New Jersey Senate OKs Gay Marriage Bill Despite Christie Veto Promise
By John Ostapkovich
TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) -- The New Jersey state senate has passed a bill allowing gay marriage, but it's far from being state law.
The controversial bill passed, 24-16, following very little debate.
One co-sponsor, state senator Loretta Weinberg of Teaneck, says this is a strike against institutional prejudice, social injustice, and cultural intertia.
"I will cast my vote in honor of my grandchildren, who should be able to grow up in a world in which love, not fear and hatred, is the law of the land," she said.
But another senator, who opposes the measure, says it would change thousands of years of tradition, custom, and law.
State senator Barbara Buono of Metuchen aimed her comments at critics who say approval of gay marriage tarnishes traditional marriage.
"You know, giving gay and lesbian couples the right ot marry will not change the quality of my relations with my husband Martin. I will not love him less. And I know if Martin were here he'd say the same thing," Sen. Buono noted.
The bill now heads to the state Assembly, where passage later in the week is expected, and then a promised veto by Governor Chris Christie. There could be a veto override fight.
The governor wants this issue put to a public referendum (see related story).
Six states and Washington, DC allow gay marriage, and Washington state was being added to that list as Gov. Christine Gregoire signs legislation legalizing same-sex marriage there.
Christie, a Republican, announced his veto intentions last month. He has said he does not believe marriage laws should be changed but does support New Jersey's civil union law, which grants gay couples the legal protections of marriage.
But gay rights groups oppose a referendum. They see gay marriage as a civil rights matter and argue that it should not be up to the masses to protect the rights of a minority group. They also believe that a nasty campaign from social conservatives could erode the narrow majority of support that public polls show gay marriage has in New Jersey (see related story).
One co-sponsor of the bill that passed today notes that New Jersey has a poor track record with referendums, having rejected one on giving women the vote -- in 1915, just five years before it entered the US Constitution as the 19th Amendment.
