Things to Do in Jersey When You’re Gay
Posted on | October 25, 2006
Get married–sort of. The NJ Supreme Court, able to see the obvious, holds that discrimination against same-sex couples with respect to marriage rights serves “no legitimate governmental purpose.” Bravo! Here’s the slam-dunk:
Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is also outlawed in our criminal law and public contracts law.
The Legislature, moreover, created the New Jersey Human Relations Council to promote educational programs
aimed at reducing bias and bias-related acts, identifying sexual orientation as a protected category.
This is not the magic bullet, not yet, as same-sex couples still can’t marry. The state legislature must either amend the law to include them, or come up with a parallel institution which guarantees the same rights and responsibilities, no doubt so that the bigots can be satisfied that “their” m-word isn’t sullied by the participation of a broader cross-section of the population. How much reinvention of the wheel will be demanded, one wonders, before the state simply shrugs and issues marriage licenses? Or will “conservatives” fight for bigger government and more red tape?
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