New Jersey Marriage Reactions

Lambda Legal

Today New Jersey's General Assembly rose above the political fray and did right by New Jersey's families. Governor Christie should follow their lead - but if he doesn't, legislators should continue to stand for equality and override his veto. Marriage equality in New Jersey is a matter of when - not if. New Jersey should choose to join the right side of history soon, because loving same-sex couples and their families should not have to wait any longer. We believe there are many paths to justice, and Lambda Legal continues to fight for marriage equality in the courts on behalf of seven same-sex couples, Garden State Equality, and all families in New Jersey.

National Gay & Lesbian Task Force

This victory is a victory for New Jersey families. It affirms what millions of people across the country already know — loving, committed same-sex couples and their families should be able to join in the celebration and responsibilities of marriage. This marks an important step in the Garden State’s march toward marriage equality. It has been a long journey of changing hearts and minds, of breaking down walls, and of shining a spotlight on our common humanity. Gov. Chris Christie should take a stand for families by signing this bill.

Freedom To Marry

Sadly, Governor Chris Christie has planted his feet on the wrong side of history, and the wrong side of the majority for marriage in New Jersey and nationwide. If the governor sticks with his threat of a veto, Freedom to Marry will work throughout the entire remainder of the legislative session, supporting local families, leaders, and advocates as they make the case and win the extra handful of votes needed to override the veto and do right by these families.

Human Rights Campaign

Today, the New Jersey State Legislature sent a powerful message that all its citizens should be treated equally under the law, and that all families deserve the same protections,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “Governor Christie may veto this legislation, but he is out of step with the majority of voters on this issue. We will not give up until marriage equality becomes a reality in New Jersey. HRC has been proud to partner with Garden State Equality (GSE) in achieving this historic legislative victory.

Swag Tuesday

Today's Swag Tuesday prize is two tickets to Evolution Of A Dancer, this Sunday's epic ten-hour journey through the history of gay dance music. Starring legendary DJs Susan Morabito, Michael Fierman, and John Ceglia, the party takes place at Le Poisson Rouge in Manhattan's West Village. Doors open at 6pm and the aural excursion begins with the '70s music of the famed 12 West club.

Advance tickets. Event site. Party blog. Subway info.

JMG: Can you explain the "evolution" in the party's name?

Michael Fierman

The title “Evolution Of A Dancer” came out of our notion to present a completely unique dance event: one that told a musical story in a literal chronological order. A dancer, no matter what his or her age, can step on to the floor and be taken on a trip to hear and feel how dance music has evolved. How one movement in dance music follows another. One will not only recall some precious memories of clubs gone by, but also experience the music of today through the lens how “how we got here”. This is not just another oldies party by any means. By 11PM we will have reached the 21st century and all three of John, Michael and Susan’s one hour encores beginning at 1 AM will feature uplifting new music that is in keeping with our goal: not just to preserve the past, but to keep our community’s dance music alive and well into the future.

JMG: What kind of audience will this party draw?

Susan Morabito

We anticipate having an audience who remember music from all the decades we will be covering. Those who remember the music from the 70s will most likely get there on the earlier side and as the night progresses with each hour the music moves along the decades right up to current times. As the music evolves the crowd will most likely shift a little. And of course, like last year, we had people who were there from the first note until the last. Though this will be a prominently gay male dance event, the number of women who attended this event last year was delightfully surprising and we expect more women to be in attendance this year. Evolution of a Dancer is a celebration of music and dancing, it doesn’t cater to any particular group, Evolution of A Dancer is an inclusive event.

Enter to win tickets to Evolution Of A Dancer by commenting on this post. Only enter once and please remember to leave your email address in the text of you comment. Entries close at midnight on Thursday, west coast time. If you cannot be in Manhattan on the day of the party, your winning entry is transferable to your favorite dance lover. I attended last year and had a fantastic time.

NEW YORK CITY: Gay Couples Wed Atop Empire State Building For First Time

The Empire State Building only permits wedding ceremonies on Valentine's Day. For the first time ever, two of today's four sky-high couples were gay. Shawn Klein and Phil Fung, pictured above, met 18 years ago at the famed Roxy nightclub. Hit the link for more photos and a video.

VIDEO: WA Gov. Gregoire Delivers Impassioned Speech & Signs Bill

You won't regret treating yourself to this fantastic bit of LGBT history. Our thanks again to Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire!

(Via JMG reader Brandon)

VIDEO: Signing Of WA Marriage Bill

The ceremony is planned for 11:30am Washington time.

Watch live online here.

Prop 8 Celebration At NYC's Stonewall Inn

LIVE VIDEO: Prop 8 Press Conference

Scheduled start is 10:30AM Los Angeles time. UPDATE: It looks like AFER is having some problem with their UStream feed. Stand by...

WASHINGTON: Openly Gay State Sen. Ed Murray Speaks Before Marriage Roll Call

Here's the bill's openly gay sponsor and then the vote.

On The Death Of Camp

With the new Broadway-themed show Smash as a jumping off point, Daniel D'Addario writes in the New York Observer:

Sontag’s contention that “Camp is esoteric—something of a private code, a badge of identity even, among small urban cliques” suggests one culprit for the death of camp: The mainstream acceptance of gays—a welcome development, to say the least—seems to have come with an ancillary cost. If camp is by definition a sort of in-joke, a winking language of signs and semaphores understood by a discerning few, it melts away when a show about battling Broadway ingenues is targeted at the many. The aesthetic sensibility that converted TV’s Batman into a gay icon and “No wire hangers!” into a rallying cry has crossed irrevocably into mainstream culture. It’s available to all and therefore drained of its power. It’s an tasty irony, but not a campy one.

I'm afraid I must agree. What little "camp" I hear these days are lines lifted from Paris Is Burning and restated on RuPaul's Drag Race. Which is broadcast on a national network and therefore not much of an in-joke anymore.