NJ Marks 1st Year of Domestic Partnership

July 11, 2005

MAPLEWOOD, NJ—Over 400 people showed up in Maplewood on Sunday, July 10, to celebrate the first year of the New Jersey Domestic Partnership and to call for full marriage rights.

Last July, New Jersey became the fifth state to recognize gay and lesbian couplings with a domestic partnership law. The law extends some tax and health insurance benefits to same-sex couples, but does not allow them to marry.

And while many attending the meeting praised the law was a step in the right direction, they also believe it does not go far enough.

One of the common complaints about the domestic partnership law is that it does not force many employers to give gay and lesbian partners the same benefits as married couples, including access to health care or retirement benefits.

Many couples attending the meeting also pointed to more intangible reasons for wanting to get married, such as the desire for commitment, societal recognition and love.

We love each other, and we want to get married, said Catherine Hecht, 35, who along with her partner Beth Achenbach, 37, were the first couple to be registered in Jersey City last year under the domestic partnership law.

So far, same-sex marriage advocates have taken to the courts to push for legal recognition, arguing that gay and lesbian couples have the right to marry under the state constitution.

However, they have had little success so far. A state appeals court rejected their argument earlier this year, but since one of the judges dissented, the case automatically goes to the state Supreme Court.

The justices will likely hear arguments within the next year, although a lawyer from Lambda Legal — which is representing the gay and lesbian couples in the court—said no hearing dates had been set.

So far there has been no serious effort to ban same-sex marriage in New Jersey, possibly because many in the state are open to the idea. Over the past year, major opinion polls have shown that anywhere between 43 to 55 percent of the state's residents support same-sex marriage.

If the state Supreme Court rejects same-sex marriage, supporters at the rally said they will regroup and push for more incremental change through the state legislature.

Among the state lawmakers attending the meeting was Assemblyman Gordon Johnson, D-Bergen. Johnson said he came to show his support for the gay and lesbian community and learn more about the issue of same-sex marriage, but has not decided whether he would support a state law legalizing such unions.

I would think that that would require a lot more dialogue, said Johnson, adding that he supported the domestic partnership law.