Poll: Marriage Support Drops In NJ

Things continue to look bad in the post-Maine climate.

New Jersey voters are split on whether to legalize gay marriage, but more people now oppose it than support it, a poll found on Wednesday. The Quinnipiac University survey found 49 percent of voters oppose a law allowing same-sex couples to marry, while 46 percent support such legislation, reversing an April poll that found 49 percent supported it and 43 percent opposed it. "When we asked about gay marriage in April, it won narrow approval. Now that it seems closer to a legislative vote, it loses narrowly with the public," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. Democratic New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine has pledged to sign a bill into law if it is passed by the legislature before his term ends in January. Corzine lost re-election this month to anti-gay marriage Republican Chris Christie.

And hopes are dimming that the NJ legislature will take up the issue before Corzine's term ends.

Pressure Builds In New Jersey

With the election of the anti-gay Chris Christie, activists are stepping up the pressure on New Jersey's legislature to approve marriage equality before Gov. Jon Corzine leaves office.

Corzine, a Democrat unseated in Tuesday's election, said he would sign such a bill. His successor, Republican Chris Christie, opposes same-sex marriages. "New Jersey is at the very top of our list, and it's going to happen in the next few weeks if it happens at all," said Maggie Gallagher, the president of the National Organization for Marriage, which opposes same-sex marriages. "They're doing it in a lame duck, because it's as far away from an election as possible." Gay marriage advocates have resisted "civil union" licenses, saying the separate term is demeaning and the status isn't honored by many employers. Some gay-rights advocates said, their priorities have shifted away from the ballot box and toward nonmarital issues.

Thursday, a U.S. Senate committee held a hearing on a bill that would prevent businesses from discriminating against employees on the basis of sexual orientation or "gender-related" mannerisms. Thomas Perez, an assistant attorney general, called the bill, known as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, "a top legislative priority for the Obama administration." "That's really an essential protection that we need on the national level," said Leslie Gabel-Brett, the director of education and public affairs for Lambda Legal, a gay-rights group. About 20 states currently grant such protection to gays.

Go the Wall Street Journal article for an interactive map displaying the status of legally recognized same-sex relationships in each state.

New Jersey Pushing Forward With Marriage Plan Despite Corzine Loss

Garden State Equality is pushing forward with their marriage equality plan despite yesterday's loss by their champion, Gov. Jon Corzine. Should the NJ legislature pass same-sex marriage during the remainder of Corzine's lame duck term, he has said he will sign it. Incoming anti-gay governor Chris Christie has said that if that happens, one of his first acts will be to launch a campaign to repeal the law with a constitutional amendment. Here's a just-released clip from Garden State Equality.

NYT Calls For Marriage Equality

Today the New York Times published an editorial calling on the NY state Senate to approve marriage equality and ticking off five other marriage battlegrounds, all of which should be familiar to you.

Political battles this fall in six different parts of the country could have a profound impact on whether the United States will extend the promise of equal rights to those who are not allowed to marry simply because they are the same sex as their partner. Three jurisdictions — New York, New Jersey and the District of Columbia — seem tantalizingly close to securing legislative approval for measures ending the hurtful and unjustifiable exclusion of same-sex couples from civil marriage. But in Maine, Washington State and Kalamazoo, Mich., voters are being asked on Tuesday to strip away vital rights and protections. [snip]

The New York situation is particularly frustrating. Gov. David Paterson strongly supports granting same-sex couples the freedom to marry, and the State Assembly has twice passed a bill to do so. But the overdue measure has been in limbo because the Democrats who control the State Senate’s calendar keep dawdling over scheduling a recorded vote on the floor. We do not have a precise head count. But we suspect that once the bill got to the floor, a majority of the Senate’s 62 members would recognize that same-sex marriage is a fundamental civil right. Continuing to delay a vote shows disrespect for New York citizens injured by the status quo. The time for a vote is right now.

Should incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine win in New Jersey tomorrow, marriage equality there is virtually assured.

NJ Gov Race: Chris Christie Goes For Last Minute Anti-Gay Push

The Bilerico Project reports that GOP New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie, who is in a tight race with incumbent Jon Corzine, has sent voters a last-minute anti-gay mailer in order to push him over the top with the state's bigots. Adam Bink:

Not only does stuff like this make me furious, but there's another wrinkle to this race. We have just enough votes in the state legislature to pass marriage equality. But if Christie is elected governor, we may kiss our chances goodbye for another four years. So, I want to ask for your help. This weekend will be fun with Halloween and parties. But the day after Election Day, it won't be much fun for LGBT couples in New Jersey if Christie gets elected governor (it won't be much fun for anyone but his cronies, really). The campaign has set up a virtual phonebanking tool- all you need is a phone, an internet connection, and few hours. No experience necessary. Click here to get started. If you're in NJ, you can find your local field office by clicking here, or calling the hotline at 877-NJ-GOV-09. New Jersey could be the next state on the map. But it could either happen next month, or we could find ourselves left behind for four- or more- years. Please help out by calling or helping out in person.

An Apology From Fox News?

NJ Gov. Corzine At Asbury Park Pride

NJ Gov. Jon Corzine spoke at a gay pride in Asbury Park this weekend. Corzine faces stiff reelection opposition in Chris Christie, who opposes same-sex marriage. If NJ doesn't get to marriage equality before the November election, it may be a long haul before it does.

(Via - Good As You)