By 55-40 Percent, New Jersey Favors Marriage for Gays, the State's Highest Support Ever, Bucking National Trend; 49 Percent Would Consider Voting for Jim McGreevey Again.

By 61-33 percent, voters oppose idea of state constitutional ban on gay
marriage, want legislature to accept what courts rule.

Stunning 81 percent of voters say legislature has better priorities than to
try to ban gay marriage in the state constitution.

TRENTON, N.J., May 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Bucking the national trend, New
Jersey's support for marriage for same-sex couples is at its highest point
ever, according to a Garden State Equality-Zogby poll released today of
804 New Jersey voters surveyed from April 12-14, 2005. The poll's 55-40%
pro-gay marriage result is virtually identical to that of Zogby's July 2003
New Jersey poll, whose result was 55-41%. North, Central and South
Jersey are each at about 55% pro-gay marriage in the new poll, which
has a margin of error of +/- 3.5%.

The poll results and demographic data are at
http://www.GardenStateEquality.org

By 61-33%, nearly a 2-to-1 margin, New Jersey voters oppose the idea
of the legislature's putting on the ballot a measure to ban gay marriage.
And by 81-19%, New Jersey voters say the legislature has more important
priorities than to spend time trying to put a constitutional amendment
on the ballot to ban gay marriage. 68% of New Jerseyans say they hold
that view strongly.

"If marriage equality prevails at the state Supreme Court and national
anti-gay activists think of coming here," said Steven Goldstein, chair of
Garden State Equality, "they will meet their Waterloo. New Jersey
marches to a different drummer and the beat of equality. New Jersey
is the state that doesn't hate."

The poll asks New Jersey voters if they would consider voting for
former Governor Jim McGreevey should he ever run for U.S. Congress
or state legislature. 49% say they would consider voting for McGreevey.
43% say they would never vote for him, but it has nothing to do with
his being gay. 6% say they would never vote for McGreevey because
he is gay.

Advocates of marriage for same-sex couples in New Jersey have waged
an aggressive grassroots campaign to buttress support for the issue. Since
January 2003, nearly 6,000 New Jerseyans have attended, and dozens
of state and national news organizations have covered, the 17 town
meetings in a series called "New Jersey: A State That Doesn't Hate."
Garden State Equality's next town meeting will be in Maplewood on
Sunday, July 10, 2005, the one-year anniversary day of the state's
domestic partnership law. Speaking will be Congressman Barney Frank.

New Jersey's marriage equality lawsuit, brought by the national civil
rights organization Lambda Legal, was heard by the state's intermediate
appellate court in December. A decision may come at any time. The
case will then go to the New Jersey Supreme Court, which will have
the courts' final word.

Garden State Equality is the statewide political action organization
uniting straight and gay New Jerseyans who support equal rights
for the LGBT community.

SOURCE: Garden State Equality
Web Site: http://www.GardenStateEquality.org

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