[Lamplighter]

It's now official in Washington State... Next is New Jersey

MSNBC
2/13/12

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Gov. Chris Gregoire has signed into law a bill that legalizes
gay marriage in Washington state, making it the nation's seventh to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed.
It's a historic moment, but same-sex couples can't walk down the aisle just yet.
The law takes effect June 7, but opponents are already mounting challenges on multiple fronts.<snip>

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In New Jersey on Monday, the state Senate passed a bill that
would allow nuptials for same-sex couples.
Gov. Chris Christie has said he will veto such legislation.
The Senate's vote sends the bill to the Assembly,
which is expected to pass it Thursday.<snip>

The governor has said he does not believe marriage laws should be changed,
but he does support New Jersey's civil union law,
which grants gay couples the legal protections of marriage.
Christie said he wants to put a change in the definition of marriage to a public vote.

But gay rights groups oppose a referendum.
They see gay marriage as a civil rights matter and argue that it should not
be up to the masses to protect the rights of a minority group.

Five years ago, New Jersey's state Supreme Court ruled that gay couples should have
the same rights as married heterosexual couples. In response, the Legislature created civil unions.

Gay rights advocates say that because the civil union designation is hard to understand
and still treats committed gays differently from married couples,
the courts should eliminate civil unions and recognize gay marriage.

A lawsuit seeking to do that is in the state court system.