Straight Ally Fact: Did you know that some Red Bank area GSA's (Gay Straight Alliance's) have no LGBT members currently, yet the students still meet to show their support? Love that!
I love that, too. Young people just get it. And they're ready to lead the way.
A few days ago, I sketched out a diary about a decision by state Democratic Chair John Wisniewski join 10 other state chairs behind an effort to include marriage equality plank in the 2012 Democratic platform. And I held it in draft hoping for an exclusive quote for us about it.
And frankly, as glad as I was to see Wisniewski sign on to that - joining both our U.S. senators and the Dem chairs of the 3 biggest states of California, Texas and our open-for-marriage neighbor New York among others - I didn't think the effort, organized by Freedom to Marry, stood a chance in hell. Adopt a plank to the left of the president? Yeah, right. But I love being wrong...
Congratulations, Mr. President. I, like many Americans, am proud of your decision to put aside election-year political calculations and to make clear your own personal beliefs.
Like many of my colleagues in New Jersey and millions of Americans, the President's 'evolution' on marriage equality has ended in the same place and with the same conclusion: Recognizing the rights of all couples to live and love as they wish is simply the right thing.
I wish the President's announcement today could magically end the debate, but it will not. Those of us who support marriage equality must continue to press on and to help others complete their own evolutionary journeys on this issue. Thankfully, though, we now have one less hurdle to overcome.
Senator Frank Lautenberg, a co-sponsor of legislation to repeal DOMA:
President Obama's support for marriage equality marks an important moment for civil rights in America. We simply can not treat same sex couples as second-class citizens in our country. Marriage equality is one of the most significant civil rights battles of our time and is critical to guaranteeing the equal protection under the law promised to every American in the Constitution. The President's support for marriage equality should inspire Congress, Governors and state legislatures to advance civil rights for all Americans.
Senator Bob Menendez (via Facebook):
I applaud President Obama for joining all of us who support marriage equality.
(and then a few hours later, this):
Energy and persistence conquer all things." -Benjamin Franklin
Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald:
I applaud President Obama for announcing he supports marriage equality for same-sex couples. As I said during debate the floor of our historic Assembly vote approving marriage equality, our Constitution means every single one of our citizens has the fundamental right and expectation to be treated equally under the law. That is why I strongly support marriage equality, and that is why I am proud of President Obama's announcement today. In past statements opposing marriage equality, Governor Christie has noted his feet were 'firmly planted right next to President Obama' on this issue. Today, that is no longer true. The reality is, there is only one person standing in the way of full marriage equality in New Jersey--Governor Christie. It's time for the Governor to stop punting this issue to a referendum and do what's right. It's time for the Governor to stop obstructing equality and support full equality under the law for all New Jersey families.
Senate President Steve Sweeney: I haven't seen a fresh quote come in. Meanwhile, this is what he said a few months ago. Still relevant; it was a turning point:
Seventeen months ago, I stood up here and made the biggest mistake of my legislative career. I made a decision based purely on political calculations not to vote in support of marriage equality. I failed in my responsibility as majority leader of this house of government to actually lead. I was wrong...
Assemblyman John McKeon:
President Obama's declaration of support for same-sex marriage is a profile in courage and marks a historic breakthrough in our evolution as a nation; We believe that his decision will help end the inequality, and move us closer to granting equal civil rights to countless American families; We commend the moral courage and extraordinary leadership demonstrated by President Obama in his decision to do the right thing; We hope it is his destiny to be the first U.S. president to sign a law granting marriage equality to same-sex couples and that his decision will inspire Gov. Christie to sign S-1\ A-1, the Marriage Equality and Religious Exemption Act, of which I am a proud sponsor.
Now, this is when national news becomes New Jersey news: President Barack Obama has just told ABC News that he thinks "same sex couples should be able to get married." New Jersey, which has the distinction of marriage equality bills clearing both houses only to be stopped at the governor's desk, plus a marriage equality court case, is now lagging behind its neighboring state of New York, and behind the leader of the free world. Who sure took his time.
Timing's fascinating. Yesterday North Carolina voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional ban on same sex marriage. The Democrats national convention is in Charlotte, NC Sept. 3-6. As soon as news broke about the North Carolina decision, petitions began circulating demanding the Democrats abandon North Carolina and hold the convention somewhere else. Practically impossible, given the investment the Dems have already made in NC, and how much they will need their money in the general election. Obama carried North Carolina in 2008, and its status as a 2012 battleground was guaranteed by Democrats' decision to meet there. In the last few days, U.S. Secretary Arne Duncan and VP Joe Biden have stated their support for marriage equality, which intentional or not, has had the effect of trial balloon.
Romney, of course, is against everything.Yesterday in Colorado, Romney said he opposes even civil unions. And Christie, who has campaigned hard for the VP slot (while denying that's what he's doing) has stood in the way of his own gay constituents who wish to marry.
Steven Goldstein's reaction, for Garden State Equality, below the fold:
To say that Vice President Joe Biden's recent comments on Meet the Press "rippled the waters" of the marriage equality debate puts it mildly. In fact, by speaking his mind -- like only he can --Biden has thrust the issue into the Presidential Campaign fray, creating a bit of a media circus in the process.
Asked during an appearance on MSNBC whether he believes same-sex couples should be allowed to marry in the United States, Arne Duncan gave a straight answer: "Yes I do."
Biden's nuanced thoughts on the matter followed by Duncan's emphatic "I do" are a stark contrast to President Obama's "incoherent stance on gay marriage (equality)."
But let's face it, Obama's not the only one likely wishing he could be left to privately "evolve" on the issue out of the campaign spotlight. Follow me below the fold where this gets Jersey-centric.
It's Tax Day, and if you're still bent over the kitchen table clutching your 43rd cup of coffee too tightly and resisting the urge to shriek, consider how much more complicated this is if the family relationship you devote yourself to, but isn't recognized where you actually life, makes filling out those confounding forms even more confounding. Today, there's plenty of resentment going around.
Here's Blue Jersey's take on the Tax Day complications for the civil unionized, circa 2006. It's our #2 ad in Blue Jersey's 4-ad series, Think Equal:
All credit for these ads go to Blue Jerseyans Jack Bohrer, and founder Juan Melli. And the delightful actresses, director and crew, most of whom donated their services to forward the recognition of marriage rights.
The suicide of 18-year-old Tyler Clementi moved forward efforts to protect students from bullying in all its forms, and helped drive and focus a New Jersey - and national - movement to protect gay rights. Gardent State Equality, in New Jersey, has been central to that fight. And we have all been watching for this verdict, knowing it won't restore Tyler to his family, but may change the way all of us think of the lives of the people around us, with the respect each of us deserve.
Here is the statement following the Dharun Ravi verdict. (For disclosure's sake, I should note that I am a member of the Garden State Equality board).
Among the guilty verdicts returned today against Dharun Ravi, the former Rutgers student and roommate of Tyler Clementi, who jumped off the George Washington Bridge to his death a few days after learning Ravi was spying on his private sexual encounters with another man in the dorm room he shared with Ravi:
GUILTY: Bias intimidation against Tyler Clementi
GUILTY: Invasion of privacy against Tyler Clementi
GUILTY: Invasion of privacy against M.B. (the other man)
GUILTY: Witness tampering
GUILTY: Evidence tampering
Star-Ledger details all counts here. (h/t dennismcgrath)
After 12 hours of deliberation over almost 3 days, the jury and 3 alternates (who did not participate in deliberations) have returned their verdicts. The trial played out over almost two weeks, with more than 30 witnesses, including dorm mates of both Ravi and Clementi, and Molly Wei, who viewed the webcam spying of Tyler Clementi's private moments in his dorm room along with the "other man" whose identity is still being protected and is known only as M.B.. Ravi was also convicted of invading M.B.'s privacy along with Clementi, as both of them were glimpsed on Ravi's webcam in moments meant to be private, but viewed in another room in the dorm.
The jury judged Ravi guilty of 23 of the 35 counts against him, fifteen of which are felonies.
The trial stretched over 13 days including opening and closing statements, with more than 30 witnesses and 100 pieces of evidence.
The vote count in the Assembly have never been as secure as the votes in the Senate. So, today we will see if there has been the same kind of movement in the legislature's lower house as we saw last week in the upper house.
Two ways you can follow the discussion and vote:
Watch Live here.
Note: You will need Windows Media Player, which you can download free at the bottom of the legislature's media page. Session is scheduled to begin at noon. But frequently, they're late. Refresh the media page often. When you see the 'Pending' notification go to 'Listen', you should be able to hear the proceedings.
The fight for civil rights has never been about granting them. It's always been about recognizing rights. This fight is about fairness in marriage, about recognizing the rights of gay people's families to be as supported by their communities, by their states and by the laws that govern us all.
And, for me, it has always been about what we do for younger people. For most young adults of both parties, this is a settled question. They accept gay people marrying, they expect acceptance for their own lives and the lives of their friends. Part of life is love, part of love is hope. There are a lot of young eyes on today's vote. They want to see what kind of New Jersey will belong to them.
Our senator Kip Bateman has presented as an enigma to those of us fighting for marriage equality. Where does he really stand? We met with him on the Friday before the Senate vote to try and gain a better understanding. The morning started out cordial enough, with Sen. Bateman taking us out for breakfast in a local diner he frequents. The senator freely shared that he supported marriage equality, but thought that the legislature was not the correct venue since Gov. Christie would veto it anyway. He talked about his surprise that so many people in Princeton and South Brunswick (the towns he now represents since legislative redistricting) supported marriage equality, and also made reference to his "more conservative" constituents in Somerset and Hunterdon. He mentioned the Pastor of his church, who opposes marriage equality.
We're hurt and disappointed that our own Senator was opting out of his responsibility by suggesting a public referendum on our rights. And we told him so. We asked him what he pictured when he thought about this vote. He described voters entering the booth to vote the way they vote on other referendums, like bond issues or preservations, proudly stating that the question of marriage equality would be worded in an affirmative manner. He seemed astonished when we advised him that a referendum would result in a costly battle, both financially and emotionally. We provided him with facts:
California Prop 8 referendum fight cost $83 million dollars (prior to court battle).
Neighbors were pitted against neighbors with
children no longer allowed to play with their friends or told their gay dads would die from AIDS. (Jon Holden Galluccio talks about some of this in a post about his family's life in California).
Prop 8 advertisements frightenedotherwisereasonable voters who would have supported marriage equality by purporting that children would be harmed and/or religious institutions would be threatened.
More of Sen. Bateman's response & a video, below the fold.
Garden State Equality is using a decision in the California court system that came minutes ago as a jumping off point to ramp up activity and create waves to impact the NJ legislature, even as two dates loom which could change everything for gay couples in love in this state. The full Senate will consider NJ's marriage equality bill Feb. 13. The full Assembly follows 3 days later. Both come after companion bills were passed out of both houses' Judiciary committees over the last few days, following 10 hours of often-emotional testimony. Chris Christie, his sights set on his national GOP street cred at least as much as his responsibility to do the right thing in this pro-equality state, has signaled his intention to veto. Unknown if there are enough votes to overturn that veto, and some of those votes may still be in flux.
Less than an hour ago, a 3-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, serving California, ruled that state's Proposition 8, banning marriage equality, is a violation of the United States Constitution. The case is widely seen as destined to be decided in the United States Supreme Court.
In a message sent wide to GSE's NJ supporters, founder Steven Goldstein wrote this:
Blue Jersey frontpager, NJ godmother of the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party, Senate Majority leader, and a woman who gives Chris Christie the willies, Loretta Weinberg has a birthday today. She's 77.
LW's taking the day off from her usual Monday morning post, so instead this sweet video she made with her very sensible grandchildren, Shayna and Jonah. Here for "my adopted son Steven Goldstein" and Garden State Equality she talks with them about the day, hopefully soon, when people can marry "who they love and feel comfortable with" and the gay people in their lives who want to get married.
Birthday girl, with the beloved Shayna & Jonah:
(Disclosure: I have the honor of serving on GSE's board)
Yesterday, many people noted that representatives of religious faiths, on both sides, gave quite a lot of the testimony before Senate Judiciary, while a long list of marriage equality supporters didn't get the opportunity to speak. Sean DiGiovanna was one, and his testimony was noted this morning in Jersey Jazzman's post on NJEA's support for marriage equality. This is the testimony Sean was prepared to give; I asked him to post it. And I should tell you two things: Sean is a long time member of the Blue Jersey community, as is his husband. And I attended their wedding, which was wonderful. - Rosi
NJEA has endorsed the marriage equality bill that passed today in the Senate Judiciary Committee. As an NJEA member and acting head of the NJEA LGBT and Allies caucus, I was asked to testify today. Although I was not called upon to testify, I thought I would share it with you here. I'm also quoted in NJEA's news story on their endorsement here.
Once you see last night's demonstrations outside the Union High School Board meeting, which discussed the controversy swirling around comments made by UHS special education teacher Viki Knox, it's impossible not to notice the racial component.
Anti-Viki Knox protesters apparently primarily white - including Garden State Equality Chair Steven Goldstein, and Human Rights Campaign National Field Director Marty Rouse (who brought a petition signed by 75,000 HRC members). The only student on camera confirming that Knox's opinions made their way into a classroom, a Junior named Samantha, did not witness Knox doing so herself, instead quotes an unnamed fellow student as saying - word for word - what Knox wrote on facebook.
Pro-Knox forces apparently racially mixed, largely black - including a Pastor and father of a student, and a sophomore named William who says he 'loves' Knox and sees her as a 'spiritual mother'.
Note: Since I wrote this diary, reports have surfaced that Viki Knox indeed brought her views into the classroom on several occasions, likely violating the district policies and state law in the process. Worse, she violated a student's First Amendment rights by kicking the student out of class for wearing a rainbow bracelet.
Viki Knox's illegal conduct in the classroom raises substantial doubts about her fitness as a teacher. She ought to be fired. At the very least, she should be suspended for a prolonged period of time and must not set foot in another classroom until she understands that she needs to set her personal views aside and follow the laws of New Jersey, the policies of her school district, and the instructions of her superiors.
October, as many Blue Jersey readers know, is LGBT history month. To commemorate the occassion, Union Township High School set up a photo display featuring several famous gay and lesbian celebrities and historical figures.
Yet, this evening, Garden State Equality has organized dozens to protest a meeting of the Union Public School District Board of Education. GSE is not satisfied with school's affirming message to gay and lesbian students. It wants the district to fire a schoolteacher who responded to the display with homophobic Facebook posts of the sort that one would expect from, say, the Westboro Baptist Church.
Make no mistake, Union Township High School special education teacher Viki Knox's comments were reprehensible; Ms. Knox calls homosexuality a "perverted spirit" and compares it to cancer and alcoholism. But there are at least two problems with Garden State Equality's impulsive response to these posts. First, in its hasty reaction to the teacher's posts, the organization stubbornly refuses to acknowledge the competing values at stake. Second, GSE is doing a disservice to gay and lesbian students at Union Townshsip High School and across the state by passing up more effective responses to this controversy.
The First Amendment gives Viki Knox the right to express her opinions, asinine and offensive as they may be. As I will show below the fold, whether the school district may fire or otherwise discipline her is a close question that will probably turn on facts to be uncovered by investigation.
After a conversation I had with a relative who likes to make fun of my union and calls us hippocrits for being greedy liars, he said something that reely made me angry.
he said that he knew for an fact that some of the people running CWA were gay haters and liars. when I argued with him about it he showed me a web that is done by the vice president of one of the cwa offices. her name is rachel merrill and she uses a website to scare people about gay people and people that don't believe in Jesus.
I was really stunned because i have been reading stuff in this web and I always thought that my union was about being fair and equal to everybody but when i read some of the stuff rachel merrill puts on her web, i was shocked and disgusted.
I don't hate people for there beliefs but if she is going to be a leader in a group that is based on equality and rspect, how can she put such hateful things on her web?
one of the things I saw said that if you don't believe in jesus and you tolerate gay people or people who aren't married but have sex and kids without being married, that you are going to burn in hell.
i found some of this garbage at a place called www.rachelmerrill.com/AreYouSavedorAreYouDeceived.aspx
Maybe the stuff won't be there for a long time because somebody at cwa will call her on it but I have to wonder how long she has held these ideas and how she really feels about the people she is suposed to speak for like me.
She is the vice president of cwa 1038 and maybe the members don't know about her but i think they should and i think she shoould be removed from that position because it isn't right to have such a hateful heart and be a representative for people you think are going to hell.
I know some people, like that first ammendment 7 person are always writing stuff about how the CWA is being dishonest or being stupid about the stuff they do to make things better and maybe he has a point because based on all the stuff I saw on Miss Merrills web, she hates a lot of people who are members and have family that she thinks are going to hell.
I hope that the people that run the cwa do somtehing about her and I dont mean just hide her words because hiding the words doesn't change her personal hate and dis-respect for many people she is supposed to be looking out for.
We've had our struggles in New Jersey with the tiny band of bigots known as Westboro Baptist "Church" (quote-marks are mine, read as disrespect). Every state has now. One of their PR geniuses has figured out military funerals draw a crowd. So that's where they show up, making fun of dead soldiers (see this flyer) and squalling: God hates fags!
This will be a companion diary to Bill's excellent post this morning. We wrote our posts at the same time, so this one was held until after Bill's. - REE
As expected, New Jersey's congressional delegation split along party lines in yesterday's historic stand-alone vote to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the wildly misnamed, ineffective and exclusionary rule that has governed the United States Armed Forces since 1993 during the Clinton administration. The policy was never fair, and it never worked. Theoretically it restricted the military from efforts to discover or reveal closeted gay, lesbian, and bisexual servicemembers or applicants, while at the same time barring those who are openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual from military service.
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