of our
LGBTQ+ family is valued and given
equal protection under the law. I
am honored to sign legislation that
represents our New Jersey values
and codifi es marriage equality into
state law.”
Marriage equality has been legal
in New Jersey since a 2013 state
Supreme Court ruling, which followed
then-Governor Chris Christie’s
veto of a marriage bill in the
State Legislature. Lawmakers
sought to codify the law in the aftermath
of the court ruling, but
that effort was stymied when advocates
pointed to the inclusion of
religious exemptions in the legislation.
This time around, the marriage
equality bill featured no such religious
exemptions.
The latest legislative push comes
more than six years after the Supreme
Court ruled in favor of nationwide
marriage rights in the
landmark Obergefell v. Hodges
case. But with a conservative Supreme
Court and the precarious
state of abortion rights, advocates
have underscored the importance
of taking steps to protect marriage
equality.
“We have talked about this a
few times in the past with our legislative
allies,” Lauren Albrecht, a
policy consultant for Garden State
Equality, told Gay City News in a
phone interview December 13. “We
can never be sure about anything.
When it comes to equal rights for
our community, we can’t leave it
Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey signed the marriage equality bill on January 10.
up for chance.”
Senate President Steve Sweeney
carried the marriage equality bill
in the upper chamber after he abstained
from a previous version of
the bill. Assemblymember Valerie
Vainieri Huttle of Bergen led the
bill in the lower house.
“This is about acting to ensure
equal treatment and civil rights
for all New Jerseyans, including
same-sex couples,” Sweeney said
in a written statement. “Marriage
equality respects the rights of
loving couples who deserve to be
treated equally. The courts have
ruled that same-sex marriages are
a fundamental right, but we want
to put it into statute to protect
against any backtracking by the
U. S. Supreme Court. It is the right
thing to do.”
Steven Goldstein, the founder of
Garden State Equality, celebrated
the bill’s passage as he acknowledged
the shift in the state’s political
climate dating back to the time
when the marriage legislation was
REUTERS/RACHEL WISNIEWSKI
vetoed.
“How the world has changed
since last time the legislature
passed marriage equality in
2012,” Goldstein said.
“This time we have a governor
who is a champion of civil and
human rights second to none. I
am also thrilled this new statute
marks the fi nal law steered
to passage by our equality legend
Senator Loretta Weinberg. What
a fi tting, crowning legacy,” Goldstein
added.
JANUARY 13 - January 26, 2 8 022 | GayCityNews.com
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