First Gay Couples Marry in New Jersey

It’s about time New Jersey got on board with the gay marriage business bonanza. Gay marriage became legal at 12:01 a.m. Monday, and nine couples—seven same-sex and two heterosexual—were married Monday at midnight in Newark, with Senator-elect Cory Booker officiating. As with all weddings, there was some drama and some tears: a protester tried to disrupt the first ceremony by shouting “this is unlawful in the eyes of God and Jesus Christ,” while another couple got so emotional that Booker joked “there’s a law about making the mayor cry. It’s illegal.” This was the first time Booker officiated a wedding, with the former mayor saying that he never performed any ceremonies before because “I wasn’t going to marry anybody if I couldn’t marry everybody.” Bloomberg News is reporting that Republican Governor Chris Christie has advised the New Jersey Attorney General to withdraw the appeal of the gay marriage ruling.