Garden State Equality Lobbying Days

In Effort To Show Strong Support Out-Of-State Activists Join Lobbying Efforts!

Trenton — New Jersey Family First (NJFF) Director of Legislative Affairs Greg Quinlan today issued the following statement on the efforts of the Human Rights Campaign to assist Garden State Equality in its lobbying efforts in Trenton:

“While we understand that national organizations have interests in the outcome of this initiative, to have people from other states come into New Jersey to directly lobby New Jersey legislators is frankly disingenuous. On Monday, November 23, 2009 many New Jersey citizens showed up at the State Capitol building from both sides to lobby their legislators. It appears that a number of individuals from Garden State Equality’s side were actually out of state residents, who for all practical appearances represented themselves as residents of New Jersey, and that is plain wrong,” Quinlan commented.

“While we applaud both sides for engaging in this most critical issue, if the allegations are proven to be true, that Garden State Equality imported out of state residents to lobby for same-sex marriage, that would misrepresent the amount of support for this issue stemming from the pro same-sex marriage camp,” Quinlan continued.  “In light of what happened yesterday in New York, with the Senate there voting down same-sex marriage by a strong majority, one can assume we will see more activists now traveling to New Jersey as this is the next hot spot in the marriage battle,” Quinlan added.

We call on New Jersey legislators to do the right thing and let the people weigh in on this monumental issue.

“Maintaining marriage as the union of one-man and one-woman is just the right thing to do. If a major change in that definition is to be made, then the people should have a say. Legislators should not be ramming such an important cultural issue through in the lame duck session, period,” Quinlan concluded.