New Jersey Heats Up As Over 250 Rally at the Capitol Monday to Push For Marriage Equality Bill Vote

Yesterday, I reported from the news I received on the ground that hundreds of marriage equality supporters rallied at Statehouse in New Jersey's capital of Trenton.

The rally, organized by the state's largest LGBT advocacy group Garden State Equality, had over 250 people reports the NJ Politiker.

Steven Goldstein of Garden State Equality took a megaphone and proclaimed to the crowd, "If the Democrats don't enact marriage equality now, after years of telling us to wait, it will cause a huge schism between the state Democratic party and its entire progressive base," he added. "And it could change the political landscape of New Jersey permanently."

This is a great video from Jay Lassiter covering yesterday's rally.



The intent of the rally was to encourage state Democrats to pass marriage equality legislation so that pro-LGBT Gov. Jon Corzine can sign the bill before he leaves office in January. Governor-elect Chris Christie is adamantly opposed to same-sex marriage and has promised to veto the bill if it comes to him. His election has discouraged lawmakers from passing it as well as the passing of Question 1 in Maine. However, a recent poll showed a small majority of New Jersey resident support marriage rights for their LGBT fellow citizens.

However, both Sen. Paul Sarlo who heads the Senate Judiciary Committee and current Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney, who was just elected Senate President by his peers Monday, both oppose taking up the marriage bill at this time. Yet bill co-sponsor Sen. Loretta Weinberg is still hopeful.

She "insisted the gay marriage bill isn't dead," reports the Asbury Park Press. "She said discussions would continue, tamping down persistent chatter that the measure lacks support to pass. Legislative leaders have said they won't post the bill for a vote unless it has at least 21 votes in the Senate and 41 in the Assembly."

The New York Times reported about Monday:

But Senate Democrats met to discuss the measure on Monday and — despite intense lobbying from a coalition of gay-rights advocates and other groups — did not schedule it for a vote, because they appeared unable to muster the 21 votes needed to pass it. A few Republicans have said they may support the bill, but several of the 23 Democrats have expressed reservations about it. Senator Loretta Weinberg, a sponsor of the bill, who spent the fall campaigning as Mr. Corzine’s running mate, said that despite her colleagues’ post-election apprehensions, she believed that lawmakers would make New Jersey the latest state to legalize gay marriage.

“This is an issue of fairness,” she said. “It’s not like we’re going to miss out on a chance to fix the economy during the lame-duck session because we’re spending a couple of hours debating this. It is a matter of civil rights.”

Though civil unions are legal in New Jersey, a state-commissioned study showed that the institution is not adequate and that those in unions are not treated equally to married couples. It was this report that sparked the marriage bill creation.

The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) has already been airing radio ads against the legislation but have just released a new one Monday with $500,000 spent to blast the state with it, along with direct mailers, telephone calling and online advertising. (H/T Good As You)



Jeremy at Good As You says it best, "So disgustingly misleading. We're not talking about days of debate and scores of resources. In a state where the high court has already demanded equality, and where the legislatively-implemented civil unions have failed to live up to that promise, the debate over whether or not to bump up the C.U. system to full equality should be a no-brainer."

You would think.

Meanwhile, the Catholic Church leadership organized their Garden State priests to simultaneously give the same homily against marriage equality. No doubt the $2 million they have set aside to fight LGBT citizens' right to marriage will be used in New Jersey.

Garden State Equality has fought back with sharp ads of their own which caused a stir the day after Question 1 passed in Maine.

ACTION: Get involved. Go to Garden State Equality to find out how.

National Organization for Marriage Gives Preemptive Strike With Radio Ad in New Jersey

If all goes well, New Jersey will be on the fast track to marriage equality with a supportive legislature and current governor Jon Corzine willing to sign a bill.

Anti-LGBT forces are hoping to avert this, or in the very least, try to get the issue on the ballot. The National Organization for Marriage has decided not to waste time and has released this recycled radio ad (pretty much the same one they aired in Washington D.C.).



(h/t NG Blog)

Tips-Q is furious at NOM's use of racism in their approach to fighting marriage equality.

NO on 1 Campaign Releases New Radio Ad, Blasts Anti-LGBT Yes on 1 Tactics

The newest NO on 1/Protect Maine Equality radio ad hitting the airwaves:



For context, check out Yes on 1 tv and radio ads and the most recent summary of news in Maine.

Recently, WMTW did a news report looking into the validity of the Yes on 1 tv ad, questioning the "doomsday" predictions brought on by marriage equality.

In the report, Marc Mutty of Yes on 1 all but admits that none of these predictions have actually happened but states there's no reason to believe it won't. The report also references the Yes on 1 tactic of releasing a letter by a University of Michigan law professor to Gov. Baldacci sent before the signing of the new marriage equality law warning of dire consequences. NO on 1 issued a response to this over the weekend.

NO on 1 Slams Latest Ploy by Proponents of Question 1

Calls last-minute appeal by Michigan lawyer "political gamesmanship"

Portland, Maine (Saturday, September 19, 2009)
---

The NO on 1/Protect Maine Equality campaign today slammed the latest attempt by the Yes campaign to distract voters from the real issues surrounding Question 1.

On Thursday, the Yes campaign produced -- for the first time -- a letter by University of Michigan law professor Douglas Laycock to Gov. John Baldacci urging him not to sign the bill unless it contained certain provisions Laycock claimed would address religious liberty.

The Laycock letter is dated April 30, 2009, just days before the Legislature passed and the Governor signed the bill on May 6, 2009.

Professor Laycock, who represents himself as a supporter of marriage equality, did not participate in what was a very public and open process that began early in 2009 when the bill's filing was announced.

On Friday (September 18, 2009), NO on 1 released a detailed memorandum by distinguished Maine legal experts that methodically refutes the claims in both Professor Laycock's letter and the Yes Campaign's television and radio ads.

"Unfortunately, the Yes Campaign is rolling out another out-of-state lawyer to set up a legal smoke screen in an attempt to divert attention away from the hallmarks of the legislation -- equality and fairness for all Mainers," said State Senator Barry J. Hobbins, a member of the Maine Legislature's Joint Standing Committee on the Judiciary and a lawyer with 30 years experience practicing in the state.

"This bill was carefully and thoughtfully written to protect religious liberties. Opponents are spewing the same tired arguments to fight against civil rights."

"This is nothing more than political gamesmanship," said NO on 1 campaign manager Jesse Connolly.

"Professor Laycock did not participate in the public debate, never contacted the bill's sponsors and literally FEDEXed his letter to the governor in the final hours before passage."

Distributed to the Maine media and available to the public at this link, the NO on 1 memorandum is signed by Maine Senate President Elizabeth Mitchell, Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree, former Maine Attorneys General Steve Rowe and James Tierney, House Chair of the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee Representative Emily Cain, University of Maine School of Law Dean Peter Pitegoff* and University of Maine School of Law Professor David P. Cluchey*.

*University listed for identification purposes only, not endorsement

The amazing Louise at Pam's House Blend does a great job posting many of the recent local media responses to the ongoing campaigns surrounding marriage equality. Also, continue to check the "Recommended Reading" sidebar here on UTF for other Maine related articles.

Maine continues to need to our support. Go the the NO on 1/Protect Maine Equality website and find out how you can get involved from anywhere in the nation!

Hear the Vicious Anti-Marriage Equality Yes on 1 Radio Ad Playing in Maine

Jeremy Hooper at Good As You does the homework again of pointing out some of the fallacies. Since this ad is aimed at conservative radio stations, they can get away with distorting facts more than they could elsewhere.

Makes my stomach nauseous.