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N.J. Gov. to Make Gay Unions Official
By The Associated Press
December 21, 2006
New
Jersey's
gay couples are gaining all the rights and responsibilities of marriage under
state law as New
Jersey
moves to become the third in the nation to institute civil unions and the fifth
to offer some version of marriage.
Gov.
Jon S. Corzine planned to sign the civil-unions bill on
Thursday.
When
the law takes effect Feb. 19, New
Jersey will
join Connecticut and
Vermont as
states that allow civil unions for gay couples.
Massachusetts
allows gay couples to marry, while California has
domestic partnerships that bring full marriage rights.
Gay
couples granted civil unions in New
Jersey will
have adoption, inheritance, hospital visitation and medical decision-making
rights and the right not to testify against a partner in state
court.
The
Legislature passed the civil-unions bill on Dec. 14 in response to an October
state Supreme Court order that gay couples be granted the same rights as married
couples. The court gave lawmakers six months to act but left it to them to
decide whether to call the unions "marriage" or something
else.
Gay
couples welcome the law, but some argue that not calling the relationship
"marriage" creates a different, inferior institution.
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| Also, while the state law
provides them with the benefits of married couples, they won't be entitled to
the same benefits in the eyes of the federal government because of 1996 federal
law that defines marriage as being between a man and a woman. Surviving partners
won't be able to collect deceased partners' Social
Security
benefits, for example, said family lawyer Felice T. Londa, who represents many
same-sex couples.
Donna
Harrison, of Asbury
Park, has
been with her partner, Kathy Ragauckas, for nine years. She isn't exactly
celebrating the bill signing, though she said she and Ragauckas will probably
get a civil-union certificate.
"Although
I think they provide some benefit, it is a different treatment of human beings,"
she said.
Chris
Schwam and Steven Piacquiadio, of Collingswood,
have been together for 20 years, have a 3-year-old son and had a big wedding in
1993, though it wasn't recognized legally. Schwam, 40, said they will get a
civil union, but without a big fuss.
"I
don't think my mother would be happy to pay for that again," he
said.
The
gay-rights group Garden State Equality has promised to push lawmakers to change
the terminology to "marriage." Others are considering lawsuits to force full
recognition of gay marriage.
The
bill creates a commission that will regularly review the law and recommend
possible changes.
Corzine,
a Democrat, said that seems a reasonable approach, but he said calling the
arrangement a civil union rather than gay marriage is
preferable.
"For
most people, marriage has a religious connotation, and for many there is a view
that that term is not consistent with the teachings of their religious belief,"
the governor said. "So there is not democratic support in the broader society
for that label, even though there is strong support for equal protection under
the law."
Senate
President Richard J. Codey, a Democrat who sponsored the bill, said time could
bring change.
"The
history of civil-rights progress, whether it's women's rights, minorities'
rights or any other movement, is one that is typically achieved in incremental
steps," Codey said. "This is, by no means, the end, but it is a major step
forward."
Social
conservative groups and lawmakers opposed the measure, reasoning it brings gay
relationships too close to marriage, but it easily passed the legislature. Some
have vowed to push to amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage, but
Democrats who control the legislature said such proposals won't be heard.
The
three-day waiting period required by the law is the same as with marriage
licenses. Licenses will be valid for 30 days, and ceremonies can be officiated
by anyone who performs weddings, including clergy and mayors. As with marriages,
civil unions will have to be witnessed by one additional adult.
(AP)
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The History Shaping Today's Debate Over Gay Equality
Why has marriage emerged as the most explosive issue in the gay struggle for equality?
The author shows the shifting attitudes toward gays, from the growth in acceptance to the many campaigns against gay rights that led to today's demand for a constitutional amendment. What's at stake for both sides is illuminated.
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