NJ Towns To Register Gay Domestic Partners
(1010 WINS) (TRENTON)


The Rev. Bob Kriesat and Edward Mather plan to drive from their Morris Township home to Maplewood on Saturday morning to register as domestic partners under a new state law.

The two men have been in a relationship for 35 years and see the law as an important milestone.

It allows gay partners to make medical decisions for each other and to file joint state tax returns. It does not legalize gay marriage and offers far fewer rights than those given to heterosexual married couples.

"While we recognize this is not a marriage and does not come near to providing the protections of marriage, it's a step," said Kriest, a pastor at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Chatham.