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The October 25th decision by the New Jersey Supreme Court,
interpreting that state's constitution to require that same-sex couples
be afforded the same rights, responsibilities, and protections routinely
available to married couples, is an important victory on the road to
full legal equality for GLBT families.
EVERY member of the Court agreed that there was simply no legally
sufficient reason to continue to exclude same-sex couples from these
civil benefits. The court referred the matter back to the New Jersey
state legislature, requiring the legislature to act within six months to
either permit same-sex couples to marry or to create a parallel
institution that affords them the same privileges marriage provides.
"The New Jersey decision comes at a critical time in the movement for
legal equality for same-sex couples and their families," says OutFront
Minnesota Executive Director Ann M. DeGroot. "After a summer of
decisions declining to extend the principle of 'equal protection' to
civil marriage, this court made it clear that the justifications for
this continuing discrimination against our families just don't hold up
to that scrutiny. We are delighted that families in New Jersey will be
able to enjoy the full legal protections they deserve."
"No matter what the New Jersey legislators decide to do, it's a step
forward," points out Monica Meyer, OutFront Minnesota's Public Policy
Director. "It strengthens the argument, heard in Minnesota and
elsewhere, that same-sex couples and their families are harmed by their
exclusion from marriage, and that it makes sense from a public policy
standpoint to provide then some form of legal protections. We look
forward to the day when Minnesota's own legislature abandons the effort
to write discrimination into our state constitution, and moves
constructively to address the needs of these families."
Read more about this important decision! |
