Q&A Friday

My staff told me that we've had a few inquiries this week about a topic not usually addressed by state legislators, but which is very prominent on the national agenda: gay marriage. I thought I would share my viewpoint on that issue here today.

It seems to me that it is the obligation of government to ensure equal rights for everyone regardless of sexual orientation, and also to ensure equal rights for same sex couples. When it comes to healthcare issues, tax status and other benefits, there should be absolutely no difference in what is available to heterosexual couples and what is available to homosexual couples. New Jersey has already made some strides in this area, with the passage a few years ago of an act which provided a great number of these benefits to committed homosexual couples and unmarried couples of any orientation who are seniors. We still have some progress to make, but I am happy to say that our state is ahead of many, many others in this respect.

The fact that the word "marriage," which has very heavy religious connotations, describes our legal adult partnerships even for heterosexual couples is somewhat troubling in our modern existence. In my opinion, couples of any sexual orientation who are willing and able to commit to each other should be able to do so equally under the law, but perhaps we should not be referring to the official legal side of that commitment as "marriage," since obviously the term means different things to different people. If all couples have equal legal access to the benefits of commitment, each can choose privately how to define that commitment as far as religion or spirituality.

Although I believe that it may be time to rework the language we use in our current law, not necessarily just include homosexual couples in what is essentially an inappropriate term, I would not support a constitutional ban on gay marriage. In my opinion, efforts to enact such bans are rooted in hatred and ignorance, and really should have no place in the discussion.

In the current political climate, this is a very controversial issue, but I hope we will see some changes in the coming years.

Have a great holiday weekend everybody, and please don't forget to find a way to honor the men and women who lost their lives serving our country. I will be at the East Windsor/Hightstown Memorial Day parade on Monday; maybe I'll see some of you there.

Progress on the Funeral Protest Issue

I was happy to see today that Congress passed a bill to prevent demonstrators from disrupting military funerals at national cemeteries. It’s unfortunate that legislation is necessary to accomplish something that has always been considered common courtesy, but it’s clear from the protests that a despicable group has been holding around the country that we can no longer rely on that.

While this legislation on the federal level is a good step, it is imperative that we protect mourning New Jersey families at all cemeteries, not just at our two national cemeteries. The demonstrators in question have already said they will specifically target New Jersey families; we must take action immediately.

My colleagues in the Assembly and I are sponsoring a measure, A-2870, which would prohibit protests within 500 feet of a funeral. I hope the community will join with us in asking that it be posted for a vote and approved as soon as possible.