Another Day in Trenton for Marriage

by: Jeff Gardner

Mon Jan 04, 2010 at 07:01:05 PM EST

Hundreds of marriage equality supporters showed up this morning, in spite of (or maybe because of?) Speaker Joe Roberts' New Year's Eve announcement that the Assembly would not conduct hearings on the issue. They formed the familiar sea of blue t-shirts with the simple message of what we want: Equality - the American Dream. It is so inspiring to see the huge numbers of equality supporters - faces old and young, gay and straight, of every race - who have made the trip to Trenton for each of these lobby days.

Of course, you should look for articles in the newspaper tomorrow that say things like "advocates on both sides of the marriage issue were in Trenton yesterday" because there were indeed about ten (12?) anti-equality advocates there too. And, they were sporting a new look! Gone were the "Let the People Vote" buttons - replaced by t-shirts proclaiming that "Marriage has a Purpose" and that purpose is to make babies, who will be raised by both a man and a woman. (I'm not making this up.)

The marriage equality activists filled the hearing rooms, worked the hallways, and gathered on the statehouse steps for a rally and press conference at high noon, when we heard from some of the folks who would have been testifying at the hearings, had they taken place. As one of the speakers noted - it was freezing outside, but our spirits were red hot!

We also heard from a large group of religious leaders from a variety of faiths - off the top of my head, I remember Jewish, Episcopal, Church of Christ, Lutheran, and Baptist leaders, though there were others. They were reiterating the point over a hundred of their colleagues made earlier today in the Clergy Letter for Equality delivered to legislators - that their freedom of religion is being violated by the state's refusal to recognize the marriages they perform in the sanctity of their houses of worship.

I confess - of all the arguments for passing the marriage bill (legal, moral, economic, fairness, justice, equality, etc.) - it's this one that I can't believe has not yet prevailed. The fact that legislators are literally and openly choosing one faith's teachings over the teachings of others to dictate what the law of our state will be flies in the face of everything I've ever learned about how our country was founded.

But, back to the freezing press conference.

We heard from a number of Assembly supporters - Valerie Huttle, John McKeon and Mila Jasey - each of whom braved the cold to address the crowd with words of admiration that struck me as containing both encouragement and regret. Encouragement to keep fighting for what we all know is right. Regret that the legislature of which they are members has yet to deliver on its promise of equality.

And, everywhere, before and after the press conference, and down every hallway, the conversation was being had - the one that we're going to keep having. About how this should not be happening - a community forced to beg its elected officials to be treated as equals - and how we need to make sure this will never happen again.