State Senate Approves Bill Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage

The New Jersey State Senate approved a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in a 24-16 vote today, NJ.com reports. 

Sen. Gerry Cardinale (R-Cresskill) spoke out against the bill during today's debate, theNJ.com report says. 

"The essential characteristic of a marriage, the very definition of the term, is it involves at least one male and one female,” he is quoted as saying. “Do not break with thousands of years of civilized tradition. This bill opens Pandora’s box.”

Gov. Chris Christie, who opposes same-sex marriage, has said the decision should be left to voters through a referendum. Christie has promised a veto of any bill allowing same-sex marriage. 

A Rutgers-Eagleton poll shows 54 percent of New Jersey voters support same-sex marriage, compared to 35 who don't, Bloomberg.com reports. 

Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) called the state's current civil union law "flawed" and pointed to "vague and undefined" protections for same-sex couples. 

"Who are we to say that basic equal rights should be denied to any class of citizen, simply because we’re uncomfortable with the nature of their relationship? The State should not be in the business of legally sanctioning homophobia by conferring separate but equal status to the legal recognition of a union between two people," Weinberg said in remarks released after the vote. 

Politickernj.com offers a breakdown of the senate vote here. 

The Assembly will take up the bill Thursday.