Quinn and Barse will
stop performing marriages
to avoid gay weddings
The Daily Journal
(serving Vineland, Millville and greater Cumberland County),
From the Web, January
22, 2007
The mayors of both Millville and
Vineland said Monday they will no longer perform marriages of any kind in an
effort to avoid the marriage of gay and lesbian couples.
The mayors released a joint statement Monday explaining their positions, so
"that both unfortunate misinformation and deliberate distortions of the facts
can be eliminated from the public discourse."
The mayors said their decision stems from religious beliefs.
"Our refusal to perform these ceremonies is based on each of our individual
beliefs, i.e., that marriage is intended to be a union between a man and a
woman. At the same time, we recognize alternative lifestyles in our
communities, we value the many contributions of those citizens to the community
and we give every respect to their civil rights and privileges the same as for
all citizens," according to the mayors' statement.
According to the state attorney general, mayors refusing to marry same-sex
couples while continuing traditional marriages would be guilty of civil rights
violations.
"We want to emphasize we are not practicing discrimination, nor in any way
acting outside the laws of our state," according to the mayors' statement.
"Rather, in order to comply with our legal responsibilities as public officials
while remaining true to personal religious beliefs, we shall no longer perform
marriage or similar ceremonies for anyone.
"The law empowers any number of public officials to perform these ceremonies and
in fact, several officials have already gone on record with their willingness to
do so.
"We are pleased that these other alternatives exist, eliminating any hardship
for any interested parties," the mayors said in their joint statement.
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