NJ same-sex marriage support at new high

Originally printed 3/1/2012 (Issue 2009 - Between The Lines News)

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NEW JERSEY - A Quinnipiac University poll released March 1 and taken immediately after Gov. Chris Christie's veto of same-sex marriage legislation, shows that a supermajority of New Jersey voters - 57 percent - support the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples.

"New Jersey voters know that gay and lesbian couples' exclusion from marriage harms families and helps no one. They've seen through their neighbors in New York that extending the freedom to marry boosts the state economy, enhances the quality of life for gay and lesbian couples and their families, and provides them with a critical safety-net of protections. And they know that civil unions are a failed experiment in New Jersey. Freedom to Marry will continue working with Garden State Equality to ensure that legislators whose understanding is still evolving hear from their constituents, join us on the side of fairness and equality for all Garden State families, and override Governor Christie's veto of the marriage legislation," said Marc Solomon, national campaign director at Freedom to Marry.

Gov. Christie has called for a referendum on marriage and this poll showed that voters are split 48 - 47 percent on whether Gov. Christie did the right thing in vetoing same-sex marriage legislation last month.

Steven Goldstein, Chairman and CEO of Garden State Equality said, "First, you don't put the civil rights of a minority up to a vote of the majority. The last time New Jersey did that was in 1915, when a statewide referendum was held to determine whether women should have the right to vote. 58 percent voted no, and 42 percent voted yes."

The poll indicated that voters support 67 - 28 percent, Gov. Christie's proposal to let them decide the same-sex marriage issue by placing it on the ballot for a November referendum.

See more of the poll here

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