Group Holds Launch Rally For New Jersey Marriage Equality

A group advocating for marriage equality in New Jersey held its launch rally this week in Asbury Park, attracting around 200 people with rainbow-colored signs to support their cause.

New Jersey United for Marriage, announced its campaign to support "the lifetime promise of love, commitment, and responsibility for all New Jersey residents," according to a recent press release. The group is seeking to pressure state lawmakers to override Gov. Chris Christie's veto of the Marriage Equality and Religious Exemptions Act, which passed both the state senate and assembly in 2012.

The group was joined by its partners Lambda Legal, the Human Rights Campaign, Freedom to Marry, Gill Action Fund, American Unity Fund, the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, and Garden State Equality.

"Today's announcement is a game-changer," said Troy Stevenson, executive director of Garden State Equality. "Over the past decade, Garden State Equality has moved public opinion from minority to majority support for marriage. With over 60 percent of New Jerseyans supporting marriage equality, we are in the last leg of a marathon race and are inviting everyone to run the last mile with us."