Partners at Costello & Mains, P.C, the New Jersey Civil Rights and Employment Law Firm, strongly support the latest legislative attempt to redress and eliminate one of the most glaring civil rights inequities still in existence in New Jersey: the inability of same sex couples to enjoy full marriage rights.
"The Civil Union Law, and before it, the Domestic Partnership Law, have been total failures," says partner Kevin Costello, a
New Jersey civil rights lawyer and member of the executive board of governors and of the boards of several civil rights organizations. "The word 'marriage' has special cultural significance. The response to the word 'marriage' when someone hears it is automatic. This has been the case for many thousands of years, really, since the concept of community recognition of 'marriage' began. To suggest that substitute phrases like 'domestic partner' and 'civil union partner,' which are linguistically awkward and culturally ineffective, represent 'equal' status is to ignore the strong traditions towards civil rights in New Jersey and in the United States. The time has come to do away with the Civil Union Law and all of the embarrassing 'separate but equal' substitutes for equal marriage, and simply recognize the biological and cultural reality that homosexual people have the same right to marry as do heterosexual people."
Partner Deborah Mains strongly agrees. "The United States Supreme Court struck down the idea of 'separate but equal' by ruling that supposedly 'equal' but separate educational environments are not really equal at all as long as they are separate. Unfortunately, civil justice and civil rights for sexual minorities has lagged far behind the movement for civil justice for women and other minorities. While none of those battles have yet been won, it is still culturally "acceptable" for many conservative legislators and state executives to suggest that sexual minorities are not deserving of fair and equal justice because of "cultural traditions." This is really a disguise for "religious" traditions that have no proper place in social policy in our secular state."
Kevin adds, "The 'non-establishment clause' of the Constitution is not there to protect religion from the grasp of the state. It is there to protect the state from the grasp of religion. It is time that we stopped allowing fear emerging from religious dogma to continue to embarrass this state and it is time to set an example for the other states in this country by allowing a couple willing to pay the license fee and willing to obey the law to establish a 'marriage' with all of the rights and privileges that attend marriage."
The employment and
civil rights law attorneys at Costello & Mains, P.C. are dedicated to protecting the rights of New Jersey workers, students and families. If you suspect that your employment, educational or civil rights have been violated, visit http://www.costellomains.com/ today for a free legal evaluation of your claim. We protect everyone from Wage and Hour abuse, Prevailing Wage abuse, Workplace Retaliation, Whistleblower Retaliation, Workplace Discrimination,
Workplace Harassment and from Discrimination in Places of Public Accommodation and in Schools, on the basis of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, transgendered status, ethnicity, military service, parental status, national origin, disability, national origin and handicap.
About Costello & Mains, P.C.
Kevin Costello and Deborah Mains have been fighting for the rights of the workers and families of New Jersey for nearly 37 years between them, having counseled and represented unions, workers, students and their families for their entire careers. They can fight your employment rights, harassment, retaliation, discrimination or wrongful discharge claim in Court. If you have questions about employment rights in New Jersey, visit our website
