New Jersey

TRENTON, N.J. — The Democratic leadership in the New Jersey state legislature on Monday announced that measures to legalize same-sex marriage will advance to floor votes by both chambers -- the majority leadership announced that the Senate had scheduled a vote for Feb. 13, followed by a vote in the House vote three days later. [ Read more → ]

In Maryland, 14-year-old Sarah Crank asked lawmakers to vote "no" on marriage equality because "people have the choice to be gay" and she doesn't want to be affected by their choice. But in New Jersey this week, 15-year-old Madison Galluccio testified she should not be forced to feel like an outcast because her parents are gay. [ Read more → ]

TRENTON, N.J. -- A committee in the New Jersey State Assembly on Thursday approved a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage, setting the stage for a showdown between the Democratic-controlled state legislature, and Republican Gov. Chris Christie, who has vowed to veto the measure. [ Read more → ]

TRENTON, N.J. -- A New Jersey state Senate committee on Tuesday advanced a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in the Garden State, while Gov. Chris Christie vowed to veto the bill if it reached his desk, and instead said that gay marriage should be decided by the voters. [ Read more → ]

TRENTON, N.J. -- New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Monday nominated Bruce Harris, an openly gay African-American Republican mayor, to the state's Supreme Court. [ Read more → ]

NEWARK, N.J. -- The New Jersey Star-Ledger -- the state's largest newspaper -- on Thursday called for an amendment to the New Jersey state constitution that would legalize same-sex marriage in the Garden State. [ Read more → ]

UNION TOWNSHIP, N.J -- The school board of Union Township, New Jersey has filed tenure charges against Viki Knox, the high school English teacher whose anti-gay remarks on Facebook raised a firestorm over her free speech rights and her role as a public school teacher. [ Read more → ]

TRENTON, N.J. -- The Democratic leadership of the New Jersey legislature on Monday said they will introduce marriage equality legislation this session and would make the measure in both legislative bodies Senate and Assembly the legislative top priority. [ Read more → ]

CHATHAM, N.J. -- Bruce Harris was sworn in this week as Mayor of the borough of Chatham, N.J., and became what is believed to be the first openly gay, black Republican mayor in the country. [ Read more → ]

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- A former Rutgers University student accused of bullying his gay roommate, allegedly leading his victim to kill himself, rejected a plea deal on Friday that would have allowed him to avoid a jail sentence. [ Read more → ]

The parents of Tyler Clementi -- a Rutgers University student who jumped to his death last year after being humiliated online over his sexual orientation — said they learned only weeks before his suicide that their son was gay, and announced they have established the Tyler Clementi Foundation to work to prevent teen suicide and implement anti-bullying programs. [ Read more → ]

TRENTON, N.J. -- A New Jersey Superior Court judge on Friday ruled that a lawsuit filed by the state's largest LGBT advocacy group, which seeks to force the state to recognize same-sex marriage, can go forward. [ Read more → ]

NEW YORK -- New Jersey's Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday criticized comments made by a Union Township, N.J. high school teacher who posted an anti-gay rant on Facebook last week. [ Read more → ]

The New Jersey Star-Ledger, in a biting editorial on Sunday, called for the dismissal of Viki Knox, a high school teacher who last week posted a homophobic rant on her Facebook page in response to an LGBT history month display at Union High School in Union Township, N.J. [ Read more → ]

School officials in Union Township, N.J. are investigating claims that a high school teacher who advises a student prayer group posted remarks on her Facebook page critical of LGBT History Month, and described homosexuality as "perverted" and a "sin" that "breeds like cancer." [ Read more → ]

On this day one year ago, Tyler Clementi -- an 18-year-old student at Rutgers University -- jumped to his death from the George Washington bridge after a sexual encounter he had with another man was allegedly streamed online by his roommate. [ Read more → ]

Online review website “Yelp” has removed more than 1,000 negative reviews of a New Jersey bridal shop after it was flooded with comments bashing the shop for refusing to sell a wedding dress to a lesbian bride-to-be. [ Read more → ]

A New Jersey bridal shop has refused to sell a wedding dress to a lesbian bride-to-be, calling the couple's pending nuptials an "illegal action." [ Read more → ]

Seven gay and lesbian couples have joined with LGBT advocacy groups Garden State Equality and Lambda Legal on Wednesday in filing suit against the state of New Jersey demanding their partnerships be recognized as marriages, not as civil unions. [ Read more → ]

Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie reaffirmed his opposition to same-sex marriage, and "that will be the view of our state" -- as long as he is the Governor. [ Read more → ]