NJ is a bit more fair today

From the Ocean County Observer:

Hester to win as freeholders change mind
Will vote to extend benefits Wednesday
Posted by the Ocean County
Observer on 01/21/06BY DON BENNETT STAFF WRITER
TOMS RIVER — Reversing themselves after months of battering at public meetings and in the press, Ocean County's freeholders are scheduled to vote Wednesday to extend pension benefits to the domestic partner of Lt. Laurel Hester and other members of the Police and Fire Retirement System.
The decision came after a political teleconference among the Republican leaders of the county yesterday afternoon.
The agreement that emerged calls for the freeholders to vote Wednesday, after a closed-door meeting that is a routine part of their caucuses, to extend the pension benefits to Hester and her partner, Stacie Andree.
In addition, state Sen. Andrew Ciesla, R-Ocean, has asked the state Office of Legislative Services to prepare a bill he will sponsor that will eliminate the difference in the pension inheritance rights of members of the police and fire retirement system and other state public employee retirement systems.

Quoted on Bluejersey.net:

Steven Goldstein of Garden State Equality: "Truth be told, we did lose hope for a reversal in the last couple of weeks. We had applied all the pressure in the world, embarrassing the freeholders and few public servants had ever been embarrassed before in the state of New Jersey or in this country, and they would not budge. Finally they did. Hallelujah! There is a God....Now that the Ocean County freeholders have done the right thing, we thank them with all our hearts and welcome them to the New Jersey of the 21st Century, where compassion and common-sense prevails over hatred and outmoded homophobia."

In Ocean County, a change is coming. Our Fair State is a better place to live today, for all of us.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, go here, here and here. I'm remiss by not blogging in a long time on this issue, which has big impact on the life of one woman, and on the equality of all residents of Ocean County- indeed, the equality of all residents of Our Fair State.

(Big ol' tip of the hat to bluejersey.net.)