Posted on 12/01/2006 3:55:45 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
Friday December 01, 2006
By DONNA DE LA CRUZ
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A dozen political operatives from around the country are in New Jersey running an intense campaign, but there's no candidate. Their goal is to convince state lawmakers and residents that gay couples should have the right to marry.
Gay rights advocates are raising money, lobbying state lawmakers and going door-to-door to drum up support for their cause: legislation that would give gay unions the same legal status as marriage.
``This is being run like the most intense political campaign you can imagine,'' said Steven Goldstein, chairman of Garden State Equality. ``This is a tooth-and-nail fight to the death, a 24-7, get-no-sleep political campaign.''
Goldstein is no stranger to politics he was the campaign manager for Jon Corzine's successful 2000 U.S. Senate run. He is being aided in his effort by other local and national gay rights groups, including the 650,000-member strong Human Rights Campaign with a $30 million budget. The Human Rights Campaign deployed thousands of workers nationwide earlier this year to help get candidates elected who support gay rights.
Gay rights advocates stepped up their campaign in October when the state Supreme Court said gay couples should have access to the same rights and benefits as married couples. But the court stopped short of finding that the couples have a right to marry.
Whether to call the unions marriages, civil unions or something else is up to the Legislature. The court gave lawmakers six months to act.
The deadline prompted Goldstein to contact the Human Rights Campaign for help. Marty Rouse, the organization's national field director, dispatched three staff members to New Jersey to help them organize a grass-roots campaign.
``What we're focused on is mobilizing a marriage equality constituency through education and mobilization of residents of the Garden State,'' Rouse said. ``We're going door-to-door in neighborhoods, holding town hall meetings and information seminars.''
Key lawmakers in the Democratic majority say they favor letting gay couples register in civil unions that would offer all the benefits of marriage but not the title. Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts Jr., D-Camden, has said action may be taken by the end of the year.
``There is not a doubt in my mind that New Jersey will win marriage for gay couples, 100 percent marriage and not civil unions, within two years,'' Goldstein said. ``We're fighting tooth and nail for marriage equality, although the odds for civil unions, which we don't want, are a bit stronger in the short run.''
Gay rights advocates have their work cut out for them. Just this week, conservative groups in New Jersey announced plans to push two measures that would keep gay unions from having the same legal status as marriage.
It appears most New Jersey residents also will have to be convinced that gay unions should gain the same legal status as marriage. Three recent polls showed that state voters support granting gay couples the benefits of marriage but don't want those unions to be called marriages.
John Tomicki, chairman of the New Jersey Coalition to Preserve and Protect Marriage, said the issue of gay marriage should be left to the public to decide, not the courts or the Legislature.
Goldstein is undeterred. On Tuesday, gay rights advocates will hold ``40 Holiday Parties in 40 Legislative Districts,'' to drum up support. All the parties are the beginning of 10 days of non-stop activism, Goldstein said.
``All politics is local,'' he said. ``We're targeting the legislators one by one.''
"It appears most New Jersey residents also will have to be convinced that gay unions should gain the same legal status as marriage. Three recent polls showed that state voters support granting gay couples the benefits of marriage but don't want those unions to be called marriages."
While the court ruled homosexual couples should have these rights, it left it up to the political process to legally define them. This could be significant, because if they are called civil unions, for example, those couples will still have no rights under federal law, which only recognizes marriage, not civil union or domestic partners.
Howard Dean denied that the Democrats are the party of gay marriage. We may find out in New Jersey if Democrats there are willing to vote explicitly for same sex marriage.
"We may find out in New Jersey if Democrats there are willing to vote explicitly for same sex marriage.
Just as soon as they can figure out how to tax them. The revenue from heteros is way down.
Massachusetts gay marriages have no rights under federal law. Couples in those situations file jointly under state tax laws, but must file as single persons under federal tax laws. What is significantly different is that out-of-state couples cannot marry in Massachusetts, whereas New Jersey will marry those couples. They are then free to take those marriages back to their home states to be recognized by the full faith and credit provisions of the Constitution.
Good point that if N.J. calls it marriage, then Atlantic City will become the Las Vegas of homosexual marriage.
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