The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton has a world-wide reputation as a center of excellence in its field. It boasts such distinguished alumni as Senator Bill Bradley, Governor Brendan Byrne, New Jersey Chief Justice Stuart Rabner, Governor Eliot Spitzer, and Senator Paul Sarbanes. Alumni also include some prominent but disappointing people like Congressman Leonard Lance and Justice Samuel Alito.
As part of its academic mission, the school conducts seminars and panel discussions, some of which are open to the public. Given the enthusiasm and need for marriage equality in New Jersey and across the country, when I saw a seminar entitled “Same Sex Marriage in the United States: Where We Are as a Nation”, I figured it was worth the drive up to Princeton to see what I could learn - and I was not disappointed.
Governor Jon Corzine, a Democrat seeking reelection this fall has in the past indicated that he would sign a marriage equality bill if it came to his desk. Saturday night, he was more proactive in his support of the idea.
Noting that the passage of Prop 8 in California was November 4's one major blemish detracting from the historic election of President Barack Obama, Corzine vowed, "New Jersey is going to reverse that, and we're going to move forward, and we're going to have a happy governor signing the marriage equality bill when it gets to my desk."
It's not if, but when. Corzine will have the chance to talk more about this when he attends the Garden State Equality Legends ball on Saturday, February 28. There still is that small matter of getting the bill through the legislature, to his desk for signature, but it doesn't seem like he's shying away from the issue in an election year.
Borrowing the language of the gay marriage debate, Simpson said the group seeks to "protect our definition of what walking on sidewalks is."
Jackie Bello '09, echoing what Simpson called the "separate but equal" nature of Proposition 8, said the group would gladly work with the Grounds and Building Maintenance Department to construct alternative pathways for freshmen to use.
"We don't hate freshmen. Some of our best friends are freshmen," said Shawn Fennell '09, who helped Simpson plan the movement.
Those crazy kids, they're nothing if not creative. The group's facebook page now has 209 members as well. The protest continues Monday and Tuesday.
Princeton students are braving the cold to show their support for Traditional Perambulatory Values:
A group of students opposed to the recently-passed California marriage amendment (Proposition 8) gathered outside of Firestone Library at 9:30 this morning to launch a day-long protest in support of their own Prop 8, an initiative to ban Freshmen from sidewalks in order to "restore the definition of sidewalk accessibility to what the vast majority of Princeton students already believe it should mean and what Princetonians agree should be supported, not undermined." The protest's organizers explain their demonstration on the group's Facebook page:
We believe that California's Proposition 8 is illegal and immoral. The use of a state-wide referendum to limit the rights of a minority group is the very sort of action the that the constitution ought to defend against. We hope to point out the danger and absurdity of that proposition by advocating for our own "Princeton Proposition 8" which will 'ban freshmen from walking on campus sidewalks.' We hope to parallel the language and actions of the real Prop 8 as much as possible, as we believe the injustice speaks for itself and needs no exaggeration. We will be careful not to turn this into an attack on any particular group or organization, instead choosing to focus on the moral, legal, and logical reasons why Proposition 8 should be overturned.
The protest is scheduled to continue throughout the day today and again from 9:30 to 5:00 PM tomorrow. If you're in the Princeton area, stop by to show your support!
I plead ignorance on the status of gay marriage and civil unions in New Jersey. Who knows the current status? As important, is anyone familiar with bills floated in State legislature regarding gay marriage/unions?
Personally, I find the passage of Prop 8 offensive and a clear violation of civil rights. By my logic, the only defensible reason for preventing gay marriage is religious beliefs...and religious beliefs have no place in state or Federal laws or constitutions. Gay Americans are at a severe disadvantage in fighting such discrimination due to their limited numbers. Gay Americans remain a relatively small minority group in the USA, with, as I see it, relatively little power. They don't have the funding, PACs, caucuses, or other power mechanisms that other minority groups enjoy (e.g., blacks, women, immigrants).
I believe that progressive Americans need to help Gay Americans carry the flag for this fight. Its not just a gay rights issue, its a personal freedom and civil rights issue. If Judeo-Christian values dictate the definition of legal marriage in this country, what's next? Ban's on marriage between atheists and agnostics? Prop 8 is a slippery slope, and its in the interest of progressives to not only stop the tide, but also turn it back the other direction.
