STATEMENT ON NJ SUPREME COURT MARRIAGE EQUALITY RULING
by MW Savant, CEO

Well, family, it's been a journey. But one that must continue. Portions of equality do not appeal to me, nor are they just. What I desire for us all is one hundred percent marriage equality. Anything less would be virtually useless and ill-serving. In reading the opinion, it appears that all the justices were in favor of equal rights and three of them wanted complete marriage equality to result.

The importance of total marriage equality was reinforced by remembering and watching the atrocious treatment of Laurel Hester (learn background) and her partner. Their treatment really stunned me and brought to reality for me the importance of utter equality in marriage. I can only imagine what the Lieutenant and her loved one, Stacie Andree, had to suffer. I know that I was outraged and horrified to see such heartless disregard under the "just following the rules" rhetoric. When human suffering and injustice are on offer, the answer is simple. CHANGE the rules. You can watch the video of Lt. Hester's appeal to the board prior to her passing (at your discretion) which contributed to them reversing their negative position.

Even in grade school we begin lessons on equality. Remember the old apple pie worksheet? There was only and always just ONE way to create two halves. By dividing them into two, EQUAL parts. This concept is something which was ingrained in us from youth. As adults, it should not be "a lofty concept". Fair is fair. Right is right. Equal is equal and anything less simply isn't. It also bears mentioning that the way to put it back together is to take the two, EQUAL, parts and create a balanced, complementary whole. If we continue to be less than equal, the whole continues to be imperfect and dysfunctional. There is no gray area in equality.

In the words from Steven Goldstein of Garden State Equality in an e-mail this morning...

"The bottom line is this: Marriage is the only currency of commitment the real world universally accepts. Anything short of marriage equality deprives LGBTI families of the equal protection they so desperately need. Contraptions short of marriage, like civil unions and domestic partnerships, do not provide that protection, as we've learned through the New Jersey experience. Thus we do not have a win yet."

That says it all.

Editor's Note: The opinion expressed herein is entirely that of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of savvyplanners.com, its affiliates or partners.