As gay and lesbian couples in New Jersey celebrate their legal right to civil unions,  opponents, led by John Tomicki, president of the New Jersey Coalition to Preserve and Protect Marriage, plans to continue his effort to ban same-gender marriage through a constitutional amendment.

"We believe that the people of the state of New Jersey should make the determination of how marriage is defined," said Tomicki. "The court, particularly in New Jersey, has a tendency to act like oligarchs--to legislate from the bench."

Who is this guy and what does he mean?

He thinks "homosexuality may be a condition." But he compares it to a disease like alcoholism.

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"We know certain people who are genetically predisposed when they have that first drink they can't stop," says Tomicki. "But the good book [the Bible] tells us drunks will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. So homosexuality may be a condition, but being gay or lesbian is a choice."

Tomicki also is the executive director of the League of American Families, a group with satellite organizations in several states. He launched his New Jersey statewide petition drive Feb. 12 seeking signatures in support of placing a constitutional amendment on the November election ballot. If voters support the amendment it would define marriage as being between one man and one woman.

Tomicki is quick to detail his sociological and religious reasons for opposing marriage but is tight-lipped about who funds his groups' efforts. He says the coalition is a volunteer-based organization comprised of groups, such as the League of American Families, The Knights of Columbus, the Mississippi-based American Family Association, the Family Policy Council, Council on American Families and much more.

The coalition does not accept donations because the group wants to be an all-volunteer organization, says Tomicki.

"Whenever we have to do something, we all chip in," says Tomicki.

Calls to the N.J. Secretary of State's Office and the N.J. Treasury Department seeking information about the Coalition and the League did not uncover any records of Tomicki's groups despite his claim that they are nonprofit organizations.

Tomicki says polls conducted by the Coalition indicate New Jersey residents do not support gay marriage. That may be true, but other polls indicate New Jersey residents also do not support a state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. A Rutgers University-Eagleton Institute of Politics poll released in October found that 53 percent of N.J. residents oppose amending the state constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman, while 39 percent support such an amendment, according to the Asbury Park Press.

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By George Chauncey

Why Marriage? 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. For More Information

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