N.J. will officially recognize same-sex marriages performed outside the state

[Doondoo]

Same-sex marriages performed in Massachusetts or in foreign countries will automatically be recognized as civil unions in New Jersey starting Monday, Attorney General Stuart Rabner ruled yesterday.

The ruling means same-sex couples who wed in jurisdictions where that is legal will get the benefits and obligations of marriage, but under the different title that New Jersey lawmakers created: civil unions. That law takes effect Monday.

Rabner ruled civil unions performed in Vermont and Connecticut will automatically be respected in New Jersey. California domestic partnerships -- which are substantially equivalent to marriage -- also will be recognized as civil unions.

"Couples in these relationships need not secure a New Jersey civil union license or solemnize their relationships in this state in order to enjoy all of the rights and obligations of a New Jersey civil union," Rabner wrote. They have the option of reaffirming their union in a New Jersey ceremony.

David Buckel, director of the gay rights group Lambda Legal, called Rabner's opinion "a good news, bad news decision." He said it "brought enormous peace of mind to a lot of couples and families" who will continue to have legal protections.

"The bad news is that the attorney general is not recognizing a marriage as a marriage," Buckel added.



http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-0/117169081925890.xml&coll=1

[pnwmom]

1. The good news is that a "civil union" in NJ or VT will mean just as much

as a "marriage" in Massachusetts, each carrying all the same rights as a hetero-marriage in those states. (And people in civil union states are free to have their unions blessed as marriages in a church.)

The bad news is that under federal law, neither the Massachusetts "marriage" or the NJ "civil union" will carry any weight. . . except morally. The tide IS turning.