South Orange Village President Supports Marriage Equality Effort

Several mayors in the Essex and Hudson County region – including South Orange Village President Alex Torpey - recently expressed their support of marriage equality rights in an “amici curiae” brief to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Activists have organized the petition to the court in response to the DeBoer v. Snyder case, an appeal of the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court ruling which held that LGBTQ citizens have no fundamental right to marry.

Other local mayors who have signed include Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer, Maplewood Mayor Vic DeLuca, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop and West Orange Mayor Robert Parisi, according to a report.

Nationwide, more than 200 mayors have lent their support to the brief. [See a list of signatories here.]

“I am a strong supporter of marriage equality and was proud to officiate the first marriage in Hoboken between a same sex couple in 2013,” Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer told Patch. “Ending government discrimination against people because of who they love is an important step towards realizing our nation’s founding principle that all of us are created equal.”

“Marriage is a fundamental right for everyone, and I want to be part of the fight to make that right a reality across the nation,” Maplewood Mayor Vic DeLuca stated in an email to Patch. “As mayor, I want to speak up for same sex couples in our community and for those thinking about moving to Maplewood. I cannot stand by while same sex couples are treated differently under the law because of whom they love or with whom they want to spend their lives.”

When asked if the brief is something that the residents of Maplewood would support, DeLuca responded yes.

“Maplewood is a welcoming and inclusive community in which to live and raise a family. We believe that all people should be treated in a fair and equitable manner and denying same sex couples the right to marry contradicts that value,” stated DeLuca.

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