Chris Christie: Gay Marriage Referendum Is 'Bargain Of Their Life' For Pro-Equality Activists

Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) said Thursday that he was offering gay marriage advocates the "bargain of their life" by working to have the issue of equal marriage rights decided through a referendum rather than supporting a bill in the state legislature that would legalize them.

"I've called upon every Republican in the state legislature to vote to put it on the ballot. Well, you need three-fifths to put it on the ballot. The Republicans have two-fifths in the legislature. So that means the Democrats only need to come up with one-fifth of the legislature," Christie said at a town hall meeting in Denville, N.J. "This is the bargain of their life. I'm giving you two-fifths! And the polls they show me say that if it goes on the ballot, it will lose. How much more magnanimous can I be? What else do you want me to do? Go campaign for it too? Look, I'm doing the best I can here!"

(Video above via Think Progress)

Christie has been grappling with the same-sex marriage issue over the past few weeks. He's promised to veto any legislation that would legalize such unions, instead claiming that it should be put up to a vote by the people of New Jersey. He's also argued that it shouldn't be the responsibility of government to handle social issues at this time.

Last month Christie drew sharp criticism for claiming that civil rights leaders would have longed for the opportunity to put equal rights up to a vote. He later apologized after a number of political figures, including Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), an icon of the civil rights movement, argued that the public wouldn't have supported such a referendum, and that legislative action was necessary to spur the change.

While a recent poll showed a majority of New Jersey residents supporting gay marriage, as Bloomberg points out, ballot questions on gay marriage, while somewhat common of late, have been entirely unsuccessful. Voters have rejected same-sex marriage rights in all 31 attempts, according to Freedom to Marry, a New York-based marriage equality organization.

On Thursday, a state Assembly judiciary committee approved the legislation to legalize gay marriage, sending it to the full Assembly for a vote on Feb. 16. The state Senate is set to take up the legislation on Feb. 13.

Also on HuffPost:

Comments

[Elliot Stamler]

05:54 PM on 02/13/2012

If I lived across the Hudson River in NJ I would vote for gay marriage in a referendum. That said, I support Gov. Christie...a direct referendum is democracy in action and part of democracy is accepting that some things you support are not supported by a majority. A direct referendum should have been done here in NY but our politicians are too gutless. The NJ Supreme Court has ruled that gay persons can have and now do, all marital rights under the alternate term, "civil unions." In my view that meets all arguments that gay persons are denied equal protection of the laws. I don't doubt Gov. Christie is partly motivated in this decision by consideration of his political future especially on a national level but that simply does not affect whether or not his action is right or wrong. And I repeat, in a referendum, I would vote FOR legalizing gay marriage.

[texan723]

02:23 PM on 02/13/2012

Gay rights movement is not equivalent to a civil rights movement. Ask any African-American voter in California.

[Stephen Freese]

04:22 AM on 02/10/2012

The large group of people here who use the never ending ad hominem attack (Govs. weight) are revealing their ignorance and lack of any debateble intellectual coherence. Leave the weight issue alone if you want others to not make the same charactorization towards the homosexual class here. I may disagree with homosexual marriage but I do not think it is appropriate to denigrate them because of their belief. The debate will always end when the ad hominem approach is used in any exchange of beliefs.

[Wayne Peterson]

02:17 PM on 02/08/2012

Christie's name will now be remembered alongside of those notable protectors of our freedoms, Lester Maddox and George Wallace!!!!

[joeyfoto]

01:52 PM on 02/07/2012

To all the good folks, who are confident that the US Supreme Court would come down on the side of human rights and civil justice, all I can say is that — if it comes to that — I hope with all my heart that you are right. I think it more likely that this case will never get past the 9th circuit.

[crosshatchaz]

09:07 PM on 02/06/2012

Christie: "What else do you want me to do?"

Resign.

[truth be told again]

11:20 AM on 02/06/2012

If "the "bargain of their life" is "to have the issue of equal marriage rights decided through a referendum", then Christie's relationship should likewise be subjected to a popularity contest, no?

[Retnan]

01:09 AM on 02/06/2012

What's the matter gay rights people? Afraid you'd lose at the polls?

[LintLass]

01:42 AM on 02/06/2012

Tired of anti-gay people moving the goalposts they keep saying they'd accept in order to stop denying our basic civil rights. First they wanted court cases, then that wasn't good enough, so they wanted legislative majorities, then that's good enough, so they say they'll veto *that* ...so now they want referenda... But referenda can't Constitutionally remove civil rights, (though extending recognition of them is a different matter.)

Popular will is already *for* marriage equality, and getting stronger that way: the Republicans and the Religious Right just want to milk more money and political games out of delaying justice.

And justice delayed is justice denied. Our lives do go on while these people try to profit by harming LGBT people.

And we know the Religious Right will spend big money to deceive people about what's even *in* the referenda. As the whole Prop 8 thing showed. Poll California *now.*

[MartiniVirtuoso]

09:38 AM on 02/06/2012

Exactly.

[Nicola Durham]

08:38 AM on 02/14/2012

Well said!!!

[truth be told again]

11:20 AM on 02/06/2012

The "matter" is subjecting SOME citizens' rights and freedoms to a popularity contest. They're supposed to be guaranteed - by the Constitution.

Do you get it yet?

[Elliot Stamler]

05:57 PM on 02/13/2012

But what you do not grasp is that as of today, the Supreme Court has not ruled that gay marriage is a right and so its denial by statutory omission can't be deemed to be guaranteed by the Constitution.

[Retnan]

01:09 AM on 04/14/2012

What in the constitution guarantees a right to gay marriage? I'm pretty sure the guys who wrote it would look at you with their WTF faces if you could go back in time and mention it to them.

[fklb]

12:08 AM on 02/06/2012

Since when is segregating genders a civil rights issue? Celebrate diversity by supporting gender-integrated marriage.

[truth be told again]

11:22 AM on 02/06/2012

Heterosexuals already HAVE the right to gender-integrated marriage. No one is owrking to take that right away. NO one is working to subject it to a popularity contest.

Allowing gay citizens equal rights in no way takes anything away from YOUR relationship.

Do better. Shouldn't be hard - for a 'betterosexual'.

[Valerie Keefe]

06:58 PM on 02/05/2012

Every comment on this story:

Angry denunciation of pandering to superficial prejudices based on biologically-linked behavior that it would be a full-time job to not manifest.
.

Fatphobic punchline.

Well done commenters. Way to be no better than your enemies.

[TotalTranquility]

01:03 AM on 02/06/2012

Fatphobic LOL Thanks for that.

[Valerie Keefe]

02:04 AM on 02/06/2012

Would you prefer morphologically normative? Anyone arguing that body mass index isn't largely dependent on genetics and environment hasn't been paying much attention to the last half-century of science.

[James Fair]

02:07 PM on 02/06/2012

We're better than our enemies in that we don't deny Christie his right to to be jolly and plump like he denies people the right to marry the person they love.

[Wayne Peterson]

02:19 PM on 02/08/2012

...and to think he commits the sin of gluttony every day!!!! Luv them "cafeteria Christians"!!!!

[Bpeirce]

12:10 PM on 02/05/2012

Mr Christie...... The Snook is in much better shape than You are, both Mentally and Physically!

[madame48]

11:59 AM on 02/05/2012

Will Chris be asking us to make the Catholic bishops happy by voting to make divorce illegal too?

[IamFluff]

11:21 AM on 02/05/2012

But this is not a Democracy. This is a Republic so the rights of the smallest minority are to be reflected in the rule of law: the rights of the individual. And since there is nobody in the community who is harmed by gay people getting married, there is no argument here. It simply is a right. It is unfortunate that it needs to be defined as one when it should be so obvious to anybody with an open heart (Which would not include people who believe in religion rather than God)

[webber73]

06:23 AM on 02/05/2012

I never thought equal rights would be classified as a "bargain of a lifetime?" How pathetic!

[LintLass]

01:43 AM on 02/06/2012

Hey, 'bargaining' is the last stage before acceptance. Then the Religious Right will have to find yet another minority to oppress....

[wolfpeace]

11:57 PM on 02/04/2012

It IS Civil Rights. As with other civil right situations starting with the beginnings of the U S this is the same s***, different decade, different issue.

"No man is free until all men are free."