New Jersey Deputy Assembly Majority
Leader Reed Gusciora has called on Assembly leaders to take action on
his gay marriage bill during the upcoming lame-duck session.
“I believe the time is ripe for this
important civil rights measure, which will make the difference for
many New Jerseyans who wish to form a union without the stigma of
second class citizenship,” Gusciora
said in a statement.
The 51-year-old lawmaker called on
Assembly Judiciary Chair Peter Barnes and Assembly Speaker Sheila
Oliver to post the measure during the chamber's brief lame-duck
session. Gusciora
introduced his bill in June.
Gay marriage activists have returned to
court to win the right to marry in New Jersey, where a state Supreme
Court decision ushered in civil unions for gay and lesbian couples
five years ago.
Gusciora, the Legislature's only openly
gay member, said that recognition falls “woefully short.”
“The fact remains that there are
countless gay couples in this state that own property, pay taxes and
raise children here, yet are sidelined by a lack of legal recognition
of their marital bonds. If marriage is a contractual relationship
sanctioned by the state government, then it should be done on an
equitable basis.”
Governor Chris Christie has previously
threatened to veto a gay marriage law, if approved by lawmakers.