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LOU CHIBBARO JR.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Over
the
strong
objections
of
gay
activists
and
conservative
religious
groups,
both
houses
of
the
New
Jersey
Legislature
were
expected
to
pass
a
civil
unions
bill
late
this
week
by
lopsided
margins.
The
bill
represents
the
legislature’s
response
to
an
Oct.
25
decision
by
the
New
Jersey
Supreme
Court
declaring
that
same-sex
couples
must
be
given
the
same
rights
and
responsibilities
as
opposite-sex
spouses
under
the
state’s
constitution.
The
court
left
it
up
to
the
legislature
to
decide
whether
to
call
it
marriage,
civil
unions
or
some
other
name.
“I
absolutely
support
a
full
marriage
bill,”
said
New
Jersey
Assemblyman
Wilfredo
Caraballo
(D-Newark),
a
gay
rights
supporter
who
introduced
the
civil
unions
measure.
“But
at
this
time
we
just
don’t
have
the
votes
to
pass
it.”
Caraballo
and
many
of
his
colleagues
who
support
gay
rights
found
themselves
in
the
unusual
position
of
being
criticized
by
both
gay
activists
and
gay
rights
opponents,
both
of
whom
wanted
something
other
than
civil
unions.
The
two
opposing
sides
also
expressed
anger
over
the
legislature’s
decision
to
vote
on
a
civil
unions
bill
just
50
days
after
the
court
ruling,
rather
than
take
more
time
to
deliberate
over
other
options.
The
court
gave
the
legislature
180
days
to
carry
out
its
edict.
Gay
activists
called
on
lawmakers
to
pass
a
full,
same-sex
marriage
bill
while
Catholic
Church
officials
proposed
a
watered-down
“benefits”
measure
that
would
cover
any
two
people
who
were
not
married.
Conservative
Protestant
groups
want
the
legislature
to
defy
the
court
by
refusing
to
adopt
any
measure
recognizing
same-sex
couples.
Last
week,
leaders
of
both
houses
of
the
legislature
made
it
clear
they
would
embrace
the
civil
unions
option.
“The
legislature
is
moving
very
fast
right
now
out
of
fear
of
having
this
issue
on
the
table
in
the
2007
elections,”
said
Steven
Goldstein,
executive
director
of
New
Jersey
Equality,
a
statewide
gay
rights
group.
All
120
members
of
the
state
Assembly
and
Senate
are
up
for
re-election
in
2007.
Although
the
Democratic-controlled
legislature
has
passed
other
gay
civil
rights
bills
in
the
past,
lawmakers
have
cited
a
recent
public
opinion
poll
showing
voters
favor
civil
unions
rather
than
marriage
for
same-sex
couples.
Goldstein
vowed
that
Garden
State
Equality
and
its
allies
across
the
state
would
immediately
begin
a
campaign
aimed
at
passing
a
full
marriage
equality
bill
within
the
next
two
years.
“There’s
no
sense
here
among
any
of
the
power
centers
—
not
among
activists,
the
press
or
the
elected
officials
that
this
is
the
last
step,”
Goldstein
said.
“You
have
legislators
saying
about
a
marriage
equality
bill,
it’s
not
about
if,
but
when.”
The
Assembly
and
the
Senate
were
scheduled
to
vote
on
the
civil
unions
bill
Thursday,
after
the
Blade
went
to
press.
Supporters
and
opponents
acknowledged
that
the
bill
was
expected
to
pass
both
bodies
by
wide
margins.
New
Jersey
Gov.
Jon
Corzine
(D)
has
said
he
would
sign
either
a
civil
unions
or
marriage
bill,
although
he
favored
a
civil
unions
measure.
On
Dec.
7,
the
Assembly’s
Judiciary
Committee
voted
to
approve
the
civil
unions
measure
by
a
party
line
vote
of
4-2.
The
vote
took
place
after
a
three-hour
hearing
in
which
supporters
and
opponents
of
same-sex
marriage
gave
emotional
testimony
on
the
subject.
Among
those
testifying
for
and
against
the
civil
unions
bill
were
clergy
members
representing
a
number
of
different
religious
denominations.
Representatives
of
state’s
Catholic
bishops
submitted
a
statement
to
the
committee
calling
for
a
separate
bill
that
would
define
marriage
as
a
union
only
between
a
man
and
a
woman
but
that
would
allow
any
two
adults
to
form
a
state-approved
relationship.
Under
the
bishop’s
proposal,
the
relationship
would
allow
the
two
adults,
including
elderly
siblings
or
an
adult
child
and
his
or
her
parent,
to
receive
various
state
benefits
available
currently
to
spouses.
Fifteen
members
of
the
legislature
have
sponsored
a
same-sex
marriage
bill
and
others
might
introduce
the
type
of
benefits
bill
proposed
by
the
bishops,
Caraballo
said.
But
he
said
neither
would
get
out
of
committee,
thus
killing
any
chance
for
them
to
pass.
He
said
he
likes
the
bishops’
proposal
but
would
not
consider
it
a
substitute
for
his
civil
unions
bill.
“That’s
a
good
idea,
but
it
has
nothing
to
do
with
civil
unions,”
he
said.
The
decision
by
legislative
leaders
to
move
ahead
with
the
civil
unions
bill
came
after
Garden
State
Equality
waged
a
media
and
lobbying
campaign
to
persuade
lawmakers
to
pass
a
same-sex
marriage
bill.
“Marriage
is
the
only
currency
of
commitment
the
real
world
universally
understands
and
accepts,”
the
group
said
in
a
statement
on
its
website.
Noting
that
Vermont’s
civil
unions
law
uses
the
term
“spouse”
for
same-sex
couples,
Garden
State
Equality
derided
the
proposed
New
Jersey
bill
for
using
the
term
“civil
union
partner”
and
“a
party
to
a
civil
union”
to
describe
same-sex
couples
under
the
measure.
The
group
called
the
terms
“a
ridiculous
contraption
of
a
phrase,”
saying
they
would
cause
laughter
and
“complete
puzzlement”
when
used
by
same-sex
couples
in
public.
The
Human
Rights
Campaign,
the
National
Gay
&
Lesbian
Task
Force
and
the
statewide
gay
group
Equality
Massachusetts
sent
field
workers
to
New
Jersey
to
assist
in
the
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