Though some activists were pessimistic going into the proceedings, the failure of the New Jersey State Senate to pass a same-sex marriage bill was still a stinging slap to the face of all LGBT residents in the Garden State.
The bill failed 20-14, with one Republican (Senator Bill Baroni of Mercer) voting in favor of equality and six Democrats (Senators Drew, Rice, Gigenti, Sacco, Madden and Turner) voting against equal rights for all citizens.
The Democrats who voted in favor of equality were: Senators Whelan, Smith, Buono, Lesniak, Codey, Ruiz, Cunningham, Stack, Gill, Weinberg, Gordon, Scutari and Vitale. The Republicans who upheld their archaic, unjust beliefs were: Senators Singer, Pennacchio, Bateman, Kean Jr., Beck, Kyrillos, Cardinale, Doherty, O'Toole, Haines, Connors, Bucco, Oroho and Kean.
Three Democratic cowards abstained--Senators Sarlo, Sweeney and Beach--and two Republicans--Senators Allen and Ciesla--did not attend.
Garden State Equality has already teamed up with Lambda Legal to fight this ruling in the courts. However, I speak for many when I say that today was still a shame. I applaud the Democrats who stood up for equality civil rights, but I think the true hero of the day was Senator Baroni. Voting against party lines, he cast his decision for equality--not for peer pressure.
The fight is ongoing, and though it may take time, activists will not stop until justice is in place.
Did you attend the proceedings today? What did you think about the decision on gay marriage in NJ? Leave a comment below or e-mail relationships@alexseise.com to share!
Comments
Just awful. It's past time that all Americans were given their basic rights.
3 democratic cowards? responsible journalism fail
Hi Stew,
I would agree with you--but only if this was pure journalism, which it is not. The posts here on my page blend news with commentary and activism, and objectivity is not (and never has been) a goal of the writing.
The links to the coverage on NJ.com give a much less biased point of view--if you're looking for journalism, I'd point you in that direction. If you're looking for a hybrid form that proudly swings in favor of LGBT rights when commenting on the news (generally hours after it has already broken), I'd ask that you take a seat and continue reading.
Thanks!
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