http://www.app.com/app/story/0,21625,921908,00.html
I am so proud of my state right now I could burst. Now Asbury Park is famous for something outside of the Stone Pony. Move over Springsteen!
There are still people left in Asbury Park?
From all the Weird N.J. stories I got the impression it’s all rotting boardwalks and decaying funhouses.
Hear, hear! Now my gay friends won’t have to travel to make their church-officiated nups official in the eyes of the state. 
Dammit, I thought I was supposed to be the announcer of SSM stories on the Dope! Y’all are stelaing my thunder!
And then there were four…
New York, New Jersey, Oregon and California. And Massacusetts in two months abd eight days.
First off, good for Asbury Park. This is really becoming just a matter of time. And woo hoo, now I get to have another argument with my Über-Catholic, “don’t-those-poor-people-know-they’re-going-to-burn” mom. 
My question – does A.P. have a large gay population? If so, since when? Admittedly, my experience with the town consists of going to the Stone Pony quite a bit back in the early 90’s, but it always appeared to me to basically be a slum town. I was very surprised a few years ago when my wife made some passing comment about A.P. being a “gay hotbed”. Anyone know the deal?
Since the New Jersey decision in Lewis v. Harris, in which the court found that the state does not permit, nor the state constitution require same-sex marriage, I am not sure what legal status the people purportedly married in Asbury Park will actually have. This is doubly so in light of the fact that, following that court decision, the New Jersey legislature passed a domestic partnership law.
- Rick
Lewis is under appeal to the state supreme court. The domestic partnership law falls far short of equal marriage rights in many important areas. It is wholly inadequate to the task of guaranteeing equality for same-sex couples. I don’t see the supreme court (which ruled against BSA, Inc. in finding that it discriminated based on sexual orientation) as being terribly persuaded that the DP law is an adequate substitute. I am unsure if papers have been filed for the appeal; if so I’m not finding them online.
My apologies; Lewis is at the appeals court level, not before the state supreme court. It undoubtedly will ultimately be before the supremes, however, and my opinion of what will happen there is the same. And in thinking more about it, the satte has perhaps weakened its case by passing the DP law, since it has conceded (.pdf) that its only bases for wanting to preserve the SSM exclusion are tradition and to keep its laws uniform with those of other states. The state by passing the DP law has acknowledged the importance of offering protections to same-sex couples regardless of tradition. And of course there’s now a state out there with legal SSM (or it will be by the time another NJ court hears an appeal) so the uniformity argument is rather out the window as well.
If Jon Bon Jovi or Bam Bam Bigelow had officiated at the ceremony my life would be complete.
Is anyone else famous from around there? Springsteen?
Bruce Springsteen is from Freehold, which is much closer to Asbury Park than is Sayreville, where Jon Bon Jovi was raised.
Off the top of my head, the area also spawned Bud Abbott (Asbury Park), Norman Mailer (Long Branch) and Jack Nicholson (Neptune City).
Once you get in to north Jersey, then the list gets veeeery long.
Care to accept a friendly wager? I’m betting the New Jersey Supremes will uphold Lewis.
- Rick