New Jersey strikes another blow for equality

Today the New Jersey legislature passed a bill creating civil unions for gay couples, in response to a ruling by the state Supreme Court essentially requiring such legislation. Gov. Jon Corzine is expected to sign the bill into law, making New Jersey the third state, with Vermont and Connecticut, to recognize civil unions (Massachusetts permits marriage).

I understand why some gay rights groups are upset by this ruling:

Steven Goldstein, director of Equality New Jersey, told Bloomberg that the vote was a mixed blessing for the state's gays and lesbians because there was no guarantee non-government entities would honor the decision.

"Nobody knows what civil unions are in the real world. That's the problem,'' Goldstein told Bloomberg. "We want marriage equality, not a law that discriminates.''
The move follows an order by the New Jersey Supreme Court, which directed the state to provide same-sex couples with marriage rights or their equivalent.

Employing civil rights terminology, gay and lesbian advocates blasted the decision and said that providing the benefits of marriage without calling it marriage was tantamount to the "separate but equal" treatment of a discriminated group.

But I think this is probably the best we can hope for right now, in terms of guaranteeing equal rights to all Americans. It's not going to be perfect everywhere, but to me, it's kind of like taking down the Berlin Wall, one chunk of concrete at a time. Eventually, that whole wall's gonna come a'tumblin' down.