TASK FORCE FOR SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
P.O. Box 11406, New Brunswick NJ 08906-1406
Website: www.gaypasg.org  E-Mail:  email@gaypasg.org
732 744-1370,  FAX 732 744-1368

 1.  MINUTES:  Meeting of APRIL 8, 1999  A meeting of the Task Force was held at 473 Plainfield Rd., Edison at 7:30PM, with the following members present:

Ed Martone,  Political Advisor
Messrs. John C. Campbell and Richard J. Harrison, GayPASG
George DeCarlo
Charlie Lanigan, GAAMC and GayPASG Coordinator
John Schoen, P-FLAG  (Report Submitted)

The following were absent due to conflicting schedules:
Messrs. Jim Hohman and Dick Reid, Sussex Co.
Mesdames Joanie Parks and Linda McCulloch, Union Co. NOW
Ann Volz, Pride Center, New Brunswick
 

2  ED MARTONE:  Ed is obviously pleased with his new positions.  He is working with the NJ Corrections Coalition four days each week and with NJCRI (HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials, Social Services, and Public Polity) one day each week. Ed is excited about his first big event with NJCRI which will be June 7^th.

3.  EQUITY BEGINS AT HOME, March 21 & 22:. NOW and PFLAG were both well represented at the event.  Elizabeth Volz, NOW President wrote the following about the event:

"Equality Begins at Home was a success. Hundreds of activists attended the rally on March 21.  We unvalued our "Ask and I'll Tell Campaign" and it was one of the hottest items at the event.  Thanks go to Donna Templeton and Morris County NOW.  The Lobby Day on March 22 also went very well with almost one hundred activists greeting their lawmakers and discussing sexual orientation issues.  NOW-NJ played a key roll in helping to organize and facilitate the Lobby Day effort.

John E. Schoen, PFLAG, Reported on the Trenton events.  John had mailed in the names of 18 people who have signed to authorize the use of their names in support of Same-Sex Marriage.  John enjoyed the event and thought a good bit of work had been accomplished.

Our thanks to Charley Lanigan for helping make the postcards and for delivering them to Trenton.  A copy of the Trenton Times article of  Mar. 23^rd re EBAH is attached.

4.  RELIGIOUS CONCERNS:  There has been an increase in post cards received in the mail since the Unitarian letter was mailed, however we have received only one statement stating support for the Marriage Resolution.  That statement came from the Lakeland Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Wayne, NJ.  John S. stated he would follow up with the others.

    Promises is having a special meeting on Wednesday, April 21^st.  The Rev. Janie Spahr will be here to discuss the future of Promises' ministry in Central NJ. Janie is a Lesbian Evangelist and Director of That All May Freely Serve, a ministry of the Downtown United Presbyterian Church of Rochester, NY.  She has been working with Presbyterian groups across the country to build ministries of outreach for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered communities.  She has agreed to advise Promises as they further their mission to advocate for an inclusive church, and create safe places for fellowship.  The meeting will be held at the Emanuel Lutheran Church, New & Kirkpatrick Sts., New Brunswick, Wed. April 21, 1999 at 6:30PM.

    Friends:  John C. reported that he had been unable to locate anyone to coordinate the effort in support of SSM with the Friends meetings, churches and worship groups in NJ so that he had ordered the Friends Directory and is going to start contacting each of them.  Anyone interested in working with any other religious groups should contact the Task Force as there is a lot to be done - and a lot of support out there we need to have working with us.

5.  Domestic Partner Benefits:  There was a discussion about DP Benefits legislation and it was determined that the only thing we needed to do at this point was adding the statement we have mentioned adding to the post cards.  This has been done and the new cards can be ordered from the Task Force at the above address or phone number.

6.  Union County Committee Against Hate:  George DeCarlo briefed the group on the forum to be held in Union County on April 28^th.  Last years forum was basically a single issue session and George had contact with the presenters and thought progress had been made so he was surprised when this years program did not indicate any improvement.  He has contacted the organizers and Assemblyman Alan M. Augustine and has been assured he, and sexual orientation, will be included this year.  We are looking forward to a report from George at our next meeting.

7.     FUTURE EVENTS:
1.      Check on Street Fair -- Rich Harrison
2.      Garden Party, GAAMC -- Charles Lanigan
3.      NJCRI (Community Research Institute) June 7^th - Ed
4.      Asbury Park - June 7^th
   Submit Application for table -- John C.
   Submit Application for Car in Parade -- John C.
   Reserve Convertible -- Rich H.

    8.  The Next Meeting of the Task Force for Same-Sex Marriage will be Monday, 7:30PM,  May 24^th, 1999 at 473 Plainfield Road, Edison.  732 744-1367

Minutes by Richard J. Harrison & John C. Campbell

NOTE: There are now 20 typed pages of people who have authorized the use of their names in support of Same-Sex Marriage, Check it out on the website:

www.gaypasg.org  under Contents, click on Alphabetical List.

Gays lobby for domestic partner bill
By JOSEPH DEE, Staff Writer

TRENTON Times, Mar. 23,'99-- About 70 gays, lesbians and their allies sought out legislators at the State House yesterday to push for domestic partnership benefits and other issues.
    The rally and lobbying blitz was part of a nationwide "Equality Begins at Home" effort of homosexuals to increase their visibility and raise the awareness of state lawmakers of their concerns.
    For some of the participants, it was their first time in the State House, or the first time they collared politicians to press their points. "I've never done this before," said Peter Frycki, secretary of the Trenton Gay and Lesbian Civic Association.
    After a brief instruction period by lobbyists, the participants fanned out through the State House and Annex in search of senators and assembly members.
    Sen. Bill Schluter, R-Pennington, said he hadn't been approached by any of the lobbyists, but said he is sure his aide will collect their materials.
    The participants were distributing position papers on youth issues, health and safety concerns and family issues.
    When told the organizers are pushing for the introduction of a bill that would extend domestic partnership benefits to the unmarried partners of state workers, Schluter said the issue will raise many concerns. "This will bring up the whole issue of the validity of homosexual marriage," he said. "I want to study it carefully."
    ORGANIZERS OF the lobbying effort said the domestic partnership bill, which will cover people in heterosexual, homosexual and nonsexual shared-living arrangements, will not address the issue of gay marriage.
    Rob Laczko, president of the Trenton Gay and Lesbian Civic Association, said participants were learning that you can't judge a legislator by his or her party label.
    "There are Republicans that are lending support, and Democrats who aren't," he said.
    A rally on the State House steps featured a Bergen County gay couple, Michael and Jon Galluccio, who won the right in court to jointly adopt a child. The landmark 1997 agreement with the state Department of Human Services puts homosexual couples on an equal footing with married heterosexual couples in terms of adoption.
    New Jersey is the only state to reach such a legal agreement, Michael Galluccio said. "Twelve states are actively trying to pass legislation banning gay adoption and foster care," Galluccio told the crowd as his son, Adam, 3, looked on. Jon said the key to gaining support for their right to jointly adopt Adam "was showing our humanity and letting people identify with us simply as people and parents, and not just gay."
    SENIOR POLICY analyst Peter LaBarbera of the Family Research Council said it's "lunacy" that gay couples are considered under New Jersey to be equally fit to serve as adoptive parents as married heterosexual couples.
    Among those participating in yesterday's lobbying effort were Bill and Angie Briggs of Gloucester (Camden County). Their 25-year-old son is gay, they said  "We're here for him to have a safe environment, to be able to get married, and have the same rights as our daughter," Angie Briggs said. Bill Briggs said some people fear that open acceptance of gays will allow them to "recruit" others and convert them into homosexuals. But it doesn't work that way, he said.
    "You either like ladies or you don't," Briggs said. "If legislators don't send the message that (my son) deserves rights -- and we're not talking about special rights, just equal rights -- then they send the opposite message that he doesn't deserve rights." http://www.nj.com/news/times/

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