Progressive Nation

November 21st, 2005

USG’s gay rights referendum

As of last night, we as Princeton students have a key voice in the pending Lewis v Harris case. Princeton Justice Project, submitting an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs, seven gay and lesbian couples seeking the right to marry, successfully petitioned the USG to put a referendum on next month’s election ballot to have them sign onto the brief. A ‘yes’ on the referendum, and thus having the Princeton student body stamp their name on the cause of state civil rights, would send a bold, important message New Jersey should hear.

There was a lot of talk at last night’s USG meeting about the role of student government in political stance taking. The bottom line, though, is that the USG has certainly taken stances on national issues before: in the 1970s taking a stand on divestment from South Africa, in 2003 passing a resolution in favor of the University’s amicus brief on college admission affirmative action. Further, gay marriage is as much a student concern as it is a national or political one; Lewis v Harris would entitle gay Princeton students who choose to marry the same rights as married heterosexual students (think married housing, etc). The matter could even affect the caliber of students Princeton attracts, as under Massachusetts law at Harvard gay students can marry, and at Yale in Connecticut enter into a civil union. The USG has the opportunity to tell gay students that Princeton values the rights competitor schools grant them. Moreover, because the matter is going through referendum, USG members need not worry they are deciding an issue excluded from the platform they were elected on–it’s impossible to misrepresent a studentry plainly asserting issue-specific, yes or no feedback. Indeed, if the USG signs the brief, it won’t just be the student government talking–it will be the student body.

Obviously, it’s imperative gay students and their allies help to win this vote. Chris Lloyd, head of the Gay Family Rights Project of the PJP, is compiling an email list of supporters; to receive updates and information on how to help, email Chris.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 21st, 2005 at 9:29 pm and is filed under Moral Values. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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