Democrats press Trenton to legalize gay marriage

TRENTON - About 200 high-profile Democrats are urging the Legislature to vote on a gay-marriage bill while there is still a governor in office who would sign it.

Democratic Gov. Corzine, who leaves office Jan. 19, has said he would sign a bill legalizing same-sex marriages; Republican Gov.-elect Christopher J. Christie has said he would veto it.

The Democrats - including members of Congress, fund-raisers, and lobbyists - released a letter yesterday to leaders in the Democratic-controlled Senate and Assembly demanding that the bill be put to a vote before the lame-duck legislative session ends in six weeks.

"We appreciate that this is a difficult issue for some state legislators," the letter reads. "But marriage equality is an idea whose time has come. We are confident that the voters will stand by those elected officials who do the right thing."

Signers include U.S. Reps. Steven R. Rothman and Rush D. Holt, both New Jersey Democrats; Mayors Cory Booker of Newark and David DelVecchio of Lambertville; Public Advocate Ron Chen; and dozens of rank-and-file Democrats.

The letter follows a lobbying day at the Statehouse last week that advocates on both sides of the issue attended.

Gay-rights advocates, who once seemed assured that the bill would be put to a vote in New Jersey before the end of the year, have watched momentum to legalize same-sex marriages wane in the state after Christie defeated Corzine on Nov. 3 and a same-sex marriage proposal was defeated by voters in Maine.

Voters in Maine - the only Northeast state where the issue has been put on a ballot - overturned a gay-marriage law before it could take effect.

The New York Assembly has passed a law to allow gay marriage and the state Senate is considering whether to follow suit.

The only U.S. states that allow same-sex marriage are Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, and New Hampshire.

"The opinions of our fellow Democrats certainly mean a lot to us," Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts Jr. said in response to the letter. "But, as I've made clear, we need to have a full discussion on this issue as a caucus before we decide how to proceed."

Polls show New Jerseyans split on whether to allow same-sex couples to marry.

The state has a civil-unions law, which offers the benefits of marriage to gay couples but not the title. About 4,200 couples have entered into civil unions.

Gay-rights advocates say the "separate but equal" status of civil unions isn't enough. Opponents say marriage should be reserved for heterosexual couples.