NEW JERSEY SUPREME COURT OKS CIVIL UNIONS FOR SAME SEX COUPLES

A snarky commenter today e-mailed me that if he had a boyfriend as cute as Florida Republican Charlie Crist's he'd be pushing for gay marriage. [I pointed out that as nice looking-- in a Republican frat boy kind of way-- as Crist's boyfriend is, look at that herpetic lip.... I mean, that's what happens when you lay down with... Republicans.] Anyway, the New Jersey Supreme Court kind of ruled on gay marriage in New Jersey today (and only New Jersey; it has no relevance if Crist wants to marry Wetherington or if Karl Rove wants to marry Ken Mehlman or if Bush wants to marry Lieberman).

Although we cannot find that a fundamental right to same-sex marriage exists in this State, the unequal dispensation of rights and benefits to committed same-sex partners can no longer be tolerated under our State Constitution...

To bring the State into compliance with Article I, Paragraph 1 so that plaintiffs can exercise their full constitutional rights, the Legislature must either amend the marriage statutes or enact an appropriate statutory structure within 180 days of the date of this decision...

We will not presume that a separate statutory scheme, which uses a title other than marriage, contravenes equal protection principles, so long as the rights and benefits of civil marriage are made equally available to same-sex couples. The name to be given to the statutory scheme that provides full rights and benefits to same-sex couples, whether marriage or some other term, is a matter left to the democratic process.

Sounds ok to me. I always said that I thought marriage-- as an enforced societal institution-- was way over-rated and gays are insane to be mindlessly walking into that trap. But I wouldn't stand in anyone's way. I doubt many people other than-- appropriately-- those directly involved, care that much anymore. I mean, there are the vicious nut cases like Fred Phelps and Marilyn Musgrave, but other than a handful of extreme kooks like that, who gives a damn anymore? Americans think Iraq, the congressional corruption epidemic, Bush's for-the-rich-only economy, uncontrolled borders and stuff like that are far more important than if Charlie Crist and Jason Wetherington want to make all their friends go shopping for dinnerware patterns. Approval civil unions, as the New Jersey Supreme Court did today, sounds just fine for now.