Garden State Equality

If Barack Obama wins the presidency and offers Gov. Jon Corzine a post in his new administration, New Jerseyans want Corzine to take the job, according to a Zogby International poll released earlier today.

Among likely voters, 46% want Corzine to resign as Governor and join an Obama administration, while 33% say he should decline and stay on as Governor. Among Democrats, 45% say he should leave, and 36% want him to stay.

New Jersey’s most popular politician is Senate President Richard Codey, according to a new Zogby International poll released today.  Codey, who served as Governor from November 2004 to January 2006, has a 66%-17% favorable rating among New Jersey likely voters. 

A second independent poll in seven days on the 2009 race for Governor shows a potentially close contest between Gov. Jon Corzine and Republican Christopher Christie, the United States Attorney.  A Zogby International poll conducted for Garden State Equality gives Corzine a 45%-36% lead over Christie; a Quinnipiac University poll released last Tuesday has Christie leading 41%-40% -- a statistical dead heat.

Democrat Frank Lautenberg has a 50%-32% lead over Republican Dick Zimmer in the race for U.S. Senate, according to a Zogby International poll released today.  A Quinnipiac University released on August 12 has Lautenberg leading 48%-41%. 

The poll was conducted for Garden State Equality, a civil rights organization that advocates marriage equality and other gay rights issues.

Garden State Equality Chair Steven Goldstein says a new poll shows New Jersey is ready for same sex marriage
Most New Jerseyans support same sex marriage and an even greater percentage have no problem if the state joins Massachusetts and California in passing a same sex marriage law, according to a Zogby International poll conducted by Garden State Equality, a civil rights organization that advocates marriage equality and other gay rights issues.

By a 50%-42% margin, likely New Jersey voters support allowing same sex couples to marry. 59% say they would be fine with a same sex marriage law, and 57% say New Jersey should recognize same sex marriages that took place outside New Jersey.

Frank Lautenberg today won the endorsement of the Human Rights Campaign.

The group, which describes itself as “the nation's largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) civil rights organization” is the second major gay rights group to endorse Lautenberg over his rival, Rep. Rob Andrews.  He received the endorsement of Garden State Equality last week.

Garden State Equality Endorses Sen. Frank Lautenberg for Re-Election

Garden State Equality is celebrating a major victory: an Oscar.  "Freeheld:  The Laurel Hester Story," the film chronicling a dying police officer’s fight for life and Garden State Equality’s fight in the political arena to win death benefits for her partner, won the 2008 Academy Award for Best Short Documentary on Sunday night.  GSE has released a video Hester recorded days before she died, now on the organization’s homepage of , where she speaks of what GSE describes as a “hard-fought victory over the homophobic Ocean County freeholders, who finally caved in and granted the benefits to Lt. Hester’s partner.”

Since the New Jersey civil union law took effect on February 19, 2007, 211 couples have reported to Garden State Equality that their employers refuse to recognize their civil unions.   The New Jersey civil union law is failing at an astonishing 1 in 7 rate.

This Sunday, June 17, 2007, the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination will expand to outlaw discrimination based on “gender identity or expression,” thereby providing protection to transgender people.  Since Garden State Equality’s founding in 2004, New Jersey has enacted 153 laws at the state, county and municipal levels advancing the civil rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex community.