Gays lobby for domestic partner bill
By JOSEPH DEE, Staff Writer

TRENTON -- About 70 gays, lesbians and their allies sought out legislators at the State House yesterday to push for domestic partnership benefits and other issues.
     The rally and lobbying blitz was part of a nationwide "Equality Begins at Home" effort of homosexuals to increase their visibility and raise the awareness of state lawmakers of their concerns.
     For some of the participants, it was their first time in the State House, or the first time they collared politicians to press their points. "I've never done this before," said Peter Frycki, secretary of the Trenton Gay and Lesbian Civic Association.
     After a brief instruction period by lobbyists, the participants fanned out through the State House and Annex in search of senators and assembly members.
     Sen. Bill Schluter, R-Pennington, said he hadn't been approached by any of the lobbyists, but said he is sure his aide will collect their materials. The participants were distributing position papers on youth issues, health and safety concerns and family issues.
     When told the organizers are pushing for the introduction of a bill that would extend domestic partnership benefits to the unmarried partners of state workers, Schluter said the issue will raise many concerns. "This will bring up the whole issue of the validity of homosexual marriage," he said. "I want to study it carefully."
     ORGANIZERS OF the lobbying effort said the domestic partnership bill, which will cover people in heterosexual, homosexual and nonsexual shared-living arrangements, will not address the issue of gay marriage.
     Rob Laczko, president of the Trenton Gay and Lesbian Civic Association, said participants were learning that you can't judge a legislator by his or her party label.
     "There are Republicans that are lending support, and Democrats who aren't," he said.
     A rally on the State House steps featured a Bergen County gay couple, Michael and Jon Galluccio, who won the right in court to jointly adopt a child. The landmark 1997 agreement with the state Department of Human Services puts homosexual couples on an equal footing with married heterosexual couples in terms of adoption.
     New Jersey is the only state to reach such a legal agreement, Michael Galluccio said.
     "Twelve states are actively trying to pass legislation banning gay adoption and foster care," Galluccio told the crowd as his son, Adam, 3, looked on. Jon said the key to gaining support for their right to jointly adopt Adam "was showing our humanity and letting people identify with us simply as people and parents, and not just gay."
     SENIOR POLICY analyst Peter LaBarbera of the Family Research Council said it's "lunacy" that gay couples are considered under New Jersey to be equally fit to serve as adoptive parents as married heterosexual couples.
     Among those participating in yesterday's lobbying effort were Bill and Angie Briggs of Gloucester (Camden County). Their 25-year-old son is gay, they said. "We're here for him to have a safe environment, to be able to get married, and have the same rights as our daughter," Angie Briggs said.
     Bill Briggs said some people fear that open acceptance of gays will allow them to "recruit" others and convert them into homosexuals. But it doesn't work that way, he said.
     "You either like ladies or you don't," Briggs said. "If legislators don't send the message that (my son) deserves rights -- and we're not talking about special rights, just equal rights -- then they send the opposite message that he doesn't deserve rights."