Gay Marriage Foes
Launch Petition Drive
By AP from the
NYTimes on the Web, February 12, 2007
TRENTON, N.J. -- Gay marriage
opponents launched a petition drive Monday pushing to amend the state
constitution to include a definition of marriage as a union between a man and a
woman.
The drive comes a week before New Jersey begins to allow gay couples to legally
unite in civil unions.
Legislative leaders have refused to allow lawmakers to vote on a proposal to
amend the state constitution to include the traditional definition of marriage.
Unlike other states where citizens can gather petitions and get a measure on the
ballot, New Jersey has no referendum provision.
John Tomicki, president of the New Jersey Coalition to Preserve and Protect
Marriage, said his group will try to get at least 20,000 signatures, hoping to
convince legislative leaders to allow a vote on the proposal.
New Jersey lawmakers voted in December to create civil unions, a step in gay
rights only three states have matched or surpassed, after the state Supreme
Court in October forced their hand. The court ruled in favor of extending
all the rights of same-sex couples beyond the domestic partner benefits they now
have.
Vermont and Connecticut already have civil union laws. Massachusetts is
the only state to allow same-sex marriages.
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