Same-sex marriages begin in New Jersey

[Alferd Packer]

State Supreme Court denies request for a stay, marriages begin at 12:01 AM Monday morning.

In Lambertville, N.J., the marriage certificate of Beth Asaro and Joanne Schailey allowed only for a “bride” and a “groom,” so Ms. Asaro — in a pink suit — was listed as the groom, and Ms. Schailey — in a black suit — as the bride.

The same went for the marriage license application that Karen and Marcye Nicholson-McFadden filed in Aberdeen a few hours before they were due to marry on the Boardwalk in Asbury Park a minute after midnight. “It’s just going to list one of us as groom and one of us as bride, and we’re just going to wing it,” Marcye Nicholson-McFadden said breathlessly.

And in Elizabeth, Marsha Shapiro’s walk down the aisle was only minutes away when she realized she had forgotten something very important — or two somethings. “We need a ring bearer,” she said, as bottles of Champagne popped around her. “And I need to put my lipstick on.”

So it went on Sunday night in towns across New Jersey, where a judge’s ruling that the state must allow same-sex couples to marry went into effect just after midnight on Monday, capping a weekend-long frenzy of flower-arranging, Champagne-spraying, hair-styling, ring-buying and cake-baking. The six women were some of hundreds of people who rushed to make wedding arrangements over the weekend, after the State Supreme Court denied on Friday a request from the administration of Gov. Chris Christie for a stay on marriages until an appeal was settled.

As friends at the gay rights group Garden State Equality and an event planner cobbled together their 12:01 a.m. ceremony, Ms. Shapiro, 59, and Louise Walpin, 60, spent a few joyful hours on Saturday picking out dresses, shoes and pantyhose from their local Lord & Taylor. But the biggest thrill for the couple, together 24 years and counting, was also the simplest one: just being able to tell the department store staff that they were, at long last, getting married.

“Everyone was helping us and congratulating us,” Ms. Walpin said. She and Ms. Shapiro were two of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit that resulted in the judge’s ruling in favor of same-sex marriage last month. “It makes us just like everyone else — they were excited like they would be for anyone who’s getting married.”

“We had a personal shopper,” Ms. Shapiro added, still marveling. “They wouldn’t have had a personal shopper for just a civil union!”

For many couples, however, Sunday was spent agonizing over whether they would be able to get married on Monday at all. City clerks across the state had not received instructions from the state Department of Health to issue marriage license applications to same-sex couples on Friday, though some were granting licenses on their own initiative, and a mandatory 72-hour waiting period between applying for a license and putting it to use meant those who did not receive licenses on Friday had to wait unless they could find a judge to waive the waiting period.

“I think all four of us have spent most of our wedding day just tracking down a judge that would do it,” said Amy Quinn, 37, a lawyer who was planning to marry her partner of 10 years, Heather Jensen, 43, alongside a pair of gay friends, on the Asbury Park Boardwalk. “I’m so happy to get married in my own state, in my own town.”

If Ms. Walpin and Ms. Shapiro had fewer than three days to plan their nuptials, the Nicholson-McFaddens had fewer than six hours. They were unable to obtain a license from the Aberdeen city clerk on Friday. Then, on Sunday afternoon, Troy Stevenson, the executive director of Garden State Equality, called with welcome news: he had found a judge in Newark willing to open the courthouse on Sunday evening to waive the waiting period, as well as a city clerk in Lambertville to issue the licenses.

When it turned out that the couple’s paperwork could not be processed by a clerk in another town, friends pitched in to find the mayor of Aberdeen, who opened the township building so Aberdeen’s city clerk could issue an eighth-hour license.

“We both burst into tears when Troy called,” said Marcye Nicholson-McFadden. “We’re honest-to-God willing to drive anywhere in the state to get this done.”

Ms. Walpin and Ms. Shapiro had their ceremony in the living room of State Senator Raymond J. Lesniak, a Democrat and one of the longest-standing sponsors of the State Legislature’s same-sex marriage bill, whose dining table had been scattered with pink rose petals and pastries. The ceremonies paused for 12 minutes while the crowd waited for the clock to strike 12:01.

“Now we have to wait,” Mr. Lesniak said. “But it’s only a short wait, considering we’ve waited for years.”

Then he counted down from 10, until midnight. The crowd cheered, and the brides kissed.

All I can say is, friggin' finally. Not a perfect start, of course, but better than nothing. I saw on the local news that officials, including Senator-elect Cory Booker, were all out performing ceremonies late last night.

[Pint0 Xtreme]

Also, Chris Christie is dropping the appeal. Marriage equality is here to stay in New Jersey.

[Kitsune]

On this issue though, I have to wonder what Christie's actual position is
Basically, if he fought the issue just to appeal to his conservative base, political animal like Romney that goes wherever the wind blows.

[Alferd Packer]

My guess is that he is personally opposed to marriage equality, but if he wasn't running for President in 2016 he wouldn't care enough to veto bills and appeal court rulings, and we would've had marriage equality in New Jersey that much sooner.

[Dalton]

I'd have thought it'd be related to the upcoming gubenatorial election next month - if he wasn't leading Buono by like double digits. He's smart; he knows that continuing a mindless crusade like appealing the equality decision would do far more harm to him than good in the coming months and years, especially in an area as deep blue as New Jersey.

[Kitsune]

Question. . . What states will legalize it next?
Betting Hawaii (great for gay tourist dollars if nothing else) and Oregon

[Pint0 Xtreme]

Question. . . What states will legalize it next?
Betting Hawaii (great for gay tourist dollars if nothing else) and Oregon

Hawaii, Illinois and New Mexico are potential states of doing it before the end of the year.

[Kitsune]

Question. . . What states will legalize it next?
Betting Hawaii (great for gay tourist dollars if nothing else) and Oregon

Hawaii, Illinois and New Mexico are potential states of doing it before the end of the year.

Hawaii looks like it could be within a month from now
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/2377 ... art-nov-18