Under pressure from New Jersey's highest court to offer marriage or its equivalent to gay couples, the Legislature voted Thursday to make New Jersey the third state to allow civil unions.I hope he's right, but for the time being, civil unions will do. I do think that by not calling it marriage we're given a "separate but equal" status, which is not right, but this way, we start getting "civil unionized" and our opponents, or at least the moderate ones among them, have the time to realize that there's no negative effect on society.
Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine said he would sign the measure, which would extend to same-sex couples all the rights and privileges available under state law to married people.
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Among the benefits gay couples would get under New Jersey's civil unions bill are adoption rights, hospital visitation rights and inheritance rights.
Gay rights advocates welcomed the legislation as a step forward but said they would continue to push for the right to marry.
The bill was drafted in response to a landmark New Jersey Supreme Court ruling in October that required the state to extend the rights and benefits of marriage to gay couples within 180 days. The court, in its 4-3 ruling, left it up to the Legislature to decide whether to call such unions "marriages" or something else.
Gay rights groups have argued that not calling such unions "marriage" creates a different, and inferior, institution.
Steven Goldstein, director of the gay rights advocacy organization Garden State Equality, said he expects gay couples to be able to get married in New Jersey within two years.
Once we get there, making the next step toward full marriage equality will be faster and easier than it is now.
New Jersey, well done! And welcome to the club.
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