| UPDATE: The full commission report is now available - on the State's website. - JG
The Star Ledger has obtained a copy of a report to be issued Wednesday by the New Jersey Civil Union Review Commission, calling on the Legislature and the Governor to enact marriage equality without further delay. According to the report, the Commission: gathered "overwhelming evidence" the civil union law not only fails to provide the same protections as marriage, it also has created economic, medical and emotional hardships for gay couples.
The commission concluded that denying same-sex couples the right to marry is as unjust as government imposing racial segregation laws against African-Americans. The bi-partisan commission, which includes clergy, government officials, LGBT leaders and others, was charged with evaluating how effective the civil union law has been in providing equality to same-sex couples. The report goes to Governor Corzine and the Legislature, and will recommend that New Jersey act sooner rather than later to end the inequality.
The timing couldn't be better, heading into Garden State Equality's FED UP WITH INEQUALITY Town Meetings tomorrow (in South Orange) and Thursday (in Collingswood), which kick off a huge push to make progressive New Jersey the first state in the nation to enact marriage equality legislatively.
Blue Jersey Radio will be LIVE from the South Orange event tomorrow night. If you're there, stop by, say hi, and tell us what you think about this latest development. |
