New Jersey lawmaker wants push for gay marriage
A New Jersey politician says he hopes the state will return to a push for gay marriage as New York teeters on the brink of legalisation.
Democrat Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, who is gay, told the NJ Star-Ledger: “They’re talking about it in New York. Why aren’t we talking about it in New Jersey?”
Mr Gusciora, who is the state’s only out gay lawmaker, proposed a gay marriage bill on Monday.
A bill was defeated in the state Senate last year. The latest bill is also considered unlikely to pass, as supporters need the backing of all Democrats, plus several Republicans, for a majority.
Steven Goldstein, chairman of Garden State Equality, said pursuing the issue through the courts was more likely to yield success and that an announcement would be made on an upcoming court battle “imminently”.
He told the Star-Ledger: “Don’t think that for a second, we and others have not been at work behind the scenes preparing for the next step,” he said.
“I can assure you the conversation on marriage equality in the state of New Jersey is about to blast off once again and will be centre stage.”
