NJ and Equal Rights...Stuck in Neutral

The latest state to take up the debate over same sex marriage was my home state of New Jersey. New Jersey is probably one of the more liberal states in the United States, usually votes Democratic, and is on the East Coast not too far from Massachusetts and Connecticut, two states that allow same sex marriages.

Today a vote was put in front of the State Senate and by a vote of 20-14 they voted against a same sex marriage bill. It was a victory for those who feel same sex marriages go against religious freedoms. There were supporters and opponents of the law in the state house and outside on its grounds. To successfully pass, the law needed 21 votes. Many on the losing side of today's decisions feel that the debate was furthered during this latest process, but there are some ill feelings that they couldn't accomplish a major victory for equal rights. The vote is extra crucial with a Republican Governor set to take over and one who agrees with the decision of the State Senate. Hence, many supporters will now have to turn to the courts in hopes of pushing it further.

New Jersey passed a domestic partnership law in 2002 and also legalized civil unions in 2006. Despite those, there are still downsides from same sex couples when it comes to denying benefits and such that marriage allows. New Jersey could have become the fifth state after Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, and Vermont.

New Jersey had an opportunity to relevant and do something big and they let politics get in the way. The state is very divided on the issue with probably a slight majority supporting the decision of State Senate. However, who are we to say that two men or two women can't get married. I have often been somewhere in the middle on this issue. I think of myself as someone who is somewhat religious. I value the bond that a man and woman make when they get married. I felt that civil unions, which New Jersey have, were enough in terms of it allows two people of the same sex to share their love for each other through a ceremony. However of late, I see the struggles that same sex couples have when it comes to benefits, hospitals, and other things that a married couples don't have to worry about or struggle with.

So, New Jersey, the home of the NJ Turnpike, the Garden State Parkway, and many other highways found themselves stuck in neutral on a controversial issue that they had a chance to drive through into the history books. Time will see what now will happen as this debate will surely continue despite a new Governor who opposes this potential law.