Marriage Equality in NJ

This past friday, Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson ordered that same sex marriage be legalized in New Jersey. The judge wrote, "Same-sex couples must be allowed to marry in order to obtain equal protection of the law under the New Jersey Constitution." Thank you, Judge Jacobson! Recognizing that civil unions are NOT the same as marriage and do NOT provide the same federal benefits is crucial when discussing marriage equality. Judge Jacobson finally recognized that in the eyes of the law, and October 21st is the date in which same-sex marriage can begin in New Jersey. Yay!

Although this is a huge victory and historic moment for the civil rights movement as a whole, NJ shouldn't get too excited just yet. Governor Christie can still appeal this decision, and he plans to. Christie has also asked for the date for same-sex marriages to begin to be delayed while the court proceedings for the appeal are taking place.

This is where I'm confused. Christie claims to be representative of the people of New Jersey, and vows to do what the people want. Yet New Jersey is a typically democratic state in which the majority support same-sex marriage. How is he acting as a voice for the people when he clearly is going against the majority?

Enraged by this, I along with other members of the Queer community decided to make a stand. Christie made an appearance at Ramapo College today to speak about funding. To show that Ramapo has an LGBTQ community that the governor is directly affecting by his decisions, Ramapo Pride decided to wear LGBTQ t shirts, stickers, buttons, and more. We made sure the Governor saw us and that was the main goal.

Taking a stand for what you believe in, regardless of what that may be, is crucial to change. Always be proud of who you are and never be afraid to show it, even if you are met with some resistance. Sometimes that is the only way to fight for change.