Gay rights advocates lobby for gay marriage

this post edited

If you're sick and tired of hearing about LGBT rights, fair game to say so. If you sick and tired of reading about Steven Goldstein - that's me - or the organization I lead, Garden State Equality, fair game to say so. If you oppose marriage equality for same-sex couples for whatever reason, fair game to say so. Free country, vigorous dialogue, the American process of debate.

Indeed, some of the comments above, though I and supporters of Garden State Equality may not agree with them, are fair game.

But good God, for someone to attack the story of a special needs child - my brother, the love of my life of whom I'm legal guardian, whom I have helped raised, whom I am now still helping to raise with my partner, my brother who has reached a four-year old level, at age 43, for which my family and I are thankful - well stop right there.

I told a personal story about why I am fighting for marriage equality, just like many of us tell personal stories about why we fight for our causes, whether conservative causes or liberal causes.

I have, over the years, listened to deeply personal stories told by speakers who are pro-gun, anti-choice, you name the conservative cause. Several are my friends. I may not agree with them on the substance, but never would I impugn them based on their personal stories. And in fact I have been deeply touched by their stories.

Now let's put marriage equality aside for a moment, to answer the question above: "Does anyone with special needs children expect special treatment?"

If the government does not have at least that responsibility to look out for its most vulnerable citizens, that’s more extreme than any conservative blogger here have ever accused me of. And it's also something almost all Democrats and Republicans in our state would disagree with.

to judge my partner as just my brother's brother in law - we are my brother's nuclear family. You want to oppose the causes for which I stand? Go ahead. You want to say I make you sick? Go ahead. I'll defend your right to do so. Lay off my family. By the way, my name is Steven.

You don't make me sick. And I don't need to know about your family. Much less your name.

You are the one who raised the subject of your family in a public forum, you silly man, you. You used it as an argument for gay marriage. You thereby opened the subject of your family to public discourse. If you didn't want the subject of your family to be discussed publicly, there was a very simple solution.

The fact of the matter is that you purported to use your experience at Disneyworld as justification for why the state should acquiesce to your latest demand. And I would argue if that's the best reason you can muster, we have more important problems to solve.

Ironically, I'm not even against gay marriage. I just think it's a terrible distraction that's already taken far too much of our attention away from the state's pressing problems. You asked for civil unions, and got them. You asked for 100 different state regulations, and got them.

When exactly are we going to be allowed to turn our attention to the state's recurring debt and budget problems? How about the overdevelopment crisis that's being exacerbated by the new affordable housing law? When is enough? When your brother's brother-in-law gets to cut in front of the line for "Pirates of the Carribean?"

You might see where some of us are beginning to think if this is personal, we ought to be allowed to turn our attention to how our own personal communities, schools, and home state's solvency are all being destroyed while we are expected to worry about whether your partner waits in line at Disneyworld.

no line cutting for anyone. If mass punishment was good for catholic schools and the Army, it is good enough for Disney World.

As we would say in days past, what a drama queen!

commonsensenj, you are a master of distortion.

The problem with your argument is that you are trying to turn this issue into “who gets to cut in front of the line at Disney World”. Nice try, but that’s not the issue at all. It’s just one example of how gay families get treated. Variations of that example happen all of the time to families like mine. When they happen over and over, then I get sick of it, and start demanding equal protection under the law from my legislators.

The part that makes me sick the most is not the explaining to a stranger what a civil union is while he looks at me with stupid look on his face, or watching a member of my family explain what a civil union is which is even worse. It’s the lower status that I give to myself when I give that explanation. It’s not so trivial.

Of course equal treatment for gay families isn’t important to you compared to the other problems NJ faces. But understand why it’s a priority to people like me.

marriage is not a right???

"Marriage is one of the 'basic civil rights of man,' fundamental to our very existence and survival..." Loving v. Virginia.

Yes, it was a case about race and miscegenation, but it clearly states that marriage is a fundamental right.

Nice try though.

Who cares about our useless legislators(with a few exceptions) and what they think. If there is such a ground swell of support -Why not put this issue on the ballot (Doherty)?? Let the people decide?

lets see all this "momentum" in action.

You'd never do it because you know you would lose. Thats something you can count on.

The worst part of this whole story has nothing to do with what may or may not have happened in Disneyland. It is the shameless exploitation of Goldstein's profoundly disabled brother. Once again, Goldstein has dragged out his sob story about how he and his partner are the only ones who take care of him, and feed him and change his diapers... It would be really sad, if only it were true. His brother has lived in an institution in New England for most of his life. Oh, and both of Goldsteins parents are alive and very much in charge of his brother. He spun this same soppy yarn in front of the NJ legislature during the Civil Union hearings. It was pathetic.

Talk about an exploiting self-serving egotist.

Oh, and on a more timely note, why don't you tell everyone why you had to be ejected from the National Stonewall Democrats convention last week? OK, I'll tell.

The NSD's were having a silent auction in one of the conference rooms, and one of the items to be auctioned was an autographed book by Jimmy Carter. Former President Jimmy Carter. Could have maybe brought some funds in for NSD, right? Except mighty-mouth took it upon himself to deface the book by scribbling over the President's autograph:
"Jimmy Carter is an antisemetic pig".

How's that for mature? How's that for a powerful political statement? A common VANDAL! He was escorted out by hotel security. NSD is trying now to decide what action to take and whether to publicize the incident further.

Goldstein, for god's sake, for all that is holy, for the slightest spark of decency that you might still have glimmering in your dark and dismal soul... SHUT THE HELL UP!
You're embarrassing yourself and everyone else! How does Daniel put up with you? He seems so normal!