Proud Parenting

LGBTQ Parents - Lesbian Moms & Gay Dads

Gay families sue New Jersey to seek marriage equality

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Seven gay and lesbian New Jersey couples, along with their children, are going to court in an attempt to force the state to recognize marriage equality. The legal complaint says that the state’s civil union law designed to give gay couples the same legal protections as married couples has not fulfilled that promise.

One man saw his partner and children’s health insurance canceled by a skeptical auditor. One woman had to jump through legal hoops to adopt the baby of her civil union.

The families will be helped by advocacy groups Garden State Equality and Lambda Legal, and it’s the latest step in a nine-year legal battle in New Jersey. “The separate and inherently unequal statutory scheme singles out lesbians and gay men for inferior treatment on the basis of their sexual orientation and sex and also has a profoundly stigmatizing effect on them, their children and other lesbian and gay New Jerseyans,” the claim says.

[via San Antonio Express-News]

Teachers say gay teens need to be protected. New Jersey examines current legislation regarding harassment in it’s high schools.

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In a victory for Garden State Equality and the Anti-Defamation League, progress in the form of legislation is being considered to help curb high school bullying in the state.

Morris County’s Daily Record found that anti-gay language “was rampant in local schools, with some students and teachers saying not enough was done to stop it”.

The law requires the formation of a 14-member group that would include state officials, a teacher, an administrator, a representative of the Anti-Defamation League, and members of the public with expertise on bullying.

The organization will study the implementation and effectiveness of current school bullying laws – and the legal remedies for students who are victims of bullying.

The bill also requires school districts to post their present anti-bullying policies on the Web – something that some local school districts said they already do.

Steven Goldstein, chair of Garden State Equality, said: “We view this as a milestone, the first step in a process that will last over the next year”.

On a related note, current and – former – outsiders should visit a web site designed for support in dealing with bullying. Raven Days offers thousands of links about “safer schools”.

New Jersey school district initially supports lesbian and gay parents. But film for third graders upsets a few homophobes.

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The educational video is titled That’s a Family! and it was produced specifically for elementary school students by Women’s Education Media as part of The Respect For All Project.

It’s a documentary that helps kids understand the many different types of families – including foster parents, adopted families, gay and lesbian parents, divorced parents, single parents, grandparent-headed families, guardians, and multi-racial families. Religous beliefs are also highlighted in the film.

J. Harold Van Zant School showed its third graders the film and a few vocal parents got upset about the possibility of tolerance for lesbians and gays.

The school district decided to shelve the film, provoking the threat of a lawsuit by Garden State Equality, who said the district’s refusal to show the video was a violation of state antidiscrimination laws.

“I felt like we were living in the ’50s,” said Trish Everhart, a member of the parent teacher association at nearby Richard L. Rice Elementary School.

Steven Goldstein, chairman of Garden State Equality, said the district’s decision, which he called outdated and illegal, was based on antigay prejudice.

“It’s not about parental control, it’s about fear of gay people,” Mr. Goldstein said. “We think the school board’s decision hinges on its fear of one community – the lesbian and gay community – and violates the state’s law against discrimination.”

Methodists are sued by a New Jersey lesbian couple for violating their rights. So Methodists are suing New Jersey.

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A New Jersey lesbian couple has filed a civil rights complaint against a Methodist church association that refused to allow them to use it’s campgrounds for their civil union ceremony.

STORY UPDATE: State withdraws tax break for campgrounds.

Harriet Bernstein and Luisa Paster filed the complaint June 19 with the state attorney general’s office on the grounds of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation after the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association declined the use of their private campground for their civil union ceremony, planned for September.

New Jersey’s anti-discrimination laws currently forbid those who “offer goods, services, and facilities to the general public” from “directly or indirectly denying or withholding any accommodation, service, benefit, or privilege to an individual” on the basis of sexual orientation.

The United Methodist church group that owns the retreat is suing the New Jersey government, saying its rights of religious freedom are being violated.

More than 150 people witnessed their civil union in a historic inn this week. And several clergy members spoke against the Methodist group’s decision.

The Rev. David Parker, a retired Methodist minister ordained 58 years ago, called it “plainly un-Christian” to deny the lesbian couple access to the church grounds for their ceremony.

Steven Goldstein, chairman of Garden State Equality, said his organization is prepared to go door to door to help fight the Methodists group’s lawsuit.

Photo: Saed Hindash/The Star-Ledger

Garden State Equality CEO Steven Goldstein cracks the code on New Jersey civil unions.

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A revealing and biting piece written by the CEO of Garden State Equality sheds light on civil union legislation in New Jersey – and how it effects companies like UPS.

CEO Steven Goldstein goes back to the planning stages of the bill in his NJ.com blog.

“Last December, when it became obvious the New Jersey legislature would not give same-sex couples the freedom to marry, we sat down with legislative staffers 72 hours before the first legislative hearing to get the very best civil unions bill we could”. Though legislative leaders had publicly stated their support for marriage equality, they just didn’t want to deal with the issue before the 2007 election year.

“We knew, of course, that without the universally understood label of “marriage,” the relationships of same-sex couples would never be treated as equal in the real world. That, of course, is exactly what’s happened.

“But given the politics of last fall, our options were limited. So behind the scenes, we specifically proposed that the civil unions bill at least refer to civil-unioned couples as “spouses” throughout the text. Guess what? The legislature said no, wanting to take the path of least resistance.

“The legislature gave plenty of room to companies to interpret the civil unions law as not viewing same-sex couples as spouses.

“Thankfully, a growing number of legislators who supported civil unions last December, but who were not ready to support real marriage equality legislation yet, now believe the legislature should go all the way.

“These legislators are astonished at the mess the civil unions law has created. They recognize that the state’s separate-and-unequal civil unions law, giving same-sex couples a label inferior to marriage, will always be an open invitation to companies to discriminate.

“Too many companies in New Jersey have already accepted the invitation. As of today, Garden State Equality has heard from 216 couples across New Jersey who report that their employers are not respecting New Jersey’s civil unions law and thus won’t provide equal benefits to civil-unioned employees.”