Opinion: NJ—Elusive Equality

Link: New York Times

Excerpt:

In 2006, New Jersey’s Supreme Court declared that same-sex couples must be guaranteed all the rights and benefits that come with marriage, but left it to the State Legislature to figure out how. Instead of simply granting gay people the right to marry, the Legislature joined Vermont and Connecticut in creating a lesser category, civil unions. Predictably, civil unions are proving to be an inadequate remedy. 

A report issued last week by the 12-member state commission charged with monitoring the new law’s effectiveness found that it has created “a second-class status” for same-sex couples and is not fulfilling the court’s mandate of equality. 

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Poor couples — many of whom are African-American — are hurt the most by being relegated to the inferior zone of civil unions, Sylvia Rhue, director of religious affairs for the National Black Justice Coalition, told the commission. They “cannot afford thousands of dollars to hire fancy lawyers to draft documents like wills, health care proxies and powers of attorney,” she explained.

Gov. Jon Corzine has acknowledged that the report raises “significant concerns.” He has also said he would sign a bill ending gay couples’ exclusion from marriage, but not in an election year. We appreciate his candor. But to achieve real marital equality will take political courage, not more dawdling.

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