Over 700 people showed up today in Trenton in support of Marriage Equality!
And now as a result of all that people power...the effort has been advanced to the next level:
We have a timeline now. Sen. Ray Lesniak confirmed that the full Senate will vote Thursday, Dec. 10 - one week from today - on marriage equality. Lesniak:
On Monday in the Judiciary Committee, we're going to vote on marriage equality," Lesniak (D-Union) said, while making the announcement to a crowd of more than 650 gay marriagesupporters on the Statehouse steps today.
- snip -
And God be willing, we will have 21 votes.
New Jersey has a very limited window of opportunity to gain Marriage Equality. Governor Corzine has said that he would sign the bill into law before he leaves office and so, many civil rights forces have joined ranks to rush this bill through in the next five weeks. This is a race against time. (Governor-Elect Christie has promised that he won't sign it.) It's now or not for another four years!
Activist have charged forward, accepting this narrow time-frame. New Jersey organizers and politicians and all people who believe in full civil rights for all our citizens, are working together for a push against the odds. They just kept going when others said it couldn't be done:
As Senate President Dick Codey confirmed this morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee will consider marriage equality legislation this coming Monday. The legislation must be approved in committee before being sent to the Senate floor for a vote. Take that as a victory, considering that Sen. Paul Sarlo said just days ago that he wasn't even going to bring up ME in the Judiciary Committee unless there were enough votes to pass it in the full Senate. (my bold)
Reminds me of the The Little Engine That Could And that little engine just keeps climbing that hill, ignoring every one else who says that it can't be done.
Victory in New Jersey is by no means assured, but the only way to gain victory now or in the future is to move ahead, undaunted by the huge discouragement that has recently met the Marriage Equality issue. And Many people in New Jersey are echoing this 'I think I can' attitude, as they race to get this wrapped up before Governor Corzine leaves office.
Blue Jersey has an article with great pictures from today's rally: Over 700 people showed up in Trenton today in Support of Marriage Equality!
The impressive letter of support, signed by over 200 of New Jersey's most influential people:
This letter has been signed by more than 200 influential New Jersey Democrats, including Members of Congress Rush Holt, Steve Rothman, and Frank Pallone, Mayor Cory Booker, and many elected officials. Here is the letter:
An Open Letter Calling on Democratic Legislators to Post Marriage Equality Legislation for a Vote
We believe that equality and fairness are fundamental principles of New Jersey's Democratic Party, and that is why we call on the state legislature to vote immediately on, and pass, the marriage equality bill.
New Jersey has a proud history of supporting civil rights. It was this legacy that encouraged many of us to become involved in politics. We believe that allowing committed gay and lesbian couples to marry is, at its core, about treating our family members, friends, coworkers, and neighbors with dignity and respect.
We appreciate that this is a difficult issue for some state legislators. But marriage equality is an idea whose time has come. We are confident that the voters will stand by those elected officials who do the right thing.
When our children and grandchildren look back on this moment, we want to be able to tell them that we, too, did the right thing.
As Martin Luther King poignantly reminded us, "the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice." That is why we're proud to lend our names and our voices to this important cause. We do so in our capacity as private citizens and Democratic voters, and not on behalf of any particular office or organization.
The success of this bill is by no means assumed. The same energy that has gotten it this far is still required to move it to the next step.
Please do your part: circulate this diary and this story. Text. Tweet.
Help us in whatever way you can.
Blue Jersey asks:
Are you there? Will you be there next week, to keep the pressure up as the vote's taken in committee (Monday) and Senate (Thursday)? If you cannot take a work day to lobby, will you stand behind NJ students who have organized their own rally on Saturday?
Whatever the outcome, it matters that we all do what we can to advance civil rights for all our citizens.