New Jersey Begins Offering Civil Unions

Becomes 3rd State To Allow Gay Couples Legal Benefits Of Marriage

(AP)  Shortly after midnight, Steven Goldstein and Daniel Gross renewed their vows as New Jersey became the third state in the nation to offer civil unions for gay couples.

The law that took effect Monday was “a big giant step forward,” said state Sen. Loretta Weinberg, a prime sponsor of the civil unions law, who hosted ceremonies for couples including Goldstein and Gross.

The civil unions, which offer the legal benefits but not the title of marriage, were granted automatically to the hundreds of gay New Jersey couples who had previously been joined in civil unions or married in other states or nations.

For Goldstein and Gross, that meant reaffirming their Vermont civil union. They would have had the rights in New Jersey even without holding the midnight ceremony.

Their civil union license — No. 1 — was completed at 12:09 a.m. Monday by Teaneck registrar Laura Turnbull.

Elsewhere across the state, a handful of town halls opened at 12:01 a.m. to accept license applications from couples who had not been joined previously. They must wait 72 hours before they can hold civil union ceremonies — just like with weddings — and several planned to exchange vows early Thursday.

Among those couples were Marty Finkle and Michael Plake of South Orange. A few dozen friends, Finkle's 17-year-old daughter and several local officials cheered as they filled out paperwork in their town hall.

Finkle and Plake also were among the first New Jersey couples to register in a domestic partnership in 2004. Domestic partnerships offered a handful of the benefits and obligations of civil unions.

Among the many new benefits under the civil unions law, gay couples gain the rights to adoption, child custody, visiting a hospitalized partner and making medical decisions. They also now have the right not to testify against a partner in state court.

However, the federal government and most states do not recognize the unions. That means, for instance, that a surviving member of a civil union would not be entitled to his deceased partner's Social Security benefits. And if a partner is hospitalized in another state, the other may not have an automatic visitation right.

New Jersey lawmakers hastily created civil unions in December, less than two months after a state Supreme Court decision held that gay couples had a right to the same benefits as married couples.

Gay rights activists in the state say they'll continue to press for full marriage rights through both political channels and lawsuits. Some social conservative groups, meanwhile, are pledging to block same-sex marriage by pressing for an amendment to the state constitution that prohibits such unions.

Forty-five states have legal or constitutional bans on same-sex marriages. Only Massachusetts allows gay couples to marry, while California offers domestic partnerships.

Goldstein, chairman of the gay rights group Garden State Equality, and Gross, a vice president at Goldman Sachs, held their ceremony behind a desk in a cramped office.

There were several kisses, a prayer reading, friends and journalists, but no music, no dancing and none of the breaking-of-the-glass that is traditional in Jewish weddings.

The couple did that in a Jewish wedding service in Canada in 2002 — the first same-sex union featured in the wedding pages of The New York Times — and promised even grander festivities if they eventually gain the right to marry in New Jersey.

As part of their ceremony, their rabbi, Elliott Tepperman, asked the people gathered: “Do you vow to continue your support for true marriage equality?”

“This was really all about receiving a piece of paper that had some recognition of our status,” Gross said.

[randalds]

Oh and ricky, if you reported me to anyone it must be in your own mind, because nothing has happened to me here in this blog or anywhere else. Having delusions of grandeur and power again there ricky? There's meds for that you know.

Still I guess a man who claims to be a man of faith, but then ridicules other people's faith would do just about anything. Go back and read how you joked about other peoples religions. If you have any shame in you you should be feeling it. At least I'm consistent and say I don't believe in any god, but you claim to and then make fun of how other people worship him. That's truly disgusting.

[randalds]

-RandalDS do you want reported again? All you do is come on here and curse people out who stand up for our Creator.

It is so childish.
Posted by singinrick at 02:37 PM : Feb 21, 2007

No ricky, I curse people who try to use the legal or political system of my country to shove their religious point of view down the rest of our throats. By the way there is no difference but prospective of time between Christianity, Mormonism and Scientology. You call yourself a man of faith and demand that people respect your beliefs, but then you ridicule their faith because it doesn't meet your standards. You are indeed a religious bigot ricky and a hypocrite.

[anvilheadsix]

Yeah, the underwear thing makes me think of them as closer to a Scientology-type cult than a legit religion.

[anvilheadsix]

Thanks singinrick. Anyone who has enough of a sense of humor to answer the question "do you wear magic underwear?" is ok despite a a diiference in beliefs. :)

[anvilheadsix]

Fair enough singinrick. Just funnin' ya. Do you know if it's true about Mormons and the magic underwear??? I am an atheist but Romney actually has a decent record so I would consider voting for him- all politicians claim to be christians so that doesn't make a difference to me -- BUT- if he believes in magic underwear, I cannot itellectually justify voting for him.

[anvilheadsix]

Hey singinrick, do you wearmagic underwaer as well. Has Jesus blessed your drawers?

[anvilheadsix]

"anvilheadsix, what do Mormons have to do with Christianity? Absolutely nothing.
Posted by singinrick at 04:18 PM : Feb 21, 2007"


Mormons are christians and show just how looney the religion has become.

[anopinion1]

anvilheadsix

i see you posted the same thing on this chat log to i will reply again lol.

he probably wares scobby do underware.
because he must be high to think he can possibly win the election.

[anvilheadsix]

Question for christians::


Does Romney wear magic underwear? I've heard that Mormons have magic underwear that they are supposed to wear that protects them. I've heard one saying that he was in a fire and his body was burned in every place execpt those covered by the "sacred undergarments".

[anopinion1]

yea its a hilarious movie and points out that if their is a god all they would care about is that you just believe. (and live a good life)

[scott4261]

anyone here ever watch the movie dogma???
I think it hits the nail right on the head myself??

Posted by anopinion1 at 01:53 PM

------

A point of agreement! That is a great movie that points out the hypocrisy and shallowness of organized religion. Kevin Smith is a genious.

[scott4261]

-Being a Christian doesn't give us a free pass to sin Scott.
Posted by singinrick at 01:09 PM

-----------------------

I never said that it did, rick. I have said that we certainly have learned much more about human sexuality in the last century, and certainly we know more now than we did when the books of the Bible are written.

And what about the injunctions against eating pork, or lobster, or shrimp, or oysters, or eating rare meats. How about no s e x during menstruation or calling for the killing of all divorced people who remarry?

Look, neither of us are going to change the other's mind. You are entitled to your beliefs and I am entitled to mine. And the Bible may not give us a free pass to sin, but it also does not give us a free pass to judge others.

[anopinion1]

thats some funny %@&% 10,000 followers did they say. how mis-guided can someone be to believe nuts like this.

[anopinion1]

alright

[randalds]

B.asic
I.nstructions
B.efore

L.eavi
ng
E.arth
Posted by singinrick at 02:25 PM : Feb 21, 2007

So how soon until you and the rest of these as*shole Rapture your way out of here so the rest of us can get on with our lives without having to put up with your lying as*ses? Soon I hope.
Posted by RandalDS at 02:30 PM : Feb 21, 2007

Didn't answer my question ricky. Then I didn't really expect one. Maybe you should ask Goddy next time you hear that little voice in your head? Either that or take a good medication that stops your hallucinations. As for leaving anything at anything, like I said you have entertainment value. You've become the blogs court jester. Dance clown, dance.

[randalds]

B.asic
I.nstructions
B.efore

L.eaving
E.arth
Posted by singinrick at 02:25 PM : Feb 21, 2007

So how soon until you and the rest of these as*shole Rapture your way out of here so the rest of us can get on with our lives without having to put up with your lying as*ses? Soon I hope.

[randalds]

Sorry it took a few minutes to get back to you rick, but I had something infinitely more important to do then respond to your gibberish. I had to take a sh*it. Funny how reading people like you brings on that feeling? Anyway you ignore my references and again deny I have answered your questions. You are intentionally blind rick and I don't have time to kick you around anymore right now. It's been fun but I need to get back to my corrupting America, wallowing in sin, leading young people astray, devil worshipping, etc. Go back to your fairy tales and compulsive denial. Dance clown, dance.

[anopinion1]

haha so rick do you think their can really be peace in the middle east??
comeon we gotta get this forum to 100 pages

[anopinion1]

anyone here ever watch the movie dogma???
I think it hits the nail right on the head myself??

[anvilheadsix]

"I DO NOT condone people who call themselves "Christians" and commit these violent acts and hate crimes.
Posted by singinrick at 12:45 PM : Feb 21, 2007"

But oh so many christians (and Muslims but that's a hole seperate issue) do condone those acts.