Spring Break
1 plaintiff watching, with pride, as civil unions set to begin
The Associated Press
Issue date: 2/19/07 Section: News
HADDONFIELD, N.J. - Diane Marini used to joke that she was always the bridesmaid and never the bride because, as a lesbian, she thought it was unlikely New Jersey would ever approve same-sex marriage.
Still, she and longtime partner Marilyn Maneely campaigned for gay marriage. They were among seven couples who sued the state in 2002 demanding the right to marry. While their suit didn't lead to a gay marriage law, it has led to New Jersey becoming the third state to offer civil unions to same-sex couples.
The civil unions law takes effect Monday and some same-sex couples are planning ceremonies. For couples who are not already in civil unions from other states, however, there is a 72-hour waiting period after applying for a license _ just like with marriages. A few town halls around the state planned to open at 12:01 a.m. Monday so couples could filed their applications.
It will be a bittersweet day for Marini, because Maneely died of Lou Gehrig's disease in 2005, more than a year before the case was decided.
"I'm thrilled to have been part of the whole movement to show people who didn't know what marriage meant, why it was important," said Marini, who plans to attend one couple's ceremony next weekend and probably several more in the next few months.
The state Supreme Court ruled in October that New Jersey must extend all the rights of marriage to gay couples, but left it to lawmakers to decide whether to provide those rights in the form of marriages, civil unions or something else. Lawmakers opted for "civil unions," in part because of opposition from legislators who objected on religious grounds to calling it "marriage."
Marini, a construction contractor, and Maneely, a home-health nurse, were a couple for more than 14 years after meeting at a spiritual retreat in Ocean City. Marini, who had come out as a lesbian in the early 1970s, saw the retreat as a vacation. Maneely, a mother of five who knew how to cook for a big group, was there mostly to run the kitchen.
Still, she and longtime partner Marilyn Maneely campaigned for gay marriage. They were among seven couples who sued the state in 2002 demanding the right to marry. While their suit didn't lead to a gay marriage law, it has led to New Jersey becoming the third state to offer civil unions to same-sex couples.
The civil unions law takes effect Monday and some same-sex couples are planning ceremonies. For couples who are not already in civil unions from other states, however, there is a 72-hour waiting period after applying for a license _ just like with marriages. A few town halls around the state planned to open at 12:01 a.m. Monday so couples could filed their applications.
It will be a bittersweet day for Marini, because Maneely died of Lou Gehrig's disease in 2005, more than a year before the case was decided.
"I'm thrilled to have been part of the whole movement to show people who didn't know what marriage meant, why it was important," said Marini, who plans to attend one couple's ceremony next weekend and probably several more in the next few months.
The state Supreme Court ruled in October that New Jersey must extend all the rights of marriage to gay couples, but left it to lawmakers to decide whether to provide those rights in the form of marriages, civil unions or something else. Lawmakers opted for "civil unions," in part because of opposition from legislators who objected on religious grounds to calling it "marriage."
Marini, a construction contractor, and Maneely, a home-health nurse, were a couple for more than 14 years after meeting at a spiritual retreat in Ocean City. Marini, who had come out as a lesbian in the early 1970s, saw the retreat as a vacation. Maneely, a mother of five who knew how to cook for a big group, was there mostly to run the kitchen.
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