Courtesy Photo: Governor Chris Christie
Johnna Keever
The Paw Print
Over the past decade many in the United States has been trying to draw a line for people that are in relationships and trying to gain rights for same-sex marriages in America.
Recently there have been more achievements in the process or equal rights for gay and lesbian couples to marry beginning with the legalization of same sex marriage in 2004 when the Massachusetts Supreme Court made it a requirement under the equal protection clause in the state constitution.
Before 2012 same sex marriages were legalized in New York, Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Washington D.C. The latest bill passed was in Washington State in February, and will begin in June. This bill did not come without opposition and some say they will seek to block it and put the question before the voters in a referendum.
Also in February New Jersey Assembly approved a bill to legalize same-sex marriage that started a confrontation with Governor Chris Christie who insisted on a swift veto and defied the Legislature and insist in putting the issue before the voters. Maryland also has a bill for legalizing same-sex marriage in the process of a vote in the State Legislature.
The issue right now is in New Jersey, and Washington State, there are many people in favor of the bill and many that feel it is unconstitutional, and against their morals, and values. In New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie made a promise to veto the bill on same-sex marriage and asked for a ballot question to decide the issue. Christie strongly stated his views that voters should decide whether to change to definition of marriage in New Jersey.
Democrats who had pushed the bill forward were disappointed in the decision but not surprised. Reed Gusciora one of two open gay New Jersey lawmakers and a sponsor of the bill feels “it’s unfortunate that the governor would let his own personal ideology on the rights of thousands of New Jerseyans, for all those who oppose marriage equality, their lives would be completely unchanged by this bill, but for same-sex couples, their lives would have been radically transformed.” Senate Democratic leaders were more blunt in their criticism of the governor. “He had a chance to do the right thing, and failed miserably,” Senate President Steve Sweeney said. Many feel that Governor Christie is using the referendum to avoid the issue, as well as many others.
In California the battle continues the states supreme court ruled in 2008 that a ban on same sex marriage was discriminatory and the state began to perform them. The ban was restored in a referendum that became known as Proposition 8, the legality of the proposition 8 was upheld by the state’s Supreme Court, until Aug. 2011 when a federal judge ruled that it was unconstitutional. In 2012 the federal appeals court agreed, the case is expected to be resolved by the Supreme Court.
What’s Been Said…