http://www.styleweekly.com/article.asp?idarticle=12224April 26, 2006
Justice for All
by John Shelby Spong
The question of rights for homosexuals keeps surfacing in different guises. In November, Virginians will vote on an amendment to the Virginia Bill of Rights that will deny gays the right to marry. In New Jersey, my adopted state, the Supreme Court will sometime in the next few months hand down its ruling in the case of Lewis v. Harris. The final arguments from the attorneys for the plaintiff and the state have already been heard. All that remains is for the members of the court to engage in their own deliberations, to vote and to announce their decision.
This case was filed more than three years ago by seven gay and lesbian couples of New Jersey, who have been living in faithful, committed and loving partnerships that range from 13 to 34 years in duration. They are asking for the state to recognize their relationships as marriages and to sanction them, thus giving them the same rights and privileges enjoyed by heterosexual couples, including equal benefits under the tax codes, full spousal coverage in insurance programs, and equal visitation rights and authority in all circumstances of sickness, accidents and death.
It has been my privilege to know two of these seven couples quite well. I respect their integrity; I honor their partnerships.
I am encouraged about the prospects for this case. The questions asked by the justices during final arguments seemed to me to offer sufficient reason to anticipate a positive outcome.
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